Print this pageUtility of Multifrequency Imaging Radar for Hydrocarbon Exploration In Arid Regions
ABDELSALAM, MOHAMED G., and ROBERT J.STERN
NASA space shuttle Endeavour carried the Space Radar Laboratory into orbit twice during 1994, acquiring radar images over much of the Sahara and Arabian deserts. The SIR-C/X-SAR experiment was unique in simultaneously obtaining data at three wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). These data have advantages for regional structural studies because they map subtle differences in relief and can image beneath dry sand. Although our studies in NE Africa were not intended as part of a hydrocarbon exploration program, our results indicate that this imagery is very useful for mapping structures in the Sahara. Interpretation of SIR-C/X-SAR images revealed the location of the Keraf Suture which delineates a Neoproterozoic collision zone between the Nubian Shield and the Nile Craton, and guided our field structural studies This suture was not mapped before because it is obscured by windblown sand. We also used SIR-C/X-SAR images to understand the structural control of the course of the Nile. The radar revealed that the Nile in northern Sudan is controlled by N-trending Precambrian shear zones and previously unrecognized E-trending normal and strike-slip faults of Cretaceous and younger age. The very young age of some E-W trending faults suggests that the Nubian swell is a much younger tectonic feature than previously thought. The radar was also very useful for outlining lithologic units, including basement, Cretaceous sediments, and igneous rocks.
Multifrequency radar is a powerful tool for regional mapping of structures for exploration programs in this and other hyperarid regions.