Sedimentological development of the upper pliocene- pleistocene sediments in the areas of el salamony and el sawamha sharq, North East Sohag , Egypt.

Abstract

The Upper Pliocene- pleistocene Nile sediments cropping out in the areas around El Salamony and El Sawamha Sharq constitute two terraces including five facies ; flood plain , talus and lacustrine facies in the upper terrace skirting the Eocene scrap and fluviatile (channels and flood plain) facies in the lower terrace near the cultivated land. Distribution and facies changes exhibited by these sediments, in this particular area , proved that the early stage of sedimentation started with the accumulation of flood plain fine siliciclastics in the local bays during the Late Pliocene. In the second stage ( Early Pleistocene), the easterly trending structurally- controlled wadis were active , thus leading to deposition of great coarse terrigenous sediments in area facing these wadis (El Salamony model). On the peripheries , these discharged coarse elastics in-terfingered with talus facies . In areas between these wadis the coarse terrigenous material intermixed with lacustrine carbonates (El Sawamha Sharq model). In this third stage (Middle Pleistocene) the local bays opened to the south and were invaded by a new river which drained from the south . This led to the accumulation of channel sandstone facies . Later on, in the fourth stage ( Late Pleistocene) a new river caused the deposition of fine siliciclastics of the flood plain facies into the submerged areas.