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The role of gamma-ray logs in deciphering geochemical and geological aspects of the Rudeis Formation, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

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Abstract

Spectral gamma-ray tools present the concentrations of the three radioactive elements responsible for the natural gamma radiation, which are thorium (Th), uranium (U), and potassium (K), separately. This separation can be interpreted geochemically and geologically to identify some formation characteristics, such as lithologies, clay types, fractures, unconformities, and hydrocarbon potentialities. In this study, the geochemical and geological contributions of the natural spectral gamma-ray spectrometry (NGS) log were interpreted to characterize the Rudeis Formation in well Amal-9, Amal field, the southern province of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. The interpretation was supported by other logging tools, cuttings description, and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. The study revealed that reducing conditions were predominant during the deposition of most of the stratigraphic sequence of the Rudeis Formation. The sediments of the Rudeis Formation were identified into four lithofacies; each one has its own diagnostic spectral gamma radiation. The lithofacies are composed of sandstone (lowest radiation), limestone, shale, and marl (highest radiation). The U content can be considered as the main contributor to the radioactivity of the Rudeis Formation. Furthermore, there is a relationship between the U and the TOC contents, implying that U can be used as a proxy for organic richness shale and as an indicator for good source rock intervals in this formation. As indicated from several crossplots, the clay minerals are mainly represented by montmorillonite with a low percentage of kaolinite and illite. Several unconformities were detected, based on the dipmeter data and observing the abrupt change in both the Th/K ratio and U curves.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO) for releasing the data. Special thanks are given to the editor, associate editor, and reviewers for their trenchant insights, which helped to improve both the content and the style of this manuscript. Special thanks are given to Prof. Ahmed Abu El-Ata, Professor of Geophysics, Ain Shams University, for valuable comments and reviewing the manuscript.

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  1. Geophysical Sciences Department, National Research Centre, Room 405 – Physics Building – El Behouth St., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed S. El Sharawy & Bassem S. Nabawy

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  1. Mohamed S. El Sharawy
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  2. Bassem S. Nabawy
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Correspondence to Mohamed S. El Sharawy.

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El Sharawy, M.S., Nabawy, B.S. The role of gamma-ray logs in deciphering geochemical and geological aspects of the Rudeis Formation, Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 11, 242 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-3560-0

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