Simpson Desert

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/simpson-desert

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is the Simpson Desert?176,500 km²
2. How tall is the Simpson Desert?40 meters (Big Red)
3. What is the location?Central Australia, spanning Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland
4. What is the geological classification?Erg (sandy desert with extensive dune fields)
5. Why are the dunes in the Simpson Desert so tall and stable?The dunes can reach up to 40 meters and stay in place because the few plants that grow there help hold the sand together, stopping the wind from moving the dunes.
6. Where does the water for the desert come from?Below the sand is the Great Artesian Basin, a deep underground water reservoir that pushes water up to the surface at springs like Dalhousie Springs, giving the desert a rare source of water.

Erg: A vast desert region characterized by extensive sand dunes.
Great Artesian Basin: A massive underground reservoir of water underlying large parts of Australia.
Aeolian Processes: Geological processes driven by wind, such as sand dune formation.
Native Title: The recognition by Australian law of the traditional rights and interests of Indigenous Australians in land and waters.