January 22, 2021 - Lut Desert, Iran

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   Kalut Shahdad Desert in Iran
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   On January 18, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image
   of south-eastern Iran’s Lut Desert.

   Also known as Dasht-e-lut, the 2,278,015-hectare arid region straddles
   the provinces of Kermān, Sistāno Balūchestān and Khorāsān-e Jonūbi. The
   desert sits in a low-lying interior basin that reaches 185 meters (607
   feet) below sea level. Because the basin is surrounded by mountains, it
   is in a rain shadow which creates a hyper-arid climate. The Lut Desert
   is a land of dramatic and extreme environmental conditions—very low
   precipitation, long periods of high wind, unique land formations, and
   some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth. A temperature
   of 70.7˚C (159.26˚F) has been recorded on the property.

   The region is so unique that it was inscribed as a UNESCO World
   Heritage Site in 2016. According to their description, in the Persian
   language “Lut” refers to bare land without water and devoid of
   vegetation. Between June and October each year, strong winds whip
   across the desert, carrying 1 mm quartz sand grains at high velocity.
   This creates a “sand blasting” effect (aeolian erosion) that has
   created stunning landforms, such as stony deserts, vast tall-dune
   fields, and yardangs. According to UNESCO, “Yardangs are bedrock
   features carved and streamlined by sandblasting, although they are also
   eroded by gullying from rainfall runoff and by mass movement. Some are
   also undercut by floodwaters. Yardangs appear as massive and dramatic
   corrugations across the landscape with ridges and corridors oriented
   parallel to the dominant prevailing wind. The ridges are known as
   kaluts. In the Lut Desert some are up to 155 m high and their ridges
   can be followed for more than 40 km.”

   In the image, yardangs and kaluts can be seen in western section of the
   Lut Desert basin where they appear as a large area of roughly parallel
   ridges. In contrast, the dark tan area in the eastern basin is filled
   with long rippling lines. This is a huge sand sea (erg) where actively
   moving dunes can reach heights of 475 meters (1,558 feet). Not only are
   these among the largest dunes in the world, but they also take a
   variety of forms: linear, compound crescentic, star, and funnel shaped.
   Where a few plants live in the slightly moisture edges of the dune
   field, the sand piles into nebkhas, which are basically hummock-like
   dunes that form around vegetation.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 1/18/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (38.4 KB),  500m (130.5 KB),  250m (374.6
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-01-22
 
