DESERT LANDFORMS AT THE KURKUR OASIS, EGYPT

ABSTRACT

The Libyan Desert of the Kurkur area, west of Aswan, was primarily modeled by running water in late Tertiary and early Pleistocene times, and has been subsequently remodeled by wind. Analysis of the desert landforms thus sculptured under semiarid to hyperarid conditions shows that drainage characteristics, slope forms, and surficial materials are distinctive from those commonly associated with humid environments. Areas of smooth slopes and limited relief are dominant, and stream dissection is limited, with very coarse texture a characteristic. Steep, parallel rectilinear mid-slopes offset by sharp, angular breaks in gradient provide a bimodal slope distribution in gentle and steep categories. Lag, talus, and water-transported scree essentially replace the concept of the soil mantle. Alluvial and colluvial deposits are extensive even though thin and rarely activated. This example from Kurkur suggests that systematic studies of landform differences between arid and humid environments are both possible and desirable.