Miocene salt structures as exploration indicators in the offshore B-Trend, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Conference · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:7272055

Saoudi, A M ^[1]

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1. Gulf of Suez Petroleum Co., El Maadi, Cairo (Egypt)

The B-Trend is a structural horst block extending in a northwest-southeast direction for about 40 km in the southern offshore area of the Gulf of Suez. It contains six individual sub-structures (six oil fields) oriented along strike and dipping toward the southwest. Subsurface geologic data from 60 wells together with the available seismic data in the area were integrated to explain the development of salt structures along this belt and their influence on oil exploration. These salt structures are restricted to the Belayim and South Gharib formations of middle and upper Miocene age, respectively. Moreover, they are arranged as linear features along the trend. Thickening in the Belayim salt is due in some cases to injection and in others to deposition. The apexes of the Belayim injected salt bodies are located down-dip from the crest of the underlying structures and are shifted westward from the apexes of the overlying larger South Gharib salt bulges. The highset corner of the pre-Miocene structures is located to the east of the injected Belayim salt pillows. Thick Belayim salt of depositional origin usually exists on the downthrown side of the leading edge fault to the east. The thickness ratios between the different members of the Belayim Formation help to differentiate between the injected and deposited salt bodies. These ratios can be used to orient well tracks to the optimum structural target while drilling.

• OSTI ID: 7272055
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
AFRICA
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
EGYPTIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GULF OF SUEZ
MIDDLE EAST
MINERAL RESOURCES
MIOCENE EPOCH
OFFSHORE SITES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RED SEA
RESOURCES
SALT DEPOSITS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TERTIARY PERIOD