Al Wahbah crater

Al Wahbah Crater (Arabic: فَوْهَة ٱلْوَعْبَة, romanized: Fawhat al-Waʿbah), also Maqlaʿ Ṭamiyyah (مَقْلَع طَمِيَّة), is a volcanic crater, which is about 250 kilometres (160 miles) away from Ta'if on the western edge of the Harrat Kishb basalt plateau in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia (lat. 22.90632, lon. 41.13849).

The Harrat Kishb plateau^[1][2] contains many volcanic cones. It is 250 m (820 ft) deep and 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter. The bottom of the crater is covered with white sodium phosphate crystals.

Origin

While it was thought for some time that the crater was formed by a meteorite, as its appearance resembles that of the Barringer Crater, with its circular form and high sides, it is now commonly accepted by geologists that the crater is a maar crater, and was formed by volcanic activity in the form of an underground phreatic eruption – a massive steam explosion generated by molten basaltic magma coming into contact with subterranean water.^[3]

Vegetation

The remains of date palm plantations can be found halfway down the side of the crater, but they are disused. There are springs near the plantations. It is easy to climb down from the rim to the bottom of the crater there from the north side on a prepared path, although most of the circumference has steep unclimbable cliffs. At the top of the path is a stone hut which contains rubbish and debris, and some suitable places for camping, although there are better places to camp to the south (see below). In the north of the Wahbah Crater, there is some vegetation located.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism

It takes a person 45–60 minutes to go to the bottom of the crater. This crater is very slippery and it is hard for people to come up to the surface. To climb back up takes approx 60–90 minutes. There is some mobile phone signal within the crater, and the site receives very few visitors, even over weekends. As of April 2017, there has been upgrades to the park. A stone wall has been erected about 1/4 to 1/3 of the crater rim from the northwest to southwest. There is a mosque at the end of the entrance road. There are also upgraded picnic shelters around the rim.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  Panorama
• 
  Palm trees
• 
  Centre of the crater

See also

• List of volcanoes in Saudi Arabia
• Sarat Mountains
  • Hijaz Mountains
    • Harrat Rahat

References

External links

• Mekshat
• Global Volcanism Program Archived 2013-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
• 3D model of the crater

22°54′0″N 41°8′20″E / 22.90000°N 41.13889°E / 22.90000; 41.13889

• v
• t
• e

Hills and mountains on the Arabian Peninsula

Oman	Hajar range[a] Central Hajar Jebel Akhdar[b] Jebel Shams (H)[c] Eastern Hajar Jabal Aswad Jabal Bani Jabar Western Hajar[d] Jebel Akhdar Jebel Ghawil Jebel Shams (H, HP) Ru'us al-Jibal[e] Jabal Harim Jabal Qiwhi Dhofar range Jebel Qamar Jebel Qarah Jabal Samhan
Saudi Arabia	List of mountains in Saudi Arabia List of volcanoes in Saudi Arabia Jabal Al-Qarah Sarat range[f] Jabal Al-Oraif[g] 'Asir range[h] Harrat al Birk (LF) Jabal Ad-Dhoor Jabal Al-Hadab Jabal Al-Majaz Jabal Al-Qo'mah Jabal As-Sahla' Jebal As-Seqaa Jabal Atherb Jabal Khalaqah Jabal Lawa's Jabal Mana' Jabal Maomah Jabal Mareer Jabal Masher Jabal Moushref Jabal Nahran Jabal Natfa' Jabal 'Okran Jabal Sawdah Jabal Yar (VF) Jabal Warrab Sh'af A'l Nassir Sh'af Bayhan Al-Bahah Jabal Shada [ar] Jizan Fifa Mountains Jebel Al-Qeher [ar] Najran Jabal Abu Hamdan Jabal Raum Hijaz range[i] Harrat Khaybar (VF) Harrat Kishb (LF) Al Wahbah crater (VC) Harrat Lunayyir Harrat Rahat (LF) Jabal Abu Qubays Jabal al-Nour Jabal 'Arafat Jabal Daka Jabal Hada Jabal Sela Jabal Thawr Jabal Uhud Jabal Werqan Safa and Marwa Midian range Harrat al-Sham (VF) Jabal Al-Amud? (VF) Jabal Al-Lawz Jabal Al-Qalom Jabal an Nukhaylah Jabal Hubaysh (Tabuk Region) Jabal Maqla Jabal `Umayyid Jabal Umm Hayfā' Mountains of Adh-Dhahr Shammar range Salma range Jabal Shammar Aja range Jabal Aja Shammar Mountains Tuwayr range Jabal Tuwaiq?
United Arab Emirates	List of mountains in the United Arab Emirates Western Hajar[j] Ru'us al-Jibal[k] Jebel Jais (H)[l] Jabal Yanas Jebel Yibir (HP)[m] Jabal Ar-Rahrah Jabal Rahabah Shumayliyyah range[n] Jebel Al-Heben Outliers, outcrops or anticlines Jebel Buhais (AC, OC) Jebel Faya (AC, OC) Jebel Hafeet[o] (OL)
Yemen	List of volcanoes in Yemen Hadhramaut range Jabal Ar-Rays? Jabal Husn Ghuraf Jebel Shaqb? Sarat range[p] Harra of Arhab (VF) Harras of Dhamar (VF) Harra es-Sawad (VF) Jabal Hubaysh (Ibb Governorate) Jabal Kanin Jabal Nuqm Jabal Sabir Jabal Tiyal Haraz range Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb (H, HP)[q]

Note: Mountains are sorted in alphabetical order, unless where it concerns ranges. The highest confirmed mountains in each country are indicated with 'HP', and those with the highest peak are indicated with 'HP', bearing in mind that in the UAE, the highest mountain and the mountain with the highest peak are different. Outcrops are indicated with 'OC', and outliers with 'OL', and anticlines with 'AC'. Volcanoes are indicated with 'V', volcanic craters with 'VC', lava fields with 'LF', and volcanic fields with 'VF'.

Other notes:

1. ^ Shared with the UAE
2. ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
3. ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
4. ^ Shared with the UAE
5. ^ Shared with the UAE
6. ^ Sensu lato, shared with Yemen
7. ^ Shared with Yemen
8. ^ Sensu lato
9. ^ Sensu lato
10. ^ Shared with Oman
11. ^ Shared with Oman
12. ^ Highest mountain in the UAE, but the peak is in Oman
13. ^ Due to the peak of Jebel Jais being in Oman, this mountain has the highest confirmed peak in the UAE
14. ^ Shared with Oman
15. ^ Shared with Oman
16. ^ Shared with Saudi Arabia
17. ^ Highest confirmed peak in the Arabian Peninsula