Guelta

A guelta, close to Oubankort in Adrar des Ifoghas.

Camels in the Guelta d'Archei, in north-eastern Chad.

A guelta (or qalta or galta or agelmam), from Arabic:قلتة which means a lower level of height in ground between rocks which holds water, is a pocket of water that forms in drainage canals or wadis in the Sahara.^[1] The size and duration will depend on the location and conditions. It may last year-round through the dry season if fed by a source such as a spring.^[1] When rivers (wadis) dry up there may remain pockets of water along its course (c.f. ox-bow lake).^[1] In Western Sahara, gueltas correspond with oasis.^[1]

Some examples include Guelta d'Archei.

References