The area east of Matruh, where Wadi Maghameish is located, is dominated by limestone ridges alternated with shallow depression. Wadi Maghameish extends from the southern tableland to near the sea-coast and receives a great amount of floods through its tributaries. Hydrogeophysical investigations were executed using 53 points of 1D Schlumberger soundings distributed along the wadi and its surroundings to outline the subsurface layer distributions and aquifer boundaries. 2D and 3D resistivity imaging surveys integrated with seismic refraction profiling were applied for determination of the detailed groundwater conditions and mapping the boundary between the fresh and saltwater in the delta of the wadi.
The inversion models indicate that, there are rapid changes of the subsurface resistivities in horizontal and vertical sections. The limited inhomogeneous aeolian and alluvial deposits of Holocene age (93 to 1016 Ωm) represent the surface water-bearing horizon. The oolitic limestone layer of Pleistocene age (10 to 167 Ωm) represents the second and main aquifer in east Matruh area. The delta of Wadi Maghameish is considered as a shallow and local hydrographic basin, the freshwater appears at the depth of 8 m (10 to 21 Ωm), while saltwater layer starts at the depth of 17 m (less than 2 Ωm)..