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Seismotectonic studies in Aswan area, Egypt

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Abstract

Aswan area is characterized by complex tectonic and structural settings. It has very important strategic and archeological sites. The high density of population in this moderate active seismic area makes it important to study in detail its seismicity, seismotectonics, focal mechanism, stress field, types, and orientations of faults. A catalogue of 2685 earthquakes recorded by the Egyptian national seismological network from 2010 to 2019 was analyzed and revealed different seismic b-values which reflect that the Aswan area is subjected to different stresses. These events were relocated using the relative relocation technique to preciously determine the hypocenter locations. The relocated events refined the image of its seismicity and subsurface faults. The focal mechanisms of some relocated events were studied using the first polarities of P-waves and showed that the Kalabsha fault is affected by a right lateral strike-slip movement with normal dip slip component, while Khour El-Ramla, Kurkur, Abu Dirwa, and Gazelle faults are affected by a left lateral strike-slip movement with normal dip slip component. In addition, the stress field was studied from the inversion of focal mechanisms to define the principal fault plane parameters, principal stress axes, frictions, and shape ratios in Aswan area. It showed that the eastern part of Kalabsha fault is the most active segment in Aswan area. The results of this study can be a very useful basis in seismic hazard assessment and seismic risk mitigation.

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The authors worked on the earthquake data recorded by the ENSN stations of the national institute of astronomy and geophysics, Helwan, Egypt.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) for providing the earthquake data. The b-value was estimated using ZMAP (http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/en/research-and-teaching/products-software/software/ZMAP/). The stress inversion was estimated using the STRESSINVERSE MATLAB software package of Vavryčuk (2014). Most figures were made using ArcGIS 10. The HypoDD Version 1.3 Fortran77 computer program of Waldhauser F (2001) was used to relocate the earthquakes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Shaimaa I. Mostafa

  2. National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Egypt

    Abuo El-Ela A. Mohamed

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  1. Shaimaa I. Mostafa
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  2. Abuo El-Ela A. Mohamed
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Correspondence to Shaimaa I. Mostafa.

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Responsible Editor: Longjun Dong

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Mostafa, S.I., Mohamed, A.EE.A. Seismotectonic studies in Aswan area, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 14, 2210 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08608-9

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