Assessment of the groundwater resources in ayoun mousa and adjacent areas, west Sinai, Egypt

الملخص EN

The Amount Mouse and adjacent areas are classified into three main geomorphologic units : namely, structural plateau, alluvial plains and coastal plain.

The main structural elements encountered in the area include E-W, NE, N-S and NW faulting systems ; these elements exert strong control on the distribution of rock units and the drainage pattern.

There are three aquifer systems in the studied area namely ; Quaternary, Miocene and Nubian Sandstone.

The Quaternary System is unconfined to semi-confined and is restricted mainly in the alluvial fans and the tributaries of the main wadis with thickness varied from few meters to more than 60 m.

It is recharged mainly from the eastern watershed areas.

It can differentiate into Holocene and Pleistocene Aquifers.

The Holocene Aquifer has shallow water table varied from +0.7 to +4.0m with salinity ranges mostly from 570 to 9184 ppm.

On the other hand, the water level of the Pleistocene Aquifer ranges from +23 to -8m with salinity varied essentially from 2414 to 27840 ppm The Miocene Aquifer System is formed mostly of sandstone with shale inter beds, where it located principally in the northern part of the studied area and classified into Ayoun Mouse and Nukhul Aquifers.

Ayoun Mouse Aquifer is the upper unit and it’s unconfined recharged largely from the eastern watershed area.

The water level in this unit ranges from +21.7 to +212m and the salinity from 3520 to 7328 ppm.

Nukhul Aquifer is the lower unit and it's confined recharged mainly from the deep Nubian Sandstone Aquifer through faults.

It has groundwater salinity up to 4810 ppm.

The Nubian Sandstone System is extended all over the studied area and is divided into Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic as well as Paleozoic Aquifers.

It is characterized by confined and flowing aquifer system.

It is fossil water with no recent recharge from the eastern watershed area.

The Lower Cretaceous Aquifer has piezometric head ranges from +15 to +36 m and groundwater salinity ranges from 2413 to 2464 ppm with temperature reaches about 40 °C.

However, the Jurassic Aquifer has piezometric head reaches +38 m and the groundwater salinity is about 2739 ppm with temperature around 45°C.

Lithological, the Paleozoic formations are so thick (about 700 m) and have a good probability of groundwater occurrence, but not represented by any water points in the study are.