RAW MATERIALS FOR BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN EGYPT
November, 4, 2020
Raw materials for building and construction materials in the Arab Republic of Egypt are of great importance due to their economic benefit, as they are used in addition to being used for building and construction purposes in many industries, and they are present in very large quantities, clear and visible on the surface, which facilitates the process of exploitation. The ores that are used in their condition are limestone, dolomitic, sand, basalt, sand and gravel. Among the raw materials that are converted, such as the desert clay, they are used in the manufacture of building bricks, limestone and sand clay in the manufacture of cement.
The most important raw materials for building materials in Egypt: sandy sediments – gravel and gravel deposits – limestone ore – dolomite ore – desert shale – gypsum and basalt.
Sand represents one of the most important elements of construction and reconstruction materials that God loved Egypt, and it is available near areas of demand and population centers, which led to the improvement of the economics of construction and construction. Sand deposits are spread in many governorates of Egypt, such as Minya Governorate, which has sandy deposits west of the Nile in the west, and the chemical properties and volumetric gradations referred to indicate the suitability of these sand in the manufacture of sand bricks in addition to other industrial purposes such as cement industry. And in Beni Suef Governorate, Fayoum Governorate, Matrouh Governorate, Suez Governorate, and the Sinai Peninsula Governorates.
Gravel and gravel deposits, which are one of the most important ores that are available in large quantities and at sites of consumption, and the most important of which are the areas of the east of the delta and the west of the Nile Valley from the south to Cairo, then the sides of the Delta and agricultural land, as well as the Egypt – Alexandria desert road and the Egypt – Suez and Egypt – Ismailia and Cairo – Fayoum roads, most of which are continental deposits It grows from the Pleistocene era to the modern era. Likewise, on the coasts of the Red Sea, especially in the area extending from the city of Safaga to the southern Egyptian border, huge quantities of gravel and slippery soil are available, forming verandahs at the sides of rivers and ancient valleys and their widespread river terraces. And it spreads in most governorates of Egypt, such as Minya Governorate, and in the New Valley Governorate. Chert is found in the Kharga region in a few places in the Assiut depression – Kharga, and in Assiut and Sohag on the eastern and western side of the Nile, and covers tens of square kilometers, where its thickness changes from one place to another, and in the Qena governorate it is present. Gravel and gravel deposits in many places in Qena Governorate. These sediments cover ancient rocks.
Limestone ore; In Egypt, the limestone covers large areas of the deserts of the republic, forming plateaus or edges extending for hundreds of kilometers with large thick. In the Nile Valley, the Eocene limestone is found on the side of the Nile River from the south of Luxor to Cairo. In the eastern desert, limestone can be seen in Jebel Abu Hadd and Jebel Serai. On the Qusayr – Safaga road, limestone can be traced in Jabal Dawi and Mount Al-Atshan, and on the Gulf of Suez, limestone can be seen on both sides of the Gulf. In North Sinai, limestone can be seen in the mountains of Al Maghara, Al Mintrahah, Umm Mafrout and Jeham, Jabal Al Halal, Jabal Yilj and others. In the western desert of Egypt, limestone can be seen in the oasis of Dakhla, Kharga, Farafra and Bahriya, and these sediments can be seen in South Sinai and in many locations, Limestone can also be traced in northern Egypt from Alexandria to Sallum, and limestone has many uses in industry according to the chemical composition and physical properties appropriate for each industry.
Dolomite stones are found in abundance in Egypt and are suitable for ferrous and non-ferrous metallic industries, chemical industries, cement, sugar, ceramics, building materials, refractory bricks required for lining furnaces and paving for its solidity, port berths and salty watercourses as is the case in the Suez Canal. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock consisting of pure calcium and magnesium carbonate, and the percentage of magnesium carbonate is about 45.74% (21.68% magnesium oxide, 30.41% calcium oxide, 47.73% carbon dioxide. The presence of dolomite rocks in the Nile Valley regions, the governorates of the Suez Canal, the Sinai Peninsula, the Western Desert and the Red Sea Governorate.
Gypsum and gypsum deposits are found in the governorates of Marsa Matrouh and Fayoum and in the Red Sea: there are large deposits of gypsum and anhydrite that extend for hundreds of meters along the coastal plain of the Red Sea, and on both sides of the Gulf of Suez and Ismailia, North Sinai Governorate and South Sinai Governorate.
Basalt; Basalt spreads in Egypt widely north of latitude 28◦ north as a result of volcanic activity in different geological eras, where basalt bodies cover a large area under the Nile Delta and the corresponding areas of the Western Desert.