Wahiba Sands
Encyclopedia
The Wahiba Sands, or Ramlat al-Wahiba (also called Sharqiya Sands), are a region of desert
in Oman
. The region is named for the Wahiba tribe. The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometres (111.8 mi) north to south and 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) east to west, with an area of 12500 square kilometres (4,826.3 sq mi). The desert has been of scientific interest since a 1986 expedition by the Royal Geographical Society
documented the diversity of the terrain, the flora
and fauna
, noting 16,000 invertebrate
s as well as 200 species of other wildlife, including avifauna
. They also documented 150 species of native flora.
period as a result of the forces of south-west blowing monsoon
and the northern shamal
trade wind
, coming in from the east. Based on the types of dunes found in the area, it is divided into the high, or upper, Wahiba and low Wahiba. The upper area contains mega-ridge sand systems on a north-south line that are believed to have been formed by monsoon. The dunes of the north, formed at some point after the last regional glaciation
, measure up to 100 metres (328.1 ft) high, with peaks accumulating in the areas just beyond the strongest wind speeds, where declining velocity wind deposited sand. The north and west boundaries of the desert are delineated by the fluvial
systems Wadi Batha and Wadi Andam. Beneath the surface sands are an older layer of cemented carbonate sand
. Alluvium
deposits believed to have originated from the Wadi Batha during the Paleolithic
era have been disclosed in the central desert 200 metres (656.2 ft) beneath the interdune surface. Wind erosion is believed to have contributed to the existence of a nearly level plain in the southwest.
s who congregate at Al Huyawah, an oasis
near the border of the desert, between June and September to gather dates. Tribes present in the area at the time of the Royal Geographical Society expedition included, predominately, the al-Wahiba (or Yal Wahiba) for whom the region is named, the al-Amr, the al-Bu-Isa, the Hikman, Hishm and Janaba.
Déserts
Déserts is a piece by Edgard Varèse for brass , percussion , piano, and tape. Percussion instruments are exploited for their resonant potential, rather than used solely as accompaniment...
in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
. The region is named for the Wahiba tribe. The area is defined by a boundary of 180 kilometres (111.8 mi) north to south and 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) east to west, with an area of 12500 square kilometres (4,826.3 sq mi). The desert has been of scientific interest since a 1986 expedition by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
documented the diversity of the terrain, the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
, noting 16,000 invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s as well as 200 species of other wildlife, including avifauna
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. They also documented 150 species of native flora.
Geology
The desert was formed during the QuaternaryQuaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
period as a result of the forces of south-west blowing monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
and the northern shamal
Shamal (wind)
A shamal is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states , often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter...
trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
, coming in from the east. Based on the types of dunes found in the area, it is divided into the high, or upper, Wahiba and low Wahiba. The upper area contains mega-ridge sand systems on a north-south line that are believed to have been formed by monsoon. The dunes of the north, formed at some point after the last regional glaciation
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, measure up to 100 metres (328.1 ft) high, with peaks accumulating in the areas just beyond the strongest wind speeds, where declining velocity wind deposited sand. The north and west boundaries of the desert are delineated by the fluvial
Fluvial
Fluvial is used in geography and Earth science to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them...
systems Wadi Batha and Wadi Andam. Beneath the surface sands are an older layer of cemented carbonate sand
Eolianite
Eolianite or aeolianite is any rock formed by the lithification of sediment deposited by aeolian processes; that is, the wind. In common use, however, the term refers specifically to the most common form of eolianite: coastal limestone consisting of carbonate sediment of shallow marine biogenic...
. Alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
deposits believed to have originated from the Wadi Batha during the Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
era have been disclosed in the central desert 200 metres (656.2 ft) beneath the interdune surface. Wind erosion is believed to have contributed to the existence of a nearly level plain in the southwest.
Inhabitants
The area is occupied by BedouinBedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s who congregate at Al Huyawah, an oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
near the border of the desert, between June and September to gather dates. Tribes present in the area at the time of the Royal Geographical Society expedition included, predominately, the al-Wahiba (or Yal Wahiba) for whom the region is named, the al-Amr, the al-Bu-Isa, the Hikman, Hishm and Janaba.