Pliocene facies and fossil contents of Qaret El-Muluk formation at Wadi El-Natrun depression, Western Desert, Egypt

El‐Shahat, Adam; Ayyad, Salah N.; Abdalla, Mohamed A.

doi:10.1007/bf02537380

Cited by 31 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Geological and hydrogeological studies have been conducted in the area west of the Nile Delta by many investigators (Shata et al 1962;Shata and El-Fayoumi 1967;El-Hinnawi and Atwa 1973;Sanad 1973;Bishay 1977;GPC 1978;Abdel-Baki 1983;Abu Zeid 1984;Khalifa and Abu Zeid 1984;Fekry 1993;Gomaa 1995;Awad et al 1997;El-Awady et al 1997;El-Shahat et al 1997;Gaame 2005). The study area is covered by Quaternary alluvial deposits as well as Pliocene sediments (Fig.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatio-temporal characterization of the Pliocene aquifer conditions in Wadi El-Natrun area, Egypt

Masoud

Atwia

2010

Environ Earth Sci

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Wadi El-Natrun area has recently undergone extensive urban and agricultural expansion. Due to the absence of natural surface irrigation supplies, the only source of water in the area is the Pliocene groundwater aquifer. As a result, secondary salinization from increased abstractions is the major threat to the groundwater aquifer. There is a dire need for efficient strategies to ensure longterm sustainability of the area's productive agriculture. These strategies should be based on scientific spatiotemporal monitoring and analysis of the groundwater conditions that is also lacking. To capture the spatiotemporal variability in groundwater conditions, field measurements of total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH, temperature, and water level as well as lab-based ionic composition were performed on 47 groundwater samples collected during 2006 and 2007. Determinations of the hydrochemical characteristics, water types, salt assemblages, and the sodium adsorption ratio were carried out on the samples. Reference data sets recorded in 1973 and 1997 were available for the area and were used to monitor the changes occurred in these periods. Geographic information system (GIS) was appraised for mapping and for integrated analysis of the different layers. Remotely sensed change detection techniques were applied to the Landsat TM and the ETM ? imageries and used to highlight the extensive reclamation and urbanization and to find key trends for the alterations in the groundwater conditions and their spatial association with land covers. Results revealed a topographic depression-induced flow pattern, predominance of leaching and dissolution processes, the presence of saline lakes, over-pumping from the Pliocene aquifer, and temporal changes in land uses are the main factors combined to control the spatio-temporal variability in the groundwater. Results also clarified the presence of two: northwestern and southeastern zones that varied distinctively in their hydrodynamic and hydrochemical characteristics. The northwestern zone showed an average water level decline of 15 m, the water of which is brackish (av. 2,037 mg/l) with dominant Na ? , Cl -and SO 4 2-ions. The groundwater of this zone is characterized by high to very high salinity hazard and high to very high alkali hazard and is not recommended for irrigation on soils with poor drainage and without proper management for salinity control. The southeastern zone showed water level decline less than 2 m, the water of which is fresh (av. 424 mg/l) with major Na ? , HCO 3 -, Cl -, and SO 4 2-ions, and quality suitable for irrigation with medium to high salinity and low to medium alkali hazards. The article represents the first step towards an integrated management of Wadi El-Natrun groundwater resources within a GIS framework.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatio-temporal characterization of the Pliocene aquifer conditions in Wadi El-Natrun area, Egypt

Masoud

Atwia

2010

Environ Earth Sci

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“…Wadi EL-Natrun area, the Pliocene dominated by shallow marine and brackish water deposits which overlain by Nilotic sands and gravel (Pleistocene) and underlain by a thick sandy section belonging to unconformable to lower Miocene Moghar Formation [19] .…”

Section: Pliocenementioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution to the Eco-Palynological Studies of Wadi El Natron, Egypt

Mf¹

2020

IJPBP

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Palynological study of three soil profiles has been carried out from the Wadi El-Natrun area, Western Desert of Egypt for their pollen content dating Late Pliocene to present. Results revealed predominance of Mangroves vegetation Avicennia marina during Late Pliocene, and, Early Pleistocene. A warm humid climate with intermittent dry periods is indicated from the Late Pliocene recorded fossils. Fossil remains of Juncus and Salsola pollen types. Lycopodium spores, Pinus and Concentricystes spores were recorded during Late Pliocene and Holocene, Early Pleistocene which suggest a humid and warm climate at this period. The climate was warm arid alternating with warm humid and sometimes cool-temperate rainy periods as indicated by the presence of grasess (Poaceae) and (conifer, Pinus). Swamp elements, Typha and phragmites pollen types were recorded with high percentage indicating a swampy habitat during Holocene period. The present vegetation cover of the studied area represented by 27 species belonging to 12 families, 4 annuals and 23 perennial plants and a few individuals of Acacia, Tamarix type the most dominant shrubs, followed by associate types e.g halophytes Salsola, Zygophyllum, Cornulaca and few of annuals Senecio and Sonchus which represent mesophytic species, while the differences in vegetation of present and old may due to the environmental and climatic changes. In the present, the rising salinity and high nutrient loading due to human activities has allowed for the growth of the halophytic community. So, Palynological investigations may be used to detect the effects of climatic changes on terrestrial plant vegetation and as additional tool to predict the past climatic changes.

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Looking for problems: A systems approach to hominin palaeocommunities from Plio‐Pleistocene Africa

Winder

2010

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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This paper evaluates the potential contribution(s) of faunal analysis to hominin palaeoecology at regional and continental scales, through an explicit investigation of the values, methods and conceptual frameworks of palaeoanthropology and their compatibility with real data structures. It employs a problem-framing method developed in policy-relevant science to establish a suitable research design for 'large scale' faunal analysis, before testing the method in a pilot study of 48 faunal assemblages from the African Plio-Pleistocene. Hitherto, taphonomic bias has discouraged attempts to study faunal assemblages on large spatiotemporal scales, and most scientists have restricted their work to the smaller (site or local) scale and/or a subset of the total fauna. Furthermore, palaeoanthropological studies of fauna tend to address pre-determined questions through analysis of statistical outputs (patterns), rather than investigating the limitations and potential of the data through exploratory work. This paper, despite identifying a number of inherent constraints on palaeocommunity analysis at the large scale-including a clear tendency towards the segregation of faunal assemblages along taphonomic and geographic lines-successfully defines palaeocommunities and identifies systematic variation in their distribution in several regional datasets and at the continental scale. It suggests that the potential viability of faunal analyses for a given project could be made empirically testable, and further work on the lines defined here might provide insight into the impacts of taphonomy and ecology at the large scale. Although there are conceptual and methodological problems associated with large-scale faunal analyses, this paper suggests that they could provide some insight into hominin environments, evolutionary ecology and biogeography as part of a holistic, multi-scale approach to our lineages' history.

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Pliocene facies and fossil contents of Qaret El-Muluk formation at Wadi El-Natrun depression, Western Desert, Egypt

Cited by 31 publications

References 12 publications

Spatio-temporal characterization of the Pliocene aquifer conditions in Wadi El-Natrun area, Egypt

Spatio-temporal characterization of the Pliocene aquifer conditions in Wadi El-Natrun area, Egypt

Contribution to the Eco-Palynological Studies of Wadi El Natron, Egypt

Looking for problems: A systems approach to hominin palaeocommunities from Plio‐Pleistocene Africa

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