A guelta, close to Oubankort in Adrar des Ifoghas.
Camels in the Guelta d'Archei, in north-eastern Chad.

A guelta (Arabic: قلتة, also transliterated qalta or galta; Berber: agelmam) is a pocket of water that forms in drainage canals or wadis in the Sahara.[1] The size and duration will depend on the location and conditions. It may last year-round through the dry season if fed by a source such as a spring.[1] When a river (wadi) dries up, there may be pockets of water remaining along its course (c.f. oxbow lake).[1] In Western Sahara, gueltas correspond to oases.[1]

Some examples include Guelta d'Archei in Chad and Timia in Niger.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gene E. Likens, ed. (2010). Lake Ecosystem Ecology: A Global Perspective. Academic Press. p. 269. ISBN 9780123820037. Retrieved June 5, 2014.

See also

  • Billabong - term for a similar type of body of water in Australia
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