arid zone in the interior of Western Australia. The desert lies south of the Tropic of Capricorn between the Great Sandy Desert (north), the Great Victoria Desert (south), the Northern Territory border (east), and Lake Disappointment (west). The area now constitutes Gibson Desert Nature Reserve, and is a home to many desert animals. A vast, dry region of sandhills and Triodia desert grass, it was penetrated in 1874 by Ernest Giles and was first crossed by him in 1876. It was named for Alfred Gibson, a member of Giles's expedition, who was lost while searching for water.