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The Topography of Arid Lands
Quick Review

1 .       Running water is the most important external agent of landform development in arid lands. 

 
 


2 .       Almost all the desert streams in the world are ephemeral. 

 
 


3 .       The smaller lakes found in arid environments are nearly always the product of either subsurface structural conditions or exotic streams from nearby mountains. 

 
 


4 .       Bornhards are very unstable and may disintegrate in a few thousand years. 

 
 


5 .       A pediment surface is created by deposition rather than erosion. 

 
 


6 .       Pediments develop as desert mountains are worn down by weathering and erosion. 

 
 


7 .       The Colorado River cannot be classified as an exotic stream. 

 
 


8 .       Desert depositional features consist mostly of talus or alluvium accumulations. 

 
 


9 .       Wind carries tiny dust particles in suspension, while larger particles are moved by saltation and traction. 

 
 


10 .       Aeolian processes are those related to water action. 

 
 


11 .       Best known of all dune forms is the transverse. 

 
 


12 .       A barchan is crescent shaped. 

 
 


13 .       Seifs are long, narrow dunes that usually occur in groups and in a generally parallel arrangement. 

 
 


14 .       The immediate origin of loess is aeolian depositon. 

 
 


15 .       The interior of the southwestern United States is characterized by basin-and-range topography. 

 
 


16 .       One of the most widespread topographic features found in any desert area is the alluvial fan. 

 
 


17 .       The most prominent location for mesa-and-scarp terrain can be found in the Four Corners region of Southwestern United States. 

 
 






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