what is the desert soil like?
537767
Technically they do have soil. Just different kinds.\n\nSoil type is based mostly on texture & composition.\n\nSome deserts have loose sandy soil. Others have desert "pavement" which is essentially hard compacted soil.\n\nThere are 3 major types of soils under which all other subsoils fall. Pedocals are those soils found in the desert & other arid places. It is high in calcite b/c of lack of water filtering through the soil.\n\nThe other two are laterite which is found in humid tropical places that is high in iron oxide & pedalfers which are found in temperate climates. Like I said there are more but these are the main three types.
11530
It's known as "grout".  It may feel gritty because it contains sand.
492924
i'm not exactly sure, but i would think that it would depend on the soil composition.  after all a fine clay has much different properties than a sandy or rocky soil
419395
There are many deserts in world however Principal Deserts of the World are 20 odd.\n\nDetails:\n\nDeserts are arid regions, generally receiving less than ten inches of precipitation a year, or regions where the potential evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation.\n\nThe world's deserts are divided into four categories. Subtropical deserts are the hottest, with parched terrain and rapid evaporation. Although cool coastal deserts are located within the same latitudes as subtropical deserts, the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents. Cold winter deserts are marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F (38° C) in the summer to 10° F (–12° C) in the winter. Polar regions are also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice.\nDesertLocationSizeTopography\nSUBTROPICAL DESERTS\nSaharaMorocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia3.5 million sq. mi.70% gravel plains, sand, and dunes. Contrary to popular belief, the desert is only 30% sand. The world's largest nonpolar desert gets its name from the Arabic word Sahra', meaning desert\nArabian Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen1 million sq. mi.Gravel plains, rocky highlands; one-fourth is the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”), the world's largest expanse of unbroken sand\nKalahari Botswana, South Africa, Namibia220,000 sq. mi.Sand sheets, longitudinal dunes\nAustralian Desert   \n GibsonAustralia (southern portion of the Western Desert)120,000 sq. mi.Sandhills, gravel, grass. These three regions of desert are collectively referred to as the Great Western Desert—otherwise known as “the Outback.” Contains Ayers Rock, or Uluru, one of the world's largest monoliths\n Great SandyAustralia (northern portion of the Western Desert)150,000 sq. mi.\n Great VictoriaAustralia (southernmost portion of the Western Desert)250,000 sq. mi.\n Simpson and\n  Sturt StonyAustralia (eastern half of the continent)56,000 sq. mi. Simpson's straight, parallel sand dunes are the longest in the world—up to 125 mi. Encompasses the Stewart Stony Desert, named for the Australian explorer\nMojave U.S.: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California54,000 sq. mi.Mountain chains, dry alkaline lake beds, calcium carbonate dunes\nSonoranU.S.: Arizona, California; Mexico120,000 sq. mi.Basins and plains bordered by mountain ridges; home to the Saguaro cactus\nChihuahuanMexico; southwestern U.S.175,000 sq. mi. Shrub desert; largest in North America\nTharIndia, Pakistan175,000 sq. mi.Rocky sand and sand dunes\nCOOL COASTAL DESERTS\nNamibAngola, Namibia, South Africa13,000 sq. mi.Gravel plains\nAtacamaChile54,000 sq. mi.Salt basins, sand, lava; world's driest desert\nCOLD WINTER DESERTS\nGreat BasinU.S.: Nevada, Oregon, Utah190,000 sq. mi.Mountain ridges, valleys, 1% sand dunes\nColorado Plateau\nU.S.: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming130,000 sq. mi.Sedimentary rock, mesas, and plateaus—includes the Grand Canyon and is also called the “Painted Desert” because of the spectacular colors in its rocks and canyons\nPatagonianArgentina260,000 sq. mi.Gravel plains, plateaus, basalt sheets\nKara-Kum\nUzbekistan, Turkmenistan135,000 sq. mi.90% gray layered sand—name means “black sand”\nKyzyl-Kum\nUzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan115,000 sq. mi.Sands, rock—name means “red sand”\nIranianIran100,000 sq. mi.Salt, gravel, rock\nTaklamakanChina105,000 sq. mi.Sand, dunes, gravel\nGobiChina, Mongolia500,000 sq. mi.Stony, sandy soil, steppes (dry grasslands)\nPOLAR\nArcticU.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia5.4 million sq. mi.Snow, glaciers, tundra\nAntarcticAntarctica5.5 million sq. mi.Ice, snow, bedrock
1067194
plato.stanford.edu/entries/desert/
547207
Deserts are generally located in two broad belts either side of the equator. That is because the surface air rises at the equator due to the higher temperatures. As the equatorial air rises it cools and the water condenses out and fall as rain. The cold air then falls back to the surface in those two sub-equatorial belts. The air at this stage is depleted of all moisture, and because the air is falling it creates a high pressure system that prevents rain producing weather systems from developing.\n\nThat is a fairly simplistic summary of some complex weather systems, but it suffices to explain why deserts are located where they are.
821662
Deforestation led to poor soil quality led to the formation of deserts. Don't be an idiot.
942312
Tropical "The tropical desert is an environment of extremes: it is the driest and hottest place on earth. Rainfall is sporadic and in some years no measurable precipitation falls at all. The terribly dry conditions of the deserts is due to the year-round influence of subtropical high pressure and continentality"\n(see resource below)\n\nwhat we will call subtropical desert is fairly warm, with average annual temperatures above 10° C and precipitation up to 100 cm/year.  The temperate desert is less well-defined, but again precipitation is less (usually much less) than 100 cm/year and average annual temperature is less than 10° C. (see second link below)\n\nHope that helps! Good luck!!
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B.Clay\nClay is generally particles < 2 micrometres, sand somewhere around 100 micrometres, and gravel rather in the millimetre range.\n\nA. wind erosion\nToday's (Tuesday, 14th Nov 2006) weather news show nice satellite images with dust vanes across the Canary islands. Forecasts say that some of the fine dust might even reach South America with the Passat winds. The seas before the Sahara have high sedimentation rates of desert dust.\n\nD. O-horizon\nO for organic.
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sand is small pieces of rock that has been eroded away from a larger stone.it would take years to get a few pounds of sand from a 25 pound rock but wind rain and snow will break down the rock to produce sand. soil is dirt formed from leaves and twigs from trees. all this will decay and produce soil along with rain and other dying vegetation.go into a densely wooded area and you will find soil.be sure its a hardwood forest.that means maples oaks and other varieties of trees but not conifers, conifers are of the pine family and fir all evergreens.the foilage dropped this fall will take about 2 1/2 to 3 years to decay enough to be soil which is the best for growing flowers and bulbs
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Alfisols, Aridisols, Entisols, Histosols, Inceptisols, Mollisols, Oxisols, Spodosols, Ultisols, Gelisols, Andisols, and Vertisols. \n\ngo here little one\nhttp://soils.ag.uidaho.edu/soilorders/orders.htm\n\nand here\nhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/geology/soil/
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Don't listen to the person who just answered.  They didn't even bother to consult a book.\n\nLook up soil TEXTURE in a soils or plant science book.  The mineral components of soil are composed of three main SIZES (once you sift out the rocks).  Those three you mentioned are the different size classes.  Sand sieves from 2 to 0.05 mm, Silt from 0.05 to 0.0002mm and clay is smaller than 0.002mm.  You can represent the pecentages of these particles in soils in a triangle.  100% sand in one corner, 100% silt in another and, 100% clay in the last.  The mid-point of a side of the triangle would be 50%.  The side represents %sand, % silt, and % clay.\n\nOK, what you want to know:  Soil scientist have used this soil triangle to group textures into functional classes such as sandy clay, silty caly, silt loam, etc.  A "sandy" soil will just have more sand (since this is a non-technical term and not one of the classes).  A loam is a technical term and refers to a class of soil that is relativly close to the center (It is known for being easy for farmers to work).  And a clay soil is heavy in clay - it is also a technical term. \n\nI suggest you look at a soil textural triangle.  It will give you a lot of insight.
713441
Soil type, heat. water, nutrients in the ground, natural predators. Exposure to the sun and dark.
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NO!!! maam. we have lush greeny landscape, the bluest skies, and the clearest water, but no deserts
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Soils vary widely in composition and structure from place to place. Soils are formed through the weathering of rock and the breakdown of organic matter. Weathering is the action of wind, rain, ice, sunlight and biological processes on rocks, which breaks them down into small particles. The proportions of minerals and organic matter determine the structure and other characteristics of a particular soil.\n\nSoils can be divided into two general layers (strata): topsoil, the topmost layer, where most plant roots, microorganisms, and other animal life are located, and subsoil, which is deeper and often more dense and contains less organic matter.\n\nWater and air are also components of soils. Mineral and organic solids comprise about half of the soil by volume. Water occupies the spaces between soil particles and is held by surface tension on particle surfaces. Air occupies the remaining void space. Both water and air components of soils are important to plant growth and other life in the soil profile of a particular ecosystem.\n\nThe rock and mineral content of soils is categorized according to particle size, from sand (coarsest), to silt and clay (finest). The ratio of these particles to a great degree determines the soil classification and characteristics.\n\nSoils serve as habitats for soil organisms varying in size from microorganisms to small animals. The character of soils is intricately tied to bioturbation and the biochemical functions performed by soil organisms.\n\nFormer soils which become buried below the effects of organisms are called paleosols.\n\nSoils develops naturally over time through the action of plants, animals, and weathering. Soils are also affected by human habitation. People can alter soils to make them more suitable for plant growth through the addition of organic materials and natural or synthetic fertilizer, and by improving their drainage or water-retaining capacity. Human actions also can degrade soils through the depletion of nutrients, pollution, contamination, and compaction, and by increasing the rate of erosion, which is the relocation of soil through the movement of water or wind.
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Aluvial soil is silt carried by a river. It is found on land around the river because of flooding and is carried to the mouth of the river where it creates a build-up...\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alluvial\n Eventually it becomes a land mass called a 'delta'.\nAn oasis is an area of dense growth in a desert, usually surrounding a spring or similar water source...\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis\nA 'wadi' is a dry riverbed that only flows seasonally...\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi
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Loamy Soils are "intermediate" between sands and clays. Composed of many different sized soil particles, they combine fertility and moisture-holding capacity with good drainage. Easier to work than clays and better consolidated than sands, loamy soils make an excellent medium for growing most plants. Many prairie plants do best in loam soils.\nhttp://www.wildflowerfarm.com/soil.htm\n\nA loamy soil is rich, dark and has lots of broken down organic matter in it (humus). Most top soil is loamy, but unfortunately builders strip new home sites of their top soil before building, so most of us have to add something to our soil to make it ideal for our plants.\nhttp://www.mainstreetmom.com/hearth_prep_soil.htm\n\nLoamy soil\n\n*The perfect soil\n*Good structure\n*Drains well\n*Retains moisture\n*Full of nutrients\n*Easy to cultivate\n*Warms up quickly in spring and doesn’t dry out in summer\n*Consider yourself very lucky if you have this soil\nhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module1/soil_types3.shtml