Recent Excavations at the Pharaonic Port of Mersa Gawasis on the Red Sea, 2004-2005 Field Season

Geoarchaeology

Geoarchaeological observations suggested that the deposits at the site were formed primarily through anthropogenic, eolian and (to a lesser extent) colluvial processes. On the slopes, these layers are very distinctive. The anthropogenic and eolian deposits at the base of the slope (WG19, 26, etc.) were both reworked by the site occupants as they used the area, and were later disturbed by the formation of halite and gypsum crystals, making it difficult to identify the original depositional episodes.

The formation of gypsum and halite crystals and layers at the site were post-depositional processes. The processes responsible for these layers requires further research, but it seems clear that different processes were responsible for the formation processes on the upper slope and at the base of the slope. The halite on the upper slope may have formed from spring action, while that at the base of the slope may be related to playa lakes, although the deposit in WG 30 seems too thick to have formed on the margins of a playa. These deposits could serve as important time markers at the site.