The geography and geology of south-eastern EgyptBall, John
Science
The geography and geology of south-eastern Egypt
Ball, John
Geology -- Egypt; Physical geography -- Egypt
The sea is visible to the north-east and east, but the sea horizon
was obscured during the three days I spent on the summit by banks of
clouds. These cloud banks simulated the sea horizon very closely,
their upper surface appearing perfectly horizontal. They caused
a peculiar phenomenon at sunrise, producing the optical effect of
two suns rising one after the other owing to the refraction through
the cloud. The first thing seen was a blood-red image of the sun
rising over the true sea horizon, which was only thus discovered,
the sun being seen through the cloud; about three minutes later,
when a little more than half the blood-red disc had risen, the true
sun rays flashed out from another and much brighter segment appearing
over the top of the cloud, so that parts of two sun disks were seen
at once, quite separately, one over the other.
Before descending from the mountain, I went along the ridge south-east
and north-west of the highest point to get plane-table stations; in
either direction progress along the top is extremely difficult. To the
north-west it appeared as though the way would be easier by keeping
on the east side of the ridge, but in reality this was not so, as the
slope was so steep and smooth that some stretches could only be got
over by wriggling along with as much as possible of one’s body in
contact with the rock. The descent from the north-west end of the
ridge to camp was difficult and rather dangerous in places. It is
possible that a better way up the mountain could be found from the
pass at the head of Wadi Hangalia, on the opposite side to where I
started; that pass is 120 metres higher than the west one, so that
the total climb would be lessened by that amount, and the horizontal
distance is about the same.
=Gebel Hafafit= is a very long range, chiefly of gneiss, running in
a nearly straight line south-eastward for over thirty kilometres. Its
highest peaks are at its north end, where they are not very much lower
than those of Gebel Nugrus; the heights decrease gradually further
south. Half way down the range is a very conspicuous peak called
=Um Moghar=, 860 metres above sea, while another well marked summit,
the only one which I climbed, exists near the south end and rises to
744 metres. This last-named point is marked by a beacon, in latitude
24° 35′ 32″, longitude 34° 45′ 22″. On either side of the
main back-bone of Hafafit are high flanking ridges. The drainage of
Hafafit practically all flows seaward by the Wadi Gemal; the west
faces are drained by Wadi Hafafit, and the east ones by Wadi Nugrus.
East of the south part of Gebel Hafafit are some remarkable bosses
of granite, of which the chief, Gebel Abu Had, rises to 633 metres
above sea, and is a landmark for Bir Abu Had. Another remarkable hill,
closer in to Hafafit and the Wadi Gemal, is shaped like a bell with a
handle on the top; this hill, which forms a good landmark, is called
=Gebel Um Regeba=, and its summit is 571 metres above the sea.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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