Erg Chebbi
Encyclopedia
Erg Chebbi is one of Morocco's two Saharan ergs
– large dunes formed by wind-blown sand –. The other is Erg Chigaga near M'hamid.
Its distinctive dunes reach a height of up to 150 meters. The composite erg spans an area of 22 kilometers from north to south and up to 5 kilometers from east to west.
The nearest sizable town is Erfoud
, about 40 kilometers further north. Merzouga
, the local tourist center, is located near the edge of the dunes. From Merzouga a number of companies offer trips "into the desert" on camel-back. These trips generally only take tourists on overnight trips a couple of kilometres into the erg, which is enough to bring Merzouga out of sight, giving the impression of wilderness and infinite desert.
During the warmest part of the year, Moroccans with rheumatism come to Erg Chebbi to be buried up to the neck in the hot sand. This is said to be a cure for the illness.
In 2006 a flooding right next to the dunes destroyed many buildings and three people were killed.
Erg (landform)
An erg is a broad, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand with little or no vegetative cover. The term takes its name from the Arabic word ʿarq , meaning "dune field"...
– large dunes formed by wind-blown sand –. The other is Erg Chigaga near M'hamid.
Its distinctive dunes reach a height of up to 150 meters. The composite erg spans an area of 22 kilometers from north to south and up to 5 kilometers from east to west.
Erfoud
Erfoud is an oasis town in the Sahara Desert, in in the Meknès-Tafilalet of the Maghreb region in eastern Morocco. It is located at .Erfoud is divided into several districts: Hay Salam, Hay Jdid, Hay Ziz, Hay el Bathaa, Hay Annahda, Hay el Hamri....
, about 40 kilometers further north. Merzouga
Merzouga
Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about 35 kilometerssoutheast of Rissani, about 45 kilometers from Erfoud, and about 50 kilometers from the Algerian border....
, the local tourist center, is located near the edge of the dunes. From Merzouga a number of companies offer trips "into the desert" on camel-back. These trips generally only take tourists on overnight trips a couple of kilometres into the erg, which is enough to bring Merzouga out of sight, giving the impression of wilderness and infinite desert.
During the warmest part of the year, Moroccans with rheumatism come to Erg Chebbi to be buried up to the neck in the hot sand. This is said to be a cure for the illness.
In 2006 a flooding right next to the dunes destroyed many buildings and three people were killed.
See also
- Aeolian processes
- Blowout (geology)Blowout (geology)Blowouts are sandy depressions in a sand dune ecosystem caused by the removal of sediments by wind.Blowouts occur in partially vegetated dunefields or sandhills. A blowout forms when a patch of protective vegetation is lost, allowing strong winds to "blow out" sand and form a depression...
- Desert pavementDesert pavementA desert pavement is a desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cobble size.-Formation:Several theories have been proposed for their formation...
- Erg (landform)Erg (landform)An erg is a broad, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand with little or no vegetative cover. The term takes its name from the Arabic word ʿarq , meaning "dune field"...
- HamadaHamadaA hamada is a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg , though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.Hamadas exist in contrast to ergs, which are large areas of...
- Sand dunes