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Unless otherwise noted the artwork and photographs in this slide show are original and © by Burt Carter.
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The earliest people who we
might call ‘geologists’ were
those responsible for
acquiring Earth materials for
society’s use.
A piece of sandstone
from the GSW
teaching collection.
Consequently, no statues or
ornamental objects are
sandstone, except a few in the
far south carved directly into
hillsides.
Sandstone outcrop covered by sandstone-block buildings between Edfu and Kom Ombo.
Sandstone was (and is) used locally as building stone. Blocks were taken from comparatively thin
beds and used as bricks when softer, more easily shaped rocks were not available.
Sandstone is about as hard as granite, more brittle (so harder to shape), and not quite so dense. It is
usually light in color, though it can get pretty dark gray (or reddish if there’s a lot of iron in it.)
Limestone
A piece of limestone
from the GSW teaching
collection.
In terms of building material, it has been speculated that the ancients would gradually wall-in a
temple as it was being constructed, then infill the site with sand as the walls and columns rose. Thus
the workers could always work at “ground level”.
In modern Egypt the sands are used in concrete. As in ancient times the primary use for the river mud
is as an amazingly fertile soil in the Nile Valley and Delta, though mud bricks are still made as well..
Ephemeral, braided stream sands near El Fashn, south of Cairo. A rather small sand dune near El Fashn.
We took the Landrover over the dune, which involved some digging.
Loose Modern Sediment
Almost all the rocks of Egypt are light in color. Here and
there, however, we find a black rock called basalt. The
same thing could be said of Georgia or Texas or California
-- rocks in the continental crust are mostly “granite” and
sedimentary rocks like sandstone or limestone and basalt
is rare.
Deposits are scattered, though they A basalt dike in the Sinai peninsula. Notice that the rocks in general are vaguely layered –
most noticeably the darker rocks at top overlie the lighter ones at the base – but the
are more numerous in some places basalt cuts right across them. This is the geological definition of a dike – a body of
(near Memphis (southern Cairo) and (igneous) rock that cuts across the texture of the “host rock” or “country rock”.
Used in Egypt for Used in Egypt for Used in Egypt for Used in Egypt for
construction/decoration construction when construction of decoration of important
of important buildings limestone was not buildings and for buildings and for small
and statues. available. statues. statues.