A pliocene cliff-line around the giza pyramids plateau, Egypt

Escarpments bordering the Giza Pyramids Plateau represent the cliff-line of a Pliocene transgression up the pre-Nile (“Eonile”) valley. Geomorphologically, a limestone cliff can be distinguished from a slip-block shore associated with a distinct fining-up sequence. Differences in bedrock lithology and in structure (joint pattern, faults) are morphogenetic controls. The pre-Pliocene morphology with escarpments that allowed the development of later cliff-lines is related to deep incision of the Eonile drainage system caused by the desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea during the Messinian.