Geomorphological Classification and Zonation of the Surface Karst Landforms of Bahariya-Farafra Region, Western Desert, Egypt

The Bahariya-Farafra territory lies within the Central Western Desert of Egypt. It is covered mainly by Late Cretaceous-Late Tertiary carbonate sequences punctuated with several stratigraphic (paleokarst) breaks and clastic intervals. The exposed carbonates exhibit an amazing surface karst landforms which together with other geologic heritages are well preserved in the present-day arid climate, elaborated in declaring two protected areas within this territory. The present work is an attempt to elaborate a karst map for the study area by distinguishing, classifying and digitally mapping the preserved world class karst landforms in a typical present day arid region. The detailed mapping was primarily carried out to provide a geomorphological inventory of the karst features within the various recognized zones of karst assemblage landforms, throw integration of the Digital Elevation Model and topographic sheets, remotely sensed data with various scales and high-resolution images of Google Earth and field verification and the aids of Arc GIS tools. Up to sixteen fields of various karst landforms are identified and mapped. The resultant GIS-based maps and database of the karst landforms represent the first complete high-resolution karst mapping in Egypt. The obtained results display the essential bases for the White Desert National Park and Al Wahat Al Bahariya Protected area management and inventory, their geological heritages and the possibility of Geopark identification