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Document Type

Review Article

Subject Areas

Earth science

Keywords

Fault trend, Structural pattern, Seismic attributes, Stratigraphic depositional eras, Southern Meleiha concession, North western desert-Egypt

Abstract

The Meleiha area is characterized by an abundance of hydrocarbon content in its layers, but the southern part of it contains some problems in terms of production, and it has been observed in the structural pattern that the directions of the some faults differ than the directions common in the all area, The objective of the present work is to elucidate the perplexity surrounding the fault trend observed in late age strata, which deviates from the regional fault trend observed during that period. The targeted geological formations include the Jurassic Ras Qattara and Khatatba formations, the early Cretaceous Alam El Bueib members, and the late Cretaceous Bahariya formation. Certain faults located in the western and north-western regions of the area exhibit a distinct orientation from the prevailing fault trend in the area, which predominantly follows a northwest-southeast trend. These faults differ than this regional pattern by aligning in a west-east direction. A three-dimensional fault geometries have been studied through a geologically integrated analysis of fault seismic attribute volumes. We used a series of coherence (semblance) and filtered coherence attribute volumes with parameters optimized for imaging faults in the studied seismic volumes. Fault geometric attributes such as along strike segment length and displacement were measured on fault seismic attributes. The hydrocarbon potential of Bahariya, Alam El Bueib, Khatatba, and Ras Qattara oil reservoirs in the Meleiha concession was also assessed by creating subsurface maps that show how the Lithostratigraphic unit changes and assessing the study area's environmental conditions. A 3D seismic survey and five wells were used in the area of investigation. So, the process started with figuring out what the geological and geophysical data meant. Followed by the definition of the fault trend using seismic features. Two significant northwest-southeast and east-west extensional phases occurred in the Meleiha Concession throughout the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. From Turonian to Eocene, movements occurred. Four stratigraphic depositional eras exist. Each cycle began with regression-characterized deposition and finished with maximal transgression, separated by major regional unconformities. The Middle Miocene Syrian Arc tectonic event created a massive unconformity at the top of the Khoman Formation. Several Late Jurassic east-west faults can be identified through seismic parameters.

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