# Harrell 1994: The Sphinx Controversy: Another Look at the Geological Evidence > James A. Harrell, 1994. 13 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The geological reply on process; source for the flooding and wet-sand mechanism. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRW4M7ANG/the-sphinx-controversy-another-look-at-the-geological Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Great Sphinx of Giza](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx)Harrell 1994 **0** # The Sphinx Controversy: Another Look at the Geological Evidence James A. Harrell, 1994. _KMT 5(2), Summer 1994: 70-74_. Argues that wet-sand burial, clay swelling, salt and repeated Nile flooding of an enclosure floor at about 20 m above sea level explain the deep weathering within the Old Kingdom date, and that Schoch's seismic velocities are internally inconsistent. **Great Sphinx of Giza** ArticleChecked against the original0 ## What it's used for here The geological reply on process; source for the flooding and wet-sand mechanism. ## Cited by on this site 13 records [The layer is a depositional facies (coral-rich shoal-reef limestone) or a picking choice, and its thickness…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSS6A5TCB/the-layer-is-a-depositional-facies-coral-rich-shoal-reef) Answer ANS [Cairo now receives 2.5 to 3.5 cm of rain a year, often in intense storms, so runoff in the dynastic period is…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSP0R1A3C/cairo-now-receives-2-5-to-3-5-cm-of-rain-a-year-often-in) Evidence EVD [Harrell notes that the rear line's velocities are 23 to 28 percent lower in both layers, which by the same…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSJ3R2503/harrell-notes-that-the-rear-lines-velocities-are-23-to-28) Evidence EVD [Harrell shows that a lower boundary on the rear line yields similar velocities for all three profiles.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSSE45S3V/harrell-shows-that-a-lower-boundary-on-the-rear-line-yields) Evidence EVD [Lehner's estimate puts the Old Kingdom floodplain at 13 to 15 m and floods at perhaps 17 m, below the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSQ7T55N4/lehners-estimate-puts-the-old-kingdom-floodplain-at-13-to-15) Evidence EVD [The enclosure floor lies at 19.9 to 20.2 m above sea level, within reach of exceptional Nile floods (20.3 m…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSPR61TP8/the-enclosure-floor-lies-at-19-9-to-20-2-m-above-sea-level) Evidence EVD [The rear line's velocities are 23 to 28 percent lower in both layers, the opposite of what less weathering…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSRYG0HRS/the-rear-lines-velocities-are-23-to-28-percent-lower-in-both) Evidence EVD [Wet-sand burial, salt and Nile flooding can produce the observed decay within the conventional date.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSJKC1BPH/wet-sand-burial-salt-and-nile-flooding-can-produce-the) Evidence EVD [Harrell and Lehner reply in KMT; Gauri's team publish in Geoarchaeology in 1995](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/events/EVT0CTWSASC4EWQ/harrell-and-lehner-reply-in-kmt-gauris-team-publish-in) EVT [James A. Harrell](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/people/FIG0CTWS64Y33SF/james-a-harrell) FIG [The Great Sphinx of Giza](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx) The mystery article MYS [Does the weathered layer under the ditch floor measure how long each part has been exposed?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSD7G59TK/does-the-weathered-layer-under-the-ditch-floor-measure-how) Question QST [What explains the weathering of the body and the enclosure walls?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCZP7K5T/what-explains-the-weathering-of-the-body-and-the-enclosure) Question QST ## Cite it ``` Harrell, J. A. (1994). The Sphinx Controversy: Another Look at the Geological Evidence. KMT 5(2), Summer 1994: 70-74. https://www.hallofmaat.com/?p=3243 ``` [Read it free at hallofmaat.com](https://www.hallofmaat.com/?p=3243) Key **SRC** 0CTWRW4M7ANG Kind Journal article Rights The publisher's Kept 29 Oct 2026, for editors Checked Against the published article Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) The record Bibliographic records are CC0. Take this one as CSL-JSON, BibTeX or RIS. [CSL-JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRW4M7ANG/the-sphinx-controversy-another-look-at-the-geological/csl.json)