The modern Nile sediment system: Processes and products

Garzanti, Eduardo; Andó, Sergio; Padoan, Marta; Vezzoli, Giovanni; Kammar, Ahmed El

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.07.011

Cited by 160 publications

(118 citation statements)

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“…However, Red Sea Hills derived sediment has not been considered as an end-member in modelling of the Sr and Nd isotope composition of sediments in the Nile delta cone (Krom et al 2002;Revel et al 2014). Although construction of the Aswan High Dam has clearly affected the trunk Nile sediment flux downstream, comparison of petrographic data from samples collected prior to and subsequent to construction of the dam indicates that sediment composition is minimally affected (Garzanti et al 2015). Iizuka et al (2013) presented coupled U-Pb, Lu-Hf and O-isotope data for detrital zircons from a sample of modern Nile sand taken 'Near Cairo City'.…”

Section: The Provenance Signal Of Modern Nile River Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The analyses presented below are intended to provide data for regions that are not adequately covered by published datasets, summarized by Garzanti et al (2015).…”

Section: Petrography and Heavy Mineral Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Desert, to the west of the present-day Nile trunk, is thought by Issawi & McCauley (1992) to have once contributed detritus to the main Nile trunk, and aeolian contribution occurs today (Garzanti et al 2015). The Western Desert comprises reworked preNeoproterozoic crust of the Saharan Metacraton (Abdelsalam et al 2002), and overlying Phanerozoic sedimentary successions.…”

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A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

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Najman

Millar

et al. 2016

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This research uses analyses from Nile catchment rivers, wadis, dunes and bedrocks to constrain the geological history of NE Africa and document influences on the composition of sediment reaching the Nile delta. Our data show evolution of the North African crust, highlighting phases in the development of the Arabian-Nubian Shield and amalgamation of Gondwana in Neoproterozoic times. The Saharan Metacraton and Congo Craton in Uganda have a common history of crustal growth, with new crust formation at 3.0 -3.5 Ga, and crustal melting at c. 2.7 Ga. The Hammamat Formation of the ArabianNubian Shield is locally derived and has a maximum depositional age of 635 Ma. By contrast, Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks are derived from more distant sources. The fine-grained (mud) bulk signature of the modern Nile is dominated by input from the Ethiopian Highlands, transported by the Blue Nile and Atbara rivers. Detrital zircons in the Nile trunk are predominantly derived from Phanerozoic cover rocks. Most detritus from the upstream White Nile is trapped in the Sudd marshes and contributes little to the Nile trunk. Therefore, the White Nile downstream is dominated by locally derived Phanerozoic cover. The White Nile proximal to the Gezira Fan is influenced by the fan's Blue Nile signature.

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Section: The Provenance Signal Of Modern Nile River Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The analyses presented below are intended to provide data for regions that are not adequately covered by published datasets, summarized by Garzanti et al (2015).…”

Section: Petrography and Heavy Mineral Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

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et al. 2016

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“…Its drainage basin is about 3 × 10 6 km 2 (Garzanti et al, 2015) and extends from the equator to ca. 30 • N (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Nile sediments mainly reflect the intensity of rainfall in the headwaters; this intensity has direct control on weathering, erosion, and transport of sediments (Krom et al, 2002;Revel et al, 2010;Box et al, 2011;Garzanti et al, 2015). The present-day summer floods of the Nile are linked to a northward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the African rain belt (ARB; Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A distal 140 kyr sediment record of Nile discharge and East African monsoon variability

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Clay mineral assemblages in a sediment core from the distal Nile discharge plume off Israel have been used to reconstruct the late Quaternary Nile sediment discharge into the eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS). The record spans the last ca. 140 kyr. Smectite abundances indicate the influence of the Blue Nile and the Atbara River that have their headwaters in the volcanic rocks of the Ethiopian Highlands. Kaolinite abundances indicate the influence of wadis, which contribute periodically to the suspension load of the Nile.Due to the geographical position, the climate and the sedimentary framework of the EMS is controlled by two climate systems. The long-term climate regime was governed by the African monsoon that caused major African humid periods (AHPs) with enhanced sediment discharge at 132 to < 126 (AHP 5), 116 to 99 (AHP4), and 89 to 77 ka (AHP3). They lasted much longer than the formation of the related sapropel layers S5 (> 2 kyr), S4 (3.5 kyr), and S3 (5 kyr). During the last glacial period (Marine Isotope Stages (MISs) 4-2), the long-term changes in the monsoonal system were superimposed by millennial-scale changes in an intensified midlatitude glacial system. This climate regime caused short but pronounced drought periods in the Nile catchment, which are linked to Heinrich events and alternate with more humid interstadials.The clay mineral record further implies that feedback mechanisms between vegetation cover and sediment discharge of the Nile are detectable but of minor importance for the sedimentary record in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea during the investigated African humid periods.

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Partitioning sediment flux by provenance and tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan

et al. 2017

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We critically evaluate the potential and limitations of an alternative way to calculate erosion rates based on petrographic and mineralogical fingerprints of fluvial sediments coupled with gauged sediment fluxes. Our approach allows us to apportion sediment loads to different lithological units, and consequently to discriminate erosion rates in different tectonic domains within each catchment. Our provenance data on modern Taiwanese sands indicate focused erosion in the Backbone Range and Tananao Complex of the retrowedge. Lower rates are inferred for the northern part of the island characterized by tectonic extension and for the western foothills in the prowedge. The principal factor of uncertainty affecting our estimates is the inevitably inaccurate evaluation of total sediment load, because only the suspended flux was measured. Another is the assumption that suspended load and bed load are derived from the same sources in fixed proportions. Additional errors are caused by the insufficiently precise definition of lithologically similar compositional end‐members and by the temporal variability of sediment composition at the outlet of each catchment related to the spatial variability of erosional processes and triggering agents such as earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides. To evaluate the robustness of our findings, we applied a morphometric technique based on the stream‐power model. The results obtained are broadly consistent, with local discrepancies ascribed to poorly constrained assumptions and choices of scaling parameters. Our local erosion estimates are consistent with GPS uplift rates measured on a decadal timescale and generally higher than basin‐wide results inferred from cosmogenic‐nuclide and thermochronology data.

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The modern Nile sediment system: Processes and products

Cited by 160 publications

References 147 publications

A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

A distal 140 kyr sediment record of Nile discharge and East African monsoon variability

Partitioning sediment flux by provenance and tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan

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The modern Nile sediment system: Processes and products

Cited by 160 publications

References 147 publications

A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

A detrital record of the Nile River and its catchment

A distal 140 kyr sediment record of Nile discharge and East African monsoon variability

Partitioning sediment flux by provenance and tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan

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A distal 140 kyr sediment record of Nile discharge and East African monsoon variability