Surface expression of an accommodation zone within the Gulf of Suez rift, Egyp

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Geology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0076:SEOAAZ>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:7242861

Coffield, D Q; Schamel, S ^[1]

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1. Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia (USA)

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. 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 two adjacent half-grabens, both of which face the Gulf of Suez. The southern half-graben represents the breakaway fault of the southwest-dipping tilt-block domain, and the northern half-graben represents the collapse of the upper plate above the northeast-dipping tilt-block domain. Basement and Nubian rocks in the hanging walls above the opposing low-angle detachments on either side of the accommodation zone are broken by gulf-parallel synthetic normal faults an orthogonal transfer faults, which act as block terminations and incrementally accommodate the large-scale rotation and displacement between adjacent blocks. The prerift and synrift stratigraphic succession is draped over this fault template, resulting in a complex and variable distribution of structures, the product of an inhomogeneous stratigraphic succession with an accommodation zone.

• OSTI ID: 7242861
• Journal Information: Geology; (USA), Journal Name: Geology; (USA) Vol. 17:1; ISSN GLGYB; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
BASEMENT ROCK
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GULF OF SUEZ
RED SEA
RIFT ZONES
SEAS
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS