Editing Simpson Desert (section)

{{Short description|Desert in Central Australia}}
{{Other uses|Simpson Desert (disambiguation){{!}}Simpson Desert}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox valley
| name               = Simpson Desert
| other_name         =Munga-Thirri 
| photo              = Andado2 - Christopher Watson.jpg
| photo_caption      = Dunes at the edge of the Simpson Desert
| map                = 
| map_image          = Simpson desert.png
| map_caption        = The [[Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia|IBRA]] boundaries of the Simpson Desert
| location           = 
| country            = Australia
| state              = Northern Territory
| state1             = Queensland
| state2             = South Australia
| city               = 
| relief             = 
| label              = 
| label_position     = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|-24.57|137.42|region:AU_scale:2500000|display=title,inline}}
| coordinates_ref    = 
| elevation          = 
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 
| elevation_ref      = 
| length             = 
| length_mi          = 
| length_km          = 
| length_orientation = 
| length_note        = 
| width              = 
| width_mi           = 
| width_km           = 
| width_orientation  = 
| width_note         = 
| area               = 
| area_mi2           = 
| area_km2           = 176500
| depth              = 
| depth_ft           = 
| depth_m            = 
| type               = 
| age                = 
| border             = 
| topo               = 
| traversed          = 
| river              = 
| footnotes          = 
| embed              = 
}}
The '''Simpson Desert''' is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in the [[Northern Territory]], [[South Australia]] and [[Queensland]] in central [[Australia]].<ref name=Twidale>{{cite journal|last=Twidale|first=C.R.|author-link=Charles Rowland Twidale|title=The Simpson Desert, central Australia|journal=[[South African Geographical Journal]]|year=1980|volume=65|pages=3–17|doi=10.1080/03736245.1980.10559618}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/BROCHURE_DESERT_PARKS.PDF|publisher=Department of Environment and Heritage, South Australia|access-date=23 October 2008|title=Desert Parks of South Australia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080729021024/http://environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/BROCHURE_DESERT_PARKS.PDF|archive-date=29 July 2008}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/545465/Simpson-Desert| publisher= Britannica Encyclopedia Inc. |access-date = 23 October 2008 | title= Simpson Desert}}</ref> It is the fourth-largest [[Deserts of Australia|Australian desert]], with an area of {{cvt|176,500|sqkm}}.

The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people know this area as Munga-Thirri.<ref>{{cite web|title=Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park- Draft Management Plan 2021|year=2021|publisher=Government of South Australia|page=2|url= https://ehq-production-australia.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/47df2a603322d7817911d6452b39ecbfabf042f3/original/1633667266/d10fd4ab8e1c99d5265d991daaf6fddc_Draft_Munga-ThirriSimpson_Desert_National_Park_Management_Plan.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4KKNQAKIOR7VAOP4%2F20230703%2Fap-southeast-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20230703T122836Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=9283ded6b6c2e3faec55922832d43753d474ac253c82810f4d1049ae9bb37588}}</ref>

The desert is underlain by the [[Great Artesian Basin]], one of the largest inland drainage areas in the world. Water from the basin rises to the surface at numerous natural springs, including [[Dalhousie Springs]], and at [[Water well|bores]] drilled along stock routes, or during [[petroleum]] exploration. As a result of exploitation by such bores, the flow of water to springs has been steadily decreasing in recent years. It is also part of the [[Lake Eyre basin]].

The Simpson Desert is an [[erg (landform)|erg]] that contains the world's longest parallel [[sand dunes]].<ref>Madigan, C.T. 1936. The Australian sand-ridge deserts. The Geographical Review 26(2):205-227.</ref> These north-south oriented dunes are static, held in position by vegetation. They vary in height from {{convert|3|m|abbr=on}} in the west to around {{convert|30|m|abbr=on}} on the eastern side. The largest dune, Nappanerica or Big Red, is {{convert|40|m|abbr=on}} in height.<ref>{{cite book |title=Deserts & Savannahs in Australia |author=Rachel Dixon |year=2018 |publisher=Redback Publishing |isbn=9781925630206 |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6LBVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23}}</ref>