The desert environment is full of life that has adapted to the region.
The desert is one of the harshest environments on the planet; however, life is surprisingly adaptable to the desert. Human civilization sprang forth from desert regions and thrives still today in desert regions around the world. People learned to adapt by using tools in this environment.
Digging in the desert is an essential part of survival. This is often done to find water and other resources, or for archaeological exploration. Special tools must be used to dig in the hard desert surface.
Miner's Pick
The miner's pick is used to break through hard rocks and dense surface material. In many desert environments, the ground is so hard due to lack of water and vegetation. The pick can be swung downward with force to break open the hard desert surface, as well as slice through the rocky terrain found in most deserts.
Entrenchment Tool
An entrenchment tool, or E-Tool as it is commonly referred to in the U.S. military, is used to dig in many environments, including the desert. This tool is a folding shovel with a pointed end and a serrated edge along one side. It can be used to dig holes for any purpose and is extremely tough, able to break through most rock and hard surfaces. The serrated edge can be used to cut plants and desert wood for timber to make traps, tools or firewood. One of the benefits of an E-tool is it can be folded up and carried easily in a case mounted on a backpack.
Water
Water is scarce in the desert, but if you have a water source you can use it to soften the ground to help enable digging. Water makes the ground soft and moist and, in most desert environments, water can greatly reduce the amount of energy you'll use digging.
Hand Trowels
The hand trowel is a small hand-held, spade-shaped shovel. This is commonly found in many households and used for gardening; however, it is used widely in the desert, typically on archaeological digs or excavations. The hand trowel enables the user to dig precisely around smaller objects. This can be especially useful when removing smaller amounts of dirt away from objects you don't want to damage, or for digging small holes in the earth.
Skimming Shovels
A skimming shovel is unique to desert digging, particularly in archaeological excavation and mining. The skimming shovel and its close relative the "chip shovel" are used as a sifting device to skim off surface dirt and around areas of interest. The shovel is either round or square shaped and is lined with wire mesh. This enables sandy desert material to fall through the mesh, while holding larger objects of interest.
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