Abstract
THE question of silting which is raised by Mr. G. W. Grabham (NATURE, 118, 911, 1926) depends on the velocity of the water. In water that is slackening, silt will be dropped; but if the flow is quickening, it will be carried on. In the case of the Fayum channel an inflow during two or three months had to make up for four or five feet of evaporation and also a previous outflow over a large area. As the water in this six miles of channel had therefore a gradient much greater than that of the Nile, it is unlikely that any silting would be caused during the inflow. During the stationary periods only suspended silt would be dropped, which only amounts to one inch in 15 or 20 years. During the outflow no rolled silt would be carried, as it would have slipped into deeper water in the lake. It does not therefore seem likely that any fluctuations of level could be caused by silt obstruction. Two queries that are asked may be noted here: (1) The high level taken appears to be due to a pre-human estuarine condition of the Nile; (2) there is no question about the sources of the flints which I bought in the Fayum, as they are like those found there, and none in similar condition are found in the Nile valley.
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PETRIE, F. The Fayum Lakes. Nature 119, 238 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119238c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119238c0
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