Dust storm- a strong wind capable of carrying millions of tons of dust over a distance of several thousand kilometers.

This phenomenon, although meteorological, is associated with the state of the soil cover and with the terrain. They akin to blizzards: for the emergence of both of them, a strong wind and sufficiently dry material on the surface of the earth are needed, capable of rising into the air and staying there in suspension for a long time. But if for the appearance of blizzards you need dry, non-packed, snow-free snow lying on the surface and a wind speed of 7-10 m / s or more, then for the occurrence of dust storms it is necessary that the soil be loose, dry, devoid of grass or any significant snow cover and wind speed was not less than 15 m/s.

Depending on the structure and color of soils blown by the wind, there are black storms(on chernozems), characteristic of Bashkiria, Orenburg region; brown or yellow storms(on loams and sandy loams) characteristic of Central Asia; red storms(on red-colored soils stained with iron oxides), characteristic of the deserts and semi-deserts of our country, the desert areas of Iran and Afghanistan); white storms(on solonchaks), characteristic of some regions of Turkmenistan, the Volga region, Kalmykia.

Dust storm in its scope and consequences can be equated to major natural disasters. V. V. Dokuchaev describes one of the cases of a dust storm in Ukraine in 1892 as follows: “Not only was a thin snow cover completely torn off and carried away from the fields, but also loose soil, bare from snow and dry as ash, was thrown up in whirlwinds at 18 degrees below zero. Clouds of dark earthen dust filled the frosty air, covering roads, bringing gardens - in places the trees were brought to a height of 1.5 meters - lay down in shafts and mounds on the streets of the villages and made it very difficult to move on the railways: they even had to tear off the railway stations from the snowdrifts of black dust mixed with snow.

During a dust storm in April 1928 in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine, the wind picked up from the area 1 million km2 more than 15 million tons chernozem. Chernozem dust was transported to the west and settled on an area of ​​6 million km2 in the Carpathians, in Romania and in Poland. The height of dust clouds over Ukraine has reached 750 m. The thickness of the chernozem layer in the steppe regions of Ukraine after this storm decreased by 10-15 cm.

The danger of this phenomenon also lies in the terrible force of the wind and its extraordinary impetuousness. During dust storms over Central Asia, the air is sometimes saturated with dust up to a height of several kilometers. Aircraft caught in a dust storm are in danger of being destroyed in the air or on impact with the ground; in addition, the visibility range in a dust storm can be reduced to tens of meters. There were cases when during the day with this phenomenon it became dark as at night, and even electric lighting did not help. If we add that on earth, dust storms can lead to the destruction of buildings. windbreaks, not to mention the all-penetrating dust that fills houses, soaks people's clothes, obscures their eyes, makes it difficult to breathe, then it will become clear. how dangerous this phenomenon is and why it is called a natural disaster...

Dust storms usually last for several hours, but in some cases - for several days. Some dust storms originate far beyond the borders of our country - in North Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula, from where air currents bring dust clouds to us.

But hurricanes with dust storms are out of the way. Dust-sand storms of the Sahara can put an end to the activity of tropical hurricanes in the Atlantic. One of the places where these dangerous whirlwinds originate is the ocean area adjacent to the western coast of the Black Continent. But as the results of a study conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison show, it is precisely here that easterly winds blowing from the depths of the mainland carry out clouds of Sahara sand dust.

Experts analyzed satellite images taken in 1982-2005. and compared them with the activity of tropical storms. As a result, scientists have established an inverse relationship between these phenomena: in those years when strong sandy whirlwinds were observed in Africa, tropical storms were rare, and vice versa - when there were almost no storms, storms developed actively.

The mechanism of anti-hurricane effect is simple. First, the dusty-sandy substance is heavier than air, and falling down, creates descending air currents that inhibit the development of a hurricane. Secondly, a powerful air flow blowing from the continent creates a wind shear in the middle troposphere, which also contradicts the conditions for the formation of tropical eddies. And, thirdly, particles of sand and dust suspended in the air absorb part of the latent thermal energy released during the condensation of water vapor. Scientists believe that they are only at the beginning of a large research path in this area.

Dust storm in Texas in 1935

Dust storm, South Dakota, 1937

Dust storm, Colorado, 1937

Dust storm is a kind of dry wind, characterized by strong winds, carrying huge masses of soil and sand particles over long distances. dusty or sandstorms fall asleep agricultural land, buildings, structures, roads, etc. with a layer of dust and sand, reaching several tens of centimeters. At the same time, the area on which dust or sand falls can reach hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of square kilometers.

At the height of a dust storm, the air is so saturated with dust that visibility is limited to three to four meters. After such a storm, often where the shoots were green, the desert spreads. Sandstorms are not uncommon in the vast expanses of the Sahara, the world's greatest desert. There are vast desert areas where sandstorms also occur in Arabia, Iran, Central Asia, Australia, South America and other parts of the world. Sandy dust, raised high into the air, makes it difficult for aircraft to fly, covers the decks of ships, houses and fields, roads, airfields with a thin layer. Falling on the water of the ocean, the dust sinks into its depths and is deposited on the ocean floor.

Dust storms not only raise huge masses of sand and dust into the troposphere - the most "restless" part of the atmosphere, where strong winds constantly blow at different heights (the upper limit of the troposphere in the equatorial zone is at altitudes of about 15-18 km, and in middle latitudes - 8 –11 km). They move colossal masses of sand around the Earth, which can flow like water under the influence of the wind. Encountering small obstacles in its path, the sand forms majestic hills called dunes and dunes. They have a wide variety of shapes and heights. Dunes are known in the Sahara desert, the height of which reaches 200–300 m. These giant waves of sand actually move several hundred meters a year, slowly but steadily advancing on oases, filling up palm groves, wells, and settlements.

In Russia, the northern border of the distribution of dust storms passes through Saratov, Ufa, Orenburg and the foothills of Altai.

whirling storms are complex vortex formations caused by cyclonic activity and spreading over large areas.

stream storms These are local phenomena of small distribution. They are peculiar, sharply isolated and inferior in their significance to eddy storms. whirling storms subdivided into dusty, dustless, snowy and squall (or squalls). Dust storms are characterized by the fact that the air flow of such storms is saturated with dust and sand (usually at a height of up to several hundred meters, sometimes up to 2 km in large dust storms). In dustless storms, due to the absence of dust, the air remains clean. Depending on the path of their movement, dustless storms can turn into dusty ones (when an air flow moves, for example, over desert areas). In winter, whirlwinds often turn into snowstorms. In Russia, such storms are called blizzard, snowstorm, snowstorm.

The features of squall storms are rapid, almost sudden, formation, extremely short activity (several minutes), a quick end, and often a significant destructive force. For example, within 10 minutes the wind speed may increase from 3 m/s to 31 m/s.

stream storms divided into stock and jet. During katabatic storms, the air flow moves down the slope from top to bottom. Jet storms are characterized by the fact that the air flow moves horizontally or even up the slope. stock storms formed by the flow of air from the peaks and ridges of mountains down into the valley or to the seashore. Often in a given locality characteristic of them, they have their own local names (for example, Novorossiysk Bora, Balkhashskaya Bora, Sarma, Garmsil). jet storms characteristic of natural corridors, passages between chains of mountains connecting different valleys. They also often have their own local names (for example, Nord, Ulan, Santash, Ibe, Ursatievsky wind).

The transparency of the atmosphere largely depends on the percentage of aerosols in it (the concept of "aerosol" in this case includes dust, smoke, fog). An increase in the content of aerosols in the atmosphere reduces the amount of solar energy coming to the Earth's surface. As a result, the Earth's surface may cool. And this will cause a decrease in the average planetary temperature and the possibility, ultimately, of the beginning of a new ice age.

The deterioration of the transparency of the atmosphere contributes to the interference with the movement of aviation, shipping and other modes of transport and is often the cause of major transport emergencies. Air pollution with dust has a harmful effect on living organisms and flora, accelerates the destruction of metal structures, buildings, structures and has a number of other negative consequences.

Dust contains solid aerosols, which are formed during the weathering of the earth's rock, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and other natural phenomena; solid aerosols from industrial emissions and cosmic dust, as well as particles in the atmosphere formed during the crushing process during explosions.

By origin, dust is divided into space, marine, volcanic, ash and industrial. The constant amount of cosmic dust is less than 1% of the total dust content in the atmosphere. In the formation of dust of marine origin, the seas can participate only through the deposition of salts. In a noticeable form, this manifests itself occasionally and at a small distance from the coast. Dust of volcanic origin is one of the most significant air pollutants. fly ash It is formed due to the weathering of the earth's rock, as well as during dust storms.

industrial dust is one of the main constituents of air. Its content in the air is determined by the development of industry and transport and has a pronounced upward trend. Already now, in many cities of the world, a dangerous situation has been created due to the dustiness of the atmosphere due to industrial emissions.

Kurumy

Kurumy Outwardly, they are placers of coarse clastic material in the form of stone mantles and streams on mountain slopes with a steepness less than the angle of repose of coarse clastic material (from 3 to 35–40°). There are a lot of morphological varieties of kurums, which is connected with the nature of their formation. Their common feature is the nature of the packing of coarse clastic material - a fairly uniform size of the clasts. In addition, in most cases, from the surface, the debris is either covered with moss or lichen, or simply has a black “tan crust”. This indicates that the surface layer of debris is not prone to movement in the form of rolling. Hence, apparently, their name is “kurums”, which from the ancient Turkic means either “sheep herd”, or a cluster of stones, similar in appearance to a herd of sheep. There are many synonyms for this term in the literature: stone stream, stone river, stone sea, etc.

The most important feature of the kurums is that their coarse clastic cover experiences slow movements down the slope. Signs indicating the mobility of the kurums are: the swell-like nature of the frontal part with the steepness of the ledge close to or equal to the angle of repose of the coarse clastic material; the presence of swells oriented both along the dip and along the strike of the slope; the sintering nature of the kurum body as a whole.

The activity of kurums is evidenced by:

– discontinuity of lichen and moss covers;

– a large number of blocks oriented vertically and the presence of linear zones with long axes oriented along the slope dip;

– large openness of the section, the presence of buried sod and remains of trees in the section;

– deformity of trees located in the zone of contact with kurums;

- plumes of fine earth at the base of the slopes, carried out from the kurum cover by subsurface runoff, etc.

In Russia, Kurums occupy very large areas in the Urals, Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia, and the Far East. Kurum formation is determined by climate, lithological features of rocks and the nature of the weathering crust, dissection of the relief and tectonic features of the territory.

The formation of kurums takes place in severe climatic conditions, the main of which is the amplitude of fluctuations in air temperatures, which contributes to the weathering of rocks. The second condition is the presence on the slopes of rocks that are resistant to disintegration, but
fissured, giving large pieces during weathering (lumps, crushed stone). The third condition is the abundance of atmospheric precipitation, which forms a powerful surface runoff that washes the coarse clastic cover.

The most active kurum formation occurs in the presence of permafrost. Their appearance is sometimes noted in conditions of deep seasonal freezing. The thickness of kurums depends on the depth of the seasonally thawed layer. On the Wrangel Islands, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and in some other regions of the Arctic, kurums have a “film-like” character of a coarse clastic cover (30–40 cm). In the North-East of Russia and the north of the Central Siberian Plateau, their thickness increases to 1 m or more, tending to increase to the south to 2–2.5 m in South Yakutia and Transbaikalia. In the same geological structures, the age of kurums depends on their latitudinal position. So, in the Northern and Polar Urals, modern kurum formation occurs, and in the Southern Urals, most of the kurums are classified as "dead", relic.

In continental regions, the most favorable conditions for kurum formation are found in areas with high humidity. In a temperate climate, intense kurum formation occurs within the bald belt of mountains and the belt of forests. Each climatic zone has its own altitude ranges in which kurum formation is observed. In the Arctic zone, kurums are developed in the altitude range from 50–160 m on Franz Josef Land, to 400–450 m on Novaya Zemlya, and up to 700–1500 m in the north of the Central Siberian Plateau. In the Subarctic, the altitude range is 1000–1200 m in the Polar and Northern Urals, in the Khibiny. In the continental region of the temperate zone, kurums are found at an altitude of 400–500 m in the southern part of the Central Siberian Plateau, 1100–1200 m in the west and 1200–1300 m in the east of the Aldan Highlands, 1800–2000 m in southwestern Transbaikalia. In the continental sector of the subboreal zone, kurums are found at altitudes of 600–2000 m in Kuznetsk Alatau and 1600–3500 m in Tuva. As a result of studying the kurums of Northern Transbaikalia, it was found that only in this region there are about 20 of their morphogenetic varieties (Table 2.49). The kurums differ from each other in terms of the shape in plan, the structure of the kurum body in the section, and the structure of the coarse clastic cover, which is associated with different conditions for the formation of kurums.

According to the sources of education, two large classes of kurums are distinguished. The first class includes tumuli, into which coarse clastic material enters from their bed due to its destruction by weathering, removal of fine earth, buckling of debris, and other processes. These are kurums with the so-called internal nutrition. The second class includes kurums, the clastic material of which comes from outside due to the action of gravitational processes (landslides, scree, etc.). Kurums of the second type are spatially localized in the lower parts or at the foot of actively developing slopes and are small in size.

Kurums with internal feeding are divided into two subgroups: those developing on loose deposits and on rocks. Kurums on slopes composed of loose deposits are formed as a result of cryogenic buckling of coarse clastic material and suffusion removal of fine earth from it. They are confined to moraines, deluvial-solifluction accumulations, sediments of ancient alluvial fans and other genetic varieties consisting of blocks, crushed stone with fine-grained aggregate. Often such kurums are laid along shallow erosional hollows and other superimposed exogenous forms.

The most widespread, especially in the goltsovy belt of mountains, are kurums with internal nutrition, developing on rocks of various origins and compositions, resistant to weathering and giving large fragments (blocks, crushed stone) when destroyed. The structure of all types of kurums is significantly influenced by the geological and geomorphological conditions in which they are formed (Table 2.50). On a relatively homogeneous in composition and structure of the primary substrate and slopes with the same slope, the kurum-forming processes manifest themselves relatively evenly over the area. In this case, a single-type section appears along its strike on the kurum slope. The structure and cryogenic features of the kurum cover change mainly down the slope. If the root substrate is heterogeneous in composition and structure, then the formation of the cover occurs unevenly over its entire area as a result of the selective manifestation of exogenous processes. In this case, kurums of various shapes (linear, mesh, isometric) are formed, belonging to the group of selective weathering of rocks.

The most important feature of kurums, which predetermines their danger, is their structure in the section. It is the structure that determines their geodynamic and engineering-geological features, i.e., the danger of kurums when interacting with various engineering objects. The structure of kurums in sections is diverse. If we take into account the size of the debris, the nature of their processing and sorting in a vertical section, the presence of bald ice or fine earth, its relationship with the part of the section that is in a permafrost state, and other dangers, then there are no identically built kurums. However, when summarizing the details of the structure, 13 main types of sections were identified, which correspond to certain conditions of kurum formation and reflect the specifics of the processes occurring in one or another part of the coarse clastic material.

First group unites sections, in the structure of which there is a layer with bald ice. The part of the kurum body, which has such a structure, is named just that - a subfacies with bald ice. This subfacies is an indicator that the kurum is in the mature stage of its development, since the formation of the ice-ground layer occurs due to a decrease in the depth of seasonal thawing as a result of the destruction of rocks and an increase in their moisture content (ice content). The movement of the coarse clastic material of the subfacies is carried out due to thermogenic and cryogenic desertification, plastic deformations of the ice-ground base, as well as the sliding of fragments along it.

Sand (dust) storm is the transport of vast quantities of soil particles, such as sand and dust, in the atmosphere. At the same time, there is a significant deterioration in line of sight (usually, at the level of 2 meters from the ground, it is 1 km, in rare cases it can change to several hundred and even tens of meters). From the outside, the storm looks like a dense wall with a height of several hundred meters.

Sandstorms occur with strong air currents, the speed of which is more than 10 m / s, it depends on the type and moisture content of the soil. In desert and semi-desert areas, this atmospheric phenomenon is observed especially often.

To suppress a sandstorm, a variety of means are used that create physical resistance that prevents its further spread. Forests serve as a natural barrier of this kind; this is perhaps the most effective and cheapest means. Water and snow retention facilities are also used.

In addition to the negative effects of sand and dust storms, such as:

• Impact on the respiratory system of animals.
• Significant deterioration in line of sight affecting air and motor vehicles
• Destruction or temporary deterioration of fertile soil layers.
• damage to young plants.
• Etc…

they can also be useful:

• Normalization of the climate of high-moisture tropical forests.
• Compensation for the lack of iron in the ocean.
• Dust promotes the growth of banana crops.
• Etc…

Interesting information about extraterrestrial dust storms, namely on Mars from Wikipedia:

The strong temperature difference between the ice sheet and the warm air at the edge of Mars' south polar cap creates strong winds that kick up huge clouds of red-brown dust. Experts believe that dust on Mars can play the same function as clouds on Earth - it absorbs sunlight and heats the atmosphere due to this.

Video recordings of sandstorms

Amazing video footage of a sandstorm driving directly into its very epicenter.

Shooting a sandstorm at some military base. A mixture of air and sand covers the entire area until it is completely hidden from sunlight.

Another video recording, but from the window of a high-rise building.

And finally, the brightest and most amazing photos of dust and sand storms.

The strongest sandstorm on Mars.

Satellite photos of sandstorms in Australia:

Photos of sandstorms in Australia, but from the ground:

A 500 km long dust cloud has already reached Sydney, causing flight delays. Poor visibility is also observed in other parts of New South Wales.

It will be noted that the state has been experiencing a drought since August - strong winds raise dry soil, which caused the formation of a dust storm.

Local residents are being urged to stay indoors, "especially children, the elderly and those with breathing problems." According to doctors, dozens of people have already asked for help with complaints of breathing problems. The number of victims due to the elements is still unknown.

Residents of Sydney were alerted to the danger a few hours ago, when a dust storm with a front of about 500 km began to approach the city. Many other areas in NSW are also reporting poor visibility due to dust in the air.

Sandstorms and their features

A dust storm is a rather dangerous and unpleasant phenomenon in which large masses of dust (sand, soil) are lifted by the wind from the surface of the earth and move at a height of several meters, but in some cases the height can reach a kilometer or even more. From the outside, it looks like a wall of dust and sand is moving towards you.

Other names for this phenomenon are "sand storm" and "dust storm". It is sometimes also referred to as a sandstorm. This happens because a strong wind is called a storm. A sandstorm is a type of storm. This should be understood.

Usually, after a dust storm (or even before it), particles of sand and dust are suspended in the air. They do not move anywhere, but simply fluctuate in almost one place, greatly worsening the view at the same time. This phenomenon is called dusty haze (or sandy haze).

Causes of the phenomenon

Only two factors are enough to cause a storm: dry soil and strong wind (usually from 10 m/s and stronger). It's simple: the wind lifts loose particles of sand, dust, soil from the ground, which form a dust storm. This happens most often in deserts and semi-deserts, and it is understandable, because these are the most arid regions of the Earth.

Consequences of dust storms

- Reduced visibility, which greatly affects the movement, whether it be flights or vehicles;

- Difficulty breathing living beings;

— Damage to plants (up to their destruction);

— Destruction of the fertile soil layer;

- Decrease in the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the planet.

The largest number of dust storms is observed in the Sahara desert. It is interesting that earlier they were not too frequent in that area, but since the middle of the last century their number has increased tenfold! If earlier there were ten of them a year, now hundreds of storms a year no longer surprise anyone.
However, such a number is certainly not normal, as evidenced by the greatly reduced thickness of the upper soil layer (the most fertile) of those regions.

Not only are sandstorms common, but they are also dangerous. Sometimes their strength reaches such an extent that the phenomenon can change the topography of the planet, for example, moving dunes in deserts. Although, in fairness, the relief is changed not only by them, but also by some other phenomena. For example, a sand whirlwind, they are also called dust devils.

But it is worth noting that dust storms can also be beneficial. After all, the same fertile soil that this phenomenon destroys in one region settles in another. For example, in Hawaii they are welcome, because dust storms contribute to the growth of banana crops. Also, storms replenish the iron content in the oceans, otherwise there would be a serious lack of it, which would affect the flora and fauna of the oceans (and this would affect people's lives).

100 great records of the elements [with illustrations] Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

Worst dust storm ever

Worst dust storm ever

The warriors of the Persian king Cambyses advanced with difficulty. All around, as far as the eye could see, lay ridges of sand. Having conquered in 525 BC. e. Egypt, the ruler of the Persians, did not get along with his priests. The servants of the temple of the god Amon prophesied his quick death, and Cambyses decided to punish them. An army of fifty thousand was sent on a campaign. Her path ran through the Libyan desert. Seven days later, the Persians reached the large oasis of Kharga, and then ... disappeared without a trace.

Talking about this, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus adds: “Apparently, the warriors of Cambyses were killed by a strong sandstorm.”

There are many descriptions of sandstorms in deserts. Nowadays, when the desert is crossed by highways, and air routes run above them in all directions, travelers are no longer in danger of death on the great caravan routes. But before…

An hour or half an hour before the merciless storm rises, the bright sun dims, becomes covered with a muddy veil. A small dark cloud appears on the horizon. It grows rapidly, covering the blue sky. Here came the first furious gust of hot, prickly wind. And in a minute the day fades. Clouds of burning sand mercilessly cut through all living things, cover the midday sun. In the howl and whistle of the wind, all other sounds disappear. “People and animals suffocated. There was not enough air itself, which seemed to rise up and fly away along with a reddish, brown haze that had already completely covered the horizon. My heart was pounding terribly, my head ached mercilessly, my mouth and throat dried up, and it seemed to me that another hour - and death by suffocation with sand is inevitable. So the Russian traveler of the XIX century A.V. Eliseev describes a storm in the deserts of North Africa.

Sandstorms - samums - have long been covered with gloomy fame. No wonder they bear this name: samum means “poisonous”, “poisoned”. Samums really ruined entire caravans. So, in 1805, samum, according to many authors, covered two thousand people and one thousand eight hundred camels with sand. And, quite possibly, the same storm once destroyed the army of Cambyses.

It happens that the testimonies of people who have endured the test of the elements sin with exaggerations. However, it is undeniable: the samum is very dangerous.

Fine sandy dust, which is raised by a strong wind, penetrates the ears, eyes, nasopharynx, and lungs. Streams of dry air inflame the skin, causing excruciating thirst. Saving lives, people lie down on the ground and tightly cover their heads with clothes. It happens that from suffocation and high temperature, often reaching fifty degrees, they lose consciousness. Here is an excerpt from the travel notes of the Hungarian explorer of Central Asia A. Vamberi: “In the morning we stopped at the station bearing the sweet name Adamkirilgan (the place of death of people), and we just had to look around to see that this name was not given without reason. Imagine a sea of ​​sand going in all directions as far as the eye can see, pitted by the winds and representing, on the one hand, a series of high hills lying in ridges, like waves, and on the other, like the surface of a lake, even and covered with wrinkles of ripples. Not a single bird in the air, not a single animal on the ground, not even a worm or a grasshopper. No signs of life, except for the bones, whitened in the sun, collected by each passer-by and laid on the path to make it easier to walk ... Despite the languishing heat, we were forced to walk day and night, for five or six hours in a row. We had to hurry: the sooner we get out of the sands, the less danger of falling under the tebbad (feverish wind), which can cover us with sand if it finds us on the dunes ... When we approached the hills, the caravan-bashi and guides pointed out to us an approaching cloud of dust warning you to hurry up. Our poor camels, more experienced than ourselves, already felt the approach of the tebbad, desperately roared and fell to their knees, stretching their heads on the ground, and tried to bury them in the sand. Behind them, as if behind a cover, we also hid. The wind came up with a dull noise and soon covered us with a layer of sand. The first grains of sand that touched my skin gave the impression of a fiery rain ... "

This unpleasant meeting took place between Bukhara and Khiva. Many desert storms owe their birth to passing cyclones that affect deserts as well. There is another reason: in the deserts, during the hot season, atmospheric pressure decreases. Hot sands strongly heat the air near the surface of the earth. As a result, it rises, and streams of colder dense air rush in its place at very high speeds. Small local cyclones form, giving rise to sandstorms.

Very peculiar air currents, reaching great strength, are observed in the Pamir mountains. Their reason is an extremely sharp difference between the temperature of the earth's surface, strongly heated by the bright mountain sun, and the temperature of the upper, very cold layers of air. The winds here reach a special intensity in the middle of the day, and often turn into hurricanes that raise sandstorms. And by the evening they usually subside. In some regions of the Pamirs, the winds are so strong that caravans still happen to die there even now. One of the valleys here is called the Valley of Death; it is littered with the bones of dead animals...

The same winds often occur in the Balkhan corridor in Turkmenistan. Located between the Kopetdag ridge and the Big Balkhan mountains, this corridor stretches towards the Caspian Sea. In the spring, when the atmospheric pressure over the desert decreases, masses of still unheated heavy air rush here from the Caspian Sea. Bursting into the Balkhan corridor, squeezed by mountains, the air flow acquires the speed of a storm. In autumn, the opposite picture is observed here: the waters of the Caspian Sea store the heat accumulated in summer for a long time, and air streams rush to it from the desert, where the sands have long cooled down.

Such storms are also familiar to our Far East: “... A sandstorm is ruthlessly and inexorably approaching from the expanses of Mongolia,” wrote the Khabarovsk geographer G. Permyakov. - The brown haze is thicker and thicker clouds the sky. The sun turns crimson red. There is an oppressive warm silence in the air. It's getting harder to breathe, lips dry. It is getting dark quickly, it seems that the bloody sun is fading. Warm dust, mixed with sand, rushes from the west ... A sandstorm in the city. He breaks trees and poles like matches, rips off the roofs of houses and sheds with a clang. Everything is captivated by the all-penetrating sandy dust, the warm, withering wind. Trams stopped. The cars are gone. Soon a deep night seems to fall on the city ... The sirens howl dejectedly, warning: “Danger! Stop traffic!..”

Samum is born in Xinjiang, on the huge Mongolian rocky plateau. Snowstorm dust is so light that a strong wind lifts it to a height of five to seven kilometers and carries it through Dzungaria, the Mongolian plateau, northeast and north China to the ocean.

Over the Korean Peninsula and the Soviet Far East, the sasum is already noticeably weakening, lowering its brown, dusty wings. If the African-Arabian simum usually lasts 15-20 minutes and flies in a monstrous flurry forty times a year, then the Mongolian howls sometimes for several days and in the east of our country it rarely happens more than two or three times a year. Its weakened waves reach Khabarovsk, Ussuriysk, Vladivostok, Komsomolsk and even the Sea of ​​Japan. Then the bright Khabarovsk sky turns yellow, as if it had been covered with a canary veil. A smoky red sun shines through the mist. A light buffy coating sits on the ground .... A dusty snowstorm leaves majestically and gradually. First, the sky turns from burnt chocolate to coffee, then to ashy; further it turns grey, and through the muddy veil of running clouds the dark disk of the sun is shown. The hours go by, the simum subsides. The sun turns burgundy, then red, dark orange, and finally takes on all the splendor of its dazzling brilliance. It's getting chilly. Dirty rain begins ... Sand whirlwinds are very dangerous in the deserts of Asia and Africa. They sometimes reach enormous sizes. Hot sand heats the air up to 50 degrees or more. The air rushes up with force. If at the same time the adjacent sections for any reason turn out to be heated to a lesser extent, then vortices are formed here. Rising in a spiral upward, the vortex carries masses of sand with it. A rotating sand column forms above the ground. Sweeping everything, it rushes forward, increasing in size. It happens that one such vortex is followed by several others. For many hours they circle the desert, collide, scatter, are born again.

Terrible dust whirlwinds are also familiar to the North American arid steppes. Here is how Mine Reed described them in the novel The Headless Horseman: “From the north side, over the prairie, several completely black columns suddenly appeared - there were about ten of them ... These huge pillars either stood motionless or glided over the charred earth like giants on skates, bending and leaning towards each other, as if in fantastic figures of some strange dance. Imagine the legendary titans who came to life on the Texas prairie and danced in a frenetic bacchanalia.

Dust storms with tornadoes often occur in the deserts of Africa, Central and Central Asia. The most famous and detailed dust tornado was the red dust storm of 1901.

It began in the north of the Sahara on March 9 and by the morning of the next day had spread to the entire coast of Tunisia and Tripolitania. The air, filled with reddish dust, was impenetrable; The sun was not visible, it was dark. Panic broke out among the population. By one o'clock the storm had reached its maximum, and everything was covered with a layer of dark yellow and pink dust.

While the main cloud was moving over Tunisia, its borders had already crossed the Mediterranean and reached Sicily.

By evening, the dust storm, still at the speed of a hurricane, reached northern Italy, and at night spread to all the Eastern Alps, covering the snows and glaciers with a dense layer of red dust. In some places there was a “bloody rain”, but of lesser intensity. By the morning of March 11, the storm had crossed the Alps and moved north. By the middle of the day, it had spread to northern Germany and, quickly subsiding, reached Denmark, the Baltic Sea and Russia. The total weight of dust that fell during a storm in Europe is approximately 1.8 million tons.

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THIS TERRIBLE DARKNESS In July 1957, French newspapers published a story that happened to 54-year-old Mireille Genet, a resident of the Provencal city of Arles. Mireille was an experienced, qualified nurse and was eagerly invited as a health visitor and nurse to

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From the book 100 great records of the elements author Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

The most terrible dust storm Warriors of the Persian king Kambiz with difficulty moved forward. All around, as far as the eye could see, lay ridges of sand. Having conquered in 525 BC. e. Egypt, the ruler of the Persians, did not get along with his priests. The servants of the temple of the god Amun prophesied for him an ambulance

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Supervolcanoes - the most terrible threat to the Earth This is the most destructive force on our planet. The power of their eruption is ten times greater than that of ordinary volcanoes. They lie dormant for hundreds of thousands of years: magma, locked in huge reservoirs inside their vents, gradually

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The brightest and hottest planet 6 Venus

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Terrible revenge Shortly before the collapse of the empire, Frenkel dealt his most successful blow. Suddenly, all of Marty's eyes turned towards... the Catholic Church! Events developed dizzyingly, as if according to a Hollywood scenario. During one of their chic

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Chapter 1. THE MOST TERRIBLE INCLUDE OF THE NATION - DEMOGRAPHIC The most painful blow was dealt in the 20th century to the institution of the family. The greatness, power and wealth of the entire state lies in the preservation and reproduction of the Russian people, and not in a futile territory without inhabitants. M.V.

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The most terrible bomb under Naples

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Terrible Laboratory There was a mysterious laboratory at the Vitebsk Medical Institute at the Department of Forensic, Toxicological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. As follows from the name of the department, she was engaged in the development of various narcotic substances, which are indispensable in

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Where is the largest and deepest cave located? Caves are hidden everywhere: in the mountains, in stony soil. After the extraction of rock salt, limestone, caves, quarries, catacombs also remain. There are also ice caves, but they are short-lived. The longest cave