Thick dust over Tibesti Mountains (Chad) and Gulf of Sidra (Libya)

The Gulf of Sidra is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, indenting the Libyan coast of northern Africa. It extends eastward for 443 km(275 miles) from Miṣrātah to Banghāzī. A highway links scattered oases along its shore, which is chiefly desert, with salt marshes. Salt flats are scattered along the coast. Here, a thick cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert blows off the coast of Libya, covering most of the gulf, and stretching northward across the Mediterranean.

Dust seen over Gulf of Sidra, Libya on January 24, 2013 (Credit: LANCE/MODIS)

 

The Tibesti Mountains are a volcanic group of inactive volcanoes with one potentially active volcano in the central Sahara desert in the Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region of northern Chad. The northern slopes extend a short distance into southern Libya. Here, the usually dark brown slopes appear light tan in places due to a veil of airborn dust particles blown about from the surrounding desert. In the full image, a larger cloud of dust can be seen to the south.

Dust seen over the Tibesti Mountains on January 28, 2013 (Credit: LANCE/MODIS)

 

 

Source: EarthSnapshot

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