Military Geology in the Gulf War 1990 91

Military Geology in the Gulf War 1990 -91 CPT Hugh Cronin Operation Desert Storm

Area of Major Ground Operation (As Summan Plateau and Dibdibah Plain) i. A atin B l d Wa KKMC Operation Desert Storm

Mission • Engr Geologists and Hydrogeologists, 416 th ENCOM • Potential quarry sites, construction aggregate • Developing water resources • Evaluating terrain features, mobility • Updating maps Operation Desert Storm

SW to NE Geologic Cross Section, Arabian Peninsula (Arabian Shield and Arabian Shelf) Operation Desert Storm

The western munitions storage area road at Prince Sultan Air Base during (far left), and after (left) 819 th RHS construction crews arrived on-site. (Photos courtesy 819 RHS) Operation Desert Storm

Umm er Radhuma aquifer in Saudi Arabia. Groundwater flows toward the gulf and is considered freshwater. Operation Desert Storm

Cross section of Playas (intermittent lakes with dry silt and clay crusts) and Sabkhahs (tidal action with high water tables and damp salty crust). Operation Desert Storm

Operation Desert Storm

Lessons Learned • 1: 50, 000 maps useless • GPS critical to situational awareness • Use a rope in a sand storm • One canteen cup of water can wash your body • Rehearse, Rehearse Operation Desert Storm

References http: //www. desert-storm. com/Gallery/index. html “Military Geology in War and Peace”, Volume XIII, The Geological Society of America, Inc. , 1998 Operation Desert Storm