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Topic: Desert pavement

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	Eolian -- Facts, Info, and Encyclopedia article (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Most eolian deflation zones are composed of desert pavement, a sheetlike surface of rock fragments that remains after wind and water have removed the fine particles.
		Almost half of Earth's desert surfaces are stony deflation zones.
		A dark, shiny stain, called desert varnish or rock varnish, is often found on surfaces of some desert rocks that have been exposed at the surface for a long period of time.
	www.absoluteastronomy.com /encyclopedia/e/eo/eolian.htm (1076 words)

	Types of Deserts
		Deserts are classified by their geographical location and dominant weather pattern as trade wind, midlatitude, rain shadow, coastal, monsoon, or polar deserts.
		The Rajasthan Desert of India and the Thar Desert of Pakistan are parts of a monsoon desert region west of the ranqe.
		Polar deserts are areas with annual precipitation less than 250 millimeters and a mean temperature during the warmest month of less than 10° C. Polar deserts on the Earth cover nearly 5 million square kilometers and are mostly bedrock or gravel plains.
	pubs.usgs.gov /gip/deserts/types (1181 words)

	COSMOGENIC EXPOSURE AGES OF DESERT PAVEMENTS: WHAT ARE THEY REALLY TELLING US?
		Exposure ages of desert pavement samples on several lava flows in southern California were nearly identical to radiometric ages of the flows, suggesting uninterrupted exposure at the surface.
		On Johnson Mesa, however, desert pavement exposure ages are all 30-98ka younger than exposure ages of large boulder clasts within the debris flow deposit which have an average 3He exposure age of 190±12ka (zero erosion, n=3).
		The average desert pavement 3He exposure age on Johnson Mesa is 127±9ka (zero erosion, n=9), which coincides with the penultimate interglacial period, suggesting a link between pavement formation and climate.
	gsa.confex.com /gsa/inqu/finalprogram/abstract_54201.htm (490 words)

	Gale Schools - Environment - Biomes - Desert - Geography (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Some deserts have little soil, exposing bare, wind-polished, pebbly rock, called "desert pavement." Rocks are often broken due to contraction and expansion caused by extreme temperature variations.
		Desert varnish is believed to be caused by the reaction between the moisture from overnight dew and minerals in the soil.
		Desert soils offer little help to plant life because they lack the nutrients provided by decaying vegetation and are easily blown away, exposing plant roots to the dry air.
	www.galeschools.com /environment/biomes/desert/geography.htm (1276 words)

	Summary: Varnish
		Desert varnish is a hard, dark-brown or fl, dull or lustrous (if wind polished) coating that accumulates on the exposed surfaces of rock fragments and outcrops.
		Complicating the issue from a remote sensing point of view, is the fact that the overall darkness of a varnished desert pavement is also a function of the spacing of the fragments in the pavement.
		Another characteristic of rock fragments in desert pavements is that their undersides are reddened ("rubified") by bright red clays and iron hydroxides derived from the soils in which they lie.
	www.tec.army.mil /research/products/desert_guide/lsmsheet/lsvarn.htm (678 words)

	Desert Pavement (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Desert and consists of large, flat areas that are free of vegetation and covered with tightly packed, small stones.
		Desert pavements are usually dark in color due to a thin coating of desert varnish on the surface of the stones.
		Desert varnish consists of clay minerals and manganese oxides which impart the dark color.
	www.toddshikingguide.com /FloraFauna/Other1.htm (148 words)

	Biological Survey of Ironwood Forest National Monument
		Desert pavement in Avra Valley, among the easternmost known.
		On stable desert pavement surfaces, a mysterious process slowly darkens the surfaces exposed to air by slow accumulation of micron-thick fl metallic oxide films and clear protein-rich coatings, and simultaneously, red-brown iron oxide staining on the portion of the rocks buried in the soil.
		The scientific value of desert pavement and varnish is that these deposits are a measure of the antiquity of the process and the age of the surface upon which they sit, though techniques are not yet perfected to quantify such relationships.
	www.desertmuseum.org /programs/ifnm_geology.htm (8679 words)

	Science News
		Military exercises in the Mojave Desert in the early 1940s, practice for World War II tank battles in northern Africa, left scars in desert pavements that are still visible today.
		Therefore, when desert pavements and their biota are wounded by human activity, it will take human action to heal them on a shorter timescale.
		Although the initial phases of a desert pavement's formation are characterized by the wind-driven removal of surface dust and sand, other factors sculpt the rocky shell.
	www.phschool.com /science/science_news/articles/thin_skin.html (2259 words)

	Website Notes - Deserts
		Cold deserts - The mean temperatures of the warmest months in cold deserts are generally less than 10d C (50d F), and less than 0d C (32d F) in winter.
		Desert pavement may also prevent dispersed seeds from reaching soil beneath, and may therefore limit seed germination and establishment.
		Prevalent desert plants are the perennial evergreen tussock grasses (spinifex) and small trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Acacia.
	www.unlv.edu /faculty/landau/desert.htm (1058 words)

	tessellated pavement -- Encyclopædia Britannica
		The primary function of a pavement is to transmit loads to the sub-base and underlying soil.
		Modern flexible pavements contain sand and gravel or crushed stone compacted with a binder of bituminous material, such as asphalt, tar, or asphaltic oil.
		Desert pavement forms on level or gently sloping desert flats, fans, or bajadas and lake and river terraces of Pleistocene age (10,000 to 1,600,000 years old).
	www.britannica.com /eb/article-9071816?tocId=9071816 (680 words)

	Genesis and organisation of surface horizons of desert soils. Influence on soil management and classification.
		Given the shallow penetration of atmospheric precipitation, the processes of desert soil formation are particularly active in the topsoil, pedogenic development in deeper soil horizons of well-drained desert soils being generally a relict of past moister climates.
		Desert chemical weathering processes eventually induce the formation of desert varnish and the relative concentration of free oxides of manganese and iron in surface horizons (Souirji, 1996).
		The occurrence of desert varnish on pebbles and stones of desert pavements, and of iron (and manganese) coatings on sand particles, is probably caused by the weathering of adhering dust particles caused by residual water remaining from moisture films deposited by the dew or precipitation (see the review by Whalley, 1983).
	www.fsagx.ac.be /gp/desert-soil/isss98.html (3121 words)

	informationsphere.com: Desert Climate
		Deserts are areas where the rainfall is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or only very scanty scrub.
		The rainfall in desert areas is less than 250 mm or 10 inches per year, and some years may experience no rainfall at all.
		The hot deserts are situated in the subtropical climate zone where there is unbroken sunshine for the whole year due to the stable descending air and high pressure.
	www.informationsphere.com /html/279.htm (220 words)

	Deserts and desert processes
		Desert: a region with so little vegetation that no significant population can be supported on that land.
		Trade wind deserts - roughly centered at latitudes of 30°N and 30 °S; high level winds descend from the equator and from higher latitudes, i.e., they are located at boundaries between Hadley circulation cells, e.g., Sahara and Simpson deserts.
		Orographic deserts - deserts that receive little moisture due to the "rain shadow" effect of nearby mountains, e.g., Basin and Range of Nevada and eastern Oregon's deserts.
	www.ux1.eiu.edu /~cfjps/1300/deserts.html (1304 words)

	Search Results for pavement - Encyclopædia Britannica (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Desert pavement forms on level or gently sloping desert flats, fans, or bajadas and lake and river terraces...
		Road traffic is carried by the pavement, which in engineering terms is a horizontal structure supported by in situ natural material.
		The initiation of pavement karst is often due to glaciation, which scrapes off soil and weathered rock material to...
	www.britannica.com /search?query=pavement&submit=Find&source=MWTAB (350 words)

	News & Events - News Releases
		In addition, the churning of that pavement by tanks, personnel carriers, and other tools of mechanized warfare has extended the area of destruction—and produced highly visual dust clouds that give silent testimony to the disruption of the desert environment.
		To address this environmental disruption and allow the desert pavement to begin the regenerate more quickly, El-Baz says the land should be returned to its former, flat contours as soon as possible.
		The desert that makes up present-day Kuwait and southern Iraq was once the delta of an ancient river that carried sediment more than 850 kilometers from the mountain along the Red Sea coast to the west.
	www.bu.edu /phpbin/news/releases/display.php?id=500 (653 words)

	Desert Features
		Nearly 50 percent of desert surfaces are plains where eolian deflation--removal of fine-grained material by the wind--has exposed loose gravels consisting predominantly of pebbles but with occasional cobbles.
		The remaining surfaces of arid lands are composed of exposed bedrock outcrops, desert soils, and fluvial deposits including alluvial fans, playas, desert lakes, and oases.
		Although most deserts are in basins with closed, or interior drainage, a few deserts are crossed by 'exotic' rivers that derive their water from outside the desert.
	pubs.usgs.gov /gip/deserts/features (901 words)

	Len Milich: Stone Pavements
		Extremely common in hot deserts, stone pavements are hard surfaces consisting of a angular or rounded rock fragments, usually one or two stones thick, set in or on a matrix of finer material.
		Stone pavements are easy to explain using the deflation hypothesis, and while it is clear that wind can and does remove loose, fine particles, arguments exist that persuade against deflation being the sole causative agent.
		The fine material at desert surfaces often aggregates into a thin crust, which is strong, dense, relatively impermeable, and protective of the underlying particles.
	ag.arizona.edu /~lmilich/reg.html (494 words)

	Environmentally Responsible Off-Pavement Travel (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		In typical desert terrain (the type of back country with which the present author is most familiar), the fraction of the surface area taken up by primitive vehicular routes is on the order of.01%.
		There is a place for both forms of travel; indeed, for most of the population, including children, older citizens, those with chronic diseases, and the disabled, long desert hikes of several days are impossible, and primitive roads are the only practical way to access and appreciate the grand beauty and isolation of the remote wilderness.
		In the Death Valley area, a typical example (among many) of the Desert Act impact is the closure of Greenwater Canyon, a unique scenic and historic trail including impressive petroglyphs.
	home.earthlink.net /~cyberkiwi/environment (2474 words)

	Desert Geologic Features - DesertUSA
		Deserts are usually created because they are located in a Rain Shadow -- a dry region downwind of mountain ranges caused by air losing its moisture as it passes over mountains.
		Desert areas usually have Internal Drainage -- when streams drain toward landlocked basins rather than flowing eventually to the sea.
		Because of the factors above, deserts often have less vegetation to prevent erosion, which in turn leads to further barrenness through Deflation -- the removal of silt and sand particles from the land surface by wind.
	www.desertusa.com /mag99/sep/papr/desfeatures.html (403 words)

	Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins: Pitchfork Review (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		You never really knew where Pavement stood on anything, which kept an air of mystery and made their music malleable.
		Pavement's sophomore outing does not contain 12 perfect songs but it is close to a perfect album.
		I've always thought Pavement's celebrated B-side prowess to be a tad overrated, but certainly the gorgeous and quiet "Strings of Nashville" is one of the best songs in the band's catalog (love that synthesized traffic whoosh), and "Stare", "Raft", and "Nail Clinic" all rate alongside other original Crooked Rain tracks.
	www.pitchforkmedia.com /record-reviews/p/pavement/crooked-rain-crooked-rain.shtml (1259 words)

	BLM - Environmental Education - Mojave Desert
		The Mojave Desert is a subsection of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province, which is characterized by long, north-south-trending mountain ranges separated by broad valleys.
		During the Paleozoic era the Mojave Desert was covered by shallow seas, as evidenced by fossil marine creatures in limestone and dolomite.
		Groundwater and the Mojave and Colorado Rivers are the primary water sources for the Mojave Desert's plants and animals, and for the booming populations of desert cities.
	www.blm.gov /education/00_resources/articles/mojave/mojave01a.html (3712 words)

	World Builders: Hot Desert Biomes E Viau CSULA (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		While it is true that some parts of deserts have dunes, desert landscapes vary widely.
		Deserts are described as areas that get an average of less than ten inches of rain a year.
		They are preyed upon by snakes, and perhaps by desert foxes or coyotes or hawks if there is enough vegetation to support a good-sized colony of these plant eaters.
	curriculum.calstatela.edu /courses/builders/lessons/less/biomes/desert/hot-des.html (615 words)

	ipedia.com: Eolian Article (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-29)
		Winds may erode, transport, and deposit materials, and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation and a large supply of unconsolidated sediments.
		Wind erodes Earth's surface by deflation, the removal of loose, fine-grained particles by the turbulent eddy action of the wind, and by abrasion, the wearing down of surfaces by the grinding action and sand blasting of windborne particles.
		Sculpted landforms, called yardangs, are up to tens of meters high and kilometers long and are forms that have been streamlined by desert winds.
	www.ipedia.com /eolian.html (1080 words)

	Jennifer R. Smith
		Quaternary paleoenvironments of Egypt’s Western Desert on the sedimentary archive of arid-humid climatic oscillation throughout the Quaternary.
		Understanding human partitioning of the landscape requires work in as many different geomorphic environments as possible; while research in Dakhleh and Kharga is focused on the flanks of the Limestone Plateau and adjacent oasis depressions, ASPS is studying the surface of the Plateau, adjacent to the Nile Valley near the Plateau’s eastern edge.
		The archaeological material is commonly incorporated into the desert pavement covering the surface of the Plateau, thus, we are focusing on understanding the dynamics of desert pavement evolution and formation in this area.
	epsc.wustl.edu /admin/people/smith_jr.html (806 words)

	B.U. Bridge: Boston University community's weekly newspaper
		Known to geologists as “desert pavement,” the gravel has protected underlying soil from the effects of wind for thousands of years, as well as helped trap water and sustain plant life on about 23 percent of the desert surface.
		Their findings were based on time-lapse satellite images of the nation’s surface: patches of disturbed desert reflect more light than areas covered by desert pavement, because after thousands of years in direct sunlight, surface pebbles react chemically in a way that allows them to absorb more light.
		Possibly his most important contribution to geology is his theory, established in the 1970s, that deserts are not formed by man’s neglect of land but by long-term natural cycles.
	www.bu.edu /bridge/archive/2003/04-04/desert.html (857 words)

	Dukenvironment Magazine -- Spring 2004
		Formed by dust-laden winds, very occasional rains, and particular kinds of geology and topography, desert pavements are self-deposited mosaics of pebbles overlaying carpets of fine dust.
		Because of this counterintuitive layering, the pebbled surfaces of desert pavement serve as dust covers.
		The Jan. 3, 2004, issue of Science News described what happened when the Iraqi version of desert pavement was mauled by the tank treads and Humvee wheels of the United States-led invasion.
	www.nicholas.duke.edu /dukenvironment/sp04/f-stone.html (539 words)

	DTNA Virtual Field Trip - The Animal Loop Trail
		Snakes are an important and vital component of the desert ecosystem.
		The desert horned lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum, is often encountered on trails especially in the early morning and afternoon.
		Despite their distinctive appearance when viewed at close-hand, desert horned lizards are a cryptic species whose coloration provides superb camouflage against the desert floor.
	www.tortoise-tracks.org /dtna/animalloop.html (1019 words)

	Glossary of Desert Terms - DesertUSA
		Desert: Receiving less than 10 inches of precipitation annually.
		Desert Pavement: A thin, surface layer of closely packed pebbles.
		Desert Varnish: A hard, dark, shiny coating on rocks caused by chemical action.
	www.desertusa.com /glossary2.html (377 words)

	The desert ecology: another war victim
		Bay Area desert enthusiasts say the desert is in fact a living entity, and that heavy military equipment -- whether at war in Iraq or in training in Southern California -- does extensive damage that can take decades to heal.
		Along with research into the desert's various creatures, he has done extensive work on the "crust" that forms on the desert's surface and provides a crucial link in the system that allows living things to survive in such a harsh climate.
		Desert crust forms three ways: rainfall creates a light, temporary form; algae and fungi growth creates a biological form; a harder form emerges through a conglomeration of gravel and stones -- so-called desert pavement.
	www.sfgate.com /cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/27/MN289663.DTL (911 words)

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