Integrated geophysical techniques applied for petroleum basins structural characterization in the central part of the Western Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The study area is situated in the central part of the Western Desert of Egypt between latitude 28°00′ to 30°00′ N and longitude 25°00′ to 30°00′ E. That region is distinguished by a featureless plain that is divided by depressions in Siwa, Qattara, and Bahariya. The purpose of the current study is to study the predominant structures in the area and how they relate to basin structure. Utilizing aerogravity data (Bouguer gravity, residual gravity, downward continuation, and Euler deconvolution) and aeromagnetic data (reduced to the northern Pole [RTP] anomalies and tilt derivative) is essential to accomplish this purpose. Through both qualitative analyses, these data were submitted to various processing and interpretation approaches. The subsurface structure configuration trending in E-W, N-S, NW-SE, NE-SW, ENE-WSW, and NNE-SSW directions has been simulated by utilizing aerogravity and aeromagnetic data. According to these maps, the study area is divided by around 44 faults. The study's findings indicated that the direction of the basement structure was almost NE-SW and N-S. The optimum Euler depth deconvolution at structure index, SI = 0 shows several features in the study area, including Sill, Dyke, Ribbon, and Step structures. © 2023 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.