Geochemistry of sediments and surface soils from the Nile Delta and lower Nile valley studied by epithermal neutron activation analysis

•36 elements in 40 soil and sediment samples from the Egyptian Nile River basin were determined.•The majority of elements present contents close to the Upper Continental Crust.•Multivariate statistics was used to characterize the experimental results.•Potential polluting elements Ni, Cu, Zn and As did not show any systematic increase.

The distributions of 36 major and trace elements in 40 surface soil and sediment samples collected from the Egyptian section of the river Nile were determined by epithermal neutron activation analysis and compared with corresponding data for the Upper Continental Crust and North American Shale Composite. Their relative distributions indicate the presence of detrital material of igneous origin, most probably resulting from weathering on Ethiopian highlands and transported by the Blue Nile, the Nile main tributary. The distributions of the nickel, zinc, and arsenic contents suggest that the lower part of the Nile and its surroundings including the Nile Delta is not seriously polluted with metals from local human activity. The geographical distributions of Na, Cl, and I as well as results of principal component analysis suggest atmospheric supply of these elements from the ocean. In general the present data may contribute to a better understanding of the geochemistry of the Nile sediments.