The Contribution of Potential Field Data Transformations for Enhancing and Interpreting the Structural-Tectonic Setting of the West of Cairo Area, Western Desert, Egypt
By
Ahmed S.A Abu El-Ata1, A.A. El-Khafeef2
(1) Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt (2) Petroleum Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
Transformations and interpretation tools for the potential field data of
West Cairo area, have been carried out, to enhance the configuration of the
sedimentary basins, basement and shallower structures. Total intensity
aeromagnetic data have been reduced to the magnetic north. Both gravity and
magnetic data were edge-enhanced. The directional features of the potential
field were enhanced utilizing the sun-shading technique. The particular
elevation and azimuth of the sun-shading are very powerful parameters in this
filter, where the features laying normal to the sun azimuth are enhanced and the
feature parallel are reduced. The geological noises created from dyke anomalies
cutting feature of interest have been removed by using the strike filtering
transform through the effective steps (enhancement and suppression) and to
filter parameters (direction 60o clockwise from the north and 3
severity levels: 1, 3 & 5 km). The gradient components and the analytical signal
transform option have the optimum impact in the processing of the available
data. Two-dimensional power
spectrum
was done to determine the depths to
causative magnetic bodies. The magnetic bodies are delineated at two interfaces
of 1.2 and 2.9 km depth. Horizontal and total phase angles are calculated on the
RTP map at these interfaces to inspect the locations of fault zones and the
extension of bodies. Euler deconvolution was applied for the automatic
definition of the positions, depths and shapes of the effective bodies, and the
structural trends according to the model used (step fault, dyke, sill or
contact).