Facies evolution and depositional model of an arid microtidal coast: example from the coastal plain at the mouth of Wadi Al-Hamd, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

IntroductionClastic coastal depositional systems (deltas, estuaries, lagoons, strandplains, and tidal flats) are dynamically very complex and show considerable overlap (Anthony et al., 1996). Their development and evolution commonly involve the interplay between patterns of fluvial sediment supply, coastal processes, and changes in climate and sea level (

The lithofacies organization of fluvial channel deposits: A meta-analysis of modern rivers

“…In some of the examples, the massive structure of channel sands is inferred to be due to bioturbation, taking place on exposed river beds during prolonged dry intervals (e.g., Sridhar et al, 2013;Ghandour et al, 2016). Differences in the proportions of massive and horizontally bedded sands seen across rivers in dryland and wetter climates and across rivers in ephemeral to intermittent and perennial rivers mirror differences seen between low-sinuosity rivers and rivers with meandering and braided planform styles.…”

Mid-Late Holocene Paleoenvironmental and Sea Level Reconstruction on the Al Lith Red Sea Coast, Saudi Arabia

“…Most of these studies have been performed on deep sediment records (Arz et al, 2003(Arz et al, , 2006Biton et al, 2008;Rohling et al, 2008;Edelman-Furstenberg et al, 2009;Trommer et al, 2010Trommer et al, , 2011. However, numerous studies have been carried out along the Red Sea coast (Moustafa et al, 2000;Hein et al, 2011;Bantan, 2013, 2015;Basaham et al, 2014;Ghandour et al, 2016;Al-Zubieri et al, 2017;Nabhan and Yang, 2018;Pavlopoulos et al, 2018;Bantan et al, 2019Bantan et al, , 2020. Most of these latter studies dealt with past environmental changes based on micropaleontology (Abu-Zied and Bantan, 2013Bantan, , 2015Pavlopoulos et al, 2018;Bantan et al, 2019), and coral reefs (Moustafa et al, 2000;Manaa et al, 2016).…”

Beachrock as a Paleoshoreline Indicator: Example from Wadi Al-Hamd, South Al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia

“…From an aerial view, the clastic-dominated coast of Wadi Al-Hamd is linear to slightly arched, projecting itself seaward at the mouth of the wadi. It is an asymmetric lobate delta, flanked to the north by a narrow strandplain with a relatively steep foreshore profile and a wide, low gradient intertidal flat to the south, separated by a low relief beach ridge [5,34]. Sabkhas and coastal sand dunes occupy the flood plain, while the channel is barred seaward by a low relief beach ridge with back-barrier swale separating the channel from the sea.…”

“…Sabkhas and coastal sand dunes occupy the flood plain, while the channel is barred seaward by a low relief beach ridge with back-barrier swale separating the channel from the sea. The strandplain to the north contains a series of sand bars and a runnel system running parallel to slightly slanted to the shoreline [5]. A fringing reef and mangrove tickets occur to the north and away from the influence of wadi sedimentation.…”

“…Several proxies have been utilized worldwide to infer Holocene climate and sea level changes. These proxies include shoreline shifts and subsequent vertical variations in sedimentary facies [4][5][6][7], temporal variations of microfossils [8,9], beachrocks, marine notches and raised coral reefs [10][11][12][13][14]. Recent descriptions of coastal sedimentology of the tropics and warm temperate zones render beachrocks as potentially useful indicators of sea level and climatic changes and former paleoshoreline positions [13,15,16].…”