Structurally Controlled Syn-Rift Deposition in the Northern Suez Rift, Egypt: the Asl and Hawara Formations (Sequence 30) in the October Field Area

By

 Jasper Peijs¹, Reda Tamer², Anwar N. Mohamed², Howard Leach³, Jim Stewart³, Mostafa Kamel⁴, Donald Easley⁵, Sarawy Mohamed⁴, Neil Hewitt⁶

 (1) bp, Houston, TX (2) GUPCO, Egypt (3) BP (Gulf of Suez Exploration Company), Cairo, Egypt (4) Gupco, Cairo, Egypt (5) Gupco/bp, Cairo, Egypt (6) BP, CAiro, Egypt

 ABSTRACT The Miocene syn-rift Asl and Hawara formations, defined biostratigraphically as Sequence 30, are a mixed clastic-carbonate, syn-rift turbidite deposit. Exploration and development drilling in the northern Gulf of Suez, Egypt, has shown reservoir quality to be highly variable. Understanding this variability is critical to continued success in the Sequence 30 play.

The integration of gross isochores, net sandstone maps, log, core and outcrop information has led to a complex depositional model for Sequence 30 in the northern Gulf of Suez. Wadi Araba, a Late Cretaceous aged Syrian Arc compressional feature on the northwestern rift margin, served as the major source for quartz-rich, axially transported turbidites. Tilted fault blocks, both along the coast (Gebel Nezzazat) and within the basin (October fault block) may have provided local sources for carbonate debris and turbidites, which became interbedded with the axially transported quartz-rich turbidite systems. Other sources for more quartz-rich turbidites may have been focused in the transfer zones of major normal faults.