This is an image of sand and rock, but not just any rock: it's selenite, a type of gypsum crystal that crystallizes out of water when it evaporates. This occurs in arid climates like Qatar, where the conditions are perfect for creating these crystals. The image shows large protruding layers of selenite rocks against a sandy background. The rocks have flat and irregular surfaces. They are white or light-colored with brownish spots along their edges. The surface beneath them is yellow-brown sand. On closer inspection, we can see that the rock layers are made up of many small, thin crystals that have grown together to form larger, more solid structures. These crystals are likely formed through a process called evaporation crystallization, where minerals in water-rich soil or rocks precipitate out as the water evaporates. The image was taken on February 7, 2014, at Jebel Al-Nakhsh in south-western Qatar. The photographer has captured the selenite rock layers from an aerial perspective, giving us a sense of their size and scale relative to the surrounding sand dunes. – AI vision | 
