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Glossary
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Below you will find key words and concepts that you should remember from this chapter.
bajada  A broad, gently sloping, depositional surface formed at the base of a mountain range in a dry region by the coalescing of individual alluvial fans.
(See page(s) 461)
barchan  A crescent-shaped dune with the horns of the crescent pointing downwind.
(See page(s) 470)
blowout  A depression on the land surface caused by wind erosion.
(See page(s) 463)
butte  A narrow pinnacle of resistant rock with a flat top and very steep sides.
(See page(s) 458)
deflation  The removal of clay, silt, and sand particles from the land surface by wind.
(See page(s) 463)
desert  A region with low precipitation (usually defined as less than 25 cm per year).
(See page(s) 453)
fault  A fracture in bedrock along which movement has taken place.
(See page(s) 460)
flash flood  Flood of very high discharge and short duration; sudden and local in extent.
(See page(s) 457)
loess  A fine-grained deposit of wind-blown dust.
(See page(s) 464)
longitudinal dune (seif)  Large, symmetrical ridge of sand parallel to the wind direction.
(See page(s) 470)
mesa  A broad, flat-topped hill bounded by cliffs and capped with a resistant rock layer.
(See page(s) 458)
parabolic dune  A deeply curved dune in a region of abundant sand. The horns point upwind and are often anchored by vegetation.
(See page(s) 470)
pediment  A gently sloping erosional surface cut into the solid rock of a mountain range in a dry region; usually covered with a thin veneer of gravel.
(See page(s) 461)
plateau  Broad, flat-topped area elevated above the surrounding land and bounded, at least in part, by cliffs.
(See page(s) 458)
playa  A very flat surface underlain by hard, mud-cracked clay.
(See page(s) 460)
playa lake  A shallow temporary lake (following a rainstorm) on a flat valley floor in a dry region.
(See page(s) 460)
rain shadow  A region on the downwind side of mountains that has little or no rain because of the loss of moisture on the upwind side of the mountains.
(See page(s) 454)
sand dune  A mound of loose sand grains heaped up by the wind.
(See page(s) 466)
slip face  The steep, downwind slope of a dune; formed from loose, cascading sand that generally keeps the slope at the angle of repose (about 34°).
(See page(s) 466)
transverse dune  A relatively straight, elongate dune oriented perpendicular to the wind.
(See page(s) 470)
ventifact  Boulder, cobble, or pebble with flat surfaces caused by the abrasion of wind-blown sand.
(See page(s) 463)







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