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The meaning of desert color in earth orbital photographsThe color of desert surfaces as seen in earth orbital photographs is indicative of soil composition. Apollo-Soyuz photographs of the Sturt and Simpson Deserts of Australia confirm that sand grains become redder as the distance from the source increases. Reddening is caused by a thin iron-oxide coating on individual sand grains and can be used, in some cases, to map relative-age zones. Photographs of the Western (Libyan) Desert of Egypt indicate three distinct and nearly parallel color zones that have been correlated in the field with: (1) arable soil composed of quartz, clay, and calcium carbonate particles; (2) relatively active sand with or without sparse vegetation; and (3) relatively inactive sand mixed with dark (desert-varnished) pebbles. The youngest sands are in the form of longitudinal dunes, which are migrating to the south-southeast along the prevailing wind direction. Some of the young dune fields are encroaching on the western boundary of the fertile Nile Valley.
Document ID
19780037435
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
El-Baz, F.
(Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1978
Publication Information
Publication: Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing
Volume: 44
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Accession Number
78A21344
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-13831
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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