The largest desert in the U.S., the Great Basin Desert, is framed by the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges, and forms the northern border of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It stretches to high elevations (up to 6,500 feet) and has an average precipitation of 7-12 inches annually. Most of the vegetation in the Great Basin is low and homogenous, and includes sagebrush, blackbrush, greasewood and shadescale.
This Russian preserve covers an area of semi-arid desert and steppes that is home to a wide variety of threatened and endangered species, including the saiga antelope, marbled polecat and corsac fox. This plains desert receives fewer than 12 inches of rain annually, and is also home to one of the largest saltwater lakes in Russia, as well as a several networks of naturally-formed cave systems.
Located in southern South America (primarily Argentina), the Patagonia Desert is the seventh largest desert in the world by area, covering 260,000 square miles. The Andes border the desert on the west, and the desert is a windy plain characterized by steppes, canyons and gravel plains. Lakes, rivers and drainage deposits dot the desert, which is fairly cool, with temperatures rarely above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Located between China and Kazakhstan, the Emin Valley is mostly a dry semi-arid desert and savannah, and is currently considered under threat due to mineral extraction efforts. Annual precipitation is usually less than 100 millimeters, and average temperatures keep the area very cold, usually between zero and 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
