Physical charecteristics

• Climate: There is a north/south divide in terms of temperature and rainfall. Colorado river flows in a largely desert region, much receiving 250mm of rain per annum.
• Climate: Rainfall is seasonal, with thunderstorms often and flash flooding a possibility
• Climate: Much of the lower basin experiences very high temperatures of 40 degrees celsius or more
• Climate: Several months of extremely high summer temperatures in much of the basin leads to excessively high rates of evaporation, total rainfall is low and unreliable
• Rock type: Mainly sedimentary rock such as sandstone, high temperatures lead to expansion and contraction of the rock which open up the rock fissure
• Soils and vegetation: The soil is thin, red, desert soil and the soil is unable to support much vegetation
• River flow: Flow is seasonal, the river is fed by spring melt water. Rainfall in the system is unpredictable