Deserts In The World And Their Formation
Deserts in the world and their formation is the article in which you will get the knowledge of world famous deserts, their location and how the deserts formed. We have a large number of deserts in the world which are small and big all over the world. The Sahara desert occupied larger part of North Africa. The world smallest desert in the world is the Carcross Desert which is located in Canada, North America. It is also one of the famous tourist place in Canada.
Deserts Formation:
One third of the land on the globe is covered with deserts. Deserts receive rainfall in a very small amount that is bellow 25 cm in a year. We can see the deserts of stony, sandy etc., but all deserts are dry places. Desserts are very cold at night and very hot during day time.
People, plants and animals have adapted to this environment and live in these places.
In this environment only some animals and plants inhabit and survive to this extreme temperature changes.
Where we can find deserts?
On the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn deserts are formed
To the north of the equator by 23.5° the Tropic of Cancer is situated and to the south of equator by 23.5° the Tropic of Capricorn is situated. The areas situated at those above points the greatest deserts are formed. We can take the examples of the Great Sahara desert and the Great Sandy Desert. The second largest desert, Gobi desert is located in the middle of large continents where the rainfall is often.
Reasons for the formation of Deserts
1. Equatorial wind belts
The raising of warm air at equator causes the wind belts which flow to the north and south of equator which ultimately forms the desert in world. Due to the dryness of air at the tropics of cancer and Capricorn clouds are not formed. Since lack of rainfall, deserts are formed.
2. Rain shadow
It also results in Deserts. When the air passes by high mountain ranges, the moisture content in air reduces thus the land receives less rainfall which are beyond mountain ranges. Example is the Gobi Desert.
3. Cold Currents
The sweeping of cold currents upwelling from the ocean floor in the southwestern coasts of Africa and South America by the air makes the air that passes over these currents will get cold. Causing the water in the air to fall as rain before it reaches the land. The Namib and Atacama deserts are examples of this phenomenon to form deserts.
Water in Deserts
Even though water is a very rare thing in deserts it has been affected by the way they look. Drowning is one of the desert hazards!
Flash flood is the phenomenon of flooding of wadis which is the dry river bed.
When it rains the water won’t be going under the ground or be trapped by the plants on ground since the ground is too hard to flow.
Even though floods may occur several years apart they make a big difference in influencing the landscape of desert like salt pan, alluvial fans, mesas and butte.
A layer of salt crystals is formed on the ground when a salt pan or playa which is a lake of salty water dries out.
Due to flood of water, Alluvial fans are deposited substances on the. The hard rock landforms which are not taken away by flood are Mesas and butte.
Deserts In Different Continents And Their Formation
Wind action in deserts
In deserts, wind acts in 3 different ways. It makes the land erode, transport and deposit somewhere else.
Erosion
when sand is taken away by the wind it gets transported. Sometimes rock surfaces may hit by sand. Over the millions of year’s time, the weaker parts of rock may break and beautiful shapes may form.
Transport
Desert depressions are formed due to wind. They are caused by the deflation process which occurs when the smallest particles of the sand are transported by wind and the rest is left.
Deposition
Deposition is the process of transportation of sand by wind to somewhere.
Loess is a end product of this process. This is a deposit of very fine material. on the edge of the arid areas in Asia and Europe these fine material is found.
Sand dunes
The wind also causes the sand dunes. The particles of sand are deposited and piled into heaps which gradually increase in size. The wind direction decides the shape of dune.
Desert Wildlife
Living in a desert is a difficult and audacious thing. It gives little to eat and inadequate water. Even though, some animals adapted to the environment of desert to inhabit.
Animals In Deserts
Many of the desert animals take little water and can travel for many days without even having water. The animals which live in deserts get water from plants and insects when they consume. As nights are cooler here, wild life goes for a hunt at night times.
In the day time most of them hide in burrows or stay in the shade. Usually camels are used for transport in deserts by humans. It can intake 120 litres of water at a time and can travel for several days. Horses are also used for transport, but they consume water regularly and take more rest than camels.
Plants In Deserts
Potential and very few plants are found in deserts. Mostly they have long roots to access the water from underground. These plants store water in the roots and leaves in order to survive the ever drought conditions. Some flowers sprout out suddenly when it rains but dies out when rain stops. Cactus plants are most common plants found in deserts and they have longer roots to access underground water. Cactus can also store water when it rains.
Deserts In the World
Deserts in Africa
The bellow list gives you the complete details of all deserts in Africa. Get the list of all deserts located in Africa and their complete details.
Kalahari Desert – Kalahari Desert covered Botswana and parts of South Africa and Namibia
Karoo Desert – Karoo Desert spread in southern South Africa
Namib Desert – located in Namibia
Moçâmedes Desert – present in southwest Angola, beside the border of Namibia at north of the Namib Desert north side
Danakil Desert – located in Afar Triangle and Danakil Desert covered northeastern Ethiopia, northwestern most Somalia southern Eritrea and southern Djibouti
Eritrean Coastal Desert – this desert is located along the coast of Djibouti and southern part of the coast of Eritrea.
Guban Desert – this desert is situated along the coast of northwestern Somalia
Ogaden Desert – this desert present in southeastern Ethiopia and in northern and central Somalia
Grand Bara Desert – this desert covered south Djibouti parts.
Chalbi Desert – Chalbi Desert – desert present in northern Kenya along the border with Ethiopia
Nyiri Desert – this desert present in southern Kenya along the border with Tanzania
Lompoul Desert – this desert located in northwestern Senegal between Saint-Louis and Dakar
Sahara Desert – world’s largest and hottest desert and it covered larger part of North Africa
Ténéré – This desert present at western Chad and northeastern Niger
Tanezrouft – this desert present in northwestern Niger northern Mali, and southern Algeria, Hoggar Mountains west part.
El Djouf – a desert located in parts of northwestern Mali and northeastern Mauritania
Djurab Desert – this desert located in northern central Chad
Tin-Toumma Desert – Tin-Toumma Desert lying in southeastern Niger, at the south of the Ténéré
Libyan Desert (other name is Western Desert) – this desert located in western Egypt, eastern Libya, and northwestern Sudan at the west of the Nile River
White Desert – this desert located in western Egypt and Farafra, Egypt
Arabian Desert (other name is Eastern Desert) –This desert placed in eastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan between the Red Sea and Nile River
Nubian Desert – This desert placed in northeastern Sudan between the Red Sea and Nile River
Bayuda Desert – a desert placed in eastern Sudan located just at the southwest of the Nubian Desert
Sinai Desert – This desert present in Egypt (on the Sinai Peninsula ).
Blue Desert –This desert located around Dahab, Egypt
Atlantic Coastal Desert – This desert present along the the Sahara Desert western coast and occupies a narrow strip in Mauritania and Western Sahara.
Deserts In Asia
The bellow depicted list gives you full details of all deserts in Asia continent. Get the list of all deserts located in the Continent Asia and their full information.
Arabian Desert – This desert located on the Arabian Peninsula.
Al-Dahna Desert – covered the parts of Saudi Arabia
Empty Quarter
Largest sand desert in the world
This desert is coverings much of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen
Nefud Desert – This desert present in northern part of the Arabian Peninsula
Ramlat al-Sab`atayn – This desert is located in north-central Yemen
Wahiba Sands – a desert present in the parts of Oman
Cholistan –Pakistan
Dasht-i-Margo – SW Afghanistan
Dasht-e Kavir –Central Iran
Dasht-e Lut –southeastern Iran (large salt desert)
Gobi – Mongolia and China
Indus Valley Desert – Pakistan
Judaean Desert – Present in eastern Israel and the West Bank
Kara Kum – Central Asian
Kharan desert – a desert located in Pakistan
Kyzyl Kum –Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Lop Desert – China
Ordos Desert –northern China
Rub’ al Khali Desert –Saudi Arabia
Taklamakan Desert – China
Thal Desert – Pakistan
Thar Desert – India and Pakistan
Maranjab Desert – central Iran
Negev Desert – Southern Israel
Deserts In Europe
The bellow list gives you the full accounts of all deserts in Europe. Get the list of all deserts located in Europe and their information in detail.
Accona Desert (semi-desert) – Central Italy
Bardenas Reales (semi-desert) Navarre, Spain
Błędowska Desert – Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
Deliblatska Peščara Desert – Vojvodina, Serbia
Dungeness – (Hingle desert) United Kingdom, Southern Kent
Highlands of Iceland –Interior plateau of Iceland
Ilhas Selvagens and Ilhas Desertas ( two small archipelagos) – located between Canary Islands, Spain and the island of Madeira, Portugal
Larzac – (semi-desert) Massif Central in France
Monegros Desert (semi-desert) – Aragón, Spain
Oleshky Sands Desert –Ukraine near Askania-Nova biosphere reserve
Oltenian Sahara –Romanian historical province of Oltenia
Piscinas – (dunes desert) – Italy
Tabernas Desert – Almería, Spain
Deserts In North America
The bellow list gives you the complete details of all deserts in North America. Get the list of all deserts located in North America and their full details along with locations.
List of North American deserts
Black Rock Desert
Carcross Desert- Smallest Desert in the World
Central Valley of California
Chihuahua Desert
Colorado Desert
Great Basin Desert
Mojave Desert
Pumice Desert, formed of an ash flow from the Mount Mazama’s eruption
Sonoran Desert
South America
Atacama Desert –Chile and Peru
La Guajira Desert –Northern Colombia and Venezuela
Monte Desert – in Argentina
Patagonian Desert ( largest desert in the Americas ) – Argentina and Chile
Sechura Desert – South of the Piura Region of Peru
Deserts In Australia
The bellow list gives you the complete details of all deserts in Australia. Get the list of all deserts located in Australia and their complete details.
Central Desert –central Australian desert
Gibson Desert –central Australian desert
Great Sandy Desert – a northwestern Australian desert
Great Victoria Desert – the biggest desert in Australia
Little Sandy Desert – a western Australian desert
Simpson Desert – a central Australian desert
Strzelecki Desert – a south-central Australian desert
Tanami Desert – a northern Australian desert
Deserts In New Zealand
Here are the complete details of all deserts in New Zealand.
Rangipo Desert – a barren desert-like plateau on the North Island Volcanic Plateau in New Zealand
deserts In Polar Regions
Antarctica Desert – the largest desert in the world
Arctic Desert – the second largest “desert” in the world
Greenland –It is large tundra
North American Arctic Desert (large tundra) large tundra in Russia