The GEOLOGICAL EVOLUTION of the RIVER NILE

The GEOLOGICAL EVOLUTION of the RIVER NILE

The GEOLOGICAL EVOLUTION of the RIVER NILE RUSHDI SAID Senior Research Scientist Institute of Earth and Man Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Senior Research Scientist Conoco Oil Company With Appendix C by Felix P. Bentz and Judson B. Hughes Santa Fe Minerals Inc., Dallas, Texas With 73 Illustrations Springer-Verlag New York Heidelberg Berlin

Rushdi Said Senior Research Scientist Institute of Earth and Man Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas 75275 Cover illustration: The Nile at Memphis. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Said, Rushdi. The geological evolution of the River Nile. Bibliography: p. 137 Includes index. 1. Geology-Nile Valley. 2. Paleogeography-Nile Valley. I. Title. QE328.S297 551.48'30962 81-5806 1981 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1981 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any form without written permission from Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010, U.S.A. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc. in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. 987654321 ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-5843-8 001: 10.1007/978-1-4612-5841-4 e-isbn-13: 978-1-4612-5841-4

Preface This 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 desiccating 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 August 1981 Rushdi Said

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 Combined 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 Heinzelin, 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. Armanious. I am also grateful to Dr. M. K. Ayouti, the General Manager of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, for his help in providing data and samples of the deep boreholes of the delta and for his encouragement to bring this manuscript to publication. Dr. Fouad Y. Michael, Atlantic Richfield Oil Co., Dallas, Texas, drew my attention to many papers that were of pertinence to this work. Dr. Felix P. Bentz and Judson B. Hughes, Santa Fe Minerals Inc., Dallas, Texas, graciously accepted to write Appendix C of this book which gives support, by the use of seismic data, to the theory here advanced on the origin of the valley of the Nile. Due acknowledgment is made to Santa Fe Minerals Inc. and its partners Bow Valley Exploration Ltd., Central Energy Development Co.. and Citco International Petroleum Co. for permission to publish many of the seismic sections across the Nile in the area they held for oil exploration work in Egypt. The preparation of this work for publication was made while the author occupied the position of senior research scientist, Institute of Earth and Man, Southern Methodist University. I am deeply indebted to Professor James E. Brooks, Provost of the University, for his continued help and encouragement. lowe a special word of thanks to Mr. Coy H. Squyres, President, Conoco Oil Co., Egypt, for his continued interest and support; not only was he generous with his time in countless discussion sessions, but also with the facilities of Conoco which greatly helped in the preparation of this book. Due acknowledgment is given to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Roland Press, Academic Press, University of Chicago Press and Southern Methodist University Press for permission to publish some figures.

Contents CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 1-1 The Nile Basin 4 1-2 Previous Literature 8 CHAPTER II THE NILE IN EGYPT 12 II-I The Eonile (Tmu) 13 11-2 The Eonile/Paleonile Interval (Tmu/Tplu) 17 Ori~~~N~G~ 11-3 The Paleonile (Tplu) 24 Surface Exposures 29 The Paleonile Deltaic Deposits 36 Possible Sources of the Paleonile 38 11-4 The Paleonile/Protonile Interval (Tplu/Q]) 40 The Armant Formation 40 The lssawia Formation 46 11-5 The Protonile (Qd 46 11-6 The Prenile (Q2) 51 11-7 The Prenile/Neonile Interval (Q2/Q3) 58 11-8 The Neonile (Q3) 61 The Basal N eonile Deposits 62 The Older Neonile Deposits 69 The Younger N eonile Deposits 73 The Modern Nile 80 W CHAPTER III GEOLOGICAL HISTORY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS 93 III-I The Middle Miocene (Tmm) 97

viii CONTENTS 111-2 The Late Miocene (Tmu) III-3 The Early Pliocene (Tpll) III-4 The Late Pliocene (Tplu) III-5 The Pleistocene (Q) The Early Pleistocene (Ql) The Middle Pleistocene (Q2) The Late Pleistocene (Q3) 98 100 101 102 102 104 104 APPENDIX A Tables of Boundaries of Rock and Time-Rock Units in Deep and Shallow Boreholes and in Measured Surface Sections 109 APPENDIX B Alphabetical List of Formational Names 120 APPENDIX C New Reflection Seismic Evidence of a Late Miocene Nile Canyon by Felix P. Bentz and Judson B. Hughes 131 REFERENCES 139 INDEX 147