Question 1 Report
The diagram in Fig. 1 shows a desert pavement surveyed on a gravel plain in the Gobi Desert. Larger stones form a closely packed surface, while fine sediment occurs beneath them. A proposed off-road vehicle route would cross the site. The landscape manager needs to decide why tyre tracks may remain visible for many years.
(a) Which material is most likely to be removed first by wind: fine sediment, large pebbles or bedrock? [1]
(b) Outline how a desert pavement can form. [2]
(c) Draw two parallel tyre tracks on Fig. 1 to show the likely damage caused by a vehicle. [1]
(a) Fine sediment [1] (b) Wind removes fine particles by deflation [1]; larger stones are left behind and become concentrated at the surface [1]. (c) Two parallel tracks across the pebble surface [1]
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