Scientists reveal secrets to Earth’s magnificent desert star dunes, found in Asia, African –– and on Mars

Star dunes, or pyramid dunes, have fascinated historians and captured the imaginations of indigenous people seeking wisdom and meaning. They can be found in Asia, Africa and on Mars and they move around from time to time, rising up to about 1000 feet at their peak. Scientists believe they understand the mechanics of star dunes, by observing a star dune in eastern Morocco called Lala Lallia, meaning ‘highest sacred point’ in local Berber tongue.

The researchers used radar to look inside the dune applying luminescence dating to determine how long Lala Lallia has taken to form, a method that looks at the amount of energy trapped inside the grains of sand. The answer: it started growing about 13,000 years ago, shifted directions and 900 years ago started accumulating roughly 6,400 metric tons of sand annually as wind relentlessly blows sand through the desert.

Read Also: Can you believe the world is running out of sand?

Only about 10% of the world’s sand dunes are star dunes. Driving on sand dunes is a past-time in the Sahara and the Middle East. But Green Prophet’s writer Ajmal bashes dune bashing saying it destroys nature. Trekking by camel or on foot is better, and if you are flexible, watch what you can do on sand dunes below.

“I first encountered star dunes in Namibia 20 years ago, and was instantly amazed at the size of them. I have a vivid memory of the long climb to the top, struggling up very loose sand in the heat of the day,” said geographer Geoff Duller of Aberystwyth University in Wales, co-author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

He told the Deccan Herald:

“I find desert dunes very beautiful,” Duller added. “The sight of the sinuous curves, and the way that the light and shadow changes with the sun mean that they always look different, whether that is in the cool of the morning, the midday sun or near sunset. The different colours of sand in different deserts are also very striking, with yellow, white, red and even black dunes in different parts of the world.”

Earth’s largest star dunes can be found in the the Badain Jaran desert in western China. There are also sand seas in Algeria such as the Grand Erg Oriental and Grand Erg Occidental, and Rub’ al Khali in Saudi Arabia.

Want more on sand? This artist’s work blows back to the sand in Saudi Arabia. 

The post The secret of Earth’s incredible moving star sand dunes appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Virginia State Police are urging drivers to stay vigilant and alert while driving. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more people to drive when going on trips, as road trips become the preferred mode of travel over planes during these tumultuous times. Drivers should remember to practice safe driving; distracted driving and impaired driving should be left in 2020 as the best way to reduce fatal accidents is by participating in safe driving behavior.

Teen Drivers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) states that fatal accidents are the leading cause of death of teenagers. In Virginia, there were 17,600 accidents in 2019 that involved teenagers. Unfortunately, teens are more likely to be in a car accident than other drivers on the road because they are more likely to engage in risky driving behavior. Teens can stay safe while driving if they are informed, and parents should actively engage their teen drivers on how they can drive safely. If teens are aware of what behaviors constitute unsafe driving they can avoid participating in those activities.

Driving Under the Influence

Drinking and driving is a behavior that should be left in 2020 as drinking and driving only increases a driver’s chances of being in a fatal accident. Alcohol can slow a driver’s reaction time and cause them to make unsafe decisions while driving. If a person has been out drinking, their best option to stay safe would be to call an Uber or Lyft or ask a friend to drive them home.

Proper Seat Belt Usage

A driver properly using a seatbelt can be the difference between a fatal accident and a non-fatal one. When a driver wears a seatbelt,this precaution reduces the likelihood of injury or death. When occupants are ejected from the vehicle their chances of fatal injuries greatly increases. Since fatal accidents are on the rise, one of the simplest ways to stay safe is remembering to buckle up, and encouraging all other occupants to buckle up as well.

Aggressive Driving and Aggressive Drivers

Aggressive driving can mean a driver is tailgating, driving erratically, speeding, or not allowing other vehicles to pass them. Aggressive driving is extremely dangerous, and motorists should not drive aggressively as it puts themselves and other motorists at elevated risk. However, motorists can only control their own behavior, which means that while they might not drive aggressively, they could still encounter aggressive drivers. If a driver sees another motorist driving irresponsibly the best thing they can do is not engage. If a driver is being aggressive toward another, the driver should not respond with aggression and remain calm. If a driver feels at risk due to the driving of another, they could call the police, but again they should not actively try to engage.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is the culprit behind many fatal accidents in Virginia. When people hear the phrase “distracted driving,” they often assume that it refers to texting and driving. However, distracted driving could be any behavior that takes a motorist’s eyes off of the road. A driver cannot safely drive if their mind or attention is elsewhere, and therefore, the chances of an accident increases when drivers are distracted. Distractions that seem minor such as eating or chatting with the other occupants of the vehicle can still be dangerous, so drivers need to be cautious.

Contacting an Attorney

You are only able to control your own driving behavior, which means that even if you follow all these safe driving guidelines you could still be injured in an accident. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers are here to help guide you through the process, and can offer you professional legal advice in the event that you are injured. If you or a loved one was harmed due to the negligence of another driver, call us today.

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I almost threw up the very first time I went dune bashing. It was in the Margham Desert area of Dubai sometime in 2002 and the driver of the 4×4, Yasser, me and a friend were in was apparently the most experienced of the lot in the Desert Safari tour operator we had signed up with. After about half an hour of a literal roller-coaster ride across the dune sands, Yasser took a quick peek at his occupants-four of whom (me included) looked like zombies out of Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video. We were paired up with first-time European tourists, all of whom hadn’t ever tried this before. Do you want me to continue or head to the camp? he asked.

A minute later, we were at the desert camp! It’s hard to describe the feeling of being thrown about inside a 4×4 for a person with known motion sickness. It was a disaster right from the word go but I endured it just for the experience. I had to try it. This was my introduction to the bumpy world of dune bashing.

I have never driven in the desert so I can’t vouch for anything but the fact that to me it was an unpleasant experience being driven up and down dunes at speed. On multiple subsequent occasions, I have happily declined being driven over dunes in this manner, choosing once to walk 4 km to the highway than dune bash across some nasty-looking dunes. In other words, I am not an ardent supporter of dune-bashing from a personal standpoint, and for environmental reasons.

It was just about daybreak on a fine early morning in October 2011 when I came across an Arabian horned viper lying at the bottom of a low sand dune in the middle of the Sharjah Desert. I was on my usual weekend desert trek and even though on foot, I was just about able to distinguish the shape of the viper as it lay buried in its ambush posture in the desert sand right at the bottom of the dune with only its head sticking out of the sand.

Only later would I realize how easy it would have been for me to have missed its presence. Now imagine being up on a vantage point 6 feet in the air and looking mostly immediately ahead of you rather than below. In other words, sitting on the driver’s seat of a 4×4 vehicle, even the most trained eye would not be able to spot a small depression in the sand where a viper or any other desert creature would have lain.

Add to this a concoction of a bunch of six or more humans hoping for their famed and exalted ‘roller-coaster ride’ in the desert. Well, the right ingredients for all mayhem to break loose on the desert sand. Viper, no viper! – the driver would drive like a maniac totally disregarding the delicate animals and plants of the desert.

His primary goal is to ensure his business runs well by satisfying his customers and getting that extra ‘oomph’ out their excited grunts. The customer’s primary goal is to endure a joyride that they can FaceBook or tweet about later: Guys, we went dunebashing in the middle of the desert yesterday and it was so much fun riding up and down the dunes.

Alas, the reality of the situation is that, tires deflated or not, 4x4s are killer machines on the desert sand and there are plenty of negative repercussions that dune bashing brings about that is clearly visible all across the deserts of the United Arab Emerites. I hope to touch upon some of them in this post.

Impact on wildlife at the dunes

The deserts are not entirely barren: be it the vast, endless dunes of Liwa or the wind-shaped expansive dunes of Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates. These deserts are host to a variety of wildlife, from mammals to reptiles to insects. These creatures are all superbly built to utilize the desert sand and survive the harsh environment they live in. Dune bashing literally destroys their natural habitat (breeding grounds, holes, activity areas, etc) forcibly displacing them to move deeper into the desert, thereby putting immense pressure on them to survive.

Adding to this, most of these creatures are extremely shy of humans (such as the Arabian red fox and the sand fox) who will take flight just upon seeing humans. Imagine their plight, when a barrage of weird-looking creatures (vehicles) is headed their way.

To them, a 4×4 is a monster and just hearing the sound of the engines revving up and clouds of sand bursting beneath the tires can scare the living wits out of them. Most insects utilize the desert sand to lay their eggs and in fact many reptiles including skinks and snakes dig under the sand for camouflage, to mate, or attract prey.

Driving irresponsibly (as most dune bashers do) over such areas would only crush any creatures unlucky enough to be under the desert sand. These are just a few of the many negative impacts that dune bashing has on animals.

Plants of the dunes

Desert plants are extremely well suited to survive in the harsh desert climate too. They mostly depend on early morning dew to meet their water requirements and many plants remain dormant for years until a good amount of rain falls on the desert sand whereafter they fruit and flourish in a cyclical manner.

It goes without saying that most of the desert animals are dependent on the flora for their own survival. Dune bashing cases a significant negative environmental impact on plant life especially in inter-dunal plains where most desert plants can be found to flourish. Plants, though, can survive this rampage much more than animals and usually come out of this barrage with just some painful scars but the fact is significant damage does take place.

I am not against driving on the desert sand in a responsible manner. I know personally many individuals who head out on routine desert trips and are respectful of the natural surroundings. I am only critical about how people go about ‘dune bashing’ as in using their powerful 4x4s to run up and down sand dunes in a  destructive manner with total disregard to the environment. There is a significant amount of noise and smoke pollution involved with dune bashing too that I must emphasize.

I hope that one day some sort of regulation is brought about by regional authorities and enforced so that irresponsible drivers are taken to task.

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