**1.2. Geologic setting and lithostratigraphy**

The present Nile Delta lies on the north\_external margin of the African plate. Its structural evolution is largely contemporaneous with the break–up of the African plate margin conse‐ quent to the opening of the Red Sea and the northward transition of the Arabian Peninsula [1, 2]. The northern part of the Nile Delta is characterized by a series of major tectonic features with different orientations. Some of them are active during the deposition of Tertiary section while other flatten with depth, become horizontal and dies on top of the Rosetta Formation affecting only through the Kafr El-Sheikh Formation.

The Nile Delta is characterized by asymmetric fold, overthrust faults and diapers. Its dates back to the Syrian Arc system having an arcuate trend from northeast to southwest through the northern part of the Nile Delta to the Western Desert of Egypt (Figure 2).

The regional subsurface stratigraphic succession of the Nile Delta has been represented in Figure 3. This succession is discussed by many authors [3-11].

The lithostratigraphy of the Nile Delta is represented by Miocene sediments:

Moghra, Sidi Salem and Abu Madi formations (from bottom to top). In addition, the Pliocene– Pleistocene sequences are represented mainly by shale or clay with sandstone interbeds. The Miocene sequence is summarized as follows:

**Figure 2.** Regional structural setting, north Nile Delta from Mosconi et al. [38] and Hemdan et al. [39].
