Scientists solve mystery behind one of Earth’s oldest star dunes

Scientists use a technique called luminescence dating to calculate the age of star dunes

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have finally solved the mystery of the age of Earth’s largest sand dunes.according to British Broadcasting CorporationThese dunes are also known as “star dunes” or “pyramid dunes” after their unique shape and can reach hundreds of meters in height. They are widely distributed in deserts, including the sand seas of Africa, Arabia, China, and North America, as well as on Mars and Saturn’s moon Titan.

Professor Jeff Duller, from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University, said: “They are extraordinary things and one of the natural wonders of the world. From the ground they look like pyramids, but from the air they look like pyramids , you see a peak and radiate in three or four directions, and these arms make them look like stars.”

Now, researchers have estimated for the first time the age of a star-shaped dune called Lala Lallia in Morocco. The scientists used a technique called luminescence dating to calculate the age of the star dunes. This method calculates the last time a grain of sand was exposed to sunlight.

For this study, a team of researchers from the UK traveled to southeastern Morocco to examine the 100-meter-high and 700-meter-wide La La Laliya. They found that the base of the dune is 13,000 years old, but that the upper part of the structure formed only within the last 1,000 years or so. protector the report said. The dunes took 900 years to form, growing by 6,400 tons per year. After initially forming, it stopped growing for about eight thousand years, then expanded rapidly over the past few thousand years.

The researchers say the findings support the theory that star dunes form over the years in response to changes in wind direction.

Study co-author Charlie Bristow, from Birkbeck University, explained: “Star-shaped dunes form in areas with complex wind conditions, meaning winds blow from different directions, as well as net sand accumulation in the desert. These points It can blow up huge piles of sand.” Huge dunes formed around it. They form an extraordinary and awe-inspiring landscape…from the ground, they can be intimidating, moving mountains of sand. “