Page 63 - Super Earth Encyclopedia

WIND-CARVED

SCULPTURE

WHITE DESERT

In the bone-dry wastes of the Farafra Depression in
North Africa, the landscape is dotted with unearthly
rock sculptures. They were originally created in a wet
climate more than 12,000 years ago, when naturally
acid rainwater dissolved the surrounding limestone.
As the region turned to desert, dry sand whipped
into the air by the wind attacked the rock. Since the
sand grains are too heavy to be lifted high off the
ground, they attack only the lower parts of the rocks.
As a result, many of them have been scoured into
mushroom shapes that look as if they have sprouted
overnight from the dry terrain.

AT A GLANCE
• LOCATION Western Desert, Egypt,
North Africa
• AREA 116 sq miles (300 sq km)
• LANDFORM Limestone karst
• FORMATION Water erosion in the past,

followed by wind erosion

STATS AND FACTS

DESERT BED WIND EROSION
Rocks that have
been eroded by Fossil sea shells The wind erosion
show that the
has occurred since
sand carried on limestone rock the region became
the wind, such was formed on an a desert about FORMIDABLE FORMATIONS
as those in the ancient seabed. 7,000 years ago.
White Desert, are
called ventifacts. TEMPERATURE Summer temperatures can
They are nearly reach as high as 116°F (47°C).
always found in
desert terrain. °C 10 20 30 40 50
°F 50 68 86 104 122

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