Abstract
THOROUGH examination of the contact between the basement complex (mainly Precambrian) and the overlying Nubia Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous) in seven localities in the Eastern Desert of Egypt (Fig. 1) has revealed the existence of a well defined lateritic palaeosoil capping the former rocks. Previously, mention has only been made1 of a local kaolinised surface of the basement rocks and the lateritic palaeosoil has been neglected in the lithostratigraphy2–4. The nature, thickness (4–10 m remaining after erosion) and the lateral extent of the soil over a wide variety of rock types necessitates, however, the introduction of a separate unit, which we suggest is called the ‘I'byan Soil’. This palaeosoil may cover a large area of Egypt and we suggest that the same nomenclature is used at all localities where the soil has lateritic affinities.
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References
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PHILOBBOS, E., HASSAN, KD. The contribution of palaeosoil to Egyptian lithostrtigraphy. Nature 253, 33 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253033a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253033a0
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