Relict and Palimpsest Depositional Patterns on the Nile Shelf Recorded by Molluscan Faunas

Stanley, Daniel Jean; Bernasconi, Maria Pia

doi:10.2307/3515283

Cited by 11 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Type III sediments, however, contain the lowest proportion of iron stains: 0-2%. Most of the observed stained molluscan shells belong to infralittoral molluscan faunas, which normally are restricted to shallow environments, as recorded earlier by Stanley and Bernasconi (1998), on the Nile delta shelf. These observed molluscan species are interpreted by Stanley and Bernasconi (1998) as relict markers of former low sea level stands of lowest Pleistocene-to-Holocene age.…”

Section: Discrimination Between Sediment Typessupporting

confidence: 54%

“…Most of the observed stained molluscan shells belong to infralittoral molluscan faunas, which normally are restricted to shallow environments, as recorded earlier by Stanley and Bernasconi (1998), on the Nile delta shelf. These observed molluscan species are interpreted by Stanley and Bernasconi (1998) as relict markers of former low sea level stands of lowest Pleistocene-to-Holocene age. As a result of mixing processes by waves and currents, some of these stained fossil components are also recorded in the defined type I and III sediments.…”

Section: Discrimination Between Sediment Typessupporting

confidence: 54%

“…According to Stoffers et al (1980), these modern pellets are composed of aragonite, which have not been derived from the pseudo-oolitic coastal limestone as previously reported by El Sayed (1974). The sand fraction of these shelf sediments contains a mixture of whole and fragments of relict and modern littoral shells (Stanley and Bernasconi 1998;Frihy et al 2004). According to Stanley and Bernasconi (1998) such relict sediments contain marked infralittoral molluscan faunas normally living at depths of <25 m and are considered relict markers of former low sea level stands of late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene age ($16,000-9,000 years BP).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sand fraction of these shelf sediments contains a mixture of whole and fragments of relict and modern littoral shells (Stanley and Bernasconi 1998;Frihy et al 2004). According to Stanley and Bernasconi (1998) such relict sediments contain marked infralittoral molluscan faunas normally living at depths of <25 m and are considered relict markers of former low sea level stands of late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene age ($16,000-9,000 years BP). This phenomenon has also been noted in marine settings of other worldwide continental margins (Macintyre et al 1978;Wilson 1988).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Shelf Sediments of Alexandria Region, Egypt: Explorations and Evaluation of Offshore Sand Sources for Beach Nourishment and Transport Dispersion

Frihy¹,

Sayed

Deabes³

et al. 2010

Marine Georesources & Geotechnology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Textural and compositional characteristics of beach and bottom sediments collected from the beach-continental shelf of Alexandria region on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt were examined to search for quality nourishment borrow material, and to initially assess its compatibility with the existing native beaches. Sediment characteristics and carbonate content combined with analyses of coastal processes (waves and currents) and seabed morphology are also explored to interpret sediment transport pathways. Three sediment types composed of carbonate material are identified on the Alexandria shelf based on their texture and compositional characteristics. These are: Late Holocene to modern fine to medium sand (average Mz ¼ 0.23 mm; mm; range of 0.063-0.4 mm), a relict late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene shelly coarser material, coarse to very coarse sand (average Mz ¼ 0.7 mm; range of 0.41-3.3 mm), and relict mud to very fine sand (average Mz ¼ < 0.051 mm; < 0.063 mm). Textural and compositional evaluations indicate that the coarse-grained relict sand (54 km 2 ) is locally found just seaward of the Alexandria Metropolitan area between water depths of $10 and 70 m; corresponds to 1 to 10 km distance from the coastline, and could be used as a nourishment and borrow material for eroded beaches of Alexandria that have experienced prolonged sediment deficiency combined with anthropogenic influences. Compatibility analysis indicates that the characteristics of the defined borrow material and those of the native beach are generally compatible with each other. With respect to the quality standards, the borrow material is similar to and slightly coarser than the native beach sand and also matches the same range of sorting (0.25-2.37 Ø) and carbonate content (8.0 to 99.9%); therefore it is compatible to use as a sand source for beach nourishment. Moreover, estimated overfill factor (R A ) implies that eroded beaches would maintain a stable state following the sand-filling operation with a re-nourishment factor (R j ) of 0.39.Our observations indicate that shelf sediments, both relict and modern, are displaced northeasterly in the alongshore and offshore directions by the N and NW wave-induced currents in conjunction with the counter-clockwise geostrophic East Mediterranean current. These sediments are reworked and deposited as mixed carbonate and biogenic sands on the irregular rocky seafloor of the submerged ridges that characterize the inner shelf and are considered as the major source of sediment in the study region.

show abstract

Section: Discrimination Between Sediment Typessupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Discrimination Between Sediment Typessupporting

confidence: 54%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Shelf Sediments of Alexandria Region, Egypt: Explorations and Evaluation of Offshore Sand Sources for Beach Nourishment and Transport Dispersion

Frihy¹,

Sayed

Deabes³

et al. 2010

Marine Georesources & Geotechnology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shell was collected from the 0.5-to 2.0-mm and the more-than-2.0-mm fractions. Paleoecological information was determined on the basis of identified molluscan species as has been previously achieved at other Nile Delta settings, both offshore (BERNAS-CONI and STANLEY, 1997;STANLEY and BERNASCONI, 1998) and on the lower delta plain (BERNASCONI, MELIS, and STAN-LEY, 2006;BERNASCONI and STANLEY, 1994;BERNASCONI, STANLEY, and DI GERONIMO, 1991). Benthic foraminifera and ostracods from cores in this area were also recorded and prepared for environmental interpretation as in earlier studies (PUGLIESE and STANLEY, 1991;SNEH et al, 1986).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pelusium, an Ancient Port Fortress on Egypt's Nile Delta Coast: Its Evolving Environmental Setting from Foundation to Demise

Stanley¹,

Bernasconi

Jorstad³

2008

Journal of Coastal Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effects of shoreline and bedrock irregularities on the morphodynamics of the Alexandria coast littoral cell, Egypt

Frihy¹,

Iskander²,

Badr³

2004

Geo-Mar Lett

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Relict and Palimpsest Depositional Patterns on the Nile Shelf Recorded by Molluscan Faunas

Cited by 11 publications

References 20 publications

Shelf Sediments of Alexandria Region, Egypt: Explorations and Evaluation of Offshore Sand Sources for Beach Nourishment and Transport Dispersion

Shelf Sediments of Alexandria Region, Egypt: Explorations and Evaluation of Offshore Sand Sources for Beach Nourishment and Transport Dispersion

Pelusium, an Ancient Port Fortress on Egypt's Nile Delta Coast: Its Evolving Environmental Setting from Foundation to Demise

Effects of shoreline and bedrock irregularities on the morphodynamics of the Alexandria coast littoral cell, Egypt

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About