Week 3 - Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert extends over southeastern California, Nevada, and small parts of Arizona and Utah. The Mojave Desert is a rainshadow desert and is a basin and range. I live near Palmdale which is in the “high desert” at an elevation of 2,600 ft but also has the lowest point in North America, Death Valley at 282 ft below sea level.

The Mojave Desert averages 6.7 in of rain annually. The area where I live is filled with ephemeral streams. My wife's commute crosses several of these and sometimes cannot make it to work because of the flash floods. Wind erosion is a constant issue around the desert. I learned that quickly upon moving here. I had someone scrape the weeds from my property and created a small dust storm. The locals have a saying of “don’t break the crust,” which means not breaking the top layer of the ground. The wind takes away the loose soil, and the rain will dry hardening the ground. When this is broke up, the wind blows carrying all the loose soil. The natural erosion has created the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve.

One distinct area of the Mojave Desert is the Rogers Dry Lake Bed. Edwards Air Force Base is built around it, and it has seen major advancements in aviation history. It is where Chuck Yaeger broke the sound barrier for the first time. The lake bed is a unique area that creates a large runway for testing aircraft. The longest runway is 7.5 miles and contains six other runways. The lake bed is extremely hard, and that helps it handle the stress of aircraft landing on it. It sometimes floods during the rainy season, and the wind causes waves. This seasonal flooding allows the lake bed to repair itself and fill in the cracks or damage done to it.