Deserts, Ruled by the Wind
In Deserts, Ruled by the Wind, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how the wind helps to shape the landscape in deserts and how animals, including reptiles, burrow beneath the surface during sandstorms. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What is the major cause of the shaping of the desert?
A: The heavy winds and sandstorms shape the desert landscape into different formations including dunes.
Q: While new sand blows on the surface of the dunes, how old could the original base of the dunes be?
A: The original base of the dunes could be up to 5,000 years old!
Q: What has been happening to the white rocks in the White Desert in Egypt?
A: The rocks have been chiseled away and have strange formations as a result. Eventually, they will be completely gone, turned into sand.
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