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Deserts in the U.S.A.

Deserts form much of the American landscape. From western films and road movies to album covers and western art, the desert figures prominently in the shared natural wealth of the United States. Images of cacti and sweeping desert vistas come to mind when thinking of American deserts, but a few deserts across the country defy conventional expectations. A quick review of some deserts in the U.S.A. can provide a sampling of the diversity of deserts within this single nation.

Desert of Maine
- More than 10,000 years ago, glacial movement helped form one of the strangest deserts in the United States just west of Freeport, Maine. Known as The Desert of Maine, this small desert of approximately 40 acres was discovered in 1797 by farmer William Tuttle, according to The New York Times. As Tuttle's livestock grazed the land they gradually exposed the sandy layers beneath the grass. Years of glacial movement ground rocks down into a sandy substance known as "glacial silt", creating not only a natural oddity in the verdant woods of Maine but also a tourist destination that attracts around 30,000 visitors each year.
Sonoran Desert
- The huge Sonoran desert stretches from south central California, far east into Arizona and as far south as Baja de California, Mexico. Unlike the forbidding image some people imagine when they hear the word "desert", the Sonoran desert actually receives approximately 4 to 11 inches of precipitation each year. This precipitation arrives during two separate wet seasons: one in December to March and the other July to September. The Sonoran desert features plant and animal life often associated with the American southwest, such as the coyote, cactus and rocky chaparral.
Oregon's High Desert
- Largely unknown to most visitors and the public at large, Oregon's High Desert occupies more than 20,000 square miles at an average altitude higher than 4,000 feet. More like its neighbors Idaho or Nevada, this corner of Oregon has the arid climate and chaparral one might associate with areas hundreds of miles to the south. The area contains some unique geological formations, including Glass Butte. At 2,000 feet, this volcanic rock formation is one of the largest obsidian outcroppings in the world.
Mojave Desert
- The Mojave desert of California appears, at first glance, to have little life. Signs stay hidden in many areas of the desert while other areas have greenery and precipitation with snowfall of almost 3 1/2 feet. A close neighbor of the Sonoran and Great Basin deserts, the Mojave desert spans much of the land mass of southeastern California. From enormous sand dunes to high desert mountains like Clark Mountain (7,929 feet), the Mojave desert has as a wealth of geological diversity.

Nature