Sand Dune Lala Lalia: How Much Old World’s Largest Sand Dune-Scientists Defined

The age of Lala Lalia, one of the largest and most complex sand dunes on earth, has been determined. According to scientists, this mound was built about 13 thousand years ago. This is the first time that the age of a sand dune has been determined. Tara Mounds or Pyramid Mounds are named after their distinctive shape and can reach hundreds of meters in height. These mounds are found in Africa, Asia and North America as well as on Mars. But experts had never before been able to tell when they were built.

First of all, it is important to tell that Lala Laliya, an approximately 700 meter wide and 100 meter high sand dune, is located in south-east Morocco. This mound is quite shiny. Scientists claim that Lala Laliya mound had stopped growing after the construction process. Its size did not increase for about 8 thousand years, but after that it has expanded very rapidly. Now this mound is growing in the desert at the rate of 50 centimeters every year and this is a very surprising aspect for the people.

This helped to understand the winds and climate

According to Professor Geoff Duller of Aberystwyth University, scientists have used a technique called luminescence dating to find out the age of the mound. For this, scientists took sand particles as samples and found out when these particles were last exposed to daylight. After this they were analyzed in a lab. According to Professor Duller, the brighter the light of the sand particles, the older they are. It is very difficult to climb these dunes. While climbing on it, a person slips many times. It has been revealed that this mound was built 13 thousand years ago. Understanding the age of the Sand dunes has helped scientists understand the winds and climate of that era.