الفهرس 
Introduction
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Abstract
As far the author is aware, little studies on the old shorelines and their relation to sea level changes during Quaternary at the Mediterranean coast of Egypt have been made. This led us to choose Burg El Arab area, northwestern Mediterranean coast located within Long.29° 20’ - 29° 40’ E and Latit.30° 45’ - 31° 00’ N as a study area. This is due to the presence of well exposed limestone ridges running parallel to the present coast, with the characteristic alternating layers of marine deposits,
eolianites and geosoils. The study area lies in the belt of arid to semiarid zone with annual rain fall of 100-150mm/yr, moderate temperature, moderate to high relative humidity with short rainy winters and long dry hot summers (SHAT A, 1971). Two main physiographic provinces are distinguished throughout the northwestern Mediterranean coastal zone, the eastern and the western provinces (ABDEL KADER, 1978). The study area is located in the eastern province which is wider and strongly
affected by the Arab’s Gulf synclinal embayment (SHATA, 1971). Four ridges are studied, namely from the north to south (i.e. from younger to older); the Coastal ridge, El Max Abu Sir ridge, Gebel Maryut ridge and Khashm El Ish ridge. These were considered by SHUKRI et. al.(1956) and SHATA (1971) as related to Late Monasterian, Monasterian, Tyrrhenian and Milazzian stages respectively.
Tectonically, the area is affected by the Tertiary Alpine tectonics with major trends ENE-WSW and NW-SE. Geomorphologically, the area subdivided into two
geomorphic units. One includes the table land which is part of the structural plateau of Marrnarica and represented here by Khashm El Ish (fourth) ridge. The second is the coastal plain which includes Gebel Maryut, EI Max Abu Sir and the Coastal ridges intervening with Burg EI Arab, Lake Maryut and EI Dekheila depressions.
Investigations and laboratory studies of samples representing the sediments of the four ridges have been carried out, the plan of study and the main achieved conclusions are summarized as follows:
Lithostratigraphy:
The study area is made up of different lithologic units generally grouped into four formations. These formations represent the lithostratigraphic sequence from Holocene to Middle Pleistocene and are arranged from the younger to the older into:
1- Alexandria Formation: This formation was firstly proposed by ATTTIA & E1GHAZA WY (1984) to describe the Pleistocene oolitic limestone deposits east of El
Hanunam area. It extends in the study area to cover both El Max Abu Sir and the Coastal ridges of Late Pleistocene to Holocene age and overlies the Pliocene. Silty sandstone. It is composed of white ooid grains with few foraminifera, echinoidal spins, mollusca fragments and quartz grains. This rock unit appears originally of
shallow marine, transported and redeposited by wind and wind borne currents as coastal dune complex. The presence of geosoil horizons in alternation with these
oolitic deposits indicates climatic changes to wet climate during which the geosoils were developed.