Great Sandy Desert

Region of the Great Sandy Desert according to IBRA

Composite satellite image in conventional colors, which shows the western part of the desert. Lack of sand cover allows you to see the complex geological structure of the area

The Great Sandy Desert ( eng. Great Sandy Desert ) or the Western Desert ^[1] is a sandy-saline desert in northwestern Australia ( Western Australia ).

The desert has an area of ​​360,000 km² and is located approximately within the boundaries of the Canning sedimentary basin. ^[2] . It stretches 900 km from west to east from the Eighty Mile Beach on the shores of the Indian Ocean deep into the Northern Territories to the Tanami Desert , as well as 600 km from north to south from the Kimberley region to the Tropic of Capricorn , passing into the Gibson Desert . ^[one]

Hollow decreases to the north and west, the average height in the southern part is 400–500 m, in the north - 300 m. The prevailing relief is the ridges of sand dunes , the average height of which is 10–12 m, the maximum - up to 30 m. Ridges up to 50 km ^[1] are extended in the latitudinal direction, which is caused by the direction of the prevailing trade winds. There are numerous salt lakes in the region, which are occasionally filled with water: Disappointment in the south, Mackay in the east, Gregory in the north, which is fed by the Sturt Creek River . ^[3]

The Great Sandy Desert is the hottest region of Australia. In the summer period from December to February, the average temperature reaches 35 ° C, in winter - up to 20-15 ° C. Precipitation is rare and irregular, mainly brought by summer equatorial monsoons . About 450 mm of precipitation falls in the northern part, up to 200 mm in the southern part, most of it evaporates and seeps into the sands. ^[3]

The desert is covered with red sands , prickly xerophytic cereals ( spinifex , etc.) mainly grow on the dunes. The ridges of the dunes are divided by clay- solonchak plains, on which acacia shrubs grow (in the south) and undersized eucalyptus trees (in the north). ^{[1] [3]}

There is almost no permanent population in the desert, with the exception of a few Aboriginal groups, including the Karadjeri and Nygina tribes. It is assumed that the depths of the desert may contain minerals . ^[4] In the central part of the region is the Rudall River National Park ^[1] , in the extreme south - the World Heritage List Uluru-Kata Tjuta listed on the World Heritage List .

Europeans first crossed the desert (from east to west) and described it in 1873 under the leadership of Major P. Warburton . ^[2] The Kaningsky cattle trail route ( English Canning Stock Route ), 1,600 km in length from the city of Wiluna (Wiluna), passes across the desert region through Lake Disappointment to Halls Creek. ^[2] Wulf Creek Crater is located in the northeastern part of the desert.