Distinction of the Nile Delta coastal environments by scanning electron microscopy : a statistical evaluation

Sand grain surface textures were examined from modern Nile Delta coastal deposits of known origin that had been.subjected to mechanical and chemical processes during erosion, transportation and deposition. Samples representing breaker zone, beach, backshore, dune and River Nile sands were selected to establish characteristic grain surface textures. There are no simple diagnostic features for any particular environmental history because different mechanical processes produce similar surface features on sand grains. Only by quantitative analysis of sand grain surface feature abundances can accurate evaluation be made