The Geological Evolution of the River NileThis book gives the geological history of the river Nile since it started to excavate its course in the Egyptian plateaus in late Miocene time in response to the lowering sea level of the desic cating Mediterranean. It formed a canyon longer, deeper, and just as awe inspiring as the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The canyon was transgressed by the advancing Mediterranean as it started filling during the early Pliocene, and since then by a number of rivers which ebbed and flowed as they succeeded one another. The modern Nile is a recent and humble successor to mighty rivers which once occupied the Nile Valley. Dallas, Texas Rushdi Said August 1981 Acknowledgments This book is based on field work carried out in Egypt during the seasons 1961-1978 while the author was a member of the Com bined Prehistoric Expedition sponsored by Southern Methodist University, the Polish Academy of Science, and the Geological Survey of Egypt. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Professor Fred Wendorf, leader of the Expedition, and to several members for their fruitful discussions. Notable among these arepr. Claude Albritton, Southern Methodist University, and Dr. J. De Heinze lin, University of Ghent, Belgium. The field work was aided by geologists M. S. Abdel Ghany and A. Zaghloul of the Geological Survey of Egypt. The drafting was by Reed Ellis and Hoda S. Ar manious. I am also grateful to Dr. M. K. |
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Abbassia Acheulian aggradational aggradational silts Armant Armant formation Aswan basin beds Butzer and Hansen Cairo channel clay climate conglomerate Dandara Deir el-Fakhuri depth Dishna early Pliocene Eastern Desert Egyptian elevation Eocene Eonile canyon episode Faiyum fauna Figure fine-grained flood plain FORMATION Late Pleistocene Fossils and age Gebel Geol geological gravel Heinzelin 1968 Holocene Idfu interval Issawia Kafr el-Sheikh Kom Ombo Korosko Lake late Miocene layers limestone Lithology Lithology The formation lower marine marl Masmas-Ballana ments mineral Mit Ghamr modern Nile Neonile Nile Delta Nile Valley North Delta embayment Nubia Ombo Paleolithic Paleonile sediments pebbles Pliocene pluvial Prenile sediments Protonile Qawasim Qena Qena sands recessional river Rosetta Sahaba Sahaba-Darau Sandford and Arkell sandstone sea level sedi sediments silts slope Stratigraphic limits Overlies Sudanese Nubia surface tectonic terraces thick tion Tplu Type section unconformably Upper Egypt Wadi Abu Wadi Aras Wadi el-Assiuti Wadi el-Surai Wendorf and Schild