The Black Desert ( ar, ‏الصحراء السوداء, ''aṣ-Ṣaḥrāʾ as-sawdāʾ'') is a region of volcano-shaped and widely spaced mounds, distributed along about in western

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

between the

White Desert Sahara el Beyda, the White Desert Protected Area, is a national park in Egypt, first established as a protected area in 2002. It is located in the Farafra depression, north of the town of Qsar El Farafra. Part of the park is in the Farafra Oas ...

in the south and the

Bahariya Oasis El-Wahat el-Bahariya or el-Bahariya ( ar, الواحات البحرية "''El-Wāḥāt El-Baḥrīya''", "the Northern Oases"); is a depression and a naturally rich oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is approximately 370 km away from ...

in the north. Most of its mounds are capped by basalt sills, giving them the characteristic black color.

Geology

The mounds of the ''Black Desert'', up to 100 metres (328 feet) high, vary in size, composition, height, and shape as some are dark consisting of iron

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

while others are more reddish as its surface rocks consist of iron sandstone. On the outskirts of the Black Desert are volcanic hills proving the eruption of dark volcanic

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...

, dating back to the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

period 180 million years ago.

Palaeobiology

Remains of shrubs, and fossilized woodlands have been found in the ''Black Desert'' indicating that plants once grew there.

Declaration of Natural Reserve

After discovering a large dinosaur skeleton on its borders, the ''Black Desert'' has been declared a natural reserve as of 2010.

References

{{Deserts National parks of Egypt Deserts of Egypt Protected areas established in 2010