Tectonic Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin and its Significance for the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Nile Delta Deepwater Area

Ahmed, A.M. Manowar; Ahmed, El Barkooky; Marc, Gerrits; Meyer, Hans-Jurg; Marcus, Schwander; Hala, Zaki

doi:10.2113/geoarabia0603363

Cited by 70 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The Late Messinian Qawasim and Abu-Madi Formations, exceed thickness of 1000 m only in a limited (100 × 25 km) region at the mouth of the canyon 23,29,[64][65][66] . Outside this region these formations rapidly thinn to a few 10 s or 100 s of m (<300 m) resembling distal deep water deposits 29,67,68 . Such a canyon fill with a relatively small lowsrtand fan is better reconciled with limited incision of the Messinian Nile canyon up to Cairo.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Limited Mediterranean sea-level drop during the Messinian salinity crisis inferred from the buried Nile canyon

Gvirtzman

Heida

García-Castellanos

et al. 2023

Preprint

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<p><strong>The extreme Mediterranean sea-level drop during the Messinian salinity crisis has been known for >50 years, but its amplitude and duration remain a challenge. Here we estimate its amplitude by restoring the topography of the Messinian Nile canyon and the vertical position of the Messinian coastline by unloading of post-Messinian sediment and accounting for flexural isostasy and compaction. We estimate the original depth of the geomorphological base level of the Nile River at ~600-m below present sea level, implying a drawdown 2-4 times smaller than previously estimated from the Nile canyon and suggesting that salt precipitated under 1-3-km deep waters. This conclusion is at odds with the nearly-desiccated basin model (>2 km drawdown) dominating the scientific literature for 50 years. Yet, a 600-m drawdown is ca. five times larger than eustatic fluctuations and its impact on the Mediterranean continental margins is incomparable to any glacial sea-level fall. </strong></p>

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Limited Mediterranean sea-level drop during the Messinian salinity crisis inferred from the buried Nile canyon

Gvirtzman

Heida

García-Castellanos

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…6,7 The Messinian salt basin is defined by the E−W faults, the NE−SW-oriented trend, and the NW−SE-oriented Misfaq−Bardawil trend. 4,16 The stratigraphic column of the Nile Delta shows rock units ranging in age from Jurassic to Quaternary (Figure 2). The Jurassic formations mark the end of the penetrated sedimentary succession in the Nile Delta (Figure 2), which are considered the oldest rock units in the area.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The deep-sea fan of the Nile Delta was formed as a result of the Messinian Salinity Crisis during the late Miocene, where three major fault trends define the complicated structural pattern of the whole area (Figure B). , The Messinian salt basin is defined by the E–W faults, the NE–SW-oriented trend, and the NW–SE-oriented Misfaq–Bardawil trend. , …”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 6 , 7 The Messinian salt basin is defined by the E–W faults, the NE–SW-oriented trend, and the NW–SE-oriented Misfaq–Bardawil trend. 4 , 16 …”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the last decades, many researchers have dealt with evaluating the hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs in the offshore Nile Delta and characterizing its source rock potentiality through analyzing the available petrophysical, geological, well logging, and geochemical data. − However, several published studies are believed to have mainly discovered natural gases in most of the fields of the western offshore Nile Delta, which were sourced from the organic-rich sedimentary rocks of the late Mesozoic–late Cenozoic era (i.e., Oligocene–Pliocene). ,, The main source of gas and condensate in the western offshore Nile Delta is considered to be the Oligocene–early Miocene formations …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geochemistry of Liquid Hydrocarbons and Natural Gases Combined with 1D Basin Modeling of the Oligocene Shale Source Rock System in the Offshore Nile Delta, Egypt

El-Said,

Abd-Allah,

Abdel-Aal

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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The current study aims to integrate the geochemical characteristics of the Oligocene shale source rock system, oil, condensate, and natural gas samples in the Oligocene sandstone reservoirs from three exploration wells located in the offshore Nile Delta, East Mediterranean Sea, using organic geochemistry and a 1D basin modeling scheme. The Tineh shales exhibit total organic carbon values ranging between 0.90 and 1.89 wt %, along with hydrogen index values in the range of 54−240 mg hydrocarbon/g rock. The geochemical characterization suggests that the shale intervals of the Oligocene Tineh Formation contain type II−III and type III kerogens and, thereby, could be regarded as promising oil-and gas-prone source rocks with high contributions of gas generation potential. The study also reconstructs the 1D thermal and burial history models, showing that the Oligocene Tineh source rock system is in the main oil and wet gas generation phases from the late Miocene to the present time. The simulated basin models reveal the transformation (TR) of 10−50% kerogen to oil during the late Miocene−early Pliocene period and that the Oligocene Tineh source rock system has larger oil generation and expulsion competency, with a TR value of up to 65% during the early Pliocene−Pleistocene time period. The thermogenic gas was also formed during this time and continued to the present day. This study also investigated the presence of oil and condensate in the Oligocene sandstone reservoir samples and revealed that they were generated from mature source rock, ranging from moderately to highly mature stages. This source rock unit was deposited in fluvial to fluvial-deltaic environments under oxic mixed organic conditions and accumulated during the Tertiary time, as evidenced by the presence of the oleanane biomarker dating indicator. The molecular and isotope compositions of natural gases revealed that most of the natural gases in the Oligocene sandstone reservoir are mainly thermogenic methane gases that were generated from mainly mixed organic matter. The thermogenic methane gases were formed mainly from secondary cracking of oil and gas, with small contributions of primary kerogen cracking. The properties of natural gases together with oil and condensate in the Oligocene reservoir rocks suggest that most of the thermogenic methane gases and associated liquid hydrocarbons are derived primarily from the Oligocene shale source rock system and formed by primary kerogen cracking and secondary oil and oil/gas cracking in different thermal maturity stages. Therefore, the Oligocene Tineh Formation can be regarded as self-source generation and self-reservoir rock; hence, an intensive oil exploration and production program can be recommended whenever the Tineh source rock system is is well developed and deeply buried.

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The African landscape through space and time

2014

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Key Points:• We invert large sets of longitudinal river profiles. Fits to data are excellent • Our history of uplift is consistent with independent geological calibration • We have reconstructed the evolution of dynamic topography in Africa since 50 Ma Abstract It is generally accepted that Cenozoic epeirogeny of the African continent is moderated by convective circulation of the mantle. Nevertheless, the spatial and temporal evolution of Africa's "basin-and-swell" physiography is not well known. Here we show how continental drainage networks can be used to place broad constraints on the pattern of uplift through space and time. First, we assemble an inventory of 710 longitudinal river profiles that includes major tributaries of the 10 largest catchments. River profiles have been jointly inverted to determine the pattern of uplift rate as a function of space and time.Our inverse model assumes that shapes of river profiles are controlled by uplift rate history and modulated by erosional processes, which can be calibrated using independent geologic evidence (e.g., marine terraces, volcanism and thermochronologic data). Our results suggest that modern African topography started to develop ∼30 Myr ago when volcanic swells appeared in North and East Africa. During the last 15-20 Myr, subequatorial Africa was rapidly elevated, culminating in the appearance of three large swells that straddle southern and western coasts. Our results enable patterns of sedimentary flux at major deltas to be predicted and tested. We suggest that the evolution of drainage networks is dominated by rapid upstream advection of signals produced by a changing pattern of regional uplift. An important corollary is that, with careful independent calibration, these networks might act as useful tape recorders of otherwise inaccessible mantle processes. Finally, we note that there are substantial discrepancies between our results and published dynamic topographic predictions.

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Tectonic Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin and its Significance for the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Nile Delta Deepwater Area

Cited by 70 publications

References 3 publications

Limited Mediterranean sea-level drop during the Messinian salinity crisis inferred from the buried Nile canyon

Limited Mediterranean sea-level drop during the Messinian salinity crisis inferred from the buried Nile canyon

Geochemistry of Liquid Hydrocarbons and Natural Gases Combined with 1D Basin Modeling of the Oligocene Shale Source Rock System in the Offshore Nile Delta, Egypt

The African landscape through space and time

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