Stratigraphic Framework, Sedimentology and Structural Setting of Miocene-Pliocene Sediments of the Abu Qir Area, Offshore Nile Delta

D. M. Ince, S. Deibis, A. McSherry, W. P. Seymour

The offshore Nile delta contains significant gas resources which are currently undergoing both production and appraisal in the Abu Qir field and adjacent areas. The principal reservoir occurs in sandstones of the upper Abu Madi Member (upper Miocene), but excellent potential reservoirs exist in the lower Abu Madi Member (upper Miocene), Sidi Salem (middle-upper Miocene), and Moghra (middle Miocene) Formations. Gas is trapped in fault-bounded anticlinal structures sealed by shales of the Pliocene Kafr el Sheikh Formation.

Early wells in the Abu Qir field revealed an apparently simple stratigraphic picture. More recently, however, drilled wells have revealed a more complex stratigraphic situation. Integrated biostratigraphic and sedimentologic studies demonstrate the existence of a fault block or horst structure beneath part of the field, giving rise to the observed stratigraphic complexity. Such a structure was not visible on seismic data due to inhibited reflection quality beneath the overlying Messinian anhydrite but has since been demonstrated by reprocessing and reinterpreting seismic data. The presence of a structural style of this type provides a new concept for hydrocarbon exploration in the area.

Reservoir sandstones of the Abu Madi, Sidi Salem, and Moghra Formations are interpreted as sediment gravity flow deposits whose distribution is strongly influenced by syndepositional tectonics. This interpretation, supported by microfossil assemblages, provides important constraints for both reservoir modeling and further exploration.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91032©1988 Mediterranean Basins Conference and Exhibition, Nice, France, 25-28 September 1988.