الفهرس 
Chapter I: IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The present thesis includes five chapters preceded by a general abstract and terminated by the current comprehensive summary, conclusions and recommendations.
The principal motive behind the accomplishment of the present thesis is the authentication of the groundwater potential assessment in a part of the North Eastern Desert Eocene limestone plateau bounding the Nile Valley in Central Egypt, which may contribute in the alleviation of the steadily increasing overpopulation and its anticipated food shortage problem in Egypt. It is aspired that this modest integrative remote sensing study and the ensuing hydro-geophysical geo-resistivity prospection investigation, will secure the groundwater resources required to substantiate the sustainable land reclamation and industrial growth eligibility of the desert plateau fringes of the Nile Valley in Central Egypt.
Geographically, the study area extends over the Eastern Desert Eocene limestone plateau to the southeast of Beni Suef and northeast of Minia governorates. Considering its scientific approach, the present thesis entails the achievement of two scientific domains in the North Eastern Desert, to explore its groundwater potential. These two research realms are:
- The remote sensing study which extends between latitudes 28°41’ and 28°53’N and longitudes 30°55’ and 31°12’E, covering about 613km2. The surface geomorphologic, morphotectonic and morphometric analyses were applied to substantiate the area eligible for the geophysical exploration for its ground water potentials.
- The subsequent hydro-geophysical investigation, which lies within the northern part of the remote sensing area, extends between lat. 28°46’- 28°51’N and long. 31°00’- 31°12’E [180km2], was surveyed by a set of Forty-Four vertical electrical soundings [VES], restrained to the limestone plateau, to explore the subsurface Eocene fractured limestone aquifer. The interpretation of the VES resistivity survey was conducted to shed light on the depth and subsurface configuration of the nearby water-bearing Eocene limestone aquifer beneath the limestone plateau, with the intention of exploiting its groundwater as a core source for the deliberated projects suitable area for investment projects.
Ultimately, it is anticipated that the integration between the analysis of the remote sensing surface morphometric and morphotectonic attributes and the subsurface geophysical characteristics depicted from the geo-resistivity survey, can afford profound insights on the Eocene potential aquifers in the study area.
The inspected Eocene limestone plateau is a lenient plateau, dissected by several ephemeral desert drainage wadies, running westward debouching into the Nile basin, including Wadi Fakira which forms the heart of the study area bound by Sannour and El-Sheikh basins.
The subsurface stratigraphic framework of the East Beni Suef basin, embracing the subsurface of the study area, has a thick subsurface Mesozoic to Paleogene section. This section starts by the Kharita Formation (Albian), the Bahariya F. (Early Cenomanian), the Abu Roash F. (Late Cenomanian to Santonian), the Khoman F. (Maastrichtian) and the Apollonia F. (Eocene) which constitutes the Middle Eocene limestone surface rock-units in the study area.
The pronounced Eastern Desert plateau bounding the Nile Valley in Beni Suef and Minia governorates is, geologically, made up of a set of successive Middle Eocene limestone formations, enclosing in its subsurface the Middle Eocene fractured limestone formations, which represents the major and nearest groundwater aquifers, necessary for the land reclamation and subsequently the sustainable development of these plateau desert areas. The Eocene limestone formations include from the younger; the surface Fashn Formation hard limestone with flint concretions, the Qarara Formation soft shale at the base changing upwards into massive marly Limestone, the Samalut Formation [=Maghagha Fm] pure fractured nummulitic soft Limestone and the oldest Minia Formation limestone exposed East of Minia.
The main surface structures in the study area are dominated by NW-SE normal faults. Concerning the subsurface structures depicting the study area, the seismic data revealed that East Beni Suef basin is a NW-SE graben-like basin bound by NW-SE major normal faults reaching the surface.
The remote sensing study embraces the manipulation of a sequence of multifold surface geomorphologic, morphotectonic and morphometric analyses are, as a foundation surface assessment paving the way for the forthcoming geo-electric groundwater prospection. Both the Digital Elevation Model ASTER DEM and the Landsat 8 satellite images are interpreted to unveil the surface relief, the main structural lineament density and trends in the study area and the morphometric analysis of the main Wadi Fakira drainage basin.
The surface geomorphologic analysis of the constructed topographic contour map, slope azimuth and the slope steepness aspect maps, upon applying of the Arc GIS (10.5) program on the ASTER DEM, verified that the study area is dominated by flat or near-flat relief representing about 558 km2 or 91% of the area, which may robust its eligibility for various development projects and investments, especially, the northern part of the study area.
The morphotectonic analysis of the surface structural lineament trends and density, were designated to verify the structural pattern which may control the hydro-geological regime and might be a corner stone for the investment of the area. The semi-automated lineaments extraction was achieved on both ASTER DEM models and Landsat 8 images. The number of the extracted lineaments established on the DEM model merged East/West hill shades reached 270 lineaments, while those extracted from the Landsat 8 PC1 satellite image were 216 lineaments. The inspection of the lineament density maps revealed high lineament density areas specifying regions of highly fractured bedrock which may act as pathways infiltrating the ephemeral rainfalls water recharging and enriching the groundwater aquifers.
The constructed rose diagrams show a distinctive NW-SE structural lineaments trend parallel to Red Sea Rift. The DEM-based mean structural trend was 318° whereas the PC1-based lineaments rose diagram has a mean trend around 322°. During the field inspection of the major NW-SE lineaments, it was found that they represent distinct parallel NW-SE normal faults. In the Wadi Fakira basin, three successive NW-SE faults diagonally crosscut the area developing step faults throwing NE. The largest of these faults runs along the main drainage course of Wadi Fakira.
The Morphometric analysis of the Wadi Fakira drainage Basin Stream Network and its Watershed was interpreted, to unveil its hydrological behavior and drainage characteristics. Initially, the Wadi Fakira drainage network and its watershed was delineated through applying a series of the computerized Arc Hydro Tools functions of ArcGIS 10.5 Program on the ASTER DEM. Subsequently, the extraction of the values needed for the Morphometric parameters’ calculations. The Morphometric Analysis was accomplished through measuring the linear aspects and the areal aspects as well as the relief aspects. The Linear Aspects of Wadi Fakira drainage basin included multitude of morphometric parameters. The stream order (Sµ) revealed a 6th order drainage associated with higher discharge. The stream number (Nµ) revealed that its drainage includes 1,047 stream segments. The Stream Length Ratio (RL) reflects that the surface flow, the discharge and the erosion stage of the basin varies from 0.74 to 3.45. The high Bifurcation ratio (Rb) revealed that Wadi Fakira basin is a distinctly elongated structurally controlled basin dominantly low permeability bedrock, but this surface bedrock is strongly fractured with the structural lineaments which may allow the percolation. The Basin watershed Perimeter (P) of the basin is 98.14 km, while its Basin Length [Lb] is 28.4 km. The Length of the overland flow (Lg) which influences the bed rock infiltration is 0.186 km for basin.
The Areal Aspects of Wadi Fakira basin revealed that the Drainage Basin Area enclosed by the Wadi Fakira Watershed is 251.8 km2. The Drainage density of the basin (Dd) which is essential in drainage evaluation of the transient drainage basins, since it establishes the runoff potential and the infiltration capacity of the drainage basin, pointed to highly dissected Fakira drainage basin with low permeability surface. The Drainage frequency (Fs) is 4.15/Km2, reflecting impermeable bedrock. The Form Factor Ratio (Rf) of the Fakira basin is 0.31 which demarks its characteristic elongated watershed reflecting low peak water flows and a longer duration flow which might robust the running water subsurface infiltration enriching the groundwater aquifer through the previously mentioned structural lineaments. The Elongation ratio of the basin (Re) is 0.63 indicating the distinctive relatively moderate relief. The Circularity ratio (Rc) is 0.3 supporting its prominent elongation ratio. The measured Relief Aspects of Wadi Fakira drainage basin revealed that its Basin relief (H) is 312 m while its Relief ratio (Rr) which measures the general slope gradient of the basin is 0.01, reflecting its moderate slope and relief. The Channel gradient (Cg) of the wadi Fakira stream is 6.9 m/km in the downstream direction.