Synopsis of geo-environmental hazards in Hail region, Saudi Arabia using remote sensing

Hail desert in Saudi Arabia is subjected to a range of geo-environmental hazards due to its intrinsic physiographic and geologic nature. These hazards include: sand drift, flash floods, rock falls, problem soils, potential hazards from intra-plate lava flows of dormant volcanoes (harrat), and dust storms. Remote sensing and field investigation were used to identify and quantify the magnitude of these hazards. Hail is a growing urban and agricultural development region; however, some infrastructure have been constructed in vulnerable locations to geo-environmental hazards. Development plans should consider such hazards when executing sprawl and extension of public services.