(See related pages)
Below you will find key words and concepts that you should remember from this chapter.
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| 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) |
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| barchan | A crescent-shaped dune with the horns of the crescent pointing downwind. (See page(s) 470) |
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| blowout | A depression on the land surface caused by wind erosion. (See page(s) 463) |
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| butte | A narrow pinnacle of resistant rock with a flat top and very steep sides. (See page(s) 458) |
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| deflation | The removal of clay, silt, and sand particles from the land surface by wind. (See page(s) 463) |
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| desert | A region with low precipitation (usually defined as less than 25 cm per year). (See page(s) 453) |
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| fault | A fracture in bedrock along which movement has taken place. (See page(s) 460) |
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| flash flood | Flood of very high discharge and short duration; sudden and local in extent. (See page(s) 457) |
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| loess | A fine-grained deposit of wind-blown dust. (See page(s) 464) |
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| longitudinal dune (seif) | Large, symmetrical ridge of sand parallel to the wind direction. (See page(s) 470) |
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| mesa | A broad, flat-topped hill bounded by cliffs and capped with a resistant rock layer. (See page(s) 458) |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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| plateau | Broad, flat-topped area elevated above the surrounding land and bounded, at least in part, by cliffs. (See page(s) 458) |
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| playa | A very flat surface underlain by hard, mud-cracked clay. (See page(s) 460) |
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| playa lake | A shallow temporary lake (following a rainstorm) on a flat valley floor in a dry region. (See page(s) 460) |
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| 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) |
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| sand dune | A mound of loose sand grains heaped up by the wind. (See page(s) 466) |
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| 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) |
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| transverse dune | A relatively straight, elongate dune oriented perpendicular to the wind. (See page(s) 470) |
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| ventifact | Boulder, cobble, or pebble with flat surfaces caused by the abrasion of wind-blown sand. (See page(s) 463) |