CSB IAS ACADEMY
The Indian Desert
The Indian Desert
The Great Indian desert lies to the Northwest of the Aravalli hills. It is a land of undulating
topography dotted with longitudinal dunes and barchans. This region receives low
rainfall below 15cm per year; hence, it has arid climate with low vegetation cover. It is
because of these characteristic features that this is also known as Marusthali. It is believed
that during the Mesozoic era, this region was under the sea. This can be corroborated by
marine deposits around Brahmsar, near Jaisalmer. The underlying rock structure of the
desert is an extension of the Peninsular plateau. Its surface features have been carved by
physical weathering and wind actions, due to extreme arid conditions. Mushroom rocks,
shifting dunes and oasis are the important desert land features in the Thar desert.
On the basis of the orientation, the desert can be divided into two parts: the northern
part is sloping towards Sindh-and the southern towards the Rann of Kachchh. Most of
the rivers in this region are ephemeral. The Luni river flowing in the southern part of the
desert is of some significance. Low precipitation and high evaporation makes it a water
deficit region. There are some streams which disappear after flowing for some distance
and present a typical case of inland drainage by joining a lake or playa. The lakes and the
playas have brackish water which is the main source of obtaining salt.
Important lakes and the playas are sambar, Khatu, Khuchaman, Didwana and
Sargol.
Sambar lake and keolodeo wetlands are Ramsar Sites located in the state of
Rajasthan.
