MINERALOGY, RADIOACTIVITY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF WADI ABU ELHASSAN STREAM SEDIMENTS, CENTRAL EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Gabal Abu El-Hassan area is a part of the Egyptian Pan-African belt located at the Central Eastern
Desert, Egypt. The metavolcanics, serpentinites, gabbros, older granites, Dokhan volcanics, Hammamat
sedimentary rocks, younger granites and post granitic dykes represent the main rocks of the basement
complex outcropped in this area. About thirty five Wadi sediment samples were collected from the
floor of three major Wadis and their tributaries at Gabal Abu El-Hassan area. Some radioactive
and radioactive-bearing heavy minerals were recorded in the concerned sediments such as uranothorite,
thorite, columbite, allanite, monazite, fluorite, sphene, zircon in addition to garnet, ilmenite and rutile as
accessory minerals. The relative enrichment of uranium in the three Wadis indicate that the surrounding
granites of Wadi Abu El-Hassan are responsible for the high radioactivity of the area.