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the Degree Confluence Project
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Saudi Arabia : al-Šarqiyya

314.8 km (195.5 miles) E of al-`Ubayla, al-Šarqiyya, Saudi Arabia
Approx. altitude: 80 m (262 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 22°S 126°W

Accuracy: 4 m (13 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View looking north across a small portion of the sabkha to a dune slip face approximately 100 feet (30 m) away. This portion of the dune has elevations greater than 500 feet (152 m) above sea level, while the elevation at the Confluence is 238 ft (73 m). #3: View looking east. The dune in the foreground reaches an elevation of 660 feet (201 m), whereas the elevation at the Confluence is 238 ft (73 m) above sea level. The dunes in the background lie 3 km distant and have elevations exceeding 690 feet (210 m). #4: View looking south across the sabkha to dunes ~2000 ft (610 m) distant from the confluence point. #5: View looking west towards a relatively low saddle between dunefields. Our planned route and actual track crossed this saddle, with our maximum driving elevation reaching 358 feet (109 m). #6: View of Garmin GPSmap 60Cx all zeros and with 4 m accuracy. #7: View of participants (Steve, Greg, Marek, Mushtaq, Tubby, Bert, Reef, Tom L., Tom O., and Mo), with 6 GPS's on the ground, all reading exact confluence location. Elevation at the confluence is 238 ft above sea level. #8: Google Earth perspective view of the confluence area, with vehicle tracks for the 4 day tour, camp sites labeled with the overnight date, and way point flags for 22N 54E and 22N 55E.

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  22°N 54°E  

#1: View looking ENE to the confluence area from 700 ft (213 m) distant; The Confluence is located on the sabkha, with a line of dunes just to the North.

(visited by Greg Gregory, Tom Loretto, Steve Guyon, Tom Owen, AbdulMateen Moghal, Mushtaq Mahmood, Marek Wiechula, Robert Tubbs, Bert Heijna and Reef Loretto)

08-Feb-2008 -- We visited 22N 54E on the 2nd day of a 500+ km off-road tour of the Rub` al-Khāliy dunes and sabkha. Twenty four hours later, we came very close to 22N 55E (within 2.7 km), but we prudently turned back from this elusive dune top confluence due to time constraints.

Our route for our 5-day outing was planned using Google Earth images to try to find the relatively less difficult routes across dozens of huge, complex star dunes and interspersed sabkhas (dry lake beds). Thirty eight way-points were designated along our chosen route as navigational land marks, and loaded to the GPS's carried in the 7 participant vehicles. Navigation whilst driving was established by Dell laptop computer with OziExplorer GPS mapping software in moving map mode with NASA landsat images and Garmin GPS.

Our travels began with an 800 km tarmac ride from Ẓahrān to our final gas stop at Šayba. We then crossed another 52 km of Šayba Field rig roads, before our off-road departure at ~1 p.m. On Thursday afternoon, 7 February, we drove 55 km, with 2:23 hrs moving time, and camped 12.7 km from the Confluence. On Friday morning, 8 February, we departed at 7:30. We made good progress with fast travel along the sabkhas, and southerly navigation across the dunes. We took advantage of several opportunities for sandboarding down the ubiquitous slip-faces often more than 200 ft high. We were startled and amazed to hear, and feel, a very loud resonant low frequency thunder-rumble caused by loose dry sand avalanching down the dune slip-face as we descended the slope on our sandboard, in vehicles, or on foot. We arrived to the Confluence at 10:55. Several of our GPS's showed uncertainty of 3 m (Garmin Trek), 4 m (Garmin 60c), and 9 m (Garmin 273C and Garmin V) on their display; this uncertainty was also born out in the zero point location of each GPS, which varied along the east-west direction with location differences of 1 to 3 meters.

After taking the requisite pictures and some group shots, we continued our travels easterly towards 22N 55E. On Friday and Saturday we experienced some significant delays associated with getting stuck, loosing tire beads, and tipping one of our vehicles on its side. We were very pleased to visit the magnificent dunes of Rub` al-Khāliy in the vicinity of these two Confluences.

Video clips from this trip are here.

Continued on 22N 55E.
 All pictures
#1: View looking ENE to the confluence area from 700 ft (213 m) distant; The Confluence is located on the sabkha, with a line of dunes just to the North.
#2: View looking north across a small portion of the sabkha to a dune slip face approximately 100 feet (30 m) away. This portion of the dune has elevations greater than 500 feet (152 m) above sea level, while the elevation at the Confluence is 238 ft (73 m).
#3: View looking east. The dune in the foreground reaches an elevation of 660 feet (201 m), whereas the elevation at the Confluence is 238 ft (73 m) above sea level. The dunes in the background lie 3 km distant and have elevations exceeding 690 feet (210 m).
#4: View looking south across the sabkha to dunes ~2000 ft (610 m) distant from the confluence point.
#5: View looking west towards a relatively low saddle between dunefields. Our planned route and actual track crossed this saddle, with our maximum driving elevation reaching 358 feet (109 m).
#6: View of Garmin GPSmap 60Cx all zeros and with 4 m accuracy.
#7: View of participants (Steve, Greg, Marek, Mushtaq, Tubby, Bert, Reef, Tom L., Tom O., and Mo), with 6 GPS's on the ground, all reading exact confluence location. Elevation at the confluence is 238 ft above sea level.
#8: Google Earth perspective view of the confluence area, with vehicle tracks for the 4 day tour, camp sites labeled with the overnight date, and way point flags for 22N 54E and 22N 55E.
ALL: All pictures on one page