White Desert, Egypt
Egypt’s White Desert is truly awe-inspiring. And the experience isn’t lost on the kids. Bizarre white chalk formations and inselberg monoliths, the result of thousands of years of mechanical weathering, will soon have them shouting, ‘Hey mom, look over there!’ Mushrooms, camels and fields of marshmallows are but a few of the rock-sculpted shapes on show. Crystal mountain, an outcropping made entirely of quartz crystal, can’t help but get them wondering, ‘How did this lone mountain get here?’ Seashell fossils and black iron pyrite litter the ground and will keep the kids talking long after the setting sun turns nature’s hand first orange and then pink. Yet before you make the trek to this unique Western Desert destination, take note. It takes more than a day to fully explore this 300 square kilometer protectorate. What's more, a 4x4 vehicle and professional guide are a necessity for all off-road desert safaris.
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Mechanical Weathering
The curious landforms found in Egypt's White Desert are nature's answer to modern art. Here, limestone has been sculpted by thousands of years of mechanical weathering, as the process of breaking down rock is known. Limestone, like all rock, expands when heated by the hot desert sun and contracts each night as the temperature cools. Overtime, expansion and contraction make limestone weak and pieces of rock break away. One day weathering will break the White Desert rocks into such small pieces that the odd shapes we see today will all but disappear. |
