The circum-Nile deformation belt (CNDB) demonstrates the interaction between a giant delta and a giant salt body. The semi-radial shape of the CNDB is commonly interpreted as the product of salt squeezing out from under the Nile Delta. We demonstrate, however, that this is not the dominant process, because the delta and its deep-sea fan do not reach the deep-basin salt. The distal part of the deep-sea fan overlies the edge of the salt giant, but squeezing this edge (<150 m thickness) should have had only little effect on the regional salt tectonics. Only on the easternmost side of the deep-sea fan, toward the Levant Basin, does the squeeze-out model work. Here, the delta front reaches the thick salt layer and differential loading promotes basinward salt flow, even upslope. On the western side of the delta, downslope gliding of the sediment-salt sequence toward the Herodotus Basin is driven by the elevation gradient toward the deepest part of the basin. Our analysis shows that salt squeezing by differential loading was previously overestimated in the Eastern Mediterranean and raises the need to carefully map the boundary of salt basins prior to any interpretation. This conclusion is especially relevant in young basins where deltas and shelves have not propagated far enough into the basin.

中文翻译：

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东地中海的盐构造：一个巨大的三角洲与一个盐巨人相遇的地方

环尼罗河变形带（CNDB）表明了一个巨大的三角洲和一个巨大的盐体之间的相互作用。CNDB的半径向形状通常被解释为盐从尼罗河三角洲下挤出的产物。但是，我们证明这不是主要过程，因为三角洲及其深海扇形体不会到达深海盆地盐。深海扇的远端覆盖在盐巨人的边缘上，但挤压该边缘（厚度小于150 m）对区域盐构造几乎没有影响。挤压模型仅在深海扇的最东端，即黎凡特盆地起作用。在这里，三角洲前缘到达了较厚的盐层，并且不同的载荷促进了盐分流向盆地，甚至上升。在三角洲的西侧，沉积盐序列向希罗多德斯盆地的下坡滑移是由向盆地最深部分的海拔梯度驱动的。我们的分析表明，以前在地中海东部地区，高估了通过不同载荷挤压盐分的可能性，因此在进行任何解释之前，都需要仔细绘制盐池边界的图。这个结论在三角洲和陆架尚未深入到盆地的年轻盆地中尤其重要。