North Desert

Lore & Background

The North American Desert is defined as areas receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) annual precipitation. The three major hot and dry deserts are the Chihuahuan Desert (largest hot desert, total area 140,000 sq mi), the Sonoran Desert (second largest hot desert, total area 120,000 sq mi), and the Mojave Desert (hottest desert in North America, total area 22,000 sq mi). The largest cold desert is the Great Basin Desert, encompassing much of the northern Basin and Range Province, north of the Mojave Desert. Other cold deserts lie within the Columbia Plateau/Columbia Basin, the Snake River Plain, and the Colorado Plateau regions. The separately defined western arid regions of North America are continental regions of aridity based on available water in addition to rain shadow–diminished rainfall, covering 190,000 sq mi (490,000 km2) and including deserts such as the Great Basin Desert and Sonoran Desert, as well as non-desert arid regions in the Great Basin arid region, Colorado Plateau, Mexican Plateau, and others. This arid region extends from the top of the North American Desert in Washington and Idaho southward into Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.

In Their Own Story

The North American Desert is not a single continuous expanse but a collection of distinct desert regions listed from north to south. These include the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in northwestern Alaska, part of the Kobuk Valley National Park; the Carcross Desert in Yukon, described as the smallest desert in the world; and numerous deserts across Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and Nevada. The Columbia Basin contains deserts such as the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington. The Snake River Plain is mostly sagebrush steppe, but barren lava fields form small deserts like Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. The Wyoming Basin contains the Red Desert. Other notable deserts include the Owyhee Desert, Oregon High Desert (aka 'Great Sandy Desert'), Alvord Desert, Black Rock Desert, Great Basin Desert, Forty Mile Desert, Smoke Creek Desert, Carson Desert, Great Salt Lake Desert, Sevier Desert, Escalante Desert, San Rafael Desert, Bisti Badlands Desert, Painted Desert, Mojave Desert, Death Valley, Amargosa Desert, Sonoran Desert, Colorado Desert, Yuha Desert, Yuma Desert, Lechuguilla Desert, Tule Desert, Gran Desierto de Altar, Baja California desert, Vizcaíno Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, Trans-Pecos Desert, and White Sands.

Reader's Guide

The North American Desert is defined by receiving less than 10 in (250 mm) annual precipitation. The three major hot deserts are the Chihuahuan Desert (140,000 sq mi), the Sonoran Desert (120,000 sq mi), and the Mojave Desert (22,000 sq mi). The largest cold desert is the Great Basin Desert. Other cold deserts are found on the Columbia Plateau/Columbia Basin, the Snake River Plain, and the Colorado Plateau. The western arid regions of North America cover 190,000 sq mi (490,000 km2) and include both deserts and non-desert arid regions. This region extends from Washington and Idaho southward into Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The 'western arid region' is east of and (except for Mojave sky islands) discontiguous from the Mojave Desert, unlike the southwestern Great Basin deserts adjacent with ecotones to the northern Mojave Desert.

Did You Know?

• The North American Desert is a U.S. Level 1 ecoregion (EPA) of the North American Cordillera.
• The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest hot desert in North America, with a total area of 140,000 sq mi (360,000 km2).
• The Mojave Desert is the hottest desert in North America, with a total area of 22,000 sq mi (57,000 km2).
• The Carcross Desert in Yukon is described as the smallest desert in the world.
• The western arid regions of North America cover 190,000 sq mi (490,000 km2) and extend from Washington and Idaho southward into Mexico in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.