Geoarcheomorphosites under Strong Urbanization Pressure at the Tineh Plain, NE of the Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract

Most geologic and geomorphologic features emerged on a deltaic plain resulted from the interplay of marine, land and river, of which are some have the potential to be a geoheritage site, this is called a geomorphosite. Over time, human impact due to settlements on the geomorphosite, reshaped and transformed the site to geoarcheomorphosite. The Great Pelusium, or Tell El-Farama, which is located along the Tineh Plain at the NE extreme of the Nile Delta between the third and fifth c. AD, is classified as a geoarcheomorphosite. The location includes several geomorphosites, such as the accreted coastal ridges, which record Late Holocene sea level changes. It also includes traces of the flash flood on the Pelusiac branch during the eighth c. AD, with the fluvial flood plain, natural levee, and crevasse splays, on which the Great Pelusium, Tell El-Luli, Tell El-Fadah, and Tell El-Makhzan were constructed. Recently, the area subjected to a hub development project, which may represent anthropogenic hazards that threaten the Great Pelusium. This study aims to quantify the potential anthropogenic hazards. The change detection shows that in 1984 the area of the geoarcheomorphosites was 424.8 km2, representing approximately 67.1% of the Tineh Plain, in addition to the sand dune area of 75 km2, representing 11.8%. In 2018, the area saw agricultural activities, fish farms, and an urban expansion that covered approximately 244.2 km2, representing 38% of the Tineh Plain. The construction of a new hub in the Suez Canal corridor and the addition of a new community of one million people in an area of 164 km2, representing 30.3% of the plain, will add more pressure on the geodiversity. A conservation plan is recommended in the form of sustainable development to save an important area of geoheritage in Egypt and convert the area into a tourism destination.