FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGES AND SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY OF SOME LAGOONS ALONG THE RED SEA COAST, EGYPT

Journal Article

• المجلة \ الصحيفة: Egypt. Jour. Paleontol.,
• رقم الإصدار السنوي: 6
• الصفحات: 193 - 223

مستخلص المنشور

Sixty-three invertebrate species (19 foraminifers, 4 bryozoans, 20 gastropods and 20
bivalves) from four lagoons along the Red Sea Coast have been identified, illustrated and their
habitat, bio-aM-paleogeographic distribution (if present) were done. They belong to 48 genera
and 34 families. The habitat of the recorded fauna indicated that they belong to Indo-Pacific
affinity and few of them also have Mediterranean-Atlantic one. Um EI-Howitat lagoon sediments
are enriched in Fe, Mg, Pb, Co and Cu that attributed to the anthropogenic inputs, and
recorded the highest total phosphorous content coming from the phosphate shipping in Abu
Tartour harbor, in addition to the domestic and sewage materials from the coastal activities.
Marsa EI Shuni lagoon recorded the lowest content of total phosphorous and the highest
content of Zn, Ni and Cd attributed to the natural inputs from Shuni Valley. Abu Shaar lagoon
recorded the highest total organic matter content, indicating the influx of terrigenous materials.
Abu Galawa lagoon recorded the highest carbonate content and the lowest heavy metals
content due to the dominance of biogenic sediments from surrounding coral reefs and the
absence of terrigenous influx.