Red Sea rifting controls on aquifer distribution: Constraints from geochemical, geophysical, and remote sensing data

Sultan, M.; Ahmed, Yousef; Metwally, S.; Becker, R. H.; Milewski, A.; Sauck, William A.; Sturchio, Neil C.; Mohamed, Ahmed A.; Wagdy, Ahmad; Alfy, Z. El; Soliman, Farouk; Rashed, Mohamed; Becker, Doris; Sagin, Jay; Welton, B.

doi:10.1130/b30146.1

Cited by 34 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The dense networks of valleys collect precipitation over extensive areas and channel it downstream through the main valleys causing flash floods. It has been demonstrated that in areas with similar geologic, hydrologic, and climatic settings in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, precipitation over the basement complex highlands is channeled downstream as surface runoff in valley networks and as groundwater flow in the alluvial sediments underlying these valleys, in fractured basement, and in down-dropped sedimentary units within the basement complex (Sultan et al 2007(Sultan et al , 2008(Sultan et al , 2011Amer et al 2013). We envision a similar conceptual model for the Feiran watershed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Structural Controls on Groundwater Flow in Basement Terrains: Geophysical, Remote Sensing, and Field Investigations in Sinai

et al. 2015

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An integrated [very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic, magnetic, remote sensing, field, and geographic information system (GIS)] study was conducted over the basement complex in southern Sinai (Feiran watershed) for a better understanding of the structural controls on the groundwater flow. The increase in satellite-based radar backscattering values following a large precipitation event (34 mm on 17-18 January 2010) was used to identify water-bearing features, here interpreted as preferred pathways for surface water infiltration. Findings include: (1) spatial analysis in a GIS environment revealed that the distribution of the water-bearing features (conductive features) corresponds to that of fractures, faults, shear zones, dike swarms, and wadi networks; (2) using VLF (43 profiles), magnetic (7 profiles) techniques, and field observations, the majority (85 %) of the investigated conductive features were determined to be preferred pathways for groundwater flow; (3) northwest-southeast-to north-south-trending conductive features that intersect the groundwater flow (southeast to northwest) at low angles capture groundwater flow, whereas northeast-southwest to east-west features that intersect the flow at high angles impound groundwater upstream and could provide potential productive well locations; and (4) similar findings are observed in central Sinai: east-west-trending dextral shear zones (Themed and Sinai Hinge Belt) impede south to north groundwater flow as evidenced by the significant drop in hydraulic head (from 467 to 248 m above mean sea level) across shear zones and by reorientation of regional flow (south-north to

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Structural Controls on Groundwater Flow in Basement Terrains: Geophysical, Remote Sensing, and Field Investigations in Sinai

et al. 2015

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“…The rift was associated with uplift which resulted in erosion of the sedimentary succession and exposure of the underlying basement rocks [24]. The rift reactivated the accretionary and post-accretionary Pan-African fault systems and led to the development of ESB in the Gulf of Suez and the northern Red Sea [2,25,26]. The ESB in the Eastern Desert of Egypt were formed in the late Cretaceous and nucleated as small pull-apart basins by reactivating the Najd Fault System [26,27].…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rift reactivated the accretionary and post-accretionary Pan-African fault systems and led to the development of ESB in the Gulf of Suez and the northern Red Sea [2,25,26]. The ESB in the Eastern Desert of Egypt were formed in the late Cretaceous and nucleated as small pull-apart basins by reactivating the Najd Fault System [26,27]. Paleostress analysis of the Duwi sub-basin in the Central Eastern Desert show that it was formed compatible with principal stress directions with sub-horizontal σ 1 (ENE-WSW) and σ 3 (NNW-SSE), and a sub-vertical σ 2 [27] (Figure 3).…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Architecture for Development of Marginal Extensional Sub-Basins in the Red Sea Active Rift Zone

Amer¹,

Sultan²,

Ripperdan³

et al. 2012

IJG

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This paper presents a robust kinematic model that describes northern Red Sea and Gulf of Suez rifting and the development of marginal extensional half-graben sub-basins (ESB). A combination of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and structural data was used to provide model constraints on the development of rift segments and ESB in the active rift zones. Structural analysis shows rotation and change in strike of rift-bounding faults. The model describes the northern Red Sea region as a poly-phase rift system initiated by late Oligocene (30 - 24 Ma) orthogonal rifting and the development of marginal ESB (now inland ESB), followed by oblique rifting and flank uplift during the early Miocene (24 - 18 Ma). The oblique rifting fragmented the rift depression into segments separated by oblique-slip accommodation within reactivated Pan-African (ca. 600 Ma) fracture zones, resulting in the development of antithetic faults and an <i>en-echelon</i> distribution of inland ESB. The current phase of rifting was instigated by the development of the Dead Sea Transform in response to increased northeasterly extension during the middle Miocene (ca. 18 Ma). The model explains the widening of the Red Sea rift during the last phase more than the Gulf of Suez rift by developing more antithetic faults and formation of offshore ESB, and deepening the rift depression

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“…Older fossil groundwater is found in deep aquifers such as the Nubian aquifer that was recharged in the Quaternary during previous wet climatic periods (Sturchio et al, 2004). Geochemical and isotopic analyses of samples from the ED and Sinai show apparent mixing of paleowaters with modern precipitation (Sultan et al, 2011a;Sultan et al, 2007;Sultan et al, 2011b).…”

Section: Geosphere December 2012 1591mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated solutions for hydrologic investigations in arid lands

et al. 2012

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Hydrological assessment studies across vast regions of the arid world are often hindered by the inaccessibility of these areas and the paucity of data sets, as well as the high expenses and diffi culties entailed in acquiring these data sets, their unpublished nature, and their varying scales, projections, and datum. Using the Eastern Desert (ED) of Egypt (225,000 km 2) and the Sinai Peninsula (61,000 km 2) as test sites, we demonstrate practical and cost-effective integrated (geochemistry, geophysics, and modeling) solutions that utilize web-based geographic information system (GIS) (http://www.esrs .wmich.edu/webmap) technologies and take advantage of readily available global remote sensing data sets. Adopted methodologies allowed: (1) development of conceptual models for hydrogeologic settings conducive to groundwater entrapment and augmentation, including groundwater in fractured basement aquifers, groundwater impounded by dike swarms crosscutting alluvial aquifers, and groundwater residing in alluvial aquifers associated with ascending deep-seated fossil waters; (2) selection of criteria to identify and validate the preferred distribution of each of these aquifer types and usage of the selected criteria and observations from the GIS data sets to identify, test, and refi ne potential well locations; and (3) construction and calibration of hydrologic models to estimate average annual recharge over the major watersheds in the Sinai (463 × 10 6 m 3 /yr) and ED (171 × 10 6 m 3 /yr) and the average modern contributions to Nubian fossil aquifers (Sinai: 13 × 10 6 m 3 /yr), and to model the partitioning of precipitation as a function of precipitation amounts. The successful application of the integrated and cost-effective methodologies developed for the study areas should invite similar applications in arid regions elsewhere.

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Red Sea rifting controls on aquifer distribution: Constraints from geochemical, geophysical, and remote sensing data

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Structural Controls on Groundwater Flow in Basement Terrains: Geophysical, Remote Sensing, and Field Investigations in Sinai

Structural Controls on Groundwater Flow in Basement Terrains: Geophysical, Remote Sensing, and Field Investigations in Sinai

Structural Architecture for Development of Marginal Extensional Sub-Basins in the Red Sea Active Rift Zone

Integrated solutions for hydrologic investigations in arid lands

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