Radar rivers in the Eastern Sahara
HomepageImage atlasEuropeMiddle EastFar EastN America	A 50km wide path from the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-A) mission over the Sahara penetrated 1-4m beneath the desert sand to reveal sub-surface prehistoric river systems.

A 50km wide path from the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-A) mission over the Sahara is shown superimposed on a LANDSAT image of the same area. The radar penetrated 1-4m beneath the desert sand to reveal sub-surface prehistoric river systems that are not visible on the LANDSAT image Excavation revealed human artefacts dating back to the Palaeolithic along with the shells of Zootecus insularis, a land snail indicative of formerly moist soil and vegetation. References McCauley J.F. et al., 1982. Subsurface valleys and geoarcheology of the Eastern Sahara revealed by Shuttle radar. Science 218, 1004-1020. McCauley J.F. et al., 1986. Palaeodrainages of the Eastern Sahara - The radar rivers revisited (SIR-A/B implications for a Mid-Tertiary Trans-African Drainage System). IEEE Trans Geoscience & Remote Sensing GE-24, 624-648. Sever T.L., 1988. Remote Sensing. In J.F.Drinkard, G.L.Mattingly and J.M.Miller (Eds) Benchmarks in time and culture: An introduction to Palestinian archaeology, 279-305. Acknowledgement Original image posted on the Internet by NASA/JPL.

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