Longitudinal Variations in Rift Architecture and Sedimentation - Case Study from the Eastern Blocks of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt
By
Mohamed Abdel Fattah1, Mohamed Darwish1, Adel Sehim1
(1) Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
The Gulf of Suez represents unique exposures for studying architecture and sedimentation in rift systems. The central-east rift-blocks are selected for detailed mapping and analysis aiming at reaching a model for rift development and sedimentation in time and space.
The northern rift-border (Baba) fault
-system reflects listric-geometry
through linkage of several
fault
-segments. Linkage areas represent deficit-nodes
for ruptures. Generally, displacement cessates due south where the northern
major displacement exceeded the rate of deposition and shows extensive drags and
thrusts. Baba
fault
-system merges at depth and along-strike with major
rift-coastal
fault
, which forms an intra-basinal ridge separating two different
basinal-segments. These two
fault
-systems cessate southward and synthetic
approached with a master Miocene-bounding (Sidri) collateral faults. The linkage
area represents low-stand zone onlapped by syn-rifting sediments. Younger
channel-clastics charged the rift through this low-stand entry point.
8.5 km wide flexure-zone represents the entrapped block between Sidri
fault
-system and the basement-border
fault
. This flexure-zone is crossed by two
longitudinal, conjugately dipping
fault
-systems with intervening transfer zones.
Sidri
fault
-system terminates due south across a hard-linkage transfer
fault
.
South of the latter, the rift is bounded by a master
fault
showing along-strike
displacement variation and transverse folds.
The above represents drastic longitudinal variations in rift-width and blocks
architecture reflecting rift development through several rift-centers that
propagated and linked during three rift-phases. The linkage areas and
differential fault
associated subsidence controlled the Miocene basin-morphology
and related sedimentation.