sabkha

   A flat area of eolian sedimentation and erosion formed under semiarid or arid conditions in: 1) interior areas (e.g. on basin floors slightly above playa lake beds (e.g., playa step), or: 2) along coastal areas (e.g., just above intertidal zones), where, through deflation and evaporation, gypsum, halite, or other soluble minerals crystallize at or near the surface to form a thin, irregular mineral crust that is intermittently deflated away. Microbiotic crusts are not extensive and vegetation is very sparse and consists primarily of small, halophytic shrubs (e.g., iodine bush).

   SW, RF, & GG