The Sonoran Desert

Now on to the next Desert, situated along the border of America (Arizona and California) and Mexico lies another important region the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran occupies 100,000 square miles along the two countries. The Sonoran is the result of a rain shadow desert being bordered by the Peninsular Ranges in California as well as being in a latitude around 30 being effected by the Subtropical high. The Subtropical high is an area from the 20 -40 latitude where air subsides by compression leading to a temperature inversion and acts as a barrier to vertical convection and is largely responsible for aridity in the region. Unlike the Mojave, the Sonoran is mostly considered a Low Desert especially in the Yuma Desert region. One area showing the
Despite its name it's no small puppy! It's the second largest in North American Desert controlling an area of around 140,000 sq. mi sprawling across portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, and Nuevo León. The Chihuahuan Desert is similar to the Sonoran Desert on why they are abnormally dry. The Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental surround the desert blocking off possible moisture to both the west (Pacific Ocean) and east (Gulf of Mexico). Similar to the Mojave Desert, the Chichuahuan Desert is also a high desert with the highest point being around 12,100 ft. Due to the elevation the temperature is greatly cooler than the neighboring Sonoran with an average temperature of only 75° F making it around 10° F
The Great Basin occupies 190,000 square miles centered in the American West. The Great Basin is the result of a rain shadow desert being bordered by the Sierra Nevada Range on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east. The reason for the name is due to the ability for water to be trapped within the basin. Like the Mojave, the Great Basin is mostly considered a High Desert with heights averaging 4,000 to 6,500 feet. Unlike the previous deserts mentioned the Great Basin is a cold desert due to higher elevations and latitude. Precipitation averages out to around 10 in. a year and being more spread out among the seasons with snow falling in the winter. Another feature common across the Great Basin are Playas. There are several smaller deserts situated within the Great Basin Desert some include the Black Rock Desert, the Great Salt Lake Desert and many more sub regions.12
The Black Rock Desert is located in Northern Nevada on a silt playa only taking up a space 1,000 sq mi. Before drying up and forming multiple playas Lake Lahontan was one of the largest lake in North America during the last Ice Age (~10,000 years ago) covering an area of over 8,500 sq. miles.13 There are several mountain ranges within or bordering the region creating a rain shadow effect for the dessert conditions. Due to the location of being in the Pacific Northwest many of these ranges are of volcanic nature with geysers