Showing papers by "James V. Ward published in 1986"
01 Jan 1986
TL;DR: The American Southwest has long captured the awe of wayfarers, struck by the apparent hostility of its eroded wastelands as discussed by the authors, and on centre stage is the Colorado River, whose silt-laden waters have eroded magnificent canyons in lowland regions of the United States and northern Mexico.
Abstract: The American Southwest has long captured the awe of wayfarers, struck by the apparent hostility of its eroded wastelands. The area contains the Mohave and Sonoran deserts and on centre stage is the Colorado River, whose silt-laden waters have eroded magnificent canyons in lowland regions of the United States and northern Mexico (Fig. 1; Crampton 1964). Fed by snowmelt from the southern Rocky Mountains, the Colorado drains 1/12th of the United States, although its annual discharge is relatively low. The river carved the Grand Canyon, the largest gorge in the world, and its waters have spawned the economic development of the Southwest (Williams 1951; Fradkin 1981).
39 citations