Great Salt Desert
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The Great Salt Desert or Kavir Desert (Persian:دشت کویر,romanized:Dasht-e Kavir,lit.'Low Plains' in classical Persian, from khwar (low), and dasht (plain, flatland)) is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian Plateau. It is about 800 kilometres (500mi) long by 320 kilometres (200mi) wide with a total surface area of about 77,600km2(30,000sqmi), making it the world's 24th largest desert. The desert stretches from the Alborz mountain range in the north-west to the Lut Desert in the south-east, both forming a natural barrier against migrations eastwards or westwards. It is spread across the Iranian provinces of Khorasan, Semnan, Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd.
Features
The Great Salt Desert forms part of a 4,000km2(1,500sqmi) protected ecological zone, the Kavir National Park.
The Kavir Desert also contains the Rig-e Jenn, an area of sandy dunes traditionally associated with jinn and other evil spirits.
In the center of the desert lies the salt marshes of Kavir Buzurg (Great Kavir), which is about 320km (200mi) long and 160km (99mi) wide.
On the western edge of the desert lies the 1,800km2(690sqmi) Namak Lake ("salt lake").
Climate and structure
Dasht-e Kavir has an arid climate with little precipitation. However, there is usually some rainfall in winter, as well as the mountains that surround it, provide plenty of runoff—enough to create vast seasonal lakes, marshlands and playas. Daytime and nighttime temperatures can vary by as much as 70°C (130°F) over the course of a year. The weather can get quite cold during the nighttime in winter, routinely dropping to below 0°C (32°F) in some areas.
The desert soil is covered with sand and pebbles; there are marshes, seasonal lakes and seasonal river beds. The high temperatures and low humidity cause extreme vaporization, which leaves the marshes and mud grounds with large crusts of salt.
| Climate data for Garmsār, Semnan Province, Altitude: 899.9 M from: 1986-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.6 (76.3) | 32.2 (90.0) | 36.6 (97.9) | 40.8 (105.4) | 45.0 (113.0) | 47.0 (116.6) | 46.0 (114.8) | 41.0 (105.8) | 36.4 (97.5) | 28.4 (83.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 47.0 (116.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 13.5 (56.3) | 18.8 (65.8) | 25.7 (78.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 37.7 (99.9) | 40.0 (104.0) | 39.1 (102.4) | 34.8 (94.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 18.9 (66.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 25.8 (78.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) | 7.4 (45.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 18.6 (65.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 29.7 (85.5) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 6.5 (43.7) | 18.8 (65.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) | 1.3 (34.3) | 6.0 (42.8) | 11.5 (52.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 0.9 (33.6) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.0 (0.59) | 14.5 (0.57) | 26.9 (1.06) | 19.8 (0.78) | 10.8 (0.43) | 1.0 (0.04) | 2.7 (0.11) | 1.0 (0.04) | 0.4 (0.02) | 3.8 (0.15) | 11.1 (0.44) | 14.1 (0.56) | 121.1 (4.79) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64 | 55 | 47 | 39 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 36 | 50 | 64 | 41 |
| Source: |
| Climate data for Ardestan, Esfahan Province, Altitude: 1252.4 M from: 1992-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 32.0 (89.6) | 34.4 (93.9) | 39.6 (103.3) | 43.2 (109.8) | 44.4 (111.9) | 43.4 (110.1) | 39.6 (103.3) | 34.2 (93.6) | 29.4 (84.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 44.4 (111.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.1 (48.4) | 13.3 (55.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 24.8 (76.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 35.8 (96.4) | 38.2 (100.8) | 37.3 (99.1) | 33.0 (91.4) | 26.4 (79.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 11.2 (52.2) | 24.6 (76.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.9 (55.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 29.4 (84.9) | 31.9 (89.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 20.7 (69.3) | 12.7 (54.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 19.0 (66.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.8 (37.0) | 7.4 (45.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 25.6 (78.1) | 24.4 (75.9) | 20.4 (68.7) | 15.1 (59.2) | 7.7 (45.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | 13.3 (56.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.2 (4.6) | −8.4 (16.9) | −5.2 (22.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | 5.8 (42.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 18.2 (64.8) | 15.8 (60.4) | 10.5 (50.9) | 6.6 (43.9) | −3.0 (26.6) | −10.2 (13.6) | −15.2 (4.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.1 (0.95) | 15.1 (0.59) | 23.1 (0.91) | 15.5 (0.61) | 13.3 (0.52) | 0.9 (0.04) | 0.4 (0.02) | 0.9 (0.04) | 0.5 (0.02) | 2.0 (0.08) | 8.9 (0.35) | 22.4 (0.88) | 127.1 (5.01) |
| Average snowy days | 3.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 6.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 52 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 26 | 38 | 51 | 31 |
| Source: |
| Climate data for Biarjamand, Semnan Province, Altitude: 1099.3 M from: 1992-2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.2 (52.2) | 16.7 (62.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 28.6 (83.5) | 33.5 (92.3) | 35.6 (96.1) | 34.7 (94.5) | 30.7 (87.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 9.6 (49.3) | 22.7 (72.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 10.1 (50.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 21.7 (71.1) | 26.7 (80.1) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.0 (82.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 17.0 (62.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 4.1 (39.4) | 16.1 (61.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) | −1.1 (30.0) | 3.4 (38.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 14.9 (58.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 21.4 (70.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 2.9 (37.2) | −1.5 (29.3) | 9.6 (49.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.4 (0.61) | 13.2 (0.52) | 28.2 (1.11) | 23.7 (0.93) | 15.4 (0.61) | 4.3 (0.17) | 0.6 (0.02) | 1.3 (0.05) | 2.0 (0.08) | 3.1 (0.12) | 7.2 (0.28) | 13.1 (0.52) | 127.5 (5.02) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 66 | 57 | 49 | 43 | 35 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 39 | 50 | 66 | 44 |
| Source: |
Post-glacial lake system
Almost 3,000 years ago, at the start of the post-glacial era, the Kavir was a series of vast lakes.[citation needed]
Wildlife
Vegetation in the Dasht-e Kavir is adapted to the hot and arid climate as well as to the saline soil in which it is rooted.
Goitered gazelles live in parts of steppe and desert areas of the central plateau. Mouflon, dromedaries, wild goats and Persian leopards are common in mountainous areas. Night life brings on Arabian wildcats, Indian wolves, foxes, and other carnivores.
Cultivation
The extreme heat and many storms in Dasht-e Kavir cause extensive erosion, which makes it almost impossible to cultivate the lands. The desert is almost uninhabited and knows little exploitation.
See also
- Dasht-e Lut– Desert in Iran, UNESCO SitePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets ('Desert of Emptiness')
- Geography of Iran
- International rankings of Iran
- List of deserts by area
- Cities of Iran
- Operation Eagle Claw