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Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

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Journal of African Earth Sciences


journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jafrearsci

The geological heritage of the KurkureDungul area in southern Egypt


Emad S. Sallam a, Alena A. Ponedelnik b, Günter Tiess c, d, Natalia N. Yashalova e,
Dmitry A. Ruban b, c, *
a
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Farid Nada Street 15, Benha 13518, Egypt
b
Southern Federal University, 23-ja linija Street 43, Rostov-na-Donu, 344019, Russia
c
International Agency for Minerals Policy (MinPol GmbH), Dundlerinweg 120/1, A2753 Dreistetten, Austria
d
Faculty of Mining and Geology, VSB e Technical University of Ostrava, 70032 Ostrava, Czech Republic
e
Cherepovets State University, Sovetskiy Avenue 10, Cherepovets, Vologda Region, 162600, Russia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The inventory of the geological heritage of Egypt is important for its efficient conservation and usage for
Received 6 July 2017 the purposes of science, education, and tourism. The field investigations in the KurkureDungul area in
Received in revised form southern Egypt have permitted to identify several unique geological features. Their type, rank, relative
9 October 2017
abundance, and intrinsic diversity, as well as importance of the entire geological heritage of the study
Accepted 10 October 2017
area are investigated. Seven geological heritage types are distinguished, namely stratigraphical, sedi-
Available online 11 October 2017
mentary, palaeogeographical, mineralogical, structural, geomorphological, and economical types. The
rank of the features belonging to the listed types ranges from local to global, and the relative abundance
Keywords:
Geological heritage
and the intrinsic diversity range from low to high. The global rank is established for the sedimentary
Geopark type, which is determined by the wide distribution of palaeospring tufa deposits. The high relative
Geotourism abundance and intrinsic diversity are established for the geomorphological type. The entire geological
Oases heritage of the KurkureDungul area can be employed for diversification of the existing tourism programs
Tufa deposits offered at the tourist destination of Aswan, as well as for geotourism development. A geopark can be
Western desert created in the KurkureDungul area for the better exploitation of its geological heritage. The combined
Egypt development of geological and industrial tourism seems to be possible.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The geology of Egypt is characterized by significant diversity and


complexity, and its geological history reflects the almost entire
Geological heritage comprises objects of outstanding impor- Earth's evolution (Said, 1962; Issawi, 2002, 2005; Tawadros et al.,
tance, which represent precious information about the Earth's 2006; Issawi et al., 2009; Tawadros, 2011). This evidence indicates
composition, structure, and evolution. The relevant research has on the potential richness of the geological heritage of this country.
been intense during two past decades (Wimbledon et al., 1998; The first information provided by Abdel Maksoud and Hussien
Ruban, 2010; Henriques et al., 2011; Wimbledon and Smith- (2016), Plyusnina et al. (2016), and Sallam and Ruban (2017) sup-
Meyer, 2012; Gray, 2013; Prosser, 2013; Brilha, 2016; Necheş, ports this proposition. However, the only tiny little amount of the
2016; Mikhailenko et al., 2017), although it has tended to concen- Egyptian geological heritage objects has been previously consid-
trate in Europe, Southeast Asia. The knowledge of the geological ered. Moreover, the earlier studies were focused chiefly on the
heritage of the majority of the African countries remains very northern and eastern parts of the country. The present paper aims
restricted, and searching for the areas with the exceptional at description of the geological heritage of the KurkureDungul area
geological objects on this continent appears to be very urgent. in the southern part of Egypt (Fig. 1). The field investigations permit
the first comprehensive assessment of this heritage and the argu-
mentation for its big importance.
* Corresponding author. Southern Federal University, 23-ja linija Street 43,
Rostov-na-Donu, 344019, Russia.
E-mail addresses: emad.salam@fsc.bu.edu.eg (E.S. Sallam), alponedelnik@
2. Geographical and geological setting
yandex.ru (A.A. Ponedelnik), gtiess@minpol.com (G. Tiess), natalij2005@mail.ru
(N.N. Yashalova), ruban-d@mail.ru (D.A. Ruban). The KurkureDungul area is situated in southern Egypt (Fig. 1A).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2017.10.012
1464-343X/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
104 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

Fig. 1. Geographical (A) and geological (B) location of the KurkureDungul area (local geology after Issawi, 1968).

It comprises three oases, namely the Kurkur Oasis (Fig. 2A), the environments dominated, although marine transgressions also
Dungul Oasis (Fig. 2B), and the Dineigel Oasis, their vicinities, and took place (Guiraud et al., 2005). The most distinctive geological
the desert territory between the noted oases. Geographically, this feature of the KurkureDungul area is the existence of spectacular
area belongs to the southern part of the Western Desert. The Kurkur tufa deposits (Nicoll and Sallam, in press).
Oasis lies ~62 km to the southwest of Aswan. This is a small, un-
inhabited depression at the southern edge of Sinn El-Kaddab 3. Material and method
Plateau, which is made of PaleoceneeEocene chalk and chalky
limestones. Near the oasis, the plateau has an altitude of ~360 m, Field investigations have been undertaken to assess the
and it is mostly covered by large fragments of very rough blackened geological heritage of the KurkureDungul area (Fig. 1A). It should
to dark grey calcareous tufa (Nicoll and Sallam, in press). The be stressed that because of the co-occurrence of numerous (often
Dungul Oasis is considerably smaller. It lies ~60 km to the west of similar) unique features on a restricted territory, it is important to
the Kurkur Oasis in a topographically low area of Wadi Dungul. This concentrate on the geological heritage of the entire study area,
wadi cuts the main plateau and debouches its water in the vast although this heritage is represented by many sites (geosites) that
Nubian Plain. A broad spectrum of landforms is represented in the are also considered below. The geological heritage assessment of
KurkureDungul area (Elmagd et al., 2015). The oases formed the KurkureDungul area has been undertaken for the first time,
through a long time of deflation, especially where the limestone and, thus, it is based chiefly on the inventory (identification, field
packages are thin, cracked, and jointed or even dissected by faults description, and photographing) of the potential geosites. However,
hence prone to erosion. searching for these geosites required examination of the certain
The geological setting of southern Egypt and, particularly, the amount of the already published information, which was also
KurkureDungul area is relatively simple (Fig. 1B). The irregular necessary to the correct geological interpretation of the inventoried
surface of the Precambrian basement rocks gave a space for sedi- features. Many geological objects located in the study area were
ments to accumulate in several basins. The stratigraphic succession visited, and some of them are discussed in this paper as examples
of the KurkureDungul area has been well documented by Said (see below).
(1962), Issawi (1968, 1973), and many later workers (e.g., Van The approach of this study is as follows. First, the data collected
Houten et al., 1984; Ouda and Tantawy, 1996) (Fig. 3). The geolog- in the field are summarized and classified in order to establish all
ical setting of the Kurkur, Dungul, and Dineigel oases is more or less existing types of the geological heritage of the KurkureDungul
similar. The oldest rocks are of Precambrian age. The Paleozoic area. For this purpose, the classification of Ruban (2010) is used.
formations are represented by Devonian and Carboniferous pack- According to this classification, there are 21 types, namely strati-
ages. Widely distributed are the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene graphical, palaeontological, sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic,
sedimentary rocks. Some volcanics (chiefly basalts) cover the area mineralogical, economical, geochemical, seismic, structural,
to the west of the Nile River and stretch sporadically southwards. palaeogeographical, cosmogenic, geothermal, geocryological,
The Quaternary sediments form extensive sedimentary cover. geomorphological, hydrological and hydrogeological, engineering,
Issawi (1968) classified these sediments into conglomerate sheets, radiogeological, neotectonical, pedological, and geohistorical types.
tufa and travertine deposits, fresh water limestones, calcite de- The only very exceptional features are considered to emphasize on
posits, mudpans, and sand dunes. The structural pattern of the area the dominant geological heritage types. Second, the geological
is mostly controlled by faults, whereas folds are of secondary heritage ranks are established for these types by the spatial scale,
importance. Along the courses of the major faults, several basins on which the features are unique (Table 1). Third, the relative
and domes were developed. Although the KurkureDungul area abundance and the intrinsic diversity are evaluated qualitatively.
corresponds to the apparently stable cratonic domain, its geological The relative abundance is determined by the width of distribution
history was marked by some phases of deformations (Guiraud et al., of the given geological heritage type in the study area. The intrinsic
2005). During significant part of the Phanerozoic, terrestrial diversity shows the width of the spectrum of unique geological
E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115 105

Fig. 2. General views of the Kurkur Oasis (A) and the Dungul Oasis (B).
106 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

4. Results

A total of seven geological heritage types are established in the


KurkureDungul area, namely stratigraphical, sedimentary, palae-
ogeographical, mineralogical, structural, geomorphological, and
economical types (Table 2). The examples of the relevant geological
features are given below (in fact, the number of geosites is bigger
than the number of the given examples).
The stratigraphical type comprises geosites representing the
particular interval of the geological time and the rock relationships.
The Devonian Wadi Malik Formation (Fig. 3) is exposed at Gebel
Umm Shaghir (Fig. 4A). The noted formation is composed of con-
glomerates and cross-bedded sandstones with a total thickness of
~70 m. It overlies unconformably the basement rocks. This forma-
tion bears ichnofossils (Issawi and Jux, 1982). Facially, these are
tide-influenced deposits formed under high fluid conditions as bar-
top sheets (Issawi and Osman, 1993; Osman et al., 2003). Several
sections of the area demonstrate the major unconformities relevant
to the long-term hiatuses, especially at the basis of the Quaternary
(Fig. 4B and C; note the absence of Neogene deposits on Fig. 3).
The Devonian strata are not uncommon in Egypt, although their
distribution appears to be limited significantly in comparison to the
younger rocks (Said, 1962; Issawi, 2002; Issawi et al., 2009;
Tawadros, 2011). The unconformities are important for the deci-
phering of non-depositional episodes in the Earth's history (Miall,
2016), the global sequences, and the eustatic fluctuations (e.g.,
Zorina et al., 2008; Ruban et al., 2010, 2012). This evidence permits
to judge the rank of this geological heritage type as national. The
relative abundance and the intrinsic diversity are medium.
The sedimentary type includes two sorts of unique features. First,
these are palaeospring tufa carbonates that occur in the study area
in very diverse modes (Fig. 5AeE). For instance, tufa and travertine
deposits unconformably overlie the Dakhla Shale (Maastrichtian)
and the Kurkur Formation (PaleoceneeEarly Eocene) along the
foot-slope of the Sinn El-Kaddab Scarp. They form high hillocks or
mounds with stromatolitic layers. The color of tufa is grey to
whitish grey. These sediments are hard, partly porous, vesicular,
and brecciated. They include lithic fragments from the bedrock, as
well as very rare plant imprints. Travertines are light grey, dense-
crystalline, hard, and laminated with stromatolite-like texture.
Phytohermal tufa is also described (Fig. 5B). The sediment is dark
grey to blackish, hard, highly porous, and wavy laminated at the
base. It is rich in vertical plant casts and chaotic-order branch's
Fig. 3. Generalized stratigraphy of the KurkureDungul area (based on Issawi, 1968).
moulds at the top. It constitutes small hillocks or mounds atop the
thin-bedded limestone of the Kurkur and Garra formations
Table 1 (Paleogene). Many other types of tufa deposits are found (e.g.,
Classification of geological heritage ranks (based on Ruban, 2010). Nicoll and Sallam, in press). The tufa deposits of the Kurkur Oasis
Geological heritage rank Spatial scale of geological heritage uniqueness
indicate that ambient spring-fed streams formerly drained the
Eocene rocks of the Sinn El-Kaddab scarp and precipitated car-
Global Rare in the entire world
bonates as mounds, terraces, cascades, and pools (Butzer, 1964,
National Rare in the country
Regional Rare in the region (state, province, etc.) 1965; Issawi, 1968; Ahmed, 1996; Nicoll and Sallam, in press). The
Local Rare on the small territory Kurkur tufa deposits are very porous rocks with abundant fossil
Uniqueness means existence of exceptional object determined either by its ideal or, plant casts and molds (it should be noted that tufa carbonates are
in contrast, usual characteristics. found in the Dungul and Dineigel oases). They also preserve

Table 2
features attributed to the given type. Importantly, the both pa- Basic parameters of the geological heritage of the KurkureDungul area.
rameters are evaluated for the entire area on the basis of field ob-
Geological heritage type Rank Relative abundance Intrinsic diversity
servations. Fourth, the importance of the entire geological heritage
of the KurkureDungul area is evaluated. It should be underlined Stratigraphical National Medium Medium
Sedimentary Global Medium Medium
that the value of any geological object or territory depends on the
Palaeogeographical Regional Medium Medium
highest rank of the type(s), the number of types, and the coinci- Mineralogical Local Low Low
dence of the types (cf. Ruban, 2010, 2016). In this paper, the relative Structural Local Low Low
abundance and the intrinsic diversity are also considered as factors Geomorphological National High High
of the geological heritage value. Economical Regional Low Low
E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115 107

Fig. 4. Stratigraphical type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: A e the Devonian section (Wadi Malik Formation) at Gebel Umm Shaghir, B e unconformity
between the Dakhla Shale (Maastrichtian) and the Quaternary tufa at Gebel El-Digm, C e unconformity between the Paleogene limestones (Kurkur Formation, PaleoceneeEocene)
and the Quaternary tufa in the Dungul Oasis.
108 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

Fig. 5. Sedimentary type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: A e tufa carbonates on the isolated hills in the Kurkur Oasis, B e framework tufa phytoherm at
the Sinn El-Kaddab scarp, C e banded tufa sheets forming massive, densely crystalline spherical-shaped domes consisting of stromatolitic layers in the Kurkur Oasis, D e pillow-like
tufa at Gebel El-Digm, E e thin-banded tufa sheets, stromatolite facies with undulated to wavy laminar structure and cracked (Mashrabiya-like structure) in the Kurkur Oasis, F e
megaclasts on the carbonate talus slope of the Sinn El Kaddab Plateau in the Dineigel Oasis.

laminations of algae and microbes. The distribution of tufas seems Moreover, tufa outcrops dominate some parts of the Kur-
to be structurally controlled. These relict features were formed kureDungul area and even create the patterns that can be defined
during the episodes of greater effective moisture and enhanced as “tufa landscapes”. Rare places in the world can boast by the same
groundwater discharge. Spring emergence was linked likely to the representation of palaeospring tufa carbonates. As for the mega-
conditions of full saturation of the perched aquifers above the clast fields, their study is highly important for testing and further
Nubian Aquifer System. Apparently, these conditions were related development of the available classifications of large clasts (Blair and
to greater rainfall, continuous soil cover, and high soil activity McPherson, 1999, 2009; Blott and Pye, 2012; Terry and Goff, 2014;
induced by plants. These tufas most probably deposited in pal- Bruno and Ruban, 2017), although such fields are quite common in
ustrineefluvialebarrage environments (Keppel et al., 2011; Nicoll Egypt. This evidence implies global rank of the sedimentary type of
and Sallam, in press). The second unique feature is megaclast the geological heritage of the KurkureDungul area (first of all,
fields in the Dineigel Oasis (Fig. 5F). Megaclasts formed and accu- because of the exceptional record of palaeospring tufa deposits).
mulated as a result of denudation and retreat of the carbonate talus The relative abundance and the intrinsic diversity are medium.
slope. Among different subtypes of the palaeogeographical type
The tufa deposits are really rare and peculiar formations in the recognized by Bruno et al. (2014), two subtypes are found in the
geological record (Ford, 1989; Viles and Goudie, 1990; Capezzuoli study area. These are the facies and geoarchaeological subtypes. Of
et al., 2014), and their diversity on the study area is astonishing. great interest are the mound-shaped Quaternary mudpans south of
E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115 109

Fig. 6. Palaeogeographical type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: A e mound-shaped Quaternary mudpans (playa silt and clay) south of the Dineigel
Oasis, B e the ancient Tombs of Nobles (time of the OldeMiddle Kingdom) grooved in the sandstones of the Nubia Formation on the west bank of the Nile River at Aswan.
110 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

the Dineigel Oasis (Fig. 6A). These are locally named hetiyat (Issawi, properties), this type is of the only local rank, and the relative
1968), and they cover the topographically low areas in the Nubia abundance and the intrinsic diversity are low.
Plain. These features occur as mound-shaped landforms and consist The structural type is represented at Gebel Kalabsha by the well-
mainly of finely laminated silt and clay deposits. The Dungul playa, visible fault place associated with brecciation and calcite crystal
which is located 2.5 km south of the Dineigel scarp, is the largest growth (Fig. 8). This geosite explains the idea of faults, but its
and occupies ~100 km2. The thickness of these playa deposits is heritage value is very limited. The rank of this type is local, and the
~9 m, from which 5 m are exposed forming mounds, while the relative abundance and the intrinsic diversity are low. However,
lower 4 m interval is buried in the subsurface. The Dungul mudpan further search for geosites with faults is necessary. The almost total
or playa drains the scarp face of the Sinn El-Kaddab Plateau and the absence of vegetation cover in the study area makes fault planes
Nubia Plain in between Gebel El-Digm in the east and Wadi Dungul visible, so that the modern classifications of fault sets and in-
in the west. The geoarchaeological subtype is represented by the teractions (Peacock et al., 2016, 2017a,b) can be tested on the basis
ancient Tombs of Nobles (time of the OldeMiddle Kingdom) of such examples.
grooved (in the honeycomb mode) in the sandstones of the Nubia The geomorphological type comprises several important geosites
Formation on the western bank of the Nile River at Aswan City in the KurkureDungul area, the origin of which is related chiefly to
(Fig. 6B). From a geological point of view, they represent the large- the processes of weathering and denudation. The first feature is
scale geological activity of the man in the Past, i.e., the ancient Gebel Barq El-Sehab (Fig. 9A and B). This is a small isolated hillock
humanepalaeoenvironment interaction. What is especially ~10 km away from the main scarp of Sinn El-Kaddab. Initially, this
important is that this archaeological site contains adequately- was a part of the scarp. But it isolated later by differential weath-
preserved wall painting and reliefs, which depict hunting and ering, erosion, and denudation. The second feature is conical hills in
fishing scenes, i.e., the illustrations of the palaeolandscape. the Dungul Oasis (Fig. 9C). These hills are exposures of the Garra
Undoubtedly, the mudpans represent the highly-specific facies, Formation (Paleogene), and they were shaped by denudation pro-
and the Tombs of Nobles site sheds some light on the local late cesses. The conical hills are located on the surface of the plateau,
Holocene environment. However, such features seem to be excep- since the Garra Formation overlies the thick-bedded limestones of
tionally rare on the only regional scale, and, thus, the rank of the the Kurkur Formation (the both are Paleogene sedimentary pack-
palaeogeographical type is regional. The relative abundance and ages). These landforms are composed of soft rocks (mostly shales
the intrinsic diversity are medium. inter-bedded with hard limestone beds). They originated as a result
The mineralogical type is represented at Gebel Barq El-Sehab and of periods of extensive erosion and differential weathering by wind
Gebel Kalabsha by unusual calcite formations of different colours and/or water under humid conditions (Issawi, 1968). The third
(Fig. 7). These formations were developed apparently as a result of feature is, probably, the most interesting. It is the El-Madallat in-
calcite precipitation in vugs and cavities that are formed by frac- selbergs (Fig. 9E). The Nubia Plain extends from the River Nile in the
turing and karsitifcation of the Kurkur limestones (Paleogene). east to the Sinn El-Kaddab scarp. Along this scarped plain, several
Despite evident heritage value (also determined by the aesthetic parallel ridges and conical inselbergs of higher altitude (294 m in

Fig. 7. Mineralogical type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: AeD e calcite formations in the Kurkur limestones (Eocene) at Gebel Barq El-Sehab; calcite
precipitated in vugs and cavities formed by fracturing and karstification.
E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115 111

Undoubtedly, the both localities deserve attention because of


their geological heritage value determined by the specific features
of the deposits (see above) and the following industrial reasons.
Egypt is a significant producer of cement. According to the data of
USGS (2017), the annual production is 55 Mt, and the Egyptian
cement is exported to many countries of the Mediterranean and the
Middle East. Kaolin mining is also very important industry in Egypt
boasting by significant resources of this raw material (Abdel-
Khalek, 1999; Baioumy et al., 2012; Baioumy, 2014). The annual
production is 300 Kt (BGS, 2016), and Egypt is among 20 top pro-
ducers of kaolin in the world (USGS, 2017). However, the unique-
ness of the discussed localities is limited to southern Egypt (there
are 35 cement factories in the entire country (CemNet, 2017)
located chiefly in the central and northern parts of Egypt, and
kaolin is mined in three main areas of this country). On the basis of
the considerations presented above, the rank of the economical
type appears to be regional. The relative abundance and the
intrinsic diversity are low.
Taken together, the evidence from the KurkureDungul area
Fig. 8. Structural type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area:
EeW trending fault plane (arrow) with fault breccia and associate calcite crystals at (Table 2) implies the geological heritage of this area is valuable. The
Gebel Kalabsha. arguments for this statement are as follows. First, the highest rank
of the geological heritage types is global (the case of the sedi-
mentary type). Second, a triple of all known geological heritage
El-Madallat) appear as prominent features. These inselbergs are types (Ruban, 2010) is represented in the study area. Third, the
steep-sided small isolated residual hillocks formed of the hard ranks of some other types are as high as national (some types are
Carboniferous sandstones with minor clayey interbeds. The origin ranked local or regional), and the co-existence of such high-ranked
of these inselbergs may be linked to erosion and differential pieces of the geological heritage increases the value of the latter
weathering by water and/or wind variably affected the hard resis- (Ruban, 2010, 2016). Fourth, the unique geological features are
tant and soft beds. It should be stressed that inselbergs are always really abundant in the KurkureDungul area, and they demonstrate
judged very peculiar features by definition (e.g., Falconer, 1923; certain intrinsic diversity (Table 2). It should be added that the
Twidale, 1981; Twidale and Vidal Romani, 2005). The fourth investigated geological heritage is complex. Many geosites share
feature is ball-like formations (“concretions”) of basement rocks the features that can be attributed to two and more types.
(chiefly granites) to the south of Gebel Kalabsha (Fig. 9D). The origin
of such formations is likely due to physical weathering processes 5. Discussion
including exfoliation and onion-skin weathering.
All the above-mentioned features are regionally specific. How- The international importance of the geological heritage of the
ever, they are not too uncommon for the desert environments, Kurkur-Dungul area makes its suitable for the development of
which dominate the territory of Egypt and adjacent countries. This tourism, and, particularly, geotourism. It should be noted that
is why it is possible to define preliminary the rank of the geomor- despite of its “remote” location, the study area lies closely to the
phological type of the geological heritage of the KurkureDungul popular tourist destination centered in Aswan (Fig. 1A). First,
area as regional. However, both the relative abundance and the various tours and excursions are offered locally, and the noted
intrinsic diversity are high, and this fact implies that the rank of this Tombs of Nobles site is frequently visited by ordinary tourists and
type is higher, i.e., national. In other words, rare places in Egypt are specialists, included those involved in ongoing archaeological ex-
so unique with regard to the amount of specific landforms. cavations. Second, several tourism firms offer tours from Cairo to
The economical type is represented by two geosites, namely the Aswan (for instance, the Short Nile Vacation tour). Oneetwo days
Medcom-Aswan cement factory and the Kalabsha kaolin quarry. are reserved for stay and local excursions in Aswan, including visits
The former is located nearly at the midway between Aswan and to the various heritage objects of Ancient Egypt, the High Dam and
Abu Simbel (a historical site comprising Ramses II Temple) the Lake Nasser, the Botanical Garden on the Elephantine Island,
(Fig. 10A). This factory uses the white limestones of the Kurkur and etc. Such tours are combined, i.e., include travelling by jets, train,
Dungul formations (Paleogene) and the shales of the Dakhla For- and boat. Third, there are many collective accommodation facilities
mation (Maastrichtian) as raw materials for cement industry. The in Aswan City (>30 hotels). Evidently, each well-developed tourist
economic kaolin deposits occur in the form of broad lenses and destination needs further growth. In the case of Aswan, visiting the
beds ranging in thickness from few centimeters to more than 5 m. geological heritage objects in the KurkureDungul area (among the
These represent the major resource currently exploited for ce- other attractions) may significantly diversify the programs of tours
ramics, porcelain, refractories, and white cement industry in Egypt. and excursions making them more attractive to consumers. Such
Initially, it was evaluated as comprising ~17 Mt (Said and Mansour, combination appears to be especially sensible because some local
1971). The Kalabsha kaolin is white to earthy grey in color, hard, archaeological features are valuable also from the geological point
massive and compact (Fig. 10B). It possesses three varieties, namely of view (see above).
nodular, pisolitic flint, and plastic kaolin (Baioumy and Gilg, 2011). Geotourism is a new and rapidly-grown direction of the world
The kaolin embraces some sandstone beds of the Nubia Formation, tourism industry (Dowling, 2011; Hose, 2012; Ruban, 2015; Suzuki
so it is believed that the Kalabsha Kaolin is Late Cretaceous in age. and Takagi, 2017). The big importance of the geological heritage of
Although most authors suggested a pre-depositional lateritization the KurkureDungul area determines its geotourism value. Special
in the source region of the Kalabsha Kaolin (Germann et al., 1987; tours and excursions to this area can be organized on more or less
Szamalek et al., 1993), a post-depositional lateritization was pro- regular basis for occasional visitors, specialists in stratigraphy,
posed more recently by Youssef (1996). sedimentology, geomorphology, and some other Earth science
112 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

Fig. 9. Geomorphological type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: A, B e Barq El-Sehab, a small isolated hillock ~10 km away from the main scarp of Sinn
El-Kaddab, C e conical hills in the Dungul Oasis, D e ball-like formations ("concretions") of basement rocks (chiefly granites) to the south of Gebel Kalabsha, E e El-Madallat
inselbergs.

disciplines. As the local geological heritage includes some peculiar others, the appearance of such a tourism attraction (the possible
(e.g., conical inselbergs e Fig. 9D) or very typical features (e.g., name is “Tufa World e the First Egyptian Geopark”) may contribute
unconformities e Fig. 4B and C), visiting these by students and to the local socio-economic development (new jobs, additional
other beginners (including geology amateurs) may be essential for source of income, infrastructure-related projects, efficient local
their better education. Such visits are also a form of tourism ac- branding, etc.), as well as to the conservation of the local geological
tivity. Finally, the KurkureDungul area is well suitable for research, heritage together with the territorial cultural identity.
which is confirmed by the earlier studies (e.g., Butzer, 1964, 1965; The geological heritage of the study area includes the Medcom-
Ouda and Tantawy, 1996) and the recent investigations of the Aswan cement factory and the Kalabsha's kaolin quarry. In regard
Quaternary tufa deposits by Nicoll and Sallam (in press). Organi- to the above-mentioned importance of cement and kaolin pro-
zation of further research can be also done efficiently through duction in the economy of Egypt, the geological tourism can be
specific geotourism programs. combined with industrial tourism, including that based on the
Presently, the geological knowledge is delivered to tourists in mining heritage (Jonsen-Verbeke, 1999; Bran and Manea, 2012;
the best way via geopark creation (Eder, 2008; Farsani et al., 2014; Otgaar, 2012; Bujok et al., 2015; Lorca, 2016; Ryba r et al., 2016;

Lazzari and Aloia, 2014; Marlina, 2016; Strba et al., 2016; Ramsay, Predanocyova 
 and Zabenský, 2017; Yashalova et al., 2017). The
2017; Ruban, 2017). At the first glance, several premises for the both forms of tourism seem to be innovative for Egypt, and, thus,
geopark exist in the KurkureDungul area (Table 3). Besides the their combination may facilitate development of one another, as
E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115 113

Fig. 10. Economical type of the geological heritage of the of the KurkureDungul area: A e Medcom-Aswan cement factory, B e the Kalabsha kaolin quarry.
114 E.S. Sallam et al. / Journal of African Earth Sciences 137 (2018) 103e115

Table 3
Selected basic premises for geopark creation in the KurkureDungul area.

Premise Direct/Indirect Relative importance

International importance of geological heritage Direct þþþ


Number of geological heritage types Direct þþ
Abundance of geosites Direct þþþ
Intrinsic diversity of geological heritage Direct þ
Size of the area Indirect þþ
Presence of archaeological heritage Direct þþþ
Cultural peculiarities Indirect þ
Local tourism development Indirect þþþ
Popular tours along the Nile Indirect þþ
>30 accommodation facilities in Aswan Direct þþþ
Adequate infrastructure development Direct þþþ

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