Gulf of suez, arabic khalij assuways, northwestern arm of the red sea between africa proper west and the sinai peninsula east of egypt. Elain elsokhna area lies on the northwestern part of the gulf of suez. Subsurface geological setting and reservoir characterization. The gulf of suez is the most prolific and prospective oil province in egypt, and any open acreage, or relinquished area, will be of great interest to the oil industry. Tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the gulf of suez and the. Miocene sediments of the gulf of suez were deposited in a rapidly subsiding rift which became active during late oligocene. Jan 01, 2010 the gulf of suez basin is a classic extensional rift basin of miocene age, with a number of syn and prerift hydrocarbon plays. During the boom in offshore exploration in the 1950s and 1960s, a combination of diligent geology and serendipity resulted in the discovery of. Around 30 species of pteridophytic spores, 26 species of angiosperm pollen, 24 species of gymnosperm pollen and 27 species of dinoflagellate cysts have been. The gulf of suez is a prolific rifted hydrocarbon province, but one whose creaming. Miocene kareem sequence, gulf of suez, egypt geoarabia.
A brief history of the exploration history of the gulf of. Discovery well ee 851 was drilled in approximately 140 ft 42 m of water, 2. New resources discovered in the abu rudeis sidri development lease, in the gulf of suez, where an appraisal well of the discovery of sidri south, announced last july, was drilled. Miocene biofacies development and geological history of the gulf of. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the gulf of suez rift basin, egypt a. Pdf integration of geophysics and geology in a complex. Geology geological setting the gulf of suez is the northern tip of the red sea figure 1. Geologic and structural settingstructural setting and tectonic evolution of the gulf of suez were studied by numerous authors1,14151617. Pdf integration of geophysics and geology in a complex area.
Surface expression of an accommodation zone within the. Characterization of reservoir rock types in the upper. The 600,000sqkm red sea basin province has two total petroleum systems, sudrnubia. The gulf itself is about 300 km long whereas the red sea is 2000 km long from the afar triple junction to suez.
Such a succession is observed not only on the surface outcrops at the different locations in the eastern side of the gulf of suez, but also in the drilled wells scattered in the area. Gulf of suez and the red sea boomed after the canals completion. The gulf of suez basin is a classic extensional rift basin of miocene age, with a number of syn and prerift hydrocarbon plays. Salah faculty of science, uae university, po box 17551, alain, united arab emirates. This 36 km by 60 km 22 by 37 mile subscene, acquired may 19, 2000, shows the northern part of the suez canal, with the mediterranean sea just visible in the upper right corner. Tectonophysics the gulf of suez and red sea rifting. Geology and habitat of oil in ras budran field, gulf of suez, egypt. The gulf of suez in egypt has a northnorthwestsouthsoutheast orientation and is. The machines used for widening the suez canal were for the most part entirely metal, floating dredgers. Exploring subtle exploration plays in the gulf of suez. The gulf is linked to the mediterranean sea by the suez canal north and is. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the gulf of. This area is characterized by the presence of highly sensitive and fragile natural resources, habitats. The gulf of suez gos is a failed rift located north of the triple junction formed by it and the gulf of aden and the red sea.
A rapid development plan for the new discovery with a fasttrack approach, leveraging on existing infrastructures in the vicinity of the well and maximizing facilities synergies was immediately conceived. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the. Porosity and permeability distributions initial porosity in the upper rudeis sandstone in the study area is 15% by volume for planar cross bedded facies. The stratigraphy and petroleum geology of numerous oil and gas fields in the gulf of suez was published by the egyptian general petroleum corporation egpc. It is the third arm of the triple junction rift system, the second arm being the gulf of aqaba the length of the gulf, from its mouth at the strait of jubal to its head at the city of suez, is 195 miles 314 km, and it varies in width from 12 to 20 miles 19 to 32 km. Pdf petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in. Platforms in the gulf of suez experience first hand the complex geology of the gulf of suez rift margin with your trip leader and industry expert, prof. The gulf of suez, an important shipping route for oil and other products, lies along the edges of the african country of egypt and the sinai peninsula. Payperview purchase options the article is available through a document delivery service. The gulf of suez in egypt has a northnorthwestsouthsoutheast orientation and is located at the junction of the african and arabian plates where it separates the northeast african continent from the sinai peninsula. It is one of the oldest known hydrocarbon provinces in the world with reports of natural seeps going back to pharonic time.
The gulf of suez and sinai are profoundly affected by several sets of faults. The heavy scoops attached to an endless chain and driven by a steam engine removed mud sand and gravel from the bed and dumped the extracted material via the chute, a sheet metal pipe cut in half. Palynology of the cenomanian raha formation, gulf of suez. Surface expression of an accommodation zone within the gulf. Pdf the gulf of suez in egypt has a northnorthwestsouthsoutheast orientation and is located at the junction of the african and arabian. Gulf of suez strati graphic column geology stratigraphy.
The stratigraphic sequence of the area under investigation represents an ideal succession of the central part of the gulf of suez. Integration of surfacesubsurface techniques reveals. Gulf of suez, northwestern arm of the red sea between africa proper west and the sinai peninsula east of egypt. The gulf was formed within a relatively young but now inactive gulf of suez rift rift basin, dating back about 26 million years. The petroleum geology of ihe gulf of suez onepetro.
We have developed a technique to address this challenge that integrates fault outcrop mapping using satellite image interpretation, seismic. Sequencestratigraphic interpretation of structurally controlled deposition. Reservoir quality of nullipore formation, ras fanar oil. The gebel gharamul region in the western gulf of suez offers an excellent outcrop example of the structural geometries associated with an accommodation zone termination. In this particular example the surface is relatively flat so the 90m resolution elevation model had minimal use, however it did confirm the slight dip that runs inland towards the gulf of suez. Excellent exposures along the gulf of suez and northern sinai offer good opportunities to look at rock units and geological structures. Correlating the formation beyond the gulf into the red sea is difficult, not only for the same reasons, but also due to very sparse. Around 30 species of pteridophytic spores, 26 species of angiosperm pollen, 24 species of gymnosperm pollen and 27 species of. Two sandstone subreservoir units shagar and markha the main. The lower miocene nukhul formation gulf of suez, egypt. In this sixday field trip, youll study the facies relationships found in riftbasin carbonate platforms by visiting reefal miocene carbonate outcrops. Along the midline of the gulf is the boundary between africa and asia.
Sequencestratigraphic interpretation of structurally. In the gulf of suez, the kareem formation is extensively sampled by boreholes but is still difficult to correlate because it is highly faulted, lithologically very heterogeneous and inadequately imaged by seismic data e. Saudi arabian nomenclature, with 18,000 sq km of overlap along a 300km distance in the southern gulf of suez and. New resources discovered in the gulf of suez offshore. The universal suez canal company was very concerned about the health of its employees. The african and ara bian plates are moving apart, creating new oceanic crust in the southern red sea and the gulf of aden. Purchase of an open document does not constitute license for republication in any form, nor does it allow web posting without prior written permission. Accommodation zones and tectonostratigraphy of the gulf of suez.
It has excellent hydrocarbon potential, with the prospective sedimentary basin area measuring approximately 19,000 km 2, and it is considered as the most prolific oil. The structural pattern of the gulf of suez and red sea rift is inherited. The current study presents a fully qualitative palynological investigation carried out on the raha formation encountered from three wells in the bakr oil field of the gulf of suez, egypt. The gulf of suez rift is a continental rift zone that was active between the late oligocene ca. The gulf of suez in egypt has a northnorthwestsouth. Extension started in the gulf of suez about 23 ma, at that time the rifting phase affected both the red sea and the gulf. In the gulf of suez, brownduwi thicknesses are 2570 meters. The gulf was formed within a relatively young but now inactive gulf of suez rift rift. Characterization of reservoir rock types in the upper rudeis.
They occur as fine disseminations, fracture fillings and coneshaped sulfur aggregates in powdery anhydrite in little zeit, ras zeit and northeast of the cairn hill. The sill model implies that sea level in the red sea and gulf of suez may have even been at times lower than the global level during the three highly evaporitic phases. The surface expression of the accommodation zone is dominated by a basement promontory, which protrudes from the rift shoulder and underlies the junction of oblique ramps from. Situated to the east of the sinai peninsula is the smaller gulf of aqaba. The southern end of the gulf meets the red sea which bifurcates into the gulf of suez and the gulf of aqaba. East zeit oil field is located in the southern part of the gulf of suez province offshore. The widest part of the gulf does not exceed 50 km and unlike the gulf of aqaba the water is not more than 100 m deep. Middle miocene suez synriftbasin, egypt geoscienceworld. The far northern end of the red sea is divided into two parts gulfs by the sinai peninsula. During the boom in offshore exploration in the 1950s and 1960s, a combination of diligent geology and serendipity resulted in the discovery of a number of giant. Usgs open file report 9950a red sea basin province.
Monitoring environmental changes in elain elsokhna area. The srtm dem provides the input to the elevation and slope mapping. Structural setting and tectonic evolution of the gulf of. The gulf occupies the northwestern arm of the red sea between africa and the sinai peninsula. It represented a continuation of the red sea rift until breakup occurred in the middle miocene, with most of the displacement on the newly developed red sea spreading centre being accommodated by the. What will it take to bring a renaissance to gulf of suez exploration. Original paper exploration geology the lower miocene nukhul formation gulf of suez, egypt. Deducing the subsurface geological conditions and structural. Regional geology the gulf of suez, red sea and gulf of aqaba rifts form the northernmost extensions of the east african rift system fig. It has excellent hydrocarbon potential, with the prospective sedimentary basin area measuring approximately 19,000 km 2, and it is considered as the most prolific oil province.
Abstract reservoir mapping in the gulf of suez petroleum system is challenging because riftparallel and crossrift faults disrupted the sediments, leaving the reservoirs confined to stratigraphic, structural, and combined traps. In spite of its long history of production and exploration, it is only in recent years with improved seismic and renewed exploratory drilling that the petroleum geology of. Geology department, faculty of science, al azhar university, cairo, egypt. Egypt seizes the suez canal and declares it a national asset. Tectonic evolution of the nw red seagulf of suez rift system. Zeit area southern gulf of suez, egypt occur in fault zones on the western flank of the east zeit basin.
Abdelgawad science center, north american rockwell corporation, thousand oaks, california 960, u. Structural setting and tectonic evolution of the gulf of suez. The length of the gulf, from its mouth at the strait of jubal to its head at the city of suez, is 195 miles 314 km, and it varies in width from 12 to 20 miles 19 to 32 km. Middle miocene kareem formation, southwestern gulf of suez, egypt ahmed i. Monitoring environmental changes in elain elsokhna area, gulf of suez, egypt azza abduallah department of geography faculty of arts benha university abstract. Gulf of suez strati graphic column free download as powerpoint presentation. This article is an open access publication abstract the lower miocene nukhul formation was. Geology field trip miocenerecent synrift carbonate.
New resources discovered in the gulf of suez offshore egypt. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the gulf. The gulf of suez basin encompasses and, in general, parallels the coastline of the gulf of suez fig. Strategically and economically one of the most important waterways in the world, the suez canal runs north to south across the isthmus of suez in northeastern egypt. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the gulf of suez rift basin, egypt a u t h o r a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s. Lithology, geology and structural properties of the surface. Fault dynamics research group, geology department, royal. Map of gulf of suez, gulf of suez location facts, major.
Deducing the subsurface geological conditions and structural framework of the ne gulf of suez area, using 2d and 3d seismic data. Tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the gulf of suez and the northwestern red sea christian montenat, philippe ott destevou, bruce purser, pierrefelix burollet. Sea of calm is a gulf at the northern end of the red sea, to the west of the sinai peninsula. The gulf of suez is a rift basin oriented approximately nnw sse. Apr 15, 2015 lithology, geology and structural properties of the surface. Reservoir quality of nullipore formation, ras fanar oil field. Multisurface restoration and petroleum system evaluation. Petroleum geology and potential hydrocarbon plays in the gulf of suez rift basin, egypt article pdf available in aapg bulletin 871. Sehim,2015 the study area is located offshore of the western side of the gulf of suez, 3. Exploration started in 1886, targeting areas around documented oil seeps, and was highly successful. The silled configuration for the red sea and gulf of suez, for all its miocene evaporites, was also proposed by orszagsperber et al.
Regional geology and hydrocarbon potential of the offshore west central gulf of suez. Kerogen is typically type ii, with hc ranging from 1. Multisurface restoration and petroleum system evaluation in. Pdf tectonic evolution of the southern gulf of suez, egypt. It stretches some 300 kilometres 190 mi north by northwest, terminating at the egyptian city of suez and the entrance to the suez canal.
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