The eastern Mediterranean is a tectonically complex region evolving in the long term located in the midst of the progressive Afro-Eurasian collision. Despite years of investigation, its geological-geophysical structure is not completely known. At the same time, the recent discovery of large gas deposits has attracted the attention of many researchers to this region. For instance, the latest U. S. Geological Survey estimates using conventional assessment methodology suggest that there are on the order of 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil and more than 4 trillion m3 of recoverable gas in the Levant Basin [1]. This highlights the need for analysis of the paleogeographical conditions that can yield deep paleotectonic criteria for oil and gas discovery in this region. For this purpose, isopach maps of the Middle-Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous were generated from detailed examinations of numerous well sections and the most significant outcroppings in the eastern Mediterranean. The maps confirm an earlier model of continental accretion [2]. In particular, abrupt changes in the trend and thickness of the Early Mesozoic formations coincide with the terrane boundaries. These compiled isopach maps also pinpoint significant distinctions between the Arabian and Sinai plates on the one hand and the Syrian arc on the other. A new tectonic map of the eastern Mediterranean is presented that first of all integrates geophysical satellite-derived gravity and airborne magnetic fields, as well as tectonic-structural, paleogeographical and facial analyses. The results have clear implications for hydrocarbon prospecting in this region
Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) is located in northern Israel in the area of complex tectonic setting where the Dead Sea Transform crosscuts other fault systems. Practical absence of wells in the sea hinders geological‐geophysical data interpretation. Map of the total magnetic field shows an intricate pattern of the magnetic field distribution caused by a combined influence of the basalt flows of various age and magnetization in and around the sea. The identified magnetic anomalies were analyzed using methods of quantitative interpretation specially developed for complex geological conditions. The paleomagnetic stratigraphy of basalt associations around the Sea of Galilee basin proved to be correlated with the paleomagnetic zones in the sea. For the first time was developed the detailed magnetic‐paleomagnetic scheme with K‐Ar dating unmasking structure of magnetic anomalies in the sea and coordinating the revealed peculiarities with the surrounding anomalies.
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