Surface mosaic map unit development for a desert pavement surface

Desert pavement plays a fundamental role in arid land processes. The first step towards quantitatively analysing this role is detailed surficial mapping. To this end, map units were developed to represent the physical variability of a desert pavement surface at a large scale (decimeters to meters). Six distinct map units were defined by surface textural parameters of clast size, percent cover, and sorting through fieldwork on a basalt flow in the Mojave Desert. These surface mosaics abut with visually distinct boundaries and are easily identified in the field. Field reconnaissance showed that delineation into such units is applicable to the detailed study of other desert pavement surfaces.