3.4. The Indian Desert

The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills. It is a land of undulating topography dotted with longitudinal dunes and barchans. This region receives low rainfall below 150 mm per year; hence, it has arid climate with low vegetation cover. Low precipitation and high evaporation makes it a water deficit region. Streams appear during the rainy season. Luni is the only large river in this region. It is believed that during the Mesozoic era, this region was under the sea. This can be corroborated by the evidence available at wood fossils park at Aakal and marine deposits around Brahmsar, near Jaisalmer. Land features present here are mushroom rocks, shifting dunes and oasis. the desert can be divided into two parts: the northern part is sloping towards Sindh and the southern towards the Rann of Kachchh.