الفهرس 
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Abstract
The present work aims to shed more light on the lithostratigraphy, microfacies, provenance, tectonic setting and depositional environment of the Carboniferous rock units (Rod El-Hamal, Abu Darag and Aheimer formations) in the area of the western side of the Gulf of Suez, north Eastern Desert, Egypt. To achieve this target, three columnar sections of the studied rock units were measured and sampled in the field. Also, petrographic investigations using standard polarized and scanning electron microscopes has been carried out. In addition, the studied rocks were chemically analyzed for their major elements.
The lithostratigraphic study showed that The Rod El-Hamal, Abu Darag and Aheimer formations are mainly consisting of siliciclastic intercalations of sandstone, siltstone, claystone and shale. These rocks display a variety of colours, grain sizes and primary sedimentary structures, such as flat bedding, planar cross-bedding, herringbone cross-bedding and hummacky cross-bedding.
The petrographic study led to identification of different microfacies. These are matrix-supported conglomerate, siliceous quartzarenite, ferruginous quartzarenite, kaolinitic quartzarenite, calcareous quartzarenite, subarkose arenite, quartz wacke and subarkose wacke and dolomite. This petrographic study is also indicated that the studied rocks were subjected to different diagenetic processes representing by compaction, cementation, dissolution, clay mineral authigenesis and dolomitization. The compaction is of mechanical and chemical types. The cementation in the studied rocks include various types of cements. These cements are iron oxides, carbonate, silica and authigenic clay minerals. The carbonate cement in the studied rocks is mainly made up of calcite. The silica cement mainly occurs as quartz overgrowths. This silica overgrowth is of two types (partial and complete).
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The iron oxides cement is hematitic. The dissolution in the studied rocks mainly occurs in the feldspar grains. It leaves some pores in the original grains. Authigenic clay minerals is kaolinite.
Concerning their depositional environment, the recognized lithofacies types and their primary sedimentary structures reflect a deposition of the studied formations in a foreshore-shoreface-offshore depositional regime that intermitted by a fluvial system (channel and floodplain), which in turn pointed to sea level fluctuation during Carboniferous time in the studied area.
Modal and chemical analyses data indicate that the studied siliciclastic rocks were derived from granitic-gneissic sources of a cratonic interior and were recycled to deposit in a passive continental margin.