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Ghard Abu Moharik Sand Sea

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Landscapes and Landforms of Egypt

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

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Abstract

Ghard Abu Moharik (GAM) is an unusual linear sand sea in the Western Desert of Egypt; it extends about 800 km from its proximal head northeast of Bahariya Oasis to the Egypt–Sudan border. Its width varies from 50 km at latitude 22° 15′ to 12.5 km at latitude 29°. GAM comprises three geomorphic divisions: the northern section, the central section, and the southern section. Despite the variance in dune density, the northern and middle sections comprise mainly linear dunes, whereas the southern section in Kharga Depression and the southern Plain contain mostly barchans. Mega-ripples and barchans and barchanoids with north to northwest facing slip faces characterize the central section. GAM is composed mainly of medium-to-fine quartz sands (2–3 Ø). Analysis of mineral composition indicated that the sands of the central section passed fewer cycles than those of the southern section. The texture of the grain surface exhibit effects of mechanical and chemical processes in recent and in ancient environments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Nabil Sayed Embabi

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  1. Nabil Sayed Embabi
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Correspondence to Nabil Sayed Embabi .

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Embabi, N.S. (2018). Ghard Abu Moharik Sand Sea . In: Landscapes and Landforms of Egypt. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65661-8_14

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