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Dunefields of the Southwest Deserts

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Inland Dunes of North America

Part of the book series: Dunes of the World ((DUNES))

Abstract

The southwestern parts of the USA and adjacent areas of northern Mexico are the most arid part of North America, and include the Great Basin, Mojave, Colorado, Sonoran, and parts of the Chihuahuan deserts. The region contains many small and several larger dune fields, spanning a range of states of activity from vegetation-stabilized to largely vegetation-free or active dune fields. Dunes have accumulated on the floors and margins of paleolake basins; adjacent to major perennial, seasonal, or ephemeral streams and in areas of groundwater discharge. This chapter provides a regional survey of dunefield occurrence and characteristics, sediment sources, and wind regimes, followed by in-depth discussion of dunefield characteristics and boundary conditions for selected dune fields, and concludes with an assessment of the role of past climates and environments on dunefield origins and development.

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  1. Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA

    Nicholas Lancaster

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  1. Nicholas Lancaster
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  1. Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA

    Nicholas Lancaster

  2. College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Patrick Hesp

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Lancaster, N. (2020). Dunefields of the Southwest Deserts. In: Lancaster, N., Hesp, P. (eds) Inland Dunes of North America. Dunes of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40498-7_9

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