Great Sandy Desert - wikipedia Great Sandy Desert This article is about the desert in Australia. For the desert in Oregon, see High Desert ( Oregon ). Great Sandy Desert A satellite image of the dunes in the Great Sandy Desert Nickname : GSD Country Australia State / Territory Western Australia, Northern Territory Area 284,993 km ( 110,036 sq mi ) Biome Desert The IBRA bioregions, with the Great Sandy Desert in red The Great Sandy Desert, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the North West of Western Australia straddling the Pilbara and southern Kimberley regions. It is the second largest desert in Australia after the Great Victoria Desert and encompasses an area of 284,993 square kilometres ( 110,036 sq mi ) The Gibson Desert lies to the south and the Tanami Desert lies to the east of the Great Sandy Desert. Contents 1 Features 2 Population 3 Climate 4 Economy 5 Fauna and flora 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Features The Great Sandy Desert contains large ergs, often consisting of longitudinal dunes. In the North East of the desert, there is a well - known meteorite impact crater, i.e. the Wolfe Creek. Population The region is sparsely populated. The main populations consist of indigenous Australian communities and mining centers. The aboriginal people of the desert fall into two main groups : the Martu in the west and the Pintupi in the east. Linguistically, they are speakers of multiple Western Desert Languages. Many of these indigenous people were forcibly removed from their lands during the 20th century and relocated to settlements such as Papunya in the Northern Territory. In recent years, some of the original inhabitants have returned. Young indigenous adults from the Great Sandy Desert region travel to and work in the Wilurarra Creative programs to maintain and develop their culture. Climate Rainfall is low throughout the coast and far north and is strongly seasonal. Areas near the Kimberley have an average rainfall that exceeds 300 mm ( 12 in ), but is patchy. Many drought years end with a monsoon cloud mass or tropical cyclone. Like many of Australia 's deserts, rainfall is high by desert standards, with the driest parts recording falls little below 250 mm ( 9.8 in ). A massive evaporation rate makes up for the higher than normal desert rainfall. This region is one which gives rise to the heat lows which help drive the NW monsoon. Almost all rain comes from monsoon thunderstorms or the occasional tropical cyclone rain depression. On average for most of the area, there are about 20 -- 30 days where thunderstorms form. However, in the north bordering the Kimberley, 30 - 40 per year is the average. Summer daytime temperatures are some of the hottest in Australia. The range on the northern border near the Kimberley at Halls Creek is around 37 to 38 ° C ( 99 to 100 ° F ), but this would be indicative of the low end of the range. Regions further south average 38 to 42 ° C ( 100 to 108 ° F ) except when monsoonal cloud cover is active. Several people have died in this region after their vehicles have broken down on remote tracks. Winters are short and warm ; temperatures range from 25 to 30 ° C ( 77 to 86 ° F ). Frost does not occur in most of the area. The regions bordering the Gibson Desert in the far southeast may record a light frost or two every year. Away from the coast winter nights can still be chilly in comparison to the warm days. Climate data for Telfer, Western Australia ( temperatures, extremes and rain data 1974 - 2013 ) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° C ( ° F ) 48.1 ( 118.6 ) 47.1 ( 116.8 ) 45.1 ( 113.2 ) 41.2 ( 106.2 ) 38.0 ( 100.4 ) 33.9 ( 93 ) 33.4 ( 92.1 ) 36.0 ( 96.8 ) 41.3 ( 106.3 ) 44.1 ( 111.4 ) 46.0 ( 114.8 ) 47.5 ( 117.5 ) 48.1 ( 118.6 ) Average high ° C ( ° F ) 40.6 ( 105.1 ) 38.6 ( 101.5 ) 37.3 ( 99.1 ) 34.5 ( 94.1 ) 29.1 ( 84.4 ) 25.3 ( 77.5 ) 25.3 ( 77.5 ) 28.4 ( 83.1 ) 32.7 ( 90.9 ) 37.0 ( 98.6 ) 39.4 ( 102.9 ) 40.2 ( 104.4 ) 34.0 ( 93.2 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) 26.0 ( 78.8 ) 25.4 ( 77.7 ) 23.9 ( 75 ) 20.6 ( 69.1 ) 15.3 ( 59.5 ) 11.9 ( 53.4 ) 10.6 ( 51.1 ) 12.5 ( 54.5 ) 16.5 ( 61.7 ) 20.8 ( 69.4 ) 23.4 ( 74.1 ) 25.4 ( 77.7 ) 19.4 ( 66.9 ) Record low ° C ( ° F ) 17.2 ( 63 ) 17.7 ( 63.9 ) 14.4 ( 57.9 ) 11.5 ( 52.7 ) 5.6 ( 42.1 ) 2.1 ( 35.8 ) 3.0 ( 37.4 ) 2.5 ( 36.5 ) 6.2 ( 43.2 ) 10.5 ( 50.9 ) 13.0 ( 55.4 ) 16.5 ( 61.7 ) 2.1 ( 35.8 ) Average rainfall mm ( inches ) 49.1 ( 1.933 ) 102.7 ( 4.043 ) 77.3 ( 3.043 ) 20.0 ( 0.787 ) 18.5 ( 0.728 ) 12.1 ( 0.476 ) 13.2 ( 0.52 ) 5.4 ( 0.213 ) 2.5 ( 0.098 ) 2.9 ( 0.114 ) 16.5 ( 0.65 ) 46.9 ( 1.846 ) 370.4 ( 14.583 ) Average precipitation days 7.5 8.7 5.9 2.8 2.7 2.8 1.5 1.1 0.8 1.1 2.4 5.3 42.6 Source : Bureau of Meteorology Economy Indigenous art is a huge industry in central Australia. Mines, most importantly the Telfer Gold Mine and Nifty Copper Mine, and cattle stations are found in the far west. Telfer is one of the largest gold mines in Australia. The undeveloped Kintyre uranium deposit lies south of Telfer. Fauna and flora The vegetation of the Great Sandy Desert is dominated by spinifex. Animals occurring in the region include feral camels, dingos, goannas ( including the large perentie ) and numerous species of lizard and birds. Other animal inhabitants include bilbies, mulgara, marsupial mole, rufous hare - wallaby, thorny devils, bearded dragons, and the red kangaroo. Some of the bird - life found within the desert include the rare Alexandra 's parrot, the mulga parrot and the scarlet - chested parrot. See also Australia portal Geography portal Environment portal Deserts of Australia List of deserts by area References Jump up ^ Environment Australia. `` Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia ( IBRA ) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report ''. Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2006 - 09 - 05. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 31. Jump up ^ IBRA Version 6.1 Archived 2006 - 09 - 08 at the Wayback Machine. data Jump up ^ `` Outback Australia - Australian Deserts ''. 2010. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Department of the Environment WA - Refugia for Biodiversity ''. 2009. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 30. Jump up ^ Wilurarra Creative 2011 ; Jump up ^ `` Climate statistics for Australian locations - Telfer Aero ''. Jump up ^ `` Great Sandy - Tanami Desert ''. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Jump up ^ World Wildlife Fund ( 2001 ). `` Great Sandy - Tanami desert ''. WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010 - 03 - 08. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 30. Further reading Burbidge, A.A. ; McKenzie, N.L., eds. ( 1983 ). Wildlife of the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Wildlife Research Centre ( and ) Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife. ISBN 0 - 7244 - 9307 - 7. Thackway, R. ; Cresswell, I.D. ( 1995 ). An interim biogeographic regionalisation for Australia : a framework for setting priorities in the National Reserves System Cooperative Program. Version 4.0. Canberra : Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Reserve Systems Unit. ISBN 0 - 642 - 21371 - 2. External links Media related to Great Sandy Desert at Wikimedia Commons Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia ( IBRA ) Arnhem Coast Arnhem Plateau Australian Alps Avon Wheatbelt Ben Lomond Brigalow Belt North Brigalow Belt South Broken Hill Complex Burt Plain Cape York Peninsula Carnarvon Central Arnhem Central Kimberley Central Mackay Coast Central Ranges Channel Country Cobar Peneplain Coolgardie Coral Sea Daly Basin Dampierland Darling Riverine Plains Darwin Coastal Davenport Murchison Ranges Desert Uplands Einasleigh Uplands Esperance Plains Eyre Yorke Block Finke Flinders Lofty Block Furneaux Gascoyne Gawler Geraldton Sandplains Gibson Desert Great Sandy Desert Great Victoria Desert Gulf Coastal Gulf Fall and Uplands Gulf Plains Hampton Indian Tropical Islands Jarrah Forest Kanmantoo King Little Sandy Desert MacDonnell Ranges Mallee Mitchell Grass Downs Mount Isa Inlier Mulga Lands Murchison Murray Darling Depression Nandewar Naracoorte Coastal Plain New England Tablelands Northern Kimberley New South Wales North Coast New South Wales South Western Slopes Nullarbor Ord Victoria Plain Pacific Subtropical Islands Pine Creek Pilbara Riverina Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields South East Coastal Plain South East Corner South Eastern Highlands South East Queensland Southern Volcanic Plain Stony Plains Sturt Plateau Subantarctic Islands Swan Coastal Plain Sydney Basin Tanami Tasmanian Central Highlands Tasmanian Northern Midlands Tasmanian Northern Slopes Tasmanian South East Tasmanian Southern Ranges Tasmanian West Tiwi Cobourg Victoria Bonaparte Victorian Midlands Warren Wet Tropics Yalgoo Bioregions of the National Reserve System World deserts Desert Desertification List of deserts List of deserts by area Africa Algerian Bayuda Blue Chalbi Danakil Djurab Eastern Ferlo Farafra ( White ) Kalahari Libyan Moçâmedes Namib Nubian Nyiri Owami Richtersveld Sahara Tanezrouft Ténéré Western Asia Ad - Dahna Akshi Arabian Aral Karakum Aralkum Badain Jaran Betpak - Dala Cholistan Dasht - e Kavir Dasht - e Khash Dasht - e Leili Dasht - e Loot Dasht - e Margo Dasht - e Naomid Gurbantünggüt Gobi Hami Indus Valley Judaean Karakum Katpana Kharan Kumtag Kyzylkum Liwa Lop Maranjab Muyunkum Nefud Negev Polond Ordos Qaidam Ramlat al - Sab'atayn Rub ' al Khali Russian Arctic Registan Saryesik - Atyrau Syrian Taklamakan Tengger Thal Thar Ustyurt Plateau Wahiba Sands Australia Gibson Great Sandy Great Victoria Little Sandy Nullarbor Plain Painted Pedirka Simpson Strzelecki Sturt 's Stony Tanami Tirari Europe Accona Bardenas Reales Błędów Cabo de Gata Deliblatska Peščara Hálendi Monegros Oleshky Oltenian Sahara Ryn Stranja Tabernas North America Alvord Amargosa Baja California Black Rock Carcross Carson Channeled scablands Chihuahuan Colorado Escalante Forty Mile Gran Desierto de Altar Great Basin Great Salt Lake Great Sandy Jornada del Muerto Kaʻū Lechuguilla Mojave North American Arctic Owyhee Painted Desert Red Desert Sevier Smoke Creek Sonoran Tonopah Desert Tule ( Arizona ) Tule ( Nevada ) Yp Yuha Yuma South America Atacama La Guajira Los Médanos de Coro Monte Patagonian Sechura Tatacoa Oceania Zealandia : Rangipo Desert Polar regions Antarctica Arctic Greenland North American Arctic Russian Arctic Project Commons Coordinates : 20 ° S 125 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 20 ° S 125 ° E ﻿ / - 20 ; 125 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Sandy_Desert&oldid=800242228 '' Categories : Biogeography of Western Australia Deserts of the Northern Territory Deserts of Western Australia Ergs Great Sandy Desert Pilbara Canning Stock Route Kimberley ( Western Australia ) Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Geobox usage tracking for other type All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from March 2010 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from July 2011 Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Deutsch Eesti Español Euskara فارسی Français Gàidhlig 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Lietuvių Magyar मैथिली Монгол Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 September 2017, at 08 : 47. 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Question: where is the great sandy desert located on a map
Answer: the North West of Western Australia straddling the Pilbara and southern Kimberley regions