Deserts make up over 40 percent of Australia's land area, but they are all inland. The exception is the Great Sandy Desert, which reaches the coast of the Indian Ocean at a point known as Eighty Mile Beach (it is now about 140 miles long). ¹⁾

The Kalb ar-Rishat structure in Mauritania, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, was long thought to be the result of a meteorite impact. However, a careful study showed no signs of impact metamorphism. It is now considered to be the remains of a would-be volcano. The structure is perfectly visible from satellites. ²⁾

The Gibson Desert was so named by Ernest Giles, a traveler whose expedition first crossed Australia. Little is known about Alfred Gibson himself, who separated from the expedition and disappeared - only a brief description of his appearance remains. ³⁾

White Sands is 275 square miles of gypsum dunes. It represents the largest surface gypsum deposit in the world. Unlike other desert sands, the sand from White Sands is cool to the touch. This is the result of moisture evaporating from the surface and the white gypsum reflecting sunlight. ⁴⁾

Fata Morgana or mirage is a physical phenomenon, not an illusion of visual perception or optical illusion. The decisive factor for its formation is the strong heating of a large surface of the ground, e.g. sand in the desert. The light rays are then bent upwards towards cooler and therefore denser air. The curved rays reach the eye of the observer seemingly from a different direction which causes the formation of a mirror image. ⁵⁾