Dasht-e Lut, Iran Click Image to Enlarge  (JPG) (2,977,423 bytes) ( 4,020 x 3,000 )

Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran, 480 km long and 320 km wide. During the spring wet season, water briefly flows down from the Kerman Mtns., but it soon dries up, leaving behind only rocks, sand, and salt. The eastern part of Dasht-e Lut is a low plateau covered with salt flats. In contrast, the center has been sculpted by the wind into a series of parallel ridges and furrows (left image), extending over 150 km and reaching 75m in height. This area is also riddled with ravines and sinkholes. The southeast is a vast expanse of sand, like a Saharan erg, with dunes 300m high (right image), among the tallest in the world. The ASTER images were acquired on May 13, 2006 and July 17, 2003, cover an area of 30 x 45 km, and are located near 30.2 degrees north latitude, 59.1 degrees east longitude.