Depositional Environments, Facies Pattern and Marine Plants Distribution in Ras Muhammad Area, Sinai, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt

2 Marine Science Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Ras Muhammad Marine National Park is located on faulted and uplifted Neogene blocks that are
partially covered by Quaternary limestones of predominantly coralgal facies. The physiography of the
reefal limestone cropping out in the area and also the present-day depositional environments are
tectonically controlled. Surface morphology observations show that earthquake pools that cut through the
uplifted Pleistocene reefs indicate continuing recent movements, as indicated by numerous records of
seismic activity in the study area. The morphostructural-generated depositional facies patterns on the
peninsula are a wide tidal belt with tidal shoals and coastal spits, barrier and fringing reefs, three
elongated embayments, Hiddan Bay, mangrove and tidal channels, Ras Muhammad pool and sabkha, and
earthquake pools (two earth fissures). The distribution of marine plants is described for each area. The
abundance of algae in Ras Muhammad appeared to be inversely related to the abundance of living corals.

Keywords