| Black Desert | |
| Native Name: | الصحراء السوداء |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Settlement Type: | Desert |
| Pushpin Map: | Egypt |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Egypt |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Egypt |
| Length Km: | 30 |
| Elevation M: | 100 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
The Black Desert (Arabic: الصحراء السوداء, aṣ-Ṣaḥrāʾ as-sawdāʾ) is a region of volcano-shaped and widely spaced mounds, distributed along about in western Egypt between the White Desert in the south and the Bahariya Oasis in the north. Most of its mounds are capped by basalt sills, giving them the characteristic black color.[1]
The mounds of the Black Desert, up to 100 metres (328 feet) high, vary in size, composition, height, and shape as some are dark consisting of iron quartzite while others are more reddish as its surface rocks consist of iron sandstone. On the outskirts of the Black Desert are volcanic hills proving the eruption of dark volcanic dolerite, dating back to the Jurassic period 180 million years ago.[2]
Remains of shrubs, and fossilized woodlands have been found in the Black Desert indicating that plants once grew there.[3]
After discovering a large dinosaur skeleton on its borders, the Black Desert has been declared a natural reserve as of 2010.[4]