ABSTRACT
The Nile Delta played an important and early role in the development of geologic concepts. This chapter provides an interpretation of the stratigraphy and structure of the pre-Quatemary Delta area. Eighteen deep wells and a regional grid of seismic lines have been used as the primary data base to develop this interpretation. In each well, lithologies were identified based on cuttings, descriptions and log responses, ages were assigned from calcareous nannofossils and depositional environments interpreted on the basis of faunal constituents, mainly benthic foraminifera, and lithologies. In a tectonic sense, the coastal area has behaved mainly as a passive continental margin. The oldest clearly defined seismic event which can be traced regionally is a prominent reflection that marks the top of the Cretaceous carbonate units. From Jurassic through Cretaceous time, a carbonate platform developed south of an east-west line through the mid-Delta.
