Geoheritage meaning of past humidity in the central Western Desert of Egypt

Abstract

The central part of the Western Desert of Egypt, where the Bahariya and Farafra oases are situated, possesses many notable geological features. However, to date the related geoheritage information remains incomplete. Field investigation has permitted the characterization of ten localities representing Quaternary environments, which were rather humid and, thus, differed from the present hyper-arid conditions. Lacustrine-palustrine calcretes and dolocretes, lake (playa) deposits, fluvial tufa and travertines, speleothems (cavern deposits), and aeolian nebkha facies are among the features of these localities. Tentatively, a geosite with a new form is proposed for the studied entity of the localities, namely a serial geosite; this term signifies geosites embracing localities representing the same geological phenomenon, but scattered in the study area. The managerial implications of this study are recommendations for careful planning based on the geosite descriptions.