Correct Response: A. Scientists believe desert pavement forms by different processes, however the most common process is believed to be differential erosion of the surface by wind; a process called deflation. Over thousands of years, smaller particles are removed from the surface by wind, leaving behind a flat surface primarily composed of pebbles and cobbles. Dispersal of alluvial fan deposits from the base of an alluvial fan as sediments move downward due to gravity is not thought to play a direct role in desert pavement formation (B) and although alternating hot and cold temperatures in the desert can support mechanical weathering (C), the process is not thought to play a role in desert pavement formation either. Although water carrying fine sediments in sheet flows may play a role in forming some types of desert pavement, flash floods carrying coarse sediments do not (D).
