Engineering Geological Characterization of Proposed Sabaloka Dam Site

The Sabaloka dam is located at the Sabaloka igneous complex on the sixth cataract of the Nile, proposed for multi-purposes, mainly for hydro-power generation and irrigation in addition to help in minimizing the siltation for the Merwe dam to the north. Moreover, it will represent an excellent habitant for fisheries in the lake behind the dam. The study relied on field tests, well data, and analysis, in addition to the structural analysis of fractures in the examined site. Observing the results of drilling, the three boreholes are usually identical in lithology, where silt sands and conglomerates appear, but there is some difference in the depth of aggregation, in addition to the difference in the designation of rock quality (RQD), which decreases in borehole 403 in the left channel, due to the existence of Two sets of joints across the dextral fault. The proposed dam axis is located in the relatively less fractured Agglomeratic rocks. The main fracture trends are NW and NE directions and cut, respectively, the western and eastern flanks of the dam axis.