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{{Short description|Sandy desert in Libya}} |
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'''Murzuq Desert''', '''Idehan Murzuq''', '''Idhan Murzuq''', (also Murzaq, Murzuk, and Murzak), is a primarily [[Erg (landform)|erg]] [[desert]] in southwestern [[Libya]]. It is considered part of the [[Sahara]] desert complex, although it is separated from the southern Sahara by the [[Tibesti Mountains]] and the [[Tassili n'Ajjer]]. |
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{{Infobox settlement |
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| name = Idehan Murzuq |
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| native_name = {{lang|ar|أدهان مرزق}} |
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| native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead --> |
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| settlement_type = [[Erg]] |
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| image_skyline =Sanddunes marzuq sandsea.jpg |
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| image_alt = |
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| image_caption =Marzuq Sand Sea seen from [[International Space Station|ISS]], 2008 (centered at {{Coord|24.5|N|12|E|display=inline}}). Detailed [[astronaut]] photograph, taken from [[low Earth orbit]], showing classic large and small sand masses of the central Sahara where wind is a more powerful land-shaping agent than water. |
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| image_flag = |
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| flag_alt = |
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| image_seal = |
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| seal_alt = |
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| image_shield = |
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| shield_alt = |
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| nickname = |
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| motto = |
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| image_map =Saharan topographic elements map.png |
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| map_alt = |
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| map_caption =Map of the topographic features of the Sahara |
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| pushpin_map = |
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| pushpin_label_position = |
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| pushpin_map_alt = |
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| coordinates = |
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| coor_pinpoint = |
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| coordinates_footnotes = |
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| subdivision_type = Country |
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| subdivision_name = [[Libya]] |
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| subdivision_type1 = |
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| subdivision_name1 = |
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| subdivision_type2 = |
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<!-- for references: use <ref> tags --> |
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| area_footnotes = |
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| area_urban_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_rural_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_metro_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_magnitude = <!-- <ref> </ref> --> |
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| area_note = |
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| area_water_percent = |
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| area_rank = |
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| area_blank1_title = |
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| area_blank2_title = |
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<!-- square kilometers --> |
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| area_total_km2 = 58000 |
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| area_land_km2 = |
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| area_water_km2 = |
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| length_km = |
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| width_km = |
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| dimensions_footnotes = |
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| elevation_footnotes = |
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| elevation_m = 660 |
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| population_footnotes = |
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| population_total = |
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| population_as_of = |
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| population_density_km2 = auto |
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| timezone1 = |
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| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> |
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| footnotes = |
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}} |
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The '''Murzuq Desert''', '''Idehan Murzuq''', '''Idhan Murzuq''', (also Murzaq, Murzuk, Marzuq and Murzak), is an [[Erg (landform)|erg]] in southwestern [[Libya]] with a surface of approximately 58,000 km<sup>2</sup>.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WOcUNbRUGtwC&dq=%22Desert+Geomorphology%22+great+sand+sea&pg=PA403 Desert Geomorphology, p. 403]</ref> It is named after the town of [[Murzuk]] in the [[Fezzan]] region. Like the [[Idehan Ubari]] further north, the Idehan Murzuq is part of the greater [[Sahara Desert]] region. It is separated from the southern Sahara Desert by the [[Tibesti Mountains]] and the [[Tassili n'Ajjer]]. |
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==Dune pattern== |
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The ''“Draa”'' [[dunes]] (from the [[Arabic]] for “arm”) are very large masses of sand in the western part of Libya's vast Murzuq Desert, and they appear in satellite images as a broad network of yellow-orange sand masses, with smooth-floored, almost sand-free basins between them. Geologists think that the ''draa'' of the Marzuq were probably formed by winds different from the prevailing north-northeast winds of today. |
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[[File:Sanddunes marzuq sandsea.jpg|thumb|400px|'''Marzuq (Murzuq) Sand Sea''', Southwest Libya, as seen from [[ISS]], 2008]] |
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This detailed [[astronaut]] photograph, taken from [[low earth orbit]], shows classic large and small sand masses of the central [[Sahara Desert]], where wind is a more powerful land-shaping agent than water. “Draa” [[dunes]] (from the [[Arabic]] for “arm”) are very large masses of sand, and they appear here as the broad network of yellow-orange sand masses, with smooth-floored, almost sand-free basins between them. These sand masses lie in the western part of Libya's vast '''Marzuq Sand Sea''' (centered at {{Coord|24.5|N|12|E|display=inline}}). Geologists think that the draa of the Marzuq were probably formed by winds different from the prevailing north-northeast winds of today. |
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Numerous smaller dunes have developed on the backs of the draa. Three distinct dune types are visible: [[Dunes#Longitudinal (Seif) and transverse dunes| |
Numerous smaller dunes have developed on the backs of the ''draa''. Three distinct dune types are visible in satellite images of the region: |
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*[[Dunes#Longitudinal (Seif) and transverse dunes|Longitudinal dunes]], more or less parallel with the north winds. |
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*[[Dunes#Longitudinal (Seif) and transverse dunes|Transverse dunes]], usually more curved and formed at right angles to the wind. |
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*[[Dunes#Star|Star dunes]], in which several linear arms converge towards a single peak. |
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The upwind sides of the sand masses appear smoother than the downwind side. Wind is moving sand grains almost all the time. This means that the draa and the dunes are all moving as sand is added on the upwind side and blown off the downwind side. Small sand masses move much faster than large sand masses. |
The upwind sides of the sand masses appear smoother than the downwind side. Wind is moving sand grains almost all the time. This means that the ''draa'' and the dunes are all moving as sand is added on the upwind side and blown off the downwind side. Small sand masses move much faster than large sand masses. |
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The ''draa'' are almost stationary, but the smaller dunes move relatively quickly across their backs. When the smaller dunes reach the downwind side of the ''draa'', they are obliterated; their sand is blown across the basins as individual grains. <ref>[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36675 Sand Dunes, Marzuq Sand Sea, Southwest Libya.] This article incorporates [[public domain]] text from this [[NASA]] website.</ref> |
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==Petroleum== |
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Since oil exploration began in 1957, eleven oil fields have been discovered in the Murzuq Basin. Two of the fields are considered giants, and altogether there are more than 2 billion barrels of oil in reserves under the desert there.<ref>Rusk, Donald C. (2001) "Libya:Petroleum Potential of the Underexplored Basin Centers – A Twenty-First-Century Challenge" ''In'' Downey, Marlan W.; Threet, Jack C. and Morgan, William A. (2001) ''Petroleum Provinces of the Twenty-first Century'' (AAPG Memoir 74) American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma, pp. 429-452, p. 429, ISBN 0-89181-355-1 </ref> |
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== |
==Petroleum== |
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Since oil exploration began in 1957, eleven oil fields, including [[Nc186|NC186]], have been discovered in the Murzuq Basin. Two of the fields are considered giants, and altogether there are more than 2 billion barrels of oil in reserves under the desert there.<ref>Rusk, Donald C. (2001) "Libya:Petroleum Potential of the Underexplored Basin Centers – A Twenty-First-Century Challenge" ''In'' Downey, Marlan W.; Threet, Jack C. and Morgan, William A. (2001) ''Petroleum Provinces of the Twenty-first Century'' (AAPG Memoir 74) American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma, pp. 429-452, p. 429, {{ISBN|0-89181-355-1}} </ref> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Geography of Libya]] |
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*[[List of ergs]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons-inline|Murzuq Desert}} |
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*[http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Collections/EarthObservatory/articles/MarzuqSandSeaLibya.htm View of the entire Murzuq Desert seen from the International Space Station] |
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{{coord|24|45|N|13|00|E|display=title|region:MR_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}} |
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[[Category:Deserts of Libya]] |
[[Category:Deserts of Libya]] |
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[[Category:Fezzan]] |
[[Category:Fezzan]] |
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[[Category:Ergs]] |
[[Category:Ergs of Africa]] |
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[[Category:Sahara]] |
[[Category:Sahara]] |
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[[fi:Murzuqin hiekkameri]] |
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Latest revision as of 07:49, 29 October 2024
Idehan Murzuq
أدهان مرزق | |
|---|---|
 Marzuq Sand Sea seen from ISS, 2008 (centered at 24°30′N 12°00′E / 24.5°N 12°E). Detailed astronaut photograph, taken from low Earth orbit, showing classic large and small sand masses of the central Sahara where wind is a more powerful land-shaping agent than water. | |
 Map of the topographic features of the Sahara | |
| Country | Libya |
| Area | |
• Total | 58,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 660 m (2,170 ft) |
The Murzuq Desert, Idehan Murzuq, Idhan Murzuq, (also Murzaq, Murzuk, Marzuq and Murzak), is an erg in southwestern Libya with a surface of approximately 58,000 km2.[1] It is named after the town of Murzuk in the Fezzan region. Like the Idehan Ubari further north, the Idehan Murzuq is part of the greater Sahara Desert region. It is separated from the southern Sahara Desert by the Tibesti Mountains and the Tassili n'Ajjer.
Dune pattern
[edit]The “Draa” dunes (from the Arabic for “arm”) are very large masses of sand in the western part of Libya's vast Murzuq Desert, and they appear in satellite images as a broad network of yellow-orange sand masses, with smooth-floored, almost sand-free basins between them. Geologists think that the draa of the Marzuq were probably formed by winds different from the prevailing north-northeast winds of today.
Numerous smaller dunes have developed on the backs of the draa. Three distinct dune types are visible in satellite images of the region:
- Longitudinal dunes, more or less parallel with the north winds.
- Transverse dunes, usually more curved and formed at right angles to the wind.
- Star dunes, in which several linear arms converge towards a single peak.
The upwind sides of the sand masses appear smoother than the downwind side. Wind is moving sand grains almost all the time. This means that the draa and the dunes are all moving as sand is added on the upwind side and blown off the downwind side. Small sand masses move much faster than large sand masses.
The draa are almost stationary, but the smaller dunes move relatively quickly across their backs. When the smaller dunes reach the downwind side of the draa, they are obliterated; their sand is blown across the basins as individual grains. [2]
Petroleum
[edit]Since oil exploration began in 1957, eleven oil fields, including NC186, have been discovered in the Murzuq Basin. Two of the fields are considered giants, and altogether there are more than 2 billion barrels of oil in reserves under the desert there.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Desert Geomorphology, p. 403
- ^ Sand Dunes, Marzuq Sand Sea, Southwest Libya. This article incorporates public domain text from this NASA website.
- ^ Rusk, Donald C. (2001) "Libya:Petroleum Potential of the Underexplored Basin Centers – A Twenty-First-Century Challenge" In Downey, Marlan W.; Threet, Jack C. and Morgan, William A. (2001) Petroleum Provinces of the Twenty-first Century (AAPG Memoir 74) American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma, pp. 429-452, p. 429, ISBN 0-89181-355-1
External links
[edit]
Media related to Murzuq Desert at Wikimedia Commons