Application of stripping technique on gravity data to study the structure evaluation in Abu Ghradiq basin and its surroundings, northern Western Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The Northern part of Western Desert, Egypt is an exceptional area since it’s a significant hydrocarbon-rich region, containing many potential basins. The study area lies between latitudes 28° 00’ and 30° 30' N, and longitudes 26° 00' and 31° 18' E. The present study employs lithological data from 48 drilled wells and Bouguer gravity data to compute gravity for five distinct sedimentary sequences separated from the well data. The five sequences were separated based on their density contrast. They nominated sequences I - V . The thickness of each sequence was obtained from the well data. Gravity values for each sequence were calculated using the conventional gravity equation based on thickness and density. By employing the stripping process, gravity associated with each sequence was subtracted from the Bouguer gravity of the study area to the basement rocks. A contour gravity anomaly map was generated for each specific sedimentary sequence in addition to the basement rocks. These maps and rose diagrams revealed prevalent structural trends in the east-west (E-W), northeast-southwest (NE-SW), and northwest-southeast (NW-SE) orientations across all sequences. NW-SE trend is the main structural trend in sedimentary sequences, with a slight 5-degree deviation from sequence I to V. In contrast, basement rocks exhibit more complex and varied structural trends. The basement rocks were affected by an early tectonic event, and later both the sedimentary sequences and basement rocks were influenced by another tectonic event. This suggests the area is suitable for hydrocarbon generation and accumulation due to these tectonic phases.