DAMIETTA SAND SPIT, NILE DELTA, EGYPT
MAHMOUD M. EL BANNA
Coastal Research Institute, Alexandria, Egypt
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The present paper deals with the morphology, mechanism of formation and evolution of a sand spit located east the Damietta promontory, Egypt. It has been found that the spit has been developed as sever-al narrow bifurcating arms extending southeast into open water and attached to Damietta promontory in the north. The arm tips are curved toward the shore forming hook-like shape with one joined to the shore forming a closed lagoon. Length of the spit is controlled by the rate of longshore sediment drift., which is affected by the amount of sediments eroded from Damietta promontory and by the reversal of longshore and local currents.
The spit sediments consist of well sorted fine sand and are characterized by heavy mineral assemblage dominated with opaques, pyroxenes, amphoiboles, and epidotes. Zircon, monazite tourmaline and garnet are present in minor amounts, The dominating heavy minerals are characteristic of accreted areas..
Protective structures built to save Damietta promontory from erosion have affected feeding the spit with sediments. As a consequence, the Damietta spit has been subjected to erosion by marine currents and waves.
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