Video of Sand Moving Like Water in Saudi Arabian Desert: Fact Check

Story:

Interesting Video of Sand Moving Like Water in Allen Alkhai Desert, Saudi Arabia

Other Versions

This is not water … This is Sand …Yes sand . It’s called Allen Alkhai desert.
Location : South of Saudi Arabian border

Fact Check:

An interesting video in circulation on social media sites alleges to show Sand Moving like Water in Allen Alkhai Desert, Saudi Arabia. It shows a man in suit carrying cylinder examining the said movement of sand. No, the claims are not true. What you see in the video is not sand movement as such and it is not any Allen Alkhai desert from Saudi Arabia.

Origin of Video Showing ‘Sand Moving Like Water’

In early May 2019, Facebook page All About Geography shared the unusual video in question suggesting it is not water, but sand movement in Allen Alkhai desert. The video post garnered hundreds and thousands of shares. Consequently, several Facebook users shared the video with the same uncommon description. The unusual footage also appeared on video sharing websites like YouTube, making it viral.

The video is real, but what you see is not sand moving like water in an Arabian desert. In early June 2011, eruption at Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain created havoc near and far. As a result, volcanic Ash and floating pumice stones filled in nearby lakes and rivers. What you see in the video is in fact Nahuel Huapi lakeshore in Bariloche, Argentina – filled with the volcanic ash. The man in suit is a diver inspecting the state of the water body near the Chilean border to find ways to clean up the mess.

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Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano has been dormant for decades. After the eruption, for many days it has been spewing clouds of ash more than six miles high. You can see pictures of the massive destruction in a related article on The Atlantic website theatlantic.com. In the video report below, you can see the Mayor of an Argentina town calling for emergency aid.

Another Video from Arabian Desert

For your information, another video (see below) popularly shared online shows a similar weird natural phenomenon.

The footage shows a river of ice water and hail stones flowing through the Arabian Desert Rub al Khali (meaning Empty Quarter) in mid-November 2015.

Hoax or Fact:

Hoax.