Volcanic desert

A volcanic desert is an area largely or completely devoid of vegetation because of volcanic activity. The term is usually applied to larger areas such as the Highlands of Iceland, the Rangipo Desert in New Zealand or Cordón Caulle in Chile. Occasionally though, it is used for relatively small regions such as the Kaʻū Desert on the island of Hawaiʻi.^[1]

Volcanic deserts may have enough precipitation to sustain vegetation, but due to repeated covering of tephra and acid rain after eruptions and high percolation and infiltration rates of water, vegetation is scarce.^[2] In addition to this volcanic desert shows often poor or little soil formation due to slow chemical weathering caused by cold climate or coarse tephra. This is how the Plaine des Sables, on the island of Réunion, can find itself close to the Commerson Crater, a place which holds several world records of rainfall.

Examples

References

^ a b Smathers, Garrett A.; Mueller-Dombois, Dieter (1972). Invasion and Recovery of Vegetation After a Volcanic Eruption in Hawaii. Department of Botany, University of Hawaii. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
^ Muñoz, Gaston; Orlando, Julieta; Zuñiga-Feest, Alejandra (April 2021). "Plants colonizing volcanic deposits: root adaptations and effects on rhizosphere microorganisms". Plant and Soil. 461 (1–2): 265–279. doi:10.1007/s11104-020-04783-y. S2CID 234031139.
^ Schmidt, Catrin (2022). Landscape Resilience: Basics, Case Studies, Practical Recommendations. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 151. ISBN 9783662639986. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
^ Cox, Allan (1997). "Beyond the Desert Road". No. 36. New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

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[kau-1] Smathers, Garrett A.; Mueller-Dombois, Dieter (1972). Invasion and Recovery of Vegetation After a Volcanic Eruption in Hawaii. Department of Botany, University of Hawaii. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

[plantandsoil-2] Muñoz, Gaston; Orlando, Julieta; Zuñiga-Feest, Alejandra (April 2021). "Plants colonizing volcanic deposits: root adaptations and effects on rhizosphere microorganisms". Plant and Soil. 461 (1–2): 265–279. doi:10.1007/s11104-020-04783-y. S2CID 234031139.

[schmidt-3] Schmidt, Catrin (2022). Landscape Resilience: Basics, Case Studies, Practical Recommendations. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 151. ISBN 9783662639986. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

[nzgeo-4] Cox, Allan (1997). "Beyond the Desert Road". No. 36. New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 27 February 2023.