The Quaternary History of The Western Desert of Egypt as Recorded in The Abu EI-Egl Playa

Abstract

In the Abu El-Egl playa basin between Kharga and Dakhla, below the Abu Tartur plateau, over 10 m thick thinly stratified sediments remain as long dissected ridges. On the basis of luminescence ages they were deposited during the humid period in the Sahara corresponding to MIS 5, up to a level of a lake at about 180 m a.s.l. The floor, at about 170 m a.s.l., consisting of homogenous loamy material and sands with an early Holocene luminescence age, surrounds the ridges. The playa floor was later occupied at about 7000 yr BP according to radiocarbon ages of charcoal from fireplaces and a sample of ostrich eggshell. The main erosion of the old lake sediments was assumed to have taken place during the humid period of MIS 3, before the subsequent arid period of MIS 2. This is supported by the finds of Middle Palaeolithic artefacts on the playa floor between the ridges of the eroded lake sediments.