Salt desert patterns in Iran, satellite image. Curving sands forming patterns in the great salt desert of the Dasht-e Kavir in central northern Iran. Here, clays and sand soils have a high surface salt content owing to the concentration of minerals from high summer evaporation. Earth-observing satellites are useful for finding and monitoring natural resources like minerals. This image was acquired on 13 November 2008 by the Ikonos-2 commercial satellite.