ABSTRACT NARRATIVE Description: This proposal supports the collaboration of Drs. Mohamed Sultan and Raymond Arvidson of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and Dr. Atef Dardir, Director General of the Geological Survey of Egypt, Dr. Baher El Kaliouby of Ain Shams University and Dr. Eugene O'Connor of the British Geological Survey. The project will build on the ongoing NASA supported research work of Drs. Sultan and Arvidson, where they have determined that thematic mapper data is very useful in generating systematic geological maps. A portion of the requested NSF support is planned for the purchase of four digital Landsat thematic mapper (TM) scenes. These scenes, when joined with the current set of three TM scenes held by the investigators, will provide thematic mapper coverage for all Late Proterozic outcrops in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. From these seven scenes, color and black and white composites prints at scales of 1:150K and 1:50K will be generated. Those composites will used to generate interpretative maps depicting the lithology, structures and mineral resources of the Eastern Desert. These products will be delivered to the Egyptian Geological Survey, Ain Shams University and British Geological Survey (for supervision of the mapping program) for checking the validity of TM based intrepretations and instructions on ways to refine the initial maps. The first TM products will be refined by the project and used as base maps by the two Egyptian institutions to generate regional maps on the scale of 1:250K and local maps to the scale of 1:50K. Scope: This proposal is an opportunity for U.S. and Egyptian scientists, aided by British geologists, to develop a set of complete geological maps of the Eastern Desert of Egypt. These maps will give scientists valuable additional information to pursue field studies of the continental growth processes in the Late Proterozic Era in the Arabian-Nubian Shield existing in the Eastern Desert. The greater resolution of the smaller scale maps will define the details necessary for more definitive studies of geological history and economic potenial of the region. These final maps, while adding to the knowledge and understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Nubian Shield in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, may provide significant assistance in mapping less known areas of arid continents elsewhere in the world. This proposal does meet the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries Program of advancing the international exchange of scientific knowledge and does cointribute to the enhancement of science in a developing country.
