article · Geosciences
This study establishes a detailed formation-scale lithostratigraphic subdivision of the Nubian Sandstone succession along the Quseir–Qift Road in Egypt's Eastern Desert. Previously, this area lacked fine-scale stratigraphic resolution. Researchers used 18 GPS-referenced field localities and created eight composite logs within a 1:25,000 mapping framework. The succession was divided, from base to top, into the Araba, Abu Thora, Abu Durba, Malha, Bahariya, and Taref formations, with specific thickness ranges identified for each. Formation boundaries were defined by consistent lithological shifts and traceable contacts. The observed rock characteristics primarily indicate ancient fluvial systems, with some tidal, shallow-water, or evaporitic influences. This framework enhances local stratigraphic understanding without introducing new formal units.
Understanding the detailed layering and composition of rock formations is crucial for various applications. This research provides a more precise geological map of the Nubian Sandstone, which can aid in identifying potential resources, understanding past environments, and guiding future geological surveys in the region.
This research provides fundamental geological mapping and stratigraphic resolution, which is essential for early-stage hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis. A more detailed understanding of rock formations and their thicknesses can help identify potential oil and gas traps or reservoirs. This foundational data would be used by geological survey organisations and exploration companies in the initial phases of resource assessment.
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The Nubian Sandstone succession exposed along the Quseir–Qift Road, Eastern Desert, Egypt, has commonly been treated as a broad sandstone-dominated interval, limiting local stratigraphic resolution. This study establishes a formation-scale lithostratigraphic subdivision of that succession. Field control comprises 18 Global Positioning System (GPS)-referenced localities—15 within the Quseir–Qift corridor and three comparison localities at Wadi Hammamat. Principal measured-section controls, contact localities, and lateral checks were organized into eight composite logs within a 1:25,000 mapping framework. From base to top, the succession comprises the Araba, Abu Thora, Abu Durba, Malha, Bahariya, and Taref formations, with recorded thicknesses of 77.5–84.5 m, 68–72 m, approximately 24 m, approximately 78 m, 37–60 m, and 7–37 m, respectively. Formation boundaries were distinguished from ordinary facies changes by persistent package-scale shifts in lithological association and vertical organization, reproducible stratigraphic position, and traceable contact or marker relationships where exposure allowed. Regional correlation was evaluated only after local differentiation. The observed facies associations are consistent mainly with fluvial systems, with local tidal or shallow-water influence in Araba and Abu Thora and a restricted evaporitic setting in Abu Durba. Because no independent local biostratigraphic or geochronologic ages were obtained, formation ages remain regional, correlation-based assignments and may be diachronous. The framework improves local stratigraphic resolution without proposing new formal units or a definitive regional solution for the Nubian Sandstone.
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DOI: 10.3390/geosciences16090348
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