The Wonder Of An Oasis Water Source

By Nancy Gardner


An oasis is an area in the desert which contains a water source. Because of this, it is possible to survive in the barren land. Because of this, trade routes are established in locations that pass through this. But other than being a location where you can get water, some oases are big and capable enough to become an ecosystem where plants and animals thrive.

This feature forms in different ways. There are manmade and there are also those which have been formed naturally. The man made ones are those that are dug by men and thus become an oasis water source like a well which exist for generations. While nature also takes its own course to form an oasis when a river exacts pressure enough for water to seep through the surface.

I read an article about this back in my elementary years. A passing traveller in the desert got lost along the way and had come roaming around the place instead. And so because of that, he had consumed all the water he had and because of the extreme heat of the day, he quickly became thirsty since the water in his body is fast evaporating.

Rocks below the earths surface basically help trap as well as channel H2O into pockets and then gather it into the fault lines. While there are also several kinds of rock which are capable of containing and letting H2O pass through, thus facilitating the creation as well as the maintenance of an oasis in the desert. While if the aquifer underground does not have enough pressure to break through the surface, a well can be made.

Oases can actually be made either naturally or manmade. For manmade, the procedure is done through digging. If the digging is deep enough to reach the bed where water is present, then that would be the creation of a spring or a well. There are several water sources which are manmade and it has been preserved for centuries.

That is we have wells and pumps. All of these are actually underground sources. And what is astounding is the fact that even though water passes through soil and rocks, it is still clean. You can drink it and use it as a cleaning agent for washing your food, clothes, body, and things. The same goes with the oasis. But then, this term is only used for the desert source.

Examples of some deserts are Ghadames, Awjila, and Kufra which are situated in Libya today. Now, you might wonder how there could be plants in this area when the land here is sand and barren. Well this has something to do with the natural factors. Since water can be found in the place, animals also come visiting like birds, and other animals which carry along with them seeds.

When they do, the seeds drop and the natural cause of growing plants take place. People could also plant crops which are suitable for the area. Fields must be irrigated to grow species like dates, apricots, figs, and olives. While the most important plant in this area is the date palm and this usually forms the upper layer.

That is why there is already the distillation process whereby filtering is done until the safest is produced. But the healthiest is water coming from nature because the nutrients are intact. However, if you are still not that sure, then boil it for safety purposes.




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