Arabian Deserts: Nature, Origin and Evolution [Hardcover]

H. Stewart Edgell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1402039697 | ISBN-13: 978-1402039690 | Publication Date: June 14, 2006 | Edition: 1

This is the first comprehensive survey of all the deserts of Arabia, based largely on the author’s 50 years of experience there. The text deals with every kind of desert in the region, from vast sand seas to clay pans and stony plains to volcanic flows. Along with dune types unique to the region the author outlines climatic changes, current ecology and human influence on desertification.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews: "This new book by Edgell is the only one that covers the entire Arabian peninsula … . This is a book where the reader can find many interesting details about Arabia and a wealth of up-to-date literature … . In addition, the index of geographical names and the glossary of Arabic terms are very valuable … . The book may be used with great profit as an encyclopedia of facts about Arabian deserts … and as such will be welcome in scientific libraries." (H. Besler, Journal of Sedimentary Research, July, 2006) "The 20 chapters of the book cover a wide range of topics on not only the geography, ecology, and geology of the Arabian deserts but also on fundamental knowledge such as sand dunes and dating methods of desert stratigraphy. Therefore, the book would serve both as an up-to-date textbook and as a reference tool." (Rasoul Sorkhabi, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Vol. 91 (6), 2007)

From the Back Cover

H. Stewart Edgell is a graduate of the University of Sydney with his doctorate in geology from Stanford University. He has spent most of his working life in the Middle East, especially in Arabia, where he has been active in oil exploration, and primarily in university teaching and research as a Professor of Geology at the Amercian University of Beirut, the UNESCO/Saudi Center for Applied Geology, Jeddah, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Deserts provides a comprehensive coverage of all the deserts of Arabia largely based on the author’s experience in Arabia over the last fifty years. Distinctive landforms of Arabia deserts are described, together with their geological setting and the influence of climates both past and present. The six great sand seas of Arabia are emphasized since Ar Rub’ al Khali Desert forms the world’s largest continuous sand desert. Sources, sedimentology, and the mechanisms of formation of these great sand deserts are examined. Distinctive sand dunes and interdunes types found in Arabia are described, classified and explained. Fluvial processes are discussed, as well as the many oases, and lake deposits formed in milder, more humid intervals. Extensive areas of black, basaltic, volcanic desert are described covering three times the area of Belgium. Ecology of Arabia and human influence on desertification are outlined. Climatic changes in the evolution of Arabian deserts during the Quaternary and their causes are explained and a chronology of climatic events during their formation is established. Audience This book will be of interest to geoscientists, especially Quaternary geologists, geomorphologists, geographers, sedimentologists interested in aeolian and fluvial processes, climatologists, coastal studies groups, desertification interest groups, and ecologists with interest in arid lands.  CD-ROM included Included is a CD-ROM containing high quality full color versions of photos and figures which are printed in black and white in the book itself.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 659 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (June 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402039697
• ISBN-13: 978-1402039690
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,114,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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