Geology of Egypt DR - Fathe
Geology of Egypt DR - Fathe
Geology of Egypt DR - Fathe
Geology of Egypt
By Prof.Dr.F.A.El-Nozahy
Location
Egypt forms the northeastern corner of Africa It lies between longitudes:25and37E.,a nd latitudes:22and32N. It bounded by Mediterranean sea to the north, red sea to the east, Sudan to the south and LIBYA
Area
1milion Square Kilometers (it covers about(1/30)of the continent Africa. Length 1037km. width about 1226km.
Climate
1.Type of belt: A part of the great desert belt. 2.Temperature:T ranges from 50c in daytime in summer to few degrees above 0C at night in winter 3.Rainfall: The average rate of rainfall 1cm/s, the rate of rainfall about 20 cm/s at coast
Humidity
The northern coast is damper in summer than in winter, In upper Egypt the weather became warmer while the humidity diminishes.
Wind
Wind
The prevailing wind currents
Khamasin winds
N to S
NW- SE
North of Cairo; characterized by rainy mild winter, and dry hot summer.
South of Cairo; characterized by typical desert climate (rarely rainy winter, warm days and cold nights and dry summer hot days and mild nights.
Zone
Geomorphology
Eygpt is geographically divided into four main different regions, each having its own pecular features:
Geomorphology
1.Cultivated land
2.Western desert
3.Eastern desert
4.Sinai peninsula
Cultivated land
Covering an area of about 35,000km2 (3.5 % of the Egyptian surface ). the cultivated land are covered by mantel of transported loose material (the present bed of the river). the lower part of this mantel is made of unknown thickness of irregular under-ground water bearing layer of sand and gravels
1.Cultivated land
The Delta
The Fayoum
1- The Delta
-Area is about 22,000km2(2.2%) -It lies about 20km NW of Cairo where the Nile valley opens into a triangular alluvial fan. -only about half of the delta is cultivated.
1- The Delta
Area is about 22,000km2or form 2.2%of the Egyptian surface. it lies about 20km NW of Cairo where the Nile valley opens into a triangular alluvial fan. only about half of the delta is cultivated.
The Fayoum
A wide deep depression at the NE rim of the western desert, distant about 60 km S of Cairo. F.D is connected to the Nile valley by a narrow opening near Beni-suef through, which runs Bahr Youssef carrying Nile water and alluvium. To the NW of the depression lies Birket Qarun(45km below sea level) over an area of about200km. F.D is bounded from north by cliff of Eocene rock.
II.WESTREN DESERT
Covering an area of about 681,000km2(68.1%of the Egyptian surface).It is one of most arid region in the globe. W.D is a typical plateau desert composed of a number of wide flat bre desolate noninhabitable rocky plateau,with great-enclosed oasis and depression. The great,extensive desert plateau include three plateaus:
II.WESTREN DESERT
iii.
Eastern desert
* covering an area of about 223.000km2(22.3%of the Egyptian surface). * extends eastward from the Nile valley to the red sea * composed of backbone of the true mountain ranges flanked by sed.plateau * The mountain series dissected by steep ravines and dry valleys which drain either to the Nile or to the Red sea.
western desert
plateau nature
eastern desert
Mountaneous
wadis
rare wide and directed to med northerly and to the nile in east.
iv.Sinai peninsula
iv.Sinai peninsula
Triangular in shape, covering an are of about 61.000km2 or 6% of the egyptian surface. The base stretching along the Mediterranean coast from port said to Rafh, the Apex ending by Ras Mohammed between the two gulfs of Suez and Aqaba. The southern part my be regarded s the prolongation of the red sea backbone of the estern desert. The Northern portion is geologically similar to the neighboring asiatic region. Sinai peninsula is divided topographically into three main geomorphologic units:
2. Central plateau
A vast plateau of cretaceous chalk and Eocene l.s. composed of southern Egma plateau and El-Tih plateau(1620ms.)decreasing in height to the North. This plateau is dissected by wades either to the Mediterranean (W. El-Arish) or to the Gulfs (wades Sudr&Raha )
3. Northern heights
Represented by some parallel domal or anticline mountain ranges as a result of folding with NE-SW axes.
iv.Sinai peninsula
Red sea islands and coral coral reefs Red sea hve a numerous scattered islands near its coastal areas which, devoid of vegetation ,natural water resources and uninhabitable ,examples as sant jones, wade el gemal,gefatin , shedwan , jubal island... ...ect. Few of them are composed mainly of igneous rocks which oppose navigation as in brothers island.