Stream Sediments Geochemical Exploration in Wadi El Reddah area, Northeastern Desert, Egypt

Abstract

<p>Wadi El Reddah representing a semi-closed basin, extends in the N-S direction. It has only one outlet at the northern tip while the wadi collects floodwater from internal tributaries along wall rocks. The present study discusses the relationship between geology and geochemistry data to detect anomalous radioactive locations. The geochemical maps show the mineralization areas with abnormal rare metal contents. This led to two uranium occurrences (GXXIII and GXXIV) at Gabal Gattar in the perthitic leucogranite. At Wadi El Reddah, high contents of pathfinder elements (REE, Y, Zn, Nb and As) were discovered at the southern and eastern boundaries. This may be attributed to the presence of alkali feldspar granite at Gabal Gattar at the upstream of Wadi El Reddah and also to the sharp contact between Gabal Gattar and Hammamat Sedimentary rocks. A strong positive correlation coefficient between Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sup>t</sup> and or Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> with Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, REE, U, Rb, and Th reflects their association with thematization processes.</p>