Deserts and their surprising secrets
Chapter 1
The green Sahara
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Answer
Chapter 2
The mystery of singing dunes
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Chapter 3
Master class in desert survival
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Chapter 4
Hidden waters and ancient engineering
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Deserts and their surprising secrets
Ch 1 · The green Sahara
misslily The Sahara was a green, lush land—(long ago!) / We were swimming where there's only sand! (yeah, swimming!)
Fun Fact
Green Sahara fossils: Paleontologists in Niger discovered hundreds of stone-age human graves alongside massive crocodile and dinosaur fossils buried under desert sand.
Glossary
savanna (noun)
A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees. Approximately 6,000 years ago, this lush ecosystem covered North Africa before shifting into the world's largest hot desert.
A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees. Approximately 6,000 years ago, this lush ecosystem covered North Africa before shifting into the world's largest hot desert.
Quiz
What was the name of the ancient Saharan mega-lake that was once larger than the Caspian Sea?
Quiz
What type of animal fossils did paleontologists discover in Niger, proving the ancient Sahara was once full of water?
Quiz
How long ago did the last African Humid Period, which transformed the Sahara into a grassland, come to an end?
Quiz
Dust from the dried-up basins of the Sahara Desert is carried by wind to fertilize which major ecosystem?
Quiz
Which modern African country contains the 'Cave of Beasts,' famous for prehistoric rock art showing swimming figures?
Quiz
What prehistoric human activity is depicted in Saharan rock art, proving the green Sahara supported communities?
