They may be regions of sand or vast areas of rocks and gravel peppered with occasional plants. But deserts are always dry. Deserts are natural laboratories in which to study the interactions of wind and sometimes water on the arid surfaces of planets. They contain valuable mineral deposits that were formed in the arid environment or that were exposed by erosion. Because deserts are dry, they are ideal places for human artifacts and fossils to be preserved.
Deserts are also fragile environments.
The misuse of these lands is a serious and growing problem in parts of our world. No endorsement is given nor implied. The Mojave Desert claims the southern quarter of the state. It lies at a lower elevation and contains the majority of Nevada's population. The Mojave's most prominent plant life is the creosote bush.