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Pre-salt to salt stratigraphic architecture in a rift basin: insights from a basin-scale study of the Gulf of Suez (Egypt)

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Abstract

We propose a basin-scale (∼300 × 100 km) study of the pre-salt to salt sedimentary fill from the Suez rift based on outcrop and subsurface data. This study is a new synthesis of existing and newly acquired data using an integrated approach with (1) basin-scale synthesis of the structural framework, (2) stratigraphic architecture characterization of the entire Suez rift using sequence stratigraphy concepts, (3) lithologic maps reconstruction and interpretation, (4) isopach/depocenter maps interpolation to quantify sedimentary volumes, and (5) quantification of the sediment supply, mean carbonate and evaporite accumulation rates, and their integration into the rift dynamic. The Gulf of Suez is ca. 300-km-long and up to 80-km-wide rift structure, resulting from the late Oligocene to early Miocene rifting of the African and Arabian plates. The stratigraphic architecture has recorded five main stages of rift evolution, from rift initiation to finally tectonic quiescence characterized by salt deposits. Rift initiation (ca. 1–4 Myr duration): the Suez rift was initiated at the end of the Oligocene along the NNW-SSE trend of the Red Sea with evidences of active volcanism. Continental to lacustrine deposits only occurred in isolated depocenters. Sediment supply was relatively low. Rift widening (ca. 3 Myr duration): the rift propagated from south to north (Aquitanian), with first marine incursions from the Mediterranean Sea. The rift was subdivided into numerous depocenters controlled by active faults. Sedimentation was characterized by small carbonate platforms and associated sabkha deposits to the south and shallow open marine condition to the north with mixed sedimentation organized into an overall transgressive trend. Rift climax (ca. 5 Myr duration): the rift was then flooded during Burdigalian times recording the connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The faults were gradually connected and reliefs on the rift shoulders were high as evidenced by a strong increase of the uplift/subsidence rates and sediment supply. Three main depocenters were then individualized across the rift and correspond to the Darag, Central, and Southern basins. Sedimentation was characterized by very large Gilbert-type deltas along the eastern margin and associated submarine fans and turbidite systems along the basin axis. Isolated carbonate platforms and reefs mainly occurred in the Southern basin and along tilted block crests. Late syn-rift to rift narrowing (ca. 4 Myr duration): during the Langhian, the basin recorded several falls of relative sea level and bathymetry in the rift axis was progressively reduced. The former reliefs induced during the rift climax were quickly destroyed as evidenced by the drastic drop in sediment supply. Stratigraphic reconstruction indicates that the Central basin was restricted during lowstand period; meanwhile, open marine conditions prevailed to the north and south of the Suez rift. The Central basin, Zaafarana, and Morgan accommodation zones thus acted as a major divide between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. During Serravalian times, the Suez rift also recorded several disconnections between the Mediterranean and Red seas as evidenced by massive evaporites in major fault-controlled depocenters. The Suez rift was occasionally characterized by N–S paleogeographic gradient with restricted setting to the north and open marine setting to the south (Red Sea). Tectonic quiescence to latest syn-rift (ca. 7 Myr duration): the Tortonian was then characterized by the deposition of very thick salt series (>1000 m) which recorded a period of maximum restriction for the Suez rift. The basin was still subdivided into several sub-basins bounded by major faults. The basin with a N-S paleogeographic gradient was totally and permanently disconnected from the Mediterranean Sea and connected to open marine condition via the Red Sea. The Messinian was also characterized by a thick salt series, but the evaporite typology and sedimentary systems distribution suggest a more humid climate than during Tortonian times. Pre-salt to salt transition was not sharp and lasted for ca. 4 Myr (Langhian-Serravalian). It was initiated as the result of the combined effect of (1) climatic changes with aridization and low water input from the catchments and (2) rift dynamic induced by plate tectonic reorganization that controlled the interplay between sea level and accommodation zones constituting sills.

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Acknowledgments

This project could not have been accomplished without the very large database acquired by IFPEN during the last 30 years in the frame of collaborative partnerships. The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and reviews of the initial manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFPEN, Direction Géosciences, 1 et 4 Avenue de Bois-Préau, 92852, Rueil-Malmaison Cedex, France

    Sébastien Rohais

  2. Beicip-Franlab, 232, Av. Napoléon Bonaparte, 92502, Rueil-Malmaison Cedex, France

    Aurélien Barrois & Bernard Colletta

  3. Département Exploration et Géosciences, ENGIE EPI, 1 Place Samuel de Champlain, 92930, Paris La Défense Cedex, France

    Isabelle Moretti

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  1. Sébastien Rohais
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  2. Aurélien Barrois
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  3. Bernard Colletta
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  4. Isabelle Moretti
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Correspondence to Sébastien Rohais.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Arabian Plate: Lithosphere Dynamics, Sedimentary Basins & Geohazards

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Rohais, S., Barrois, A., Colletta, B. et al. Pre-salt to salt stratigraphic architecture in a rift basin: insights from a basin-scale study of the Gulf of Suez (Egypt). Arab J Geosci 9, 317 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2327-8

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