scholarly journals Deep gravity data interpretation using seismic reflection and well data: A case study of the West Gharib-Bakr area, Eastern Desert, Egypt

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-385
Author(s):  
Ahmad A. Azab

Abstract A rigorous processing and analysis of the gravity data with seismic reflection and borehole information enabled a general view of the deep-seated regional structures in the West Gharib-Bakr area, Eastern Desert, Egypt. In this context, several interpretational techniques were applied to learn more about the supra-basement structures and intra-basement sources. The interpretation started with a review of the seismic data to clarify the structural elements on top of the Miocene strata, where a number of isochronous reflection maps were constructed and had migrated into depth maps. The Bouguer anomaly map was processed using Fast Fourier Transform filtering based on spectral analysis to separate the gravity anomalies into its components. Gravity stripping was also performed under the seismic isopachs and density controls. The gravity effect of each rock unit was calculated and progressively removed from the original data to obtain a new gravity map on top of the Pre-Miocene. To ensure more reliable results, further filtering and analytical processes were applied to the stripped map. The results of seismic analysis show simple structural configurations at the Miocene level, with a significant increase of evaporite thickness along the Gulf of Suez coast. In contrast, analysis of the stripped gravity map reveals a more intricate structure at the Pre-Miocene level, with increasing numbers/lengths of faults on the basement surface. Lineament analysis shows two major peaks trending N0–20°W and N50–70°E, produced by two main forces in NNW–SSE (compression) and ENE–WSW (tension) directions. The models confirmed a rough and ruptured basement surface, with no evidence of any magmatic intrusions penetrating the sediments. The basement relief map delineates five basins/sub-basins in the area which are separated from each other by ridges/saddles.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1310
Author(s):  
Hajer Azaiez ◽  
Hakim Gabtni ◽  
Mourad Bédir

Electric resistivity sounding and tomography, as well as electromagnetic sounding, are the classical methods frequently used for hydrogeological studies. In this work, we propose the development and implementation of an original integrated approach using the unconventional hydro–geophysical methods of gravity and seismic reflection for the fast, large–scale characterization of hydrogeological potential using the Ain El Beidha plain (central Tunisia) as an analogue. Extending the values of vintage petroleum seismic reflection profiles and gravity data, in conjunction with available geological and hydrogeological information, we performed an advanced analysis to characterize the geometry of deep tertiary (Oligocene and Eocene) aquifers in this arid area. Residual and tilt angle gravity maps revealed that most gravity anomalies have a short wavelength. The study area was mainly composed of three major areas: the Oued Ben Zitoun and Ain El Beidha basins, which are both related to negative gravity trends corresponding to low–density subsiding depocenters. These basins are separated by an important NE–SW trend called “El Gonna–J. El Mguataa–Kroumet Zemla” gravity high. Evaluation of the superposition of detected lineaments and Euler deconvolution solutions’ maps showed several NE–SW and N–S relay system faults. The 3D density inversion model using a lateral and vertical cutting plane suggested the presence of two different tectonic styles (thin VS thick). Results from the gravity analysis were in concordance with the seismic analysis. The deep Oligocene and Eocene seismic horizons were calibrated to the hydraulic wells and surrounding outcrops. Oligocene and Eocene geological reservoirs appear very fractured and compartmented. The faulting network also plays an important role in enhancing groundwater recharge process of the Oligocene and Eocene aquifers. Finally, generated isochron maps provided an excellent opportunity to develop future comprehensive exploration surveys over smaller and more favorable areas’ sub–basins.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Sanchez-Rojas

A new gravity data compilation for Venezuela was processed and homogenized. Gravity was measured in reference to the International Gravity Standardization Net 1971, and the complete Bouguer anomaly was calculated by using the Geodetic Reference System 1980 and 2.67 Mg/m3. A regional gravity map was computed by removing wavelengths higher than 200 km from the Bouguer anomaly. After the anomaly separation, regional and residual Bouguer gravity fields were then critically discussed in term of the regional tectonic features. Results were compared with the previous geological and tectonic information obtained from former studies. Gravity and topography data in the spectral domain were used to examine the elastic thickness and depths of the structures of the causative measured anomaly. According to the power spectrum analysis results of the gravity data, the averaged Moho depths for the massif, plains, and mountainous areas in Venezuela are 42, 35, and 40 km, respectively. The averaged admittance function computed from the topography and Free-Air anomaly profiles across Mérida Andes showed a good fit for a regional compensation model with an effective elastic thickness of 15 km.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rachel Barrett

<p>Geophysical data show that the West Wishbone Ridge, offshore of eastern New Zealand, is best described as having previously been a crustal transform fault, which first propagated along the eastern margin of the Hikurangi Plateau as subduction along the New Zealand sector of the Gondwana margin began to slow and reorientate between 105 and 101 Ma. Variation in the strike of the West Wishbone Ridge has resulted in contrasting compressional and extensional zones along the ridge. These regimes reflect the direction of strike offset from the direction of fault propagation, and constrain the sense of motion along the West Wishbone Ridge as having been dextral.  We find evidence that Cretaceous subduction along the Chatham Rise margin extended east of the margin offset at 174°W that marks the edge of Hikurangi Plateau subduction beneath the margin. Rotation of the Chatham Rise margin between 105 and 101 Ma was accommodated by westward broadening of the extensional zone of deformation associated with the West Wishbone Ridge near its intersection with the Chatham Rise. The amount of offset along the ridge indicates that significant transform motion along the West Wishbone Ridge south of ~40.5°S ceased ca. 101 Ma, coeval with the cessation of spreading of the Osbourn Trough, and of subduction of the Hikurangi Plateau.  Additionally, we find anomalously thick oceanic crust adjacent to the WWR and north of the Hikurangi Plateau (>12 km thick). This is attributed to the proximity of this crust to the Hikurangi Plateau Large Igneous Province.  The results of this study are based on seismic reflection and magnetic data recently collected during the 2016 R/V Sonne survey SO-246, as well as previously collected seismic reflection profiles and satellite gravity data.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Anatole Eugene Djieto Lordon ◽  
Mbohlieu YOSSA ◽  
Christopher M Agyingi ◽  
Yves Shandini ◽  
Thierry Stephane Kuisseu

Gravimetric studies using the ETOPO1-corrected high resolution satellite-based EGM2008 gravity data was used to define the surface extent, depth to basement and shape of the Mamfe basin. The Bouguer anomaly map was produced in Surfer 11.0. The Fast Fourier Transformed data was analyzed by spectral analysis to remove the effect of the regional bodies in the study area. The residual anomaly map obtained was compared with the known geology of the study area, and this showed that the gravity highs correspond to the metamorphic and igneous rocks while the gravity lows match with Cretaceous sediments. Three profiles were drawn on the residual anomaly map along which 2D models of the Mamfe basin were drawn. The modeling was completed in Grav2dc v2.06 software which uses the Talwini’s algorithm and the resulting models gave the depth to basement and the shape of the basement along the profiles. After processing and interpretation, it was deduced that the Mamfe basin has an average length and width of 77.6 km and 29.2 km respectively, an average depth to basement of 5 km and an overall U-shape basement. These dimensions (especially the depth) theoretically create the depth and temperature conditions for petroleum generation. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gumilar Utamas Nugraha ◽  
Karit Lumban Goal ◽  
Lina Handayani ◽  
Rachmat Fajar Lubis

Lineament is one of the most important features showing subsurface elements or structural weakness such as faults. This study aims to identify subsurface lineament patterns using automatic lineament in Citarum watershed with gravity data. Satellite gravity data were used to generate a sub-surface lineament. Satellite gravity data corrected using Bouguer and terrain correction to obtain a complete Bouguer anomaly value. Butterworth filters were used to separate regional and residual anomaly from the complete Bouguer anomaly value. Residual anomaly gravity data used to analyze sub-surface lineament. Lineament generated using Line module in PCI Geomatica to obtain sub-surface lineament from gravity residual value. The orientations of lineaments and fault lines were created by using rose diagrams. The main trends observed in the lineament map could be recognized in these diagrams, showing a strongly major trend in NW-SE, and the subdominant directions were in N-S. Area with a high density of lineament located at the Southern part of the study area. High-density lineament might be correlated with fractured volcanic rock upstream of the Citarum watershed, meanwhile, low-density lineament is associated with low-density sediment. The high-density fracture might be associated with intensive tectonics and volcanism.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
sara sayyadi ◽  
Magnús T. Gudmundsson ◽  
Thórdís Högnadóttir ◽  
James White ◽  
Joaquín M.C. Belart ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;The formation of the oceanic island Surtsey in the shallow ocean off the south coast of Iceland in 1963-1967 remains one of the best-studied examples of basaltic emergent volcanism to date. The island was built by both explosive, phreatomagmatic phases and by effusive activity forming lava shields covering parts of the explosively formed tuff cones. &amp;#160;Constraints on the subsurface structure of Surtsey achieved mainly based on the documented evolution during eruption and from drill cores in 1979 and in the ICDP-supported SUSTAIN drilling expedition in 2017(an inclined hole, directed 35&amp;#176; from the vertical). The 2017 drilling confirmed the existence of a diatreme, cut into the sedimentary pre-eruption seafloor (Jackson et al., 2019).&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We use 3D-gravity modeling, constrained by the stratigraphy from the drillholes to study the structure of the island and the underlying diatreme. &amp;#160;Detailed gravity data were obtained on Surtsey in July 2014 with a gravity station spacing of ~100 m. Density measurements for the seafloor sedimentary and tephra samples of the surface were carried out using the ASTM1 protocol. By comparing the results with specific gravity measurements of cores from drillhole in 2017, a density contrast of about 200 kg m&lt;sup&gt;-3&lt;/sup&gt; was found between the lapilli tuffs of the diatreme and the seafloor sediments.&amp;#160; Our approach is to divide the island into four main units of distinct density: (1) tuffs above sea level, (2) tuffs below sea level, (3) lavas above sea level, and (4) a lava delta below sea level, composed of breccias over which the lava advanced during the effusive eruption.&amp;#160; The boundaries between the bodies are defined from the eruption history and mapping done during the eruption, aided by the drill cores.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A complete Bouguer anomaly map is obtained by calculating a total terrain correction by applying the Nagy formula to dense DEMs (5 m spacing out to 1.2 km from station, 200 m spacing between 1.2 km and 50 km) of both island topography and ocean bathymetry.&amp;#160; Through the application of both forward and inverse modeling, using the GM-SYS 3D software, the results provide a 3-D model of the island itself, as well as constraints on diatreme shape and depth.&lt;/p&gt;


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfred Osukuku ◽  
Abiud Masinde ◽  
Bernard Adero ◽  
Edmond Wanjala ◽  
John Ego

Abstract This research work attempts to map out the stratigraphic sequence of the Kerio Valley Basin using magnetic, gravity and seismic data sets. Regional gravity data consisting of isotactic, free-air and Bouguer anomaly grids were obtained from the International Gravity Bureau (BGI). Magnetic data sets were sourced from the Earth Magnetic Anomaly grid (EMAG2). The seismic reflection data was acquired in 1989 using a vibrating source shot into inline geophones. Gravity Isostacy data shows low gravity anomalies that depict a deeper basement. Magnetic tilt and seismic profiles show sediment thickness of 2.5-3.5 Km above the basement. The Kerio Valley Basin towards the western side is underlain by a deeper basement which are overlain by succession of sandstones/shales and volcanoes. At the very top are the mid Miocene phonolites (Uasin Gishu) underlain by mid Miocene sandstones/shales (Tambach Formation). There are high gravity anomalies in the western and southern parts of the basin with the sedimentation being constrained by two normal faults. The Kerio Valley Basin is bounded to the west by the North-South easterly dipping fault system. Gravity data was significantly of help in delineating the basement, scanning the lithosphere and the upper mantle according to the relative densities. The basement rocks as well as the upper cover of volcanoes have distinctively higher densities than the infilled sedimentary sections within the basin. From the seismic profiles, the frequency of the shaley rocks and compact sandstones increases with depths. The western side of the basin is characterized by the absence of reflections and relatively higher frequency content. The termination of reflectors and the westward dip of reflectors represent a fault (Elgeyo fault). The reflectors dip towards the west, marking the basin as an asymmetrical syncline, indicating that the extension was towards the east. The basin floor is characterized by a nearly vertical fault which runs parallel to the Elgeyo fault. The seismic reflectors show marked discontinuities which may be due to lava flows. The deepest reflector shows deep sedimentation in the basin and is in reasonable agreement with basement depths delineated from potential methods (gravity and magnetic). Basement rocks are deeper at the top of the uplift footwall of the Elgeyo Escarpment. The sediments are likely of a thickness of about 800 M which is an interbed of sandstones and shales above the basement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. SH1-SH17 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kim Welford ◽  
Deric Cameron ◽  
Erin Gillis ◽  
Victoria Mitchell ◽  
Richard Wright

A regional long-offset 2D seismic reflection program undertaken along the Labrador margin of the Labrador Sea, Canada, and complemented by the acquisition of coincident gravity data, has provided an extensive data set with which to image and model the sparsely investigated outer shelf, slope, and deepwater regions. Previous interpretation of the seismic data revealed the extent of Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins and resulted in the remapping of the basin configuration for the entire margin. To map the synrift package and improve understanding of the geometry and extent of these basins, we have undertaken joint seismic interpretation and gravity forward modeling to reduce uncertainty in the identification of the prerift basement, which varies between Paleozoic shelfal deposits and Precambrian crystalline rocks, with similar density characteristics. With this iterative approach, we have obtained new depth to basement constraints and have deduced further constraints on crustal thickness variations along the Labrador margin. At the crustal scale, extreme localized crustal thinning has been revealed along the southern and central portions of the Labrador margin, whereas a broad, margin-parallel zone of thicker crust has been detected outboard of the continental shelf along the northern Labrador margin. Our final gravity models suggest that Late Cretaceous rift packages from further south extend along the entire Labrador margin and open the possibility of a Late Cretaceous source rock fairway extending into the Labrador basins.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. MUÑOZ-MARTÍN ◽  
M. CATALÁN ◽  
J. MARTÍN-DÁVILA ◽  
A. CARBÓ

Deception Island is a young, active volcano located in the south-western part of Bransfield Strait, between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland archipelago. New gravity and magnetic data, from a marine geophysical cruise (DECVOL-99), were analysed. Forty-eight survey lines were processed and mapped around Deception Island to obtain Bouguer and magnetic anomaly maps. These maps show well- defined groups of gravity and magnetic anomalies, as well as their gradients. To constrain the upper crustal structure, we have performed 2+1/2D forward modelling on three profiles perpendicular to the main anomalies of the area, and taking into account previously published seismic information. From the gravity and magnetic models, two types of crust were identified. These were interpreted as continental crust (located north of Deception Island) and more basic crust (south of Deception Island). The transition between these crustal types is evident in the Bouguer anomaly map as a high gradient area trending NE–SW. Both magnetic and gravity data show a wide minimum at the eastern part of Deception Island, which suggests a very low bulk susceptibility and low density intrusive body. With historical recorded eruptions and thermal and fumarolic fields, we interpret this anomaly as a partially melted intrusive body. Its top has been estimated to be at 1.7 km depth using Euler deconvolution techniques.


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