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Flora Of Saudi Arabia
The wildlife of Saudi Arabia is substantial and varied. Saudi Arabia is a very large country forming the biggest part of the Arabian Peninsula. It has several geographic regions, each with a diversity of plants and animals adapted to their own particular habitats. The country has several extensive mountain ranges, deserts, highlands, steppes, hills, wadis, volcanic areas, lakes and over 1300 islands. The Saudi Arabian coastline has a combined length of and consists of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea to the west while a shorter eastern coastline can be found along the Persian Gulf. Geography Saudi Arabia has a range of mountains, the Sarawat Mountains, Sarawat or Sarat Mountains, which run parallel with the Red Sea coast. These are low at the northern end, have a gap in the middle between Medina and Ta'if, and are higher at the southern end, where Jabal Soudah, Mount Soudah in the Asir Mountains, at just over is the highest point in Saudi Arabia. Between these mountains and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rub' Al Khali
The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: /. The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; , ) or Empty Quarter is a desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some (the area of long. 44.5°−56.5°E, and lat. 16.5°−23.0°N), including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert. Description Terrain The desert is long, and wide. Its surface elevation varies from in the southwest to around sea level in the northeast. Most of the terrain is ergs, with sand dunes up to high, interspersed with gravel and gypsum plains. The sand is reddish-orange due to the presence of feldspar. There are also brackish salt flats in some areas, such as the Umm al Samim area on the desert's eastern edge. Ali Al-Naimi reports that the sand dunes do not drift. He goes on to say, Sand blows off the surface, of c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Date Palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet #Fruits, fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across North Africa, northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, Australia, South Asia, and the desert regions of Southern California in the United States. It is Naturalisation (biology), naturalized in many Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical regions worldwide. ''P. dactylifera'' is the type species of genus ''Phoenix (plant), Phoenix'', which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms. Date palms reach up to 60–110 feet in height, growing singly or forming a Clumping (biology), clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100years of age when maintained properly. Date fruits (dates) are oval-cylindrical, long, and about in diameter, with colour ranging from dark brown to bright red or yellow, depen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xerophyte
A xerophyte () is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water. Examples of xerophytes include cacti, pineapple and some gymnosperm plants. The morphology and physiology of xerophytes are adapted to conserve water during dry periods. Some species called resurrection plants can survive long periods of extreme dryness or desiccation of their tissues, during which their metabolic activity may effectively shut down. Plants with such morphological and physiological adaptations are said to be .” Xeromorphic”, The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms, Michael Hickey, Clive King, Cambridge University Press, 2001 Xerophytes such as cacti are capable of withstanding extended periods of dry conditions as they have deep-spreading roots and capacity to store water. Their waxy, thorny leaves prevent loss of moisture. Introduction Plants absorb water from the soil, which then evaporates from their shoots and leaves; this process i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relict (biology)
In biogeography and paleontology, a relict is a population or taxon of organisms that was more widespread or more diverse in the past. A relictual population is a population currently inhabiting a restricted area whose range was far wider during a previous geologic epoch. Similarly, a relictual taxon is a taxon (e.g. species or other lineage) which is the sole surviving representative of a formerly diverse group. Definition A relict (or relic) plant or animal is a taxon that persists as a remnant of what was once a diverse and widespread population. Relictualism occurs when a widespread habitat or range changes and a small area becomes cut off from the whole. A subset of the population is then confined to the available hospitable area, and survives there while the broader population either shrinks or evolves divergently. This phenomenon differs from endemism in that the range of the population was not always restricted to the local region. In other words, the species or group did ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the Phanerozoic eon. It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ago to the present. The Quaternary Period is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene (2.58 million years ago to 11.7 thousand years ago) and the Holocene (11.7 thousand years ago to today); a proposed third epoch, the Anthropocene, was rejected in 2024 by IUGS, the governing body of the ICS. The Quaternary is typically defined by the Quaternary glaciation, the cyclic growth and decay of continental ice sheets related to the Milankovitch cycles and the associated climate and environmental changes that they caused. Research history In 1759 Giovanni Arduino proposed that the geological strata of northern Italy could be divided into four succ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tertiary Period
The Tertiary ( ) is an obsolete Period (geology), geologic period spanning 66 million to 2.6 or 1.8 million years ago. The period began with the extinction of the non-bird, avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start of the Cenozoic, Cenozoic Era, and extended to the beginning of the Quaternary glaciation at the end of the Pliocene, Pliocene Epoch. The Tertiary has not been recognised by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) since the late 1980s, with the timespan of the Tertiary now being split in to the earlier Paleogene and the more recent Neogene periods, though the Tertiary continues to be used in some scientific publications. Historical use of the term The term Tertiary was first used by Giovanni Arduino (geologist), Giovanni Arduino during the mid-18th century. He classified geologic time into primitive (or primary), secondary, and tertiary periods based on observations of geology in Northern Italy. Later a fourth period, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ēṓs'', 'Eos, Dawn') and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch.See: *Letter from William Whewell to Charles Lyell dated 31 January 1831 in: * From p. 55: "The period next antecedent we shall call Eocene, from ήως, aurora, and χαινος, recens, because the extremely small proportion of living species contained in these strata, indicates what may be considered the first commencement, or ''dawn'', of the existing state of the animate creation." The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saudi Geological Survey
The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS; ) is the national geological survey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. History and profile The SGS was established as an independent entity attached to the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources following a council of ministers decision in 1999. It is built from other governmental agencies, including the former directorate general for mineral resources, the US Geological Survey (USGS) mission (1963–1999) and the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) mission (1972–1999). Activities The Saudi Geological Survey activities covers a broad range of strategic and applied earth science topics, with emphasis on understanding the geologic, economic, and engineering factors that affect sustainable management of mineral and groundwater resources, detection and mitigation of earthquakes and other geohazards, protection and management of the environment, and safe development of engineering and construction sites. The bulk of the wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salma Mountains
The Salma Mountains () is a mountain range in Ha'il Region, Ha'il Province, Saudi Arabia. Like the Ajā, this range is part of the Shammar Mountains, Shammar range. See also * Adayra Valley * Ha'il * Mawqaq * List of mountains in Saudi Arabia * People: ** Al Fadl ** Jarrahids ** Tayy' References External links Map showing the study area of Salma MountainsMid of Salma Mountains Mountain ranges of Saudi Arabia {{SaudiArabia-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shammar Mountains
The Shammar Mountains () is a mountain range in the northwestern Saudi Arabian province of Ha'il. It includes the Ajā () and Salma subranges. Geology The Aja Mountains are to an extent made up of granite, whereas the Salma are made up of basalt. The phrase "Hadn formation" was used by Chevremont (1982) to refer to volcanic rocks of the area of Ha'il, and was treated by Hadley and Schmidt (1980) as being part of a silicic and volcaniclastic sequence referred to as the "Shammar group", in a broader, regional context. Wildlife The protected area of Jabal Aja is of ecological significance. Two Asiatic cheetahs, the last known in the country, were killed near Ha'il in 1973, and their skins kept near the Imara Palace for a few days. Peaks * Mount Aja () * Mount Samra' () Gallery File:Alsamra.jpg, A view of Ha'il City from the top of Samra Mountain File:صورة طائر غريب من وحي الطبيعة - panoramio - Abothamer Homoud.jpg, Natural bird shape File: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
