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Saudi Arabia's Waba Crater Recognized Among World's Top 100 Geological Landmarks

The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) announced the selection and nomination of the Waba Crater as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world for 2024. (SPA)
The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) announced the selection and nomination of the Waba Crater as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world for 2024. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia's Waba Crater Recognized Among World's Top 100 Geological Landmarks

The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) announced the selection and nomination of the Waba Crater as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world for 2024. (SPA)
The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) announced the selection and nomination of the Waba Crater as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world for 2024. (SPA)

The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) announced on Wednesday the selection and nomination of the Waba Crater as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world for 2024.

This distinction was bestowed by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Also known as the Tamiya Quarry, or scientifically as the Al-Mar Volcano, the crater is located in Hurrat Khishb, about 270 km northeast of Jeddah,

SGS official spokesperson Tariq Abaalkhail said the selection came after an evaluation by a committee of 89 global experts, where the crater was chosen from among 174 nominated sites submitted by 64 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United States, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, China, Iceland, Egypt, and Finland, among others.

The Waba Crater is considered one of the largest and most magnificent volcanic craters in the world and one of the largest dry Al-Mar volcanoes globally, Abaalkhail added.

It is part of a monogenetic volcanic field that includes 175 small volcanoes, with ages ranging from 2 million to a few hundred thousand years, covering an area of approximately 6,000 square kilometers.

The crater itself was formed about 1.1 million years ago, with a depth of around 250 meters and a diameter of 2.3 kilometers, which is about three times the average diameter of other volcanoes, he explained. It also contains a saline basin or shallow lake formed due to the accumulation of rainwater.

The Waba Crater, along with the other selected geological sites worldwide, is an inspiring destination that contributes to the promotion of geological tourism and the development of geological sciences, providing unique opportunities to disseminate knowledge in the field of earth sciences, he remarked.

 

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Scientist Bottles Smell of Bones to Help Solve Cold Cases

Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Scientist Bottles Smell of Bones to Help Solve Cold Cases

Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Belgian research scientist Clement Martin, who works with Belgium's federal police to create a "perfume" that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains, looks at human bones in his laboratory in Gembloux, Belgium January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

A Belgian research scientist is working with the federal police to create a scent that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains.

Clement Martin has already isolated the smell of decomposing human flesh and that is now used to train Belgium's cadaver dogs.

But once the soft tissue has disappeared, the scent molecules of the remaining bones become significantly fewer, scientific researcher Martin told Reuters.

"Bones smell different over the years too. A 3-year-old bone will smell different to a 10-year-old one and even 20 years," he said.

Skeletal remains are porous too and absorb smells from the surrounding environment, from the soil to pine trees.

"In the situation of cold cases, there was a gap. Our dogs were not able to find dried bones," Kris Cardoen, head of federal police dog training, told Reuters.

At a police training centre outside Brussels, inspector Kristof Van Langenhove and his springer spaniel Bones demonstrated part of the training with Martin's corpse scent.

Cardoen hid some tissues between cinder blocks and only contaminated a few. The dog then barked when he found the smell.

"The scent of death is one of the three tools we use during the basic training of our human remains dog," Cardoen said.

Cadaver dogs require 1,000 hours of training and the country only ever has four at any one time.

Martin is using different samples of dried bones to develop the smell, including those of an unidentified man found in a suitcase, which are kept in a glass cylinder to allow the molecules to permeate an enclosed space ready for extraction.

"It's a bit like a perfumer developing his perfume, he's going to mix different aromas," Martin said.