The Empty Quarter desert in Saudi Arabia - Term Paper Example

The Empty Quarter desert In Saudi Arabia, which also known as Rub’ al Khali is one of the largest and uninhabitable places in the world. It is the largest desert with continuous vastness of sand in the world and peninsula’s largest desert in Arabia. The desert covers almost the lower quarter of Arabian Peninsula an area that larger than France, Netherlands, and France combined. The desert covers an approximate of 650,000 square kilometers and stretches around Saudi Arabian countries such as Yemen, Oman, and Arab Emirates. This narrative paper gives answers to the following questions, after taking a tour around the Desert. What is the range of temperatures of Empty desert? What kinds of life forms can one find in the Empty Desert? What mystery surrounds the Empty Quarter Desert? and whether it is safe to visit the desert. This place is totally empty with no human beings due to the extreme temperatures experienced in the region. People also avoid living in this region because it has scarce rainfall, vegetation, and lack of clean water. Hence, the name Rub’ al Khali, which means, the Empty Quarter. In addition, the natural features of the desert such as large sand dunes make it difficult for human beings to live and walk around (Cole, Donald 31). The Empty Quarter also has another name, the Great Sandy Desert due to these large sand dunes. People also believe that the Empty Quarter desert evolved during the time of pluvial in the Tertiary and Quaternary. The sand dunes of the Empty Quarter desert emerged from the far end of Miocene and up to the late Pleistocene. There are two main sources of the sand dunes in The Empty Quarter desert. Wadis flowing from Jibal al Hagar, Oman, Hadhramaut, Sarawat, and Tuwaiq transport all the continental sand to the Empty Quarter desert. Wadi al Ain, Mowaitheel, Baladi, and Aswad are the main Wadis that flow in the Empty Quarter desert. The sand dunes cover the southern, western, and northern parts of Empty Quarter desert characterized by the red color due to the presence of iron oxides. There are marine sands, which occur due to the incessant regressions of the Gulf water after heavy rains. Strong winds then moves the accumulated sand to the Empty Quarter desert (Harper 30). This type of sand is characterized by its white color, salty, course, and easy to move. Marine sands cover the eastern and northern parts of the Empty Quarter desert. The ideal source of marine sand found in Empty Quarter desert is Al Gafourah. The strong winds play a vital role in shaping the sand dunes of the Empty Quarter desert. The desert generally slopes from west towards east at a rate of one meter per kilometer. The approximate height above sea level of the sand dunes ranges between nine hundred to one thousand meters. The middle of Empty Quarter desert has is approximately four hundred to five hundred meters above the sea level. The Empty Quarter desert elevation decreases towards the Arabian Gulf. Touring the around the desert, I realized that the Empty Quarter can be divided into five main section considering the types of Sand Dunes. To begin with, there are Barchan Dunes, which are large, and high dunes having moist sabkha spread among the dunes. Such dunes exist in northern parts of the Empty Quarter desert (Ham 144). Secondly, there are star dunes, which are steep pyramidal in shape, vertical peaks, formed individually or inter-structural in shapes. Some of the star dunes height reaches as much as two hundred meters. Star dunes mainly cover the southern and eastern parts of the Empty Quarter desert. A good example of star dune is Al G’ad and Ghonaim sand dunes. Thirdly, there are domal dunes characterized by being high and inter-structured. Domal dunes occur at the junction of longitudinal dunes that flow in opposite directions. Some of these dunes have a height of one hundred meters. Domal dunes cover the middle portion of the Empty Quarter desert. There are three famous domal dunes; Al Hibak, Al Hawayah, and Al Gama’eer sand hills. Moreover, there are sand sheets, which forms flat and wave like sand dunes. Sand sheets include high and low hills like As Sanam and Al Galdah. Lastly, there are longitudinal dunes, which are long and parallel in formation. Longitudinal dunes cover the northwestern and southwestern parts of Empty Quarters desert. The highest longitudinal dunes have a height of hundred meters. These types of dunes extensively spread over the western parts of the desert. Al Gha’amiyat, Maghdarat, and Al Awrak are the typical representatives of longitudinal dunes. Plants also exist in the Empty Quarter desert, and many parts of the desert are good for grazing. In some areas, there is thick vegetation despite low rainfall. In early periods, some of the large animals’ species used the Empty Quarter as their habitats due to the thick vegetation. These animal species have migrated from this desert due to long droughts and hunting (Broberg 14). This episode influenced the Arabia government to establish a wildlife park in the southern part of the Empty Quarter. The main purpose of this wildlife park is to resettle the previous animals from the desert and protect the desert’s vegetation from free grazing and cutting. Ironically, Empty Quarter desert has many water sources especially wells. These water sources are mainly in the eastern, northern, and northeastern parts of the desert due to the nearness of ground water. The main sources of water are the Artesian wells, which scatter over many parts of the desert. However, although live in the Empty Quarter desert is quite challenging, a number of ethnic populations live in this desert. These include the Yam, Al-Murrah, Ad Dawasir, and Al Say’ar. In addition, there are well-constructed roads, which pass through the Empty Quarter desert. The purpose of these roads is to link the population settlements, water sources, and oil production centers with the nearby towns. Entering and taking a tour across the Empty Quarter desert is not an easy mission. Few outsiders only manage to do it with the help of experienced tribal guides who enables them to .know the tracks, trails, and water sources. To sum up, Empty Quarter desert is a safe place to visit. Although it is give the name Empty Quarter meaning ‘no man’s land’ that belief is quite different when it comes to this region. There are a number of tribal populations, who live in this desert and there are oil-mining centers. These territories border Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Oman. It is therefore, advisable for tourists who plan to tour this region to refer to tourist guidebooks to see stories about desert life and their values. This desert’s name is Empty Quarter, but ironically, it is full of inspirational features and good tourists’ sceneries. Work cited Broberg, Catherine. Saudi Arabia in Pictures. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2002. Print. Cole, Donald P. Bedouins of the Empty Quarter. New Brunswick: AldineTransaction, 2010. Print. Ham, Anthony, Martha Brekhus, and Andrew Madden. Saudi Arabia. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet, 2004. Print. Harper, Robert A, Aswin Subanthore, and Charles F. Gritzner. Saudi Arabia. New York: Chelsea House, 2007. Internet resource. Read More