The occurrence of palygorskite in Quaternary sediments of the coastal plain of north-west Egypt

Sediments from a Quaternary beach ridge complex along the coastal plain of north-west Egypt have been examined by X-ray diffraction and optical and scanning electron microscopy. Palygorskite was identified in the caliche capping the beach ridges and in the gypsiferous marls between the ridges; petrographic evidence indicated that this had formed authigenically in both environments. Examples are thus provided of the pedogenic and evaporative in situ formation of palygorskite.