IDENTIFYING NILE PALEOFLOOD EXTENTS IN CENTRAL SUDAN: THE ROLE OF GENERAL GEOCHEMISTRY IN A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH

The Nile River has experienced wide fluctuation in the level of its floodplain during the Quaternary Period leaving terraces throughout its valley. Successful identification of the source for these sediments has often utlized highly specialized isotope geochemistry which limits the possibilities for widespread application. In this study we identified potentially water-laid sediments at a high elevation at the sixth cataract near Sabaloka in central Sudan using a mixed-methods approach that includes bulk geochemical analyses. The use of multiple lines of evidence better contextualized the geochemical data to distinguish these sediments from other potential regional sources and to ground the argument that they represent the remnants of past Nile flooding. We show that the use of multiple data types that are more within the capabilities of smaller to mid-sized institutions can enable characterizations typically only possible in specialized facilities.