Interesting Discoveries Found in the Desert

Everyone has seen a rose before, right? But when one desert explorer spotted this rose in the middle of the desert in Yemen, they couldn’t quite believe their eyes. While we’re used to seeing roses in lush gardens across the globe, there’s something so haunting about seeing this singular plant in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully, it stands there like beacon of hope to all who pass this plant on their journeys. 

It’s not uncommon to spot rocks and pieces of glass as you wander around the desert, but next time you head to this barren landscape, keep your eyes peeled for Libyan desert glass. Found primarily in the Saharan, Libyan, and Egyptian deserts, this glass is unlike anything else you’ll find on this Earth. In fact, it’s so unusual that very little is known about where this glass came from or how it was exactly formed.

Caves and deserts may seem lost and forgotten, but they’re a great way for us to uncover secrets of the past. This was certainly the case when these engravings were found in the middle of the Sahara desert. Unfortunately, the discovery of these giraffe engravings also led to even more questions. Experts could tell that they were over 10,000 years old, but that’s where the revelations came to an upbrupt end. 

Although humans like to think that we know everything there is to know about the natural world, the truth is that we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re uncovering new discoveries every single day, with many of them being uncovered in the desert. Don’t believe us? Just look at these swirling patterns found in rock formations in the Nevada Desert. They’re so beautiful and captivating, but they just don’t make sense. 

When you think of desert landscapes, you probably think of dry and arid landscapes devoid of any natural wonders. But what makes these areas so confusing is that you’ll often stumble upon rare bursts of color – like with these rare super blooms in Joshua Tree. A hiker found these while walking through the desert, and couldn’t quite believe their eyes when this burst of red shot up out of the rocks. 

You probably don’t need us to tell you that watermelons rely on water to grow. So, imagine this person’s surprise when they were wandering through the Sahara desert and stumbled upon a wild watermelon plant! Not only were the leaves green and luscious, but the watermelons that were growing were big and juicy. Of course, they were confused, and couldn’t understand how such a thing could grow in such dry conditions. 

it’s not unusual to find trees in the desert. These are normally extremely hardy trees that are able to withstand months without a single drop of water. But there are two things that made this tree stand out to those who stumbled upon it. The first was that this tree was able to survive in the Sonoran Desert, which just so happens to be the hottest desert in both Mexico and the United States. The second was that it looks like it’s walking!

So many people choose to go hiking in the desert. After all, these desert landscapes are often full of impressive rock faces you can climb up, and dunes that you can slide down. But when these people were rambling through the desert of California, they stumbled upon something they couldn’t take their eyes off. And while they knew this was just a bunch of rocks, they couldn’t help but think it was a troll.

Whale fossils aren’t unusual, and archaeologists have uncovered many of them over the years. But what is unusual is finding a whale fossil in the middle of the Sahara Desert. After all, this desert is miles and miles away from any form of ocean. So, how did the fossil end up somewhere so dry and arid? These are the sorts of things that make us question the desert even more. 

If you first thought of bacon as soon as you saw this picture, there’s a high chance that you’re hungry. But there’s no doubt that this Wonderstone does indeed look like slices of bacon. Its colorful marble appearance is out of this world, and extraordinary to look at. But what you might not realize about Wonderstone is that this natural rock can only really be found in the deserts of Utah and the surrounding areas. 

Many people who have been lost in the desert have claimed to see an oasis in the distance, but what you might not realize is that one of these places actually exists. Located in the desert of Peru, the village of Huacachina was actually built around the small body of water and is now home to around 100 permanent residents. However, it’s safe to say that it’s become incredibly popular over the yers, and sees thousands of tourists descend upon the dunes every year.

At first glance, this looks like some kind of modern art installation in the middle of the desert. But what if we told you that this was actually a plant? In fact, it’s the Yareta plant, which looks just like a bulbous velvet cushion. You can find this in many countries in South America, but it much prefers dry and arid landscapes as it can very easily conserve its own water. 

Deserts can be incredibly creepy – especially when something unusual pops out of nowhere. And while there’s something so wholesome about a shrine to people’s beloved pets who have passed away, the existence of this shrine in the middle of the desert is certainly quite strange. This shrine appeared overnight and was placed randomly in a desert wash. Since then, more and more people have used it to honor their lost dogs.

Desert discoveries come in all shapes and forms, but most people wouldn’t expect to see a boat in the middle of the desert. However, that’s exactly what one desert explorer saw when they made their way across The Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. And while today it’s one of the driest places on earth, there was a time when this place was completely covered in water and ships just like these. 

If you’ve ever ventured into the desert, you’ll know that these landscapes are more complex than they seem. You see something new at every turn, and the ground is different everywhere you go. So, imagine this person’s surprise when they drove along this dry desert road and came across this wet section. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and the water stopped almost as soon as it started. It was bizarre. 

People come and go in the desert. While some people try to make a life for themselves in these dry landscapes, many soon realize that it’s not the kind of lifestyle they can maintain. So, they up and leave – leaving behind some of their belongings in the process. Perhaps that’s how this person stumbled upon Europe’s “The Final Countdown” cassette tape in the middle of the desert? We don’t know how else it would get there. 

The Mohave Desert is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, but what you might not realize is that this desert is not only rich in flora and fauna, but it’s also rich in silver, tungsten, iron and gold deposits. This desert explorer found this out for themselves when they took a large magnet out with them on their travels. And as they moved the magnet around the sand, they were blessed with an impressive haul. 

If you’re fond of the finer things in life, you might be familiar with Prada stores. These can normally be found in large cities and affluent areas of the world – which is why it might surprise you to learn that there’s also a Prada store in the middle of the desert. Prada Marfa can be found in the West Texas desert, but you won’t be able to buy any shoes or sunglasses here. 

Many desert explorers head out into the wilderness with the intention of finding trinkets and treasures that they can take home with them. And it’s fair to say that this person got more than they bargained for when they came across this tiny skull. Of course, it’s not uncommon for desert discoveries to include skulls of all shapes and sizes, but this one is particularly bizarre and intriguing. It even looks spiky! 

Over the years, countless movies have been filmed in deserts across the world. But what you might not realize is that much of the famous Star Wars franchise was filmed in the Tunisian desert. But instead of using fake props or CGI, George Lucas and his team built hefty structures to bring these alien landscapes to life. And when filming came to an end, they decided to leave these things behind for them to become one with the desert. 

Hiking through the desert is tough work, and it’s fair to say that the desert explorers who take on this challenge need to keep their food and their fluid intake up. But while you don’t often find fast food joints in the middle of the desert, it seems as though there is a hotdog stand available to those who don’t mind some dusty old sausages. However, nobody knows why this hotdog stand is there, or how long it’s been there. 

Did you know that the world is full of abandoned train tracks? This is especially true in the United States, as many of these tracks were used to transport gold and other discoveries during the gold rush. But as technology has advanced and business has changed, these train tracks have been left to the elements to rot and rust. One desert explorer stumbled upon some after an 11-mile hike in the California desert, and they were amazed by what they saw. 

We’ve already seen abandoned train tracks, but if you head from California to the Arabian Desert, you’ll see some trains to go with them. Yes, what’s so amazing about this abandoned train is the fact that, while it may look relatively clean and new, this train is over a century old. It was left there over 100 years ago when it was ambushed by Lawrence of Arabia and his rebels, and it’s sat there ever since. 

Today, most people prefer to live in big cities that offer impressive infrastructure and work opportunities. But life hasn’t always been that way. Since the dawn of time, many people have called the desert their home – and so that’s where we assume this doorway to nowhere has come from. One desert explorer stumbled upon this strange door while they were hiking in the high desert, but they didn’t know what to make of it. 

The U.S. and Mexico are separated by the Sonoran Desert, which is considered to be one of the deadliest deserts on earth. The huge size, coupled with the soaring temperatures makes it almost impossible to cross, but that doesn’t stop people from attempting the 3-5 day hike. Of course, the U.S. government want to avoid people dying as much as possible, which is why those attempting the hike will be greeted with this sign and button before they start. 

When you think of the desert, you probably think of dry landscapes without any sign of water for miles. But it turns out that many deserts across the world are full of salt – which has been an enticing prospect for humans over the years. The Mojave desert is full of some of the biggest salt flats in the world, and this has changed the landscape. In fact, you’ll spot many salt mine trenches dug out here. 

Many desert explorers hop into their vans and drive around until they spot something interesting. And it’s fair to say that this person found the coolest desert discovery of them all. That’s because he stumbled upon the infamous mobster Al Capone’s old hideout in the middle of the desert – a place that was the base for countless criminal activities over the years. Not only that, but he got to skate in his old pool! 

The desert is one of the most powerful natural landscapes in the world. The weather patterns here aren’t designed for humans, which means that nature will always win. Don’t believe us? Just look at this house! Although humans tried to make this place their home with their modern technologies and cable television, the desert wouldn’t allow it. And as soon as a sand storm came along, the desert reclaimed the house for its own. 

The desert is a very mysterious place, and we still know very little about it. Of course, we know that intense weather patterns and erosion cause cliffs and rocks to form weird and wonderful shapes, but how do you explain things like this? This is an obelisk that was found in the Utah desert, but where did it come from? And how did it come to be such a shape?

If you’re a desert explorer, there’s a high chance that you love to head into the desert and see what you stumble across. But what would you do if you came across these strange desert discoveries? While the carved wooden bear isn’t too strange, we can’t understand why there would be a red London double-decker bus and phone box in the middle of the desert in the United States. How did it get there?

Every so often, something comes along that leaves us stumped. And this frog collection in the Mojave Desert is one of those things. At the time of writing, there’s now explanation for why this large collection of frogs exists. However, it’s been suggested that someone came along and started a frog shrine, and since then, it’s simply grown and grown. In fact, some people travel here with the sole intention of adding a new frog. 

The Mojave Desert is considered to be one of the hottest and driest places on earth, which is why desert explorers have to be so careful when they travel through this area. It’s extremely easy to find yourself in trouble in this desert, not just because of the high temperatures. The dry landscape can also be extremely uneven underfoot, as seen by this picture of some giant mud cracks in the middle of the Mojave. 

Most people love to go to the movies, but have you ever seen a movie theater quite like this one before? We bet the desert explorer who stumbled across this movie theater was confused when they spotted it, as it’s decked out with hundreds of seats – but there wasn’t a single other person nearby. So, what was it built for? Well, it looks as though this movie theater in the Egyptian desert was built for a reason.

Las Vegas is one of the most impressive places in the world. From the sky-high buildings to the bright lights and the fancy casinos, it’s a city like no other. But just outside of Sin City, you’ll find yourself in the middle of nowhere, as the Nevada desert is a barren landscape with nothing to see for miles. But you can imagine this person’s surprise when they stumbled across this staircase in the desert. 

While some people could think of nothing worse than living in the desert, there are some people who do everything they can to make this quiet and peaceful place their home. In fact, some people even create desert gardens to turn the dry landscape into something truly special. That’s exactly what these people, and they wanted to attempt to grow desert sunflowers in their desert garden. At first glance, it looks as though they’ve succeeded. 

If you were wandering through the desert and bumped into this ghostly figure, what would you do? Run away in the opposite direction? Attempt to uncover the truth about this strange being? Well, you might be happy to know that this isn’t a real ghost. This picture was taken in a ghost town, though. The town of Rhyolite can be found in the Nevada desert, and it was once a thriving community of workers during the gold rush.

Today, mining is nowhere near as dangerous as it once was. Back in the day, whole towns were created in the desert, with many workers leaving their homes and setting up shop to take on this dangerous task. This was the case in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. Thousands of workers traveled to this place – which is considered one of the driest places on earth – to work in the mines. 

You probably don’t need us to tell you that the United States is a mish-mash of cultures. But when you head into the desert, you’re largely greeted by Native Americans who have called this place their home for centuries on end. So, you can imagine the surprise of desert explorers who spotted these Chinese lion statues on the side of the road in the Mojave desert. How did they get there? And what are they doing there? 

Israel is a historical playground, full to the brim of ancient hints of the past. And while it’s not uncommon to spot rock carvings away from the big cities, we have a feeling that this desert explorer was still excited to come across something they had never seen before. This ancient rock art seems to depict a hunter tracking down an ibex, and what’s so amazing about this artwork is that nobody knows how old it is. 

The desert may seem like a deserted landscape, but there’s so much that you can see in the desert if you look hard enough. That’s because these places are home to countless mineral deposits and unusual rocks – including this creepy-looking object that one desert explorer found in Egypt. At first glance, they wondered whether they had stumbled upon a meteorite that had fallen from the sky and into the sand below.