A bolson is a

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

valley or depression, usually draining into a

playa Playa (plural playas) may refer to: Landforms * Endorheic basin, also known as a sink, alkali flat or sabkha, a desert basin with no outlet which periodically fills with water to form a temporary lake * Dry lake, often called a ''playa'' in the so ...

or salt pan, and entirely surrounded by recently uplifted hills or mountains. Bolsons are sites of active deposition of sediments ( aggradation).* They are a type of endorheic basin characteristic of basin and range topography. The term was an Americanism originating in the 1830s and 1840s during the explorations of the far west of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, particularly of what became the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

and northern Mexico. It was derived from the Spanish ''bolsón'', (large purse). bolson
from www.britannica.com accessed July 29, 2018 Examples of this type of formation would be the

Hueco Bolson The Waco (also spelled ' and ') of the Wichita people are a Southern Plains Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe that inhabited northeastern Texas. Today, they are enrolled members of the list of federally recognized tribe ...

in the western Trans-Pecos of Texas, and the

Mesilla Bolson Mesilla may refer to: Places * Mesilla, New Mexico Mesilla (also known as La Mesilla and Old Mesilla) is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,196 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropol ...

in southern New Mexico and the northeastern part of

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

, Mexico. Bolsons are the locations of large aquifers of waters, accumulated over millennia in their deep layers of sediments, now many are being used to supply water to the populations in those areas. These are called bolson aquifers.The Hueco Bolson: An Aquifer at the Crossroads
from utminers.utep.edu accessed July 29, 2018

References

{{reflist Basins Hydrogeology Landforms

See also

References