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Rain hardly ever falls in certain areas of Chile, Africa, and North America, causing
the formation of the Atacama Desert, the Namib Desert, and Death Valley. However, when
rain does pour over these driest areas of the world, they do so violently. Ironically,
the aridity of these sparse areas discourages growth of vegetation that could absorb
rainwater. Moments are water falls down from the sky, sandy gorges called arroyos
flood with muddy water, sometimes overflowing to spread in sheets, dislodging loose soil
and boulders. One flash flood in California’s Mojave Desert (USA) pushed a railroad
locomotive for a mile before burying it in mud. As suddenly as they come, the desert
floods diminish. Water evaporates in the sun or soaks into the ground, eroding soil
and leaving behind a ?????.
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