Crystals
Like stone flowers.
Viktor Lazić — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nearodney — Public domain · Viktor Lazić — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Viktor Lazić — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Viktor Lazić — CC BY-SA 4.0
Crystal Mountain is a small ridge within the White Desert in Egypt's Western Desert, between the Bahariya Oasis and the Farafra Depression, about 88 km southwest of Bawiti and 81 km northeast of Farafra in a straight line. It is a small arch made mainly of baryte and calcite crystals embedded in eroded chalky limestone. The crystals form in a similar way to «desert roses». Many websites wrongly describe them as quartz, but studies show their hardness is closer to baryte and calcite. Masses of clear and white glittering crystals stick out of the rocky slopes, clustered like stone flowers, with a small rock arch and pointed sand-coloured hills among them. The crystals sparkle under the strong desert sun. White Desert tours usually stop at Crystal Mountain for a few minutes, and visitors walk among the rocks and photograph the crystals. Please do not take or break the crystals, to protect them. Some governments advise caution for travel in the Western Desert, so check current travel advice before the trip.
Like stone flowers.
Small.
Pointed.
Between Bahariya Oasis and Farafra, Egypt
No, closer to baryte and calcite.
About half an hour.