INTERPRETAION AND EVALUATION OF BURIED CAUSATIVE STRUCTURES IN THE NORTHERN OFFSHORE PART OF THE GULF OF SUEZ, AS DEDUCED FROM THE POTENTIAL FIELD DATA

The Bouguer gravity and total intensity aero-magnetic maps of the northern offshore part of the Gulf of Suez are utilized to reveal the subsurface structural configuration, detection and evaluation of the sedimentary basins in this area as controlling factors favoring the hydrocarbon generation and accumulation. The maps are subjected to a series of processing and interpretation techniques to achieve these goals. These techniques include reduction to the north magnetic pole (RTP), analysis of tectonic trends, regional-residual separations, depth estimation using different methods in Addition to two and a half (2.5-D) dimensional modeling along number of profiles. Moreover, Euler deconvolution is also carried out.
The study indicates that the area is greatly affected by five tectonic trends arranged in a decreasing order of predominance as; Suez (N 35˚-45˚ W), NW-SE, ENE-WSW, Aqaba (N15˚- 25˚E), and East African (N-S) trends. Also, the area includes a number of the sedimentary basins varying in their depths, sizes, extensions and directions. The larger basin is located in the western side of the area and named Darag basin. It strikes in the NW-SE direction, parallel to the Gulf of Suez shoreline.
The basement depth greatly varied allover the area. It ranges from 3-5 km in the northern parts and from 3-4 km in the southern parts. The eastern and western shoulders of the Gulf of Suez have generally shallow basement depth (from 1-3 km). Further, the area is greatly affected by a number of normal (dip-slip and strike slip) and transfers faults, resulting a great number of tilted faulted blacks, forming together a number of horsts and grabens tilted generally in the SW direction.