Field Trip to

Ras Gharib
(2022)
 Prepared By:

Metwally Hamza Metwally

Under Supervision of:
Prof. Dr. Refaat Osman
Professor of Stratigraphy

Prof. Dr. Gamal El-Qot

Professor of Paleontology

Prof. Dr. Emad Sallam

Professor of Sedimentary Petrology
 Acknowledgement

I’m so glad to thank the optimum professors who taught us

the principles of field geology, especially the stratigraphy, by
heart, without any arrogance or forgetting, and thank you for the
care you provided us, while staying in the hotel of housing during
the period of the field trip, in Ras Gharib, even during field studies
in most of the mountains of Ras Gharib City (Egypt), where rocks
expose. Much thanks to; Prof. Dr. Refaat Osman (professor of
stratigraphy), Prof. Dr. Gamal El-Qot (professor of paleontology),
and Prof. Dr. Emad Sallam (professor of sedimentary petrology)
for doing their best to teach us how to be an excellent geologist.

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Map of Ras Gharib

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Chapter 1

Paleozoic
Outcrops
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Naqus Formation:
- Age: Late Ordovician – Early Silurian.
- Author: Hassan (1967) and Said (1971).
- Location: Near to Wadi Hawashia.
- Thickness: 30 – 50 m.
- Limits: This Formation unconformably overlies the Araba Formation, in the
Gulf of Suez province.
- Lithology: Snow white, medium- to coarse-grained, and fairly sandstones.
- Economic Impact: The Naqus Formation with its snow-white sandstone has
been considered as a suitable quarry for white sands for different industries.

Fig.1: A photo showing the Naqus Formation, near to Wadi Hawashia.

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Rod El Hamal Formation:
- Age: Early – Late Carboniferous.
- Author: Abdallah and Adindani (1963).
- Location: At New Galala Road.
- Lithology:
1) Sandstone. 2) Crinoidal Limestone. 3) Shale.
- Lithological Units:
• Member 1: 70 m sandstones and shales, and sandstones may be quarzitic in
some places.
• Member 2: 60 m crinoidal limestones, marl, marly limestone, dolomitic
limestone, which contains Spirifer sp. within it.
• Member 3: 70 m shale, sandstone, and limestone.
• Member 4: 45 m marls, sandstones, and fossiliferous limestone, which
contains Productus lineatus.
• Member 5: 112 m sandstone and shale with minor limestone interbeds.
- Mode of Deposition: Shallow marine, low tide, inner neritic environment.

Fig.2: A photo showing the outcrop of the junction of Wadi Rod El Hamal with Wadi
Araba, where the Rod El Hamal Formation exposed.

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Aheimer Formation:
- Age: Late Carboniferous – Early Permian.
- Author: Abdallah and Adindani (1963).
- Location: At Wadi Aheimer, West Coast of Gulf of Suez, about 10 km
southeast of Ain Sukhna.
- Thickness: 250 m.
- Facies: Marine.
- Fossil Content: Crinoids.
- Lithology:
1) Sandstones. 2) Bands of carbonate (limestone).
- Lithological Units:
• Lower Member: The Aheimer Formation consists mainly of three
members; the lower member is mainly consisted of 35 – 45 m thick
sandstones, shales, and silts. The rocks are slightly calcareous, rich in
crinoids, and corals.
• Middle Member: it’s consisted mainly of 40 – 50 m of thick yellowish
brown sandy limestones, which is highly rich in Spirifers sp., in addition to
Crinoids.
• Upper Member: it’s consisted mainly of 90 – 110 m thick yellowish grey,
thick-bedded, fine- to medium-grained sandstones.
- Field Characteristics:
1) Basaltic dyke occurs within the section.
2) There are some Quaternary deposits, in addition to some gravels.

Fig.3: A photo showing the Aheimer Formation, in Gebel Bir Aheimer, West Gulf of Suez.
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Qiseib Formation:
- Age: Permo-Triassic.
- Author: Abdallah and Adindani (1963).
- Location: Overlying the Aheimer Formation along both coasts of the Gulf of
Suez, exactly at Wadi Araba.
- Thickness: 52 m.
- Lithology: Varicolored sandstones with minor red shales and dolostones.
- Limits: This Formation is unconformably overlain by Jurassic and Cretaceous
deposits.
- Fossil Content: This Formation, exactly at its middle member, contains
badly preserved bivalves.
- Lithological Units:
• Lower Member: Brown to yellow, 32 m, thick sandstones.
• Middle Member: Yellow, 10 m, thick hard dolostones, with green
calcareous shale.
• Upper Member: Reddish-brown, nonfossiliferous, 10 m, thin-bedded
sandstones.
- Geological Impact: This Formation is considered as a transition one between
Paleozoic and Mesozoic.
- Mode of Deposition: It had been deposited under terrestrial conditions.

Fig.4: A photo showing the exposure of the Qiseib Formation, and the yellowish green
layer appeared in the upper part of the photo is a paleosol.

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Chapter 2

Mesozoic
Outcrops
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Jurassic Sediments (Rieina and Ras El-Abd Formations):
- Age: Middle Jurassic.
- Facies: Marine.
- Location: Gebel Ras El-Abd (28o 10’ N – 32o 39’ E).
- Fossil Content: Rhynchonella.
- Stratigraphic Relations:
1) 75 m of shale, marl, ferruginous cross bedded sandstone, which is
considered as a highly gypseous and fossiliferous… is equivalent with
Mashabba Formation of Gebel El-Maghara Facies.
2) Lower Rhynchonella bed… is equivalent with Rajabia Formation of Gebel
El-Maghara Facies.
3) 10 m ferruginous sandstone… is equivalent with Shusha Formation of
Gebel El-Maghara Facies.
4) Upper Rhynchonella bed… is equivalent with Bir – Maghara Formation
of Gebel El-Maghara Facies.
5) 45 m multicolored sandy and calcareous marl… is equivalent with Safa
Formation of Gebel El-Maghara Facies.
- Lithology: The Jurassic rocks at Gebel Ras El-Abd can be subdivided into
three informal units, of Darwish et al. (1984). The lower member is composed
mainly of varicolored sandstones. The middle member is composed mainly of
shale and limestone and minor sandstones interbeds. The upper member is
composed mainly of shale and sandstones and underlies the varicolored lower
Cretaceous sandstones of Malha Formation.
- Structure elements: There is a set of faults, existed in the succession, that
had played an important role in rearrange the Malha Formation (of Lower
Cretaceous) next to Galala Formation (of Cenomanian). Also, there is an
unconformity surface between Ras El-Abd Formation and upper Eocene
deposits, existed in the upper part of succession.

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Fig.5: A photo showing an outcrop of Rieina and Ras El-Abd Formations, in addition to
their relation to Eocene Deposits and the Galala Formation.

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Malha Formation:
- Age: Aptian – Albian.
- Author: Abdallah et al. (1963).
- Limits: this formation unconformably overlies the Lower Paleozoic Naqus
Formation in east Sinai, and unconformably overlies the Permo-Triassic
Qiseib Formation in west Sinai.
- Location: Near to New Galala Road.
- Lithology:
Malha Formation consists mainly of hard to friable, varicolored, yellow to
brown and earthly white sandstones.
- Thickness: 40 m to 100 m in west Sinai, to 250 m in east Sinai.
- Facies: Continental.

Galala Fm

Fig.6: A photo showing the Malha Formation, Near to New Galala Road.

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Fig.7: A photo showing the Malha Formation (at middle), Galala Formation (at upper),
and Qiseib Formation (at lower), along Kilo 155 on the road of Cairo – Zafarana.

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Galala Formation:
- Age: Cenomanian.
- Author: Abdallah and Adindani 1963.
- Limits: The Cenomanian Galala Formation makes a prominent horizon
unconformably overlying the Malha and underlying the Turonian Abu Qada
Formation.
- Lithology:
1) Marly Shale Mb. at base. 2) Limestone Mb. at top.
- Thickness: 70 m to 180 m.
- Fossil Content: The upper part of Galala Formation is highly fossiliferous
including Costagyra olisiponensis, Ceratostreon flabellatum, Ilymatogyra
africana.
- Mode of Deposition: Shallow marine environment.

Fig.8: The upper part of Galala Formation which is highly fossiliferous and get rich in
Costagyra olisiponensis.

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Fig.9: A photo showing a fossil Costagyra olisiponensis.

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Um Omeiyid Formation:
- Age: Turonian.
- Thickness: 40 – 50 m as an average.
- Location: At El Sheikh Fadl–Ras Gharib Road.
- Limits: Um Omeiyid Formation overlies Galala Formation.
- Lithology: This formation is composed mainly of shale with limestone at
base, sandstone at middle, and carbonate at the upper part.
- Fossil Content: At the type area at Wadi Um Omeiyid, some of sandstone
beds are highly rich in planet remains, in addition to ammonites, and these
ammonites indicate the Turonian Age.

Fig.10: A photo showing the species; Choffaticeras segne (Early Turonian).

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Matulla Formation:
- Age: Coniacian – Santonian.
- Author: Ghorab (1961).
- Location: At Wadi Matulla.
- Lithology: Sandy at base, Shaly and Marly at middle, and Phosphatic at top.
- Thickness: 131.5 m as an average.
- Fossil Content: Hemiaster fourneli and Pycnodonte costei.
- Mode of Deposition: littoral to inner neritic zone.
- Synonym: May be called Hawashia Formation, and get equivalent to Matulla
Formation, due to the high ration of calstics, which is higher than Matulla
Formation.

Fig.11: Photo for lower sandy member of Matulla Formation, at Wadi Hawashia.

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Sudr Formation:
- Age: Campanian – Maastrichtian.
- Author: Ghorab (1961).
- Location: near to Wadi Tarfa.
- Limits: This Formation covers a wide stretch in Sinai. It’s well exposed and
represented along Sudr El Heitan – Nekhl – Thamad stretch.
- Lithology: Snow-white chalky limestone.
- Thickness: 80 m – 120 m as an average thickness.
- Field Characteristics: This Formation is highly jointed and these joints are
later filled with calcite.
- Fossil Content: It’s poorly fossiliferous with respect to macrofossils, yielding
only Pycnodonte vesicularis. But, it’s very rich in microfossils, especially
planktic foraminifera.

Fig.12: A photo showing the Sudr Formation, with some attractive geomorphological rills
of River Terraces within it.

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Chapter 3

Cenozoic
Outcrops
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Thebes Formation:
- Age: Early Eocene (Early Ypresian).
- Author: Said (1962).
- Type Locality: Taiba (El-Gorna) Mountain in Luxor City.
- Lithology:
1) limestone. 2) cherts.
- Field Characteristics: Bands of cherts, which may also expose as nodules.
- Geological Impact:
The Thebes is a fairly deep marine transgressive deposits, a fact which
matches well with the history of the transgressive sea during the Early
Tertiary.
- Origin of Cherts:
There is a debate in the forming of these cherts of the Thebes Formation, but
the following cases are the most remarkably acceptable ones about their
forming processes, which may be formed by organic (biological), chemical,
or biochemical processes. By and general, it’s defined as silicious rocks
composed mainly of silica, which is considered as being micro-crystalline or
crypto-crystalline quartz. Also, may be composed of fibrous calcedony or
amorphous opal (non-crystalline silica).
- Broadly Speaking about Cherts:
Generally, there are two types of cherts, as outcropped in the field:
1) Continuous Bands, in the shape of bands or layers, with thickness varies
from one only centimeter to one meter, as an example. In addition, the band-
shaped cherts are of organic in origin, due to dissolving then precepting of the
tests, shells, and skeletons of microorganisms (such as; Radiolaria and
Diatoms), which have silicious shells. Generally, banded cherts are associated
with mud rocks of deep marine in environment. Also, there is another theory
about banded cherts forming, which states that these cherts of the Thebes
Formation had been formed from silica gel by chemical precipitation, as a
chemical in origin.

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2) Nodules, or cluster-shaped, which is not continuous in its outcrop in the
field, and it’s of shallow marine in environment and digenetic in origin. By
replacement processes of silica-containing materials, then precipitation of
these materials in the pores and cavities of the limestones of the Thebes
Formation. By and general, they take the spherical to sub-spherical shapes
within its outcrop in the Thebes Formation.

Fig.13: A photo showing cherts of the Thebes Formation.

Fig.14: A Photo showing the Thebes Formation.

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Observatory Formation:
- Age: Middle Eocene (Bartonian).
- Location: At El-Katameya–Ain Sukhna Road.
- Author: Farag and Ismail (1959).
- Facies: Marine Facies.
- Lithology: Shallow reefal, white to yellowish white limestones, intercalated
by very hard dark grey dolomitic and recrystalline limestones.
- Fossil Content:
1) Coralia placnoidus. 2) Ostrea. 3) Nummulites gizehensis.
- Geological History:
The Paleo-sea (running in this area) was covering the area of the graben (the
Wadi Hof is a part of this graben) of the whole fault, in the Eocene Age, and
in the Oligocene age, this aforementioned sea had been regressived, so the
sedimentation cycle had been stopped, and then the Oligocene deposits, of
marine facies, disappeared in this area on the graben land (on the Wadi Hof).
By this assuming, an indication of the type of deposits of Oligocene age, had
been made, and it’s of gravels and sandy grains in nature, of continental
facies.

Fig.15: A photo showing the Observatory Formation

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Gebel Al-Ahmar Formation:
- Age: Oligocene.
- Facies: Continental.
- Type of Deposits: gravel-sized ones.
- Lithology:
1) Friable, cross-bedded, and variegated sandstones.
2) Silicified wood is common within the Formation.
- Structural Element: there are many faults (E–W), along Gebel Al-Ahmar
displaced the Oligocene sediments to lower level than the higher upthrown
Eocene rocks of Gebel Mokattam.
- Further More: The Oligocene Facies existed also in Gebel El-Radwan and
Gebel El-Khashaba.

Fig.16: A photo showing the Gebel Al-Ahmar Formation.

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Fig.17: The Stratigraphic Column of the studied formations of Egypt,

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Chapter 4

Further
Study
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1) River Terraces:
It’s well-known that river terraces can be formed in many ways and in several
geologic and environmental settings. By studying the size, shape, and age of these
river terraces, one can determine the geological processes that formed them, and so
on. When river terraces have the same age and/or shape over a whole region, it is
often an indicator to that a large-scale geological or environmental mechanism is
responsible for river terraces forming. in addition, the tectonic uplift
processes and climate change are viewed as dominant mechanisms that can shape
and reform the earth’s surface through erosion processes. When the river “mean
water river” erode the borders around it, with the descending gradually in river
water level, and increasing in the destructive work “by chemical weathering” of
river “the destructive-effect processes become higher than constructive one”, so that
the river will erode the surrounding borders on the lowest level in compare to the
previous level, so the new terrace will be formed, and so on. In this way, we one
can determine the ancient and the recent river terraces, by that the ancient by recent,
is from upward to downward.
The properties of river terraces can be summarized as outlined as the following:
✓ Tectonic uplift and climate change are viewed as dominant mechanisms that can shape
the earth’s surface (river terraces in between) through erosion.
✓ River terraces can be influenced by one or both of these forcing mechanisms and
therefore can be used to study variation in tectonics, climate, and erosion, and how these
processes interact.
✓ Long-lived river (fluvial) systems can produce a series of terrace surfaces over the course
of their geologic lifetime.
✓ When the dip of rills increases severely, the rill of V-shaped converts into U-shaped.

Fig.18: A photo showing river terraces.

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2) Geomorphological Studies:
2–1: Tabular Cross Bedding:
✓ Tabular (planar) cross-beds consist of cross-bedded units that are large in
horizontal extent relative to set thickness and that have essentially planar
bounding surfaces.
✓ The foreset laminae of tabular cross-beds are curved so as to become
tangential to the basal surface.
✓ Tabular cross-bedding is formed mainly by migration of large-scale, straight-
crested ripples and dunes.
✓ It helps us determine the paleocurrents, which were over the area in the past.
✓ It’s a special case of deposition. That’s because the law of deposition of the
normal (nod-dipped) strata outlines that the strata are deposited horizontally at
first, and finally due to geological processes, they may become dipped. But, in
this case of tabular cross bedding; the layers are deposited as well as dipped
layers at first, not horizontally.

Fig.19: A photo showing the cross bedding in its most outcropped one… the Tabular cross
bedding, in Wadi Abu Had.
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 2–2: Convolute Bedding:
✓ Forms when complex folding and crumpling of beds or laminations
occur.
✓ This type of deformation is found in fine or silty sands and it’s usually
confined to one only layer.
✓ The convoluted bed is a common fold structure within turbidite beds,
attributed to the deformation of sediments during or soon after the
deposition of host bed.

Fig.20: A photo showing the Convoluted Beds, which are outcropped within the Naqus
Formation, in Wadi Abu Had.

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3) Geological Compass:
There are a number of different specialized magnetic compasses used by geologists
to measure the orientation of geological structures, as they map in the field, to
analyze and document the geometry of bedding planes, joints, foliations, and
lineations. The most important geological compass used is Brunton compass, which
we will shed the light on in this topic.
Brunton compass’s properties and uses are outlined as the following:
✓ It’s well-known one, in the geological manner, and it’s widely used in the
field to measure the amount and the direction of dip of any strata.
✓ It’s properly known as the Brunton Pocket Transit, and It’s a precision
compass made be Brunton Inc. of Riverton, Wyoming.
✓ Unlike most other and modern compasses, Brunton Pocket Transit utilizes
magnetic induction damping, rather than fluid to damp needle oscillation.
✓ Its uses:
• Taking a bearing.
• Measuring vertical angles with clinometer.
• Defining points of the same elevation.
• Measuring strike and dip of any plane, such as fault plane as well.
• Measuring the trend and plunge of any lineations.
• Detecting the North Direction, depending upon the magnetic induction,
and influenced by the overall magnetic field of the Earth.
✓ Practical procedure:
When we at the Gebel, exactly at Wadi Qena, and near to Gebel El-Zeit, we
had learned how to use the Brunton Geological Compass. And we had
measured the direction and the amount of dip of the Gypsum Strata of
Themed Formation, which localizes near to Gebel El-Zeit. And the followings
are the values we measure, in addition to the outcrop of the measured strata;
Strike NW–SE
Dip Direction NE
Dip Amount 45o

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Fig.21: A photo showing the measured gypsum strata of Themed Formation.

Fig.22: A photo showing the Geological Brunton Compass (Brunton Pocket Transit)
which we had used in the field trip.

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End of Report,
Thanks
for Reading