To solve the given matching problem in Physical Geography, let's understand each term and correctly associate them:
- Evaporites (A) – Playa (Q): Evaporites are minerals that form when water evaporates and leaves behind a deposit. These are commonly found in playas, which are dry lake beds in deserts where water from seasonal rainfall collects and subsequently evaporates.
- Deflation (B) – Desert Pavement (R): Deflation is a process where fine particles are lifted and removed by wind from a land surface, which can lead to the formation of a desert pavement. Desert pavements are surfaces covered with closely packed, interlocking rock fragments left behind after finer particles are blown away.
- Sandblasting (C) – Ventifacts (O): Sandblasting refers to the process of wearing down surfaces due to wind-driven sand. This mechanism is responsible for creating ventifacts, which are rocks that have been shaped or polished by the abrasive action of wind-blown sand.
- Weathering (D) – Desert Varnish (P): Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and minerals over time due to various chemical, physical, and biological processes. In deserts, weathering can result in the formation of desert varnish, a dark coating found on exposed rock surfaces, composed of clay minerals and oxides of manganese and iron.
- Streamlined hills (E) – Yardangs (S): Yardangs are streamlined hills that have been carved by wind erosion in arid regions. They are elongated landforms formed by the action of wind deflation and abrasion on soft rock beds.
Based on these associations, the correct matching set is:
A – Q, B – R, C – O, D – P, E – S