Where is Death Valley and which desert is it part of?

Death Valley lies in eastern California near the Nevada border and is part of the Mojave Desert in the south-western USA.

Why is Death Valley so arid?

It lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada and several other mountain ranges, which remove moisture from westerly air, so the valley floor receives only about 50 to 60 mm of rain a year.

What temperature record is held by Death Valley?

A reading of 56.7°C at Furnace Creek on 10 July 1913 is recognised by the World Meteorological Organization as the highest air temperature recorded on Earth, although some meteorologists dispute it.

How do the alluvial fans of Death Valley form?

Flash floods rush out of steep canyons in the mountain fronts and lose energy on reaching the flat valley floor, depositing sediment in fan shapes that merge into bahadas.

What is Racetrack Playa in Death Valley?

A flat, dry lake bed of fine sediment that floods briefly after rare rain, known for rocks that slide across its surface when thin ice sheets are pushed by wind.

AQA A-Level Geography 7037

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Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape

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Hot Desert Systems and Landscapes

Death Valley hot desert case study

3 things to know
Component 1

Overview

Death Valley in California's Mojave Desert as a hot desert case study: why it is so arid, its record heat, Badwater Basin, alluvial fans, playas and dunes, the 2022 flash flood, and how extreme conditions are managed for visitors.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Process

How were the Mesquite Flat sand dunes in Death Valley formed?

Key term

What is Badwater Basin in Death Valley?

Process

What does Devil's Golf Course in Death Valley show about desert processes?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Where is Death Valley and which desert is it part of?
Model answer
Death Valley lies in eastern California near the Nevada border and is part of the Mojave Desert in the south-western USA.
2
Why is Death Valley so arid?
Model answer
It lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada and several other mountain ranges, which remove moisture from westerly air, so the valley floor receives only about 50 to 60 mm of rain a year.
3
What temperature record is held by Death Valley?
Model answer
A reading of 56.7°C at Furnace Creek on 10 July 1913 is recognised by the World Meteorological Organization as the highest air temperature recorded on Earth, although some meteorologists dispute it.
4
What is Badwater Basin in Death Valley?
Model answer
The lowest point in North America at about 86 m below sea level, an endorheic basin whose floor is a salt pan left by evaporation.
5
How do the alluvial fans of Death Valley form?
Model answer
Flash floods rush out of steep canyons in the mountain fronts and lose energy on reaching the flat valley floor, depositing sediment in fan shapes that merge into bahadas.
6
What is Racetrack Playa in Death Valley?
Model answer
A flat, dry lake bed of fine sediment that floods briefly after rare rain, known for rocks that slide across its surface when thin ice sheets are pushed by wind.

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AThe horns have less sand volume, so they move more quickly.

BSand is transported up the gentle windward slope via saltation.

CSand accumulates at the crest.

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