Remote sensing of paleodrainage systems west of the Nile River,Egypt |
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| Authors: | Mohamed Abdelkareem Farouk El-Baz |
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| Institution: | 1. Geology Department, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt;2. Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Remotely sensed data show details of the geomorphic features and landscape evolution west of the Nile. The detected features include remnants of paleochannels, flutes and rock-mass movements. Fused radar/optical data, altitudinal profiles and 3D perspective view provided evidences of massive landslides that fully blocked the earlier Nile channel near to the Western Desert plateau. This channel was ~30 km west of the present Nile at ~100 m above the present level of the Nile. Subsequently, the fluvial activities shifted about ~10 km eastward, leaving behind several remnants of paleochannels, fluvial deposits, ancient landscape and Nilotic fauna. The automatic extraction of stream networks clearly depicts the developments of paleochannels. Our results revealed that fluvial activity switched from the Gallaba plain to the present Nile course through a series of tectonic and climatic changes. Furthermore, integration of radar and optical images provided an explanation for causes of the undulated forms ‘flutes’. |
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| Keywords: | Nile Egypt radar imaging geomorphology GIS |
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