Abstract
Petrographic analysis of Quaternary terrigenous sand layers in eastern Mediterranean cores reveals distinct mineralogical differences between the Egyptian Shelf–Nile Cone region and the southern part of the Mediterranean Ridge. A compositionally and texturally immature suite in Ridge cores, mixed with a Nile-derived assemblage, identifies a fresh non-recycled mineral component derived from proximal igneous and metamorphic surface or near-surface exposures, probably in the south–central Ridge area rather than from distal African sources. The presence of such basement terrains would be consistent with a compressive thrust-belt origin for this part of the Mediterranean Ridge.
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Stanley, D., Sheng, H. & Kholief, M. Sand on the southern Mediterranean Ridge: proximal basement and distal African–Nile provenance. Nature 279, 594–598 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/279594a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/279594a0
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