Deserts take up about one third (33 percent) of the Earth's land surface. Hot deserts usually have a large diurnal and seasonal temperature range, with high daytime temperatures, and low nighttime temperatures (due to extremely low humidity). In hot deserts the temperature in the daytime can reach 45 °C/113 °F or higher in the summer, and dip to 0 °C/32°F or lower in the winter. Water acts to trap infrared radiation from both the sun and the ground, and dry desert air is incapable of blocking sunlight during the day or trapping heat during the night. Thus, during daylight most of the sun's heat reaches the ground, and as soon as the sun sets the desert cools quickly by radiating its heat into space. Urban areas in deserts lack large (more than 14 °C/25 °F) daily temperature variations, partially due to the urban heat island effect.
Many deserts are formed by rain shadows; mountains blocking the path of precipitation to the desert (on the lee side of the mountain). Deserts are often composed of sand and rocky surfaces. Sand dunes called ergs and stony surfaces called hamada surfaces compose a minority of desert surfaces. Exposures of rocky terrain are typical, and reflect minimal soil development and sparseness of vegetation. The soil is rocky because of the low chemical weathering.
Bottomlands may be salt-covered flats. Eolian processes are major factors in shaping desert landscapes. Cold deserts (also known as polar deserts) have similar features, except the main form of precipitation is snow rather than rain. Antarctica is the world's largest cold desert (composed of about 98 percent thick continental ice sheet and 2 percent barren rock). Some of the barren rock is to be found in the so-called Dry Valleys of Antarctica that almost never get snow, which can have ice-encrusted saline lakes that suggest evaporation far greater than the rare snowfall due to the strong katabatic winds that evaporate even ice.
The largest hot desert is the Sahara in northern Africa, covering 9 million square kilometres and 12 countries.
Deserts sometimes contain valuable mineral deposits that were formed in the arid environment or that were exposed by erosion. Due to extreme and consistent dryness, some deserts are ideal places for natural preservation of artifacts and fossils.
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FelixSS© 38 months ago | reply
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NevDev (Nev) 38 months ago | reply
An amazing photograph.....an instant favourite !
Eustaquio Santimano 31 months ago | reply
Fantastic composition
fpkeller 30 months ago | reply
Great capture!
Opimentas 21 months ago | reply
Great picture.
Very well done and so beautiful landscape.
As the place is very atractive too.
Congratulations on your photo and all your gallery.
Have a nice day and wonderful weekend.
silwittmann - mostly OFF for a while 21 months ago | reply
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FelixSS© 21 months ago | reply
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FelixSS© 21 months ago | reply
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Terp's ~ R. Terpolilli 21 months ago | reply
Seen in:
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webeagle12 17 months ago | reply
nice shot
Ed_Winchester 17 months ago | reply
Beautiful shot.
Ameer Hamza 17 months ago | reply
Seems like a very popular place.
Hydrophobiciguana 17 months ago | reply
Congrats on the Blog!
Great info, and colors!
Circular polarizer?
jacilluch 17 months ago | reply
fantastica ♥ ♥ ♥
Nina Matthews Photography 17 months ago | reply
This is wonderful wow !!
7 seater cars 17 months ago | reply
Wow! what a wonderful place.7 seater cars.
Khaled Galal 17 months ago | reply
Great colors.
helena.vanova 17 months ago | reply
Seen on:
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poliplane 17 months ago | reply
C'est iréel!!
Adamina 16 months ago | reply
Your work is amazing, very inspiring!