Exploring Landforms of the Colorado Plateau and Basin Range

The video explores desert landforms in the United States, focusing on the Basin and Range and the Colorado Plateau. It explains the geological processes that form these regions, including faulting and erosion. The video also covers features like mesas, buttes, and slot canyons, and discusses the impact of flash floods and quicksand. Additionally, it examines the formation of alluvial fans, playa lakes, and desert varnish.

Which two regions in the United States contain deserts?

• Pacific Coast, Great Basin

• Great Plains, Appalachian Mountains

• Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada

• Basin and Range, Colorado Plateau

What is a plateau by definition?

• A high, flat area

• A low, sloped area

• A low, flat area

• A high, sloped area

What are smaller chunks of the Colorado Plateau called?

• Buttes

• Inselbergs

• Pinnacles

• Mesas

What is the term for a downdropped block in the Basin and Range region?

• Mesa

• Butte

• Horst

• Graben

What is the primary cause of the angular topography in deserts?

• Water erosion

• Wind erosion

• Lack of vegetation

• Chemical weathering

What is a flash flood in a desert commonly associated with?

• Heavy rainfall over a long period

• Sudden, intense rainfall

• Snowmelt

• Earthquakes

What forms when two alluvial fans join together?

• Mesa

• Butte

• Bajada

• Pediment

What is a slot canyon?

• A narrow, deep canyon

• A canyon with a river at the bottom

• A wide, shallow canyon

• A canyon formed by wind erosion

What is quicksand?

• A type of desert plant

• A type of rock formation

• Wet sand and mud held up by water movement

• Dry sand that traps objects

What is desert varnish?

• A type of mineral deposit

• A type of sand dune

• A dark stain on rocks caused by bacteria and water

• A type of plant found in deserts