Why do deserts exist in different parts of the world?

Question

Why do deserts exist in different parts of the world?

Answer 1

Once the world was a single content known as Pangaea (as noted by previous answers). Australia, India, South America, Africa, Antarctica...etc were all combined as one huge land mass.  Over time, plate tectonics has restructured the land mass to what it is today (and its still changing). This the primary reason for deserts to exist in different parts of the world. Thechange in climate has affected parts of the world which has provoked deserts to form. Some land that was originally underwater has been thrusted to the surface from these plate tectonic movements which has created deserts such as Death Valley and Nevada. Desertification is another process that is occurring today from the lumbering of rain forests for communities, paper and timber. With the loss of trees and no replanting, the soil eventually become sterile eventually becomes desert. An example is the Amazon in Brasil.

Answer 2

once it would have been all together (panjea) and over time it has split up

Answer 3

Because there are different areas on earth were the sun hits the most when it was pangia and once they seperated the sun continued to hit there.

Answer 4

Due to conditions favourable to form deserts:

(1) Orographic conditions

(2) General Global Wind circulation  patterns - whether the winds are moisture charged or deficient.

These conditions have pronounced effects along the tropical  landmass and if both conditions occur together in a region, it transforms it into vast desert.

Exceptions are also found where excess rains causes desertification of land due to massive soil erosion  producing barren rocky surfaces not conducive to hold vegetation- Examples Cherrapunji-Mawsynram areas in Meghalaya, India.

thnks

Answer 5

most deserts exist on the lee side of a mountain range,

as the air rises to go over the mountains it can hold less and less moisture so ends up raining itself on the windward side and leaving no moisture for the other side ie. Nevada, Patagonia, kalahari etc.

Answer 6

Deserts exist in different parts of the world because the climate conditions in those parts of the world promote the formation of deserts.

Desert locations cannot be attributed to the break up of Pangea.  That is because a desert that existed on Pangea would have been in a different climatic location after the break up of Pangea.  As the plates (land masses) moved over the course of earth's history, the climate on those plates changed.  Example:  marine fossils found at the high elevations of the Himalayas.