Tectono-stratigraphy of the Shushan Basin, Western Desert, Egypt: A window into the evolution of the SE Mediterranean province

Albrkawy, Ahmed I., Alves, Tiago M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2765-3760 and Blenkinsop, Thomas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9684-0749 2025. Tectono-stratigraphy of the Shushan Basin, Western Desert, Egypt: A window into the evolution of the SE Mediterranean province. Marine and Petroleum Geology 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2025.107387

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Abstract

The SE Mediterranean is a key region documenting the geological history of the Mesozoic Tethys Ocean while comprising one of the most promising provinces in the world in terms of energy resources. Using 2D seismic reflection data tied to exploration wells, this work analyses the Shushan Basin of northern Egypt within a context dominated by continental rifting, ocean propagation, and closure of the Tethys Ocean. Nine (9) seismic megasequences and four (4) major structural trends are identified in the Shushan Basin. In the centre of the basin, the interpreted megasequences document four (4) major tectonic episodes: i) a Palaeozoic early-rift stage, ii) a syn-rift stage lasting from the Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, iii) an Aptian-Cenomanian post-rift stage, and iv) a syn-compressional phase that started in the Late Cretaceous and ended in the Miocene. Importantly, the data in this work suggest the presence of up to 1.6 km of Upper Palaeozoic-Triassic strata below the Lower Jurassic Ras Qattara Formation. Widespread extension occurred from the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous, a period of time in which graben and half-graben basins were formed and delimited by E-W and NW-SE striking faults. Later in the basin’s evolution, mild tectonic reactivation predominated and was accompanied by a (post-rift) thermal episode in Northern Egypt. As a corollary, we show that the tectonic episodes interpreted in this work reflect the position of the Shushan Basin near the junction between the southern margin of the Tethys Ocean, the Syrian Arc system, and the Red Sea continental rift. Consequently, regional faults interpreted in this work are grouped into four distinct families with distinct trends: i) Red Sea, ii) Tethyan, iii) Syrian Arc, and iv) Aqaba.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2025-03-15
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0264-8172
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 March 2025
Date of Acceptance:	14 March 2025
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2025 16:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177038

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