Breakthrough study reveals the age and rapid formation of star dunes, providing insights into Earth’s geological past.

Scientists have solved the mysterious absence of star-shaped dunes from Earth’s geological history for the first time, dating one back thousands of years.

The study by Aberystwyth University, Birkbeck, and UCL academics is the first to date how long it took a star dune to form and examine its internal structure.

Star dunes are massive sand dunes that owe their name to arms that spread from a central peak. These sand pyramids, which look like stars when viewed from above, are widespread in modern deserts including sand seas in Africa, Arabia, China, and North America.

Ancient Dunes and Rapid Formation

The research reveals the oldest parts of the base of the Moroccan dune are 13,000 years old. However, the discovery that it had formed rapidly in the last thousand years surprised scientists who had thought larger dunes were far older.

Believed to be the tallest dunes on Earth – with one in the Badain Jaran Desert in China reaching 300 meters high – star dunes are also found elsewhere in the solar system, on Mars and on Saturn’s moon Titan.

Despite being common today, star dunes have almost never been found in the geological record. Their absence has bemused scientists as past deserts are a common part of the history of Earth, preserved in rocks deep underground.

Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the new study dated the foundations of a star dune in the southeast of Morocco known as Lala Lallia, meaning ‘highest sacred point’ in the Berber language, to around 13,000 years old.

The dune sits in the Erg Chebbi area of the Sahara Desert close to the border with Algeria, an area featured in TV series like SAS Rogue Heroes and blockbuster films such as The Mummy and Sahara.

Geological Significance and Technology