Geoarcheomorphosites under Strong Urbanization Pressure at the Tineh Plain, NE of the Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract
Most geologic and geomorphologic features emerged on a deltaic plain resulted from the interplay of marine, land and river, of which
are some have the potential to be a geoheritage site, this is called a geomorphosite. Over time, human impact due to settlements on the
geomorphosite, reshaped and transformed the site to geoarcheomorphosite. The Great Pelusium, or Tell El-Farama, which is located
along the Tineh Plain at the NE extreme of the Nile Delta between the third and fifth c. AD, is classified as a geoarcheomorphosite. The
location includes several geomorphosites, such as the accreted coastal ridges, which record Late Holocene sea level changes. It also
includes traces of the flash flood on the Pelusiac branch during the eighth c. AD, with the fluvial flood plain, natural levee, and crevasse
splays, onwhich theGreat Pelusium, Tell El-Luli, Tell El-Fadah, and Tell El-Makhzan were constructed. Recently, the area subjected to
a hub development project, which may represent anthropogenic hazards that threaten the Great Pelusium. This study aims to quantify
the potential anthropogenic hazards. The change detection shows that in 1984 the area of the geoarcheomorphosites was 424.8 km2,
representing approximately 67.1% of the Tineh Plain, in addition to the sand dune area of 75 km2, representing 11.8%. In 2018, the area
saw agricultural activities, fish farms, and an urban expansion that covered approximately 244.2 km2, representing 38% of the Tineh
Plain. The construction of a new hub in the Suez Canal corridor and the addition of a new community of one million people in an area
of 164 km2, representing 30.3% of the plain, will add more pressure on the geodiversity. A conservation plan is recommended in the
form of sustainable development to save an important area of geoheritage in Egypt and convert the area into a tourism destination.