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Why can travelers sink into the soft surface of a sabkhah?

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Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert, the largest desert in Asia, covering an area of about 900,000 square miles (2,300,000 square km).

Travelers can sink into the surface of a sabkhah because these saline flats often feature a thin, deceptive crust of salt and sand that hides a layer of soft, wet, and muddy slush underneath.1

In some areas, such as those near Ras Tanura, this crust conceals calcareous mud with a consistency similar to custard. While the surface may appear firm, it is often poorly cemented and structurally unstable. The danger to travelers is not that the surface acts like quicksand, but rather that the nature of the terrain is difficult to recognize in time to avoid sinking into the underlying morass.12