STUDIES ON DEPOSITION MODE OF SOME SOILS IN THE WESTERN NILE DELTA, EGYPT

Abstract

: This study aims to discrimination between the nature of the depositional media and different mechanisms or processes, deposition environments as well as hydrodynamic conditions for some soils of the western Nile Delta, Egypt. Soils of western Nile Delta have two main physiographic units namely, the river terraces that differ in their ages and the complex unit of Wadi El-Natrun. Results of the average median size (Md) for the studied soils showed that, these soils have generally coarse and very coarse sand. Results of their mean size (Mz)indicated that, the coarse sand > medium sand > fine sand. Their sorting values (σ 1 ) are between poorly and very poorly sorted except soils belong to windblown sand that have moderately well and moderately sorted. Values of skewness (SK I ) tend to be positive to very positive skewed, which have a tail of fine grains. The predominant kurtosis (KG) classes recorded are the lepto and very leptokurtic. Depositional regime tends to be fluvial (deltaic) environments, while hydrodynamic conditions showed mechanism of rolling and suspension transportation.