The coastal landforms of the Republic of Yemen in Âsouthern Arabia have received very little attention from geomorphologists, but are shown on the US Geological Survey map of the Arabian Peninsula, 1–270A (1963) at 1:2 million. The climate is arid, and waves are generated across the narrow Red Sea, mainly from the SW. Tide ranges are small, generally about a metre.
The Red Sea coast of Yemen is a continuation of the Tihamah coastal plain of southwest Saudi Arabia, an irregular arid coast with sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs and a group of islands including Kamaran. There are also several islands and irregular promontories of denuded volcanic rock (the Aden Volcanics, of Late Cainozoic age). Sebkhas with saline crusts are extensive, and barchans 4–14 m high drift across them. Near the coast some of the dunes become vegetated on the windward slopes, and may evolve into parabolic dunes. Salt domes form hills, including the Al Sarif peninsula, which is a tombolo. Sand drifting...
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References
Youssef EA (1991) A note on the geomorphology of the coastal plain between Al-Hudaydah and Alsalif Peninsula, Red Sea coast, Yemen Arab Republic. Geogr J 157:71–73
Zahran MA, Al Kaf HF (1996) Introduction to the littoral halophytes of Yemen. Arab Gulf J Sci Res 14:691–703
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Bird, E. (2010). Yemen. In: Bird, E.C.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8639-7_189
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