what causes deserts to grow if dirt doesn't change to sand?

Answer 1

Most of the other answers to this and similar questions you have asked tonight are correct.

I think what you are getting at is that as an area turns to desert due to less precipitation, areas that were once covered with soil become covered with sand, right?

Well, the soil has a good deal of sand in it usually, like others have said. As the soil dries out, the wind can carry away most of the other components in the form of dust, and the heavier material like sand and rock gets left behind. The sand then blows around, grinding the rock down to more sand.

Answer 2

a desert is just an area that sees very little or no rain fall throughout the year. This usually means that nothing survives in the form of plants so that all is left is soil or sand, but not always. A desert will grow when the area recieving no rain fall increases and more plants die. ALso winds can erode rocks to add more sand to a desert (over great amounts of time).

Answer 3

A desert isnt categorized as a place ith a lot of sand, but as a place with under a certain amount of percipitation per year. The bottom of the ocean is filled with sand, and yet it is not a desert :)

Answer 4

What's been said is true, but the CAUSE of desertification is poor agricultural practices. By plowing the land we expose it to wind which carries away the fertile soil. By not plowing along contours, we promote erosion by rain runoff. By irrigating with salty water, we create a layer of caleche which keeps all that salt near the surface and kills the plants. By planting all one crop, we destroy the ballanced ecosystem that kept the soil rich. By clearcutting forest we destroy the root system that held the soil in place. By overgrazing with cattle, we destroy the grassland. By pumping too much water from wells and piping it to the cities, we leave the rural areas dry. By using pesticides, we kill the bees that polinate the plants that hold the soil.

This is not a new phenomenon. Why do you think the middle east is no longer a land of milk and honey? The Babylonians did it. The Pharoes of Egypt did it. The only difference today is we know how to do it a hundred times faster. And why? Because the land barons know that's how to make a quick profit. Our economic system does not penalize land rapers who extract all of the lands value in a few years, and then invest their profits in the next patch of fertile land.

Answer 5

Not all deserts are made of sand completely.

Answer 6

Dirt doesn't turn into sand, but rocks do!

Answer 7

good