Research Article3D Seismic Structural Analysis and Basin Modeling ofthe Matruh Basin Western Desert Egypt
Farouk I Metwalli 1 El Arabi H Shendi2 Bruce Hart3 andWaleed M Osman4
1Geology Department Faculty of Science Helwan University Cairo Egypt2Geology Department Faculty of Science Suez Canal University Ismailia Egypt3Earth and Planetary Science Department Faculty of Science McGill University Montreal QC Canada4Department of Science and Mathematics Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering Suez Canal University Suez Egypt
Correspondence should be addressed to Farouk I Metwalli pine egypthotmailcom
Received 30 August 2017 Accepted 29 November 2017 Published 18 January 2018
Academic Editor Rudolf A Treumann
Copyright copy 2018 Farouk I Metwalli et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited
In order to evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the Matruh Basin North Western Desert of Egypt the tectonic history basinanalysis and maturity modeling of the Albian-Cenomanian Formations of the Matruh Basin were investigated using well logs and3D seismic data Structural analysis of the tops of the Bahariya Kharita and Alamein Dolomite Formations reveals them to dip tothe southeast Burial history and subsidence curves show that the basin experienced a tectonic subsidence through theMiddle-LateJurassic and Early Cretaceous times Thermal maturity models indicated that Cenomanian clastics of the Bahariya Formation arein the early mature stage in the east portions of the area increasing to the mid maturity level in the southwestern parts On theother hand the Albian Kharita Formation exhibits a midmaturation level in themost parts of the areaThe petroleum system of theMatruh Basin includes a generative (charge) subsystem with Middle Jurassic and Cenomanian sources (for oilgas) and Turoniansources (for oil) with peak generation from Turonian to Eocene and a migration-entrapment subsystem including expulsion andmigration during Early Tertiary to Miocene into structures formed from Late Cretaceous to Eocene
1 Introduction
The area of investigation is located in the northwestern partof the Western Desert of Egypt in the northern part ofthe Western Desert Basin (Figure 1) The Western Desertcovers more than two-thirds of the area of Egypt WithinEgypt Dolson et al [1] showed that whereas the Gulf ofSuez has reached a mature discovery rate both the offshoreMediterranean and theWestern Desert areas hold significantpromise They suggested that some reservoirs of 100 MMBOand larger would be discovered in the Western DesertIndeed several significant discoveries in this area in thepast few years suggest that this area of Egypt and adjacentLibya holds considerable promise For example Qasr Field(discovery announced by Apache in July 2003) is a giantreservoir with more than 2 trillion cubic feet of gas and50 million barrels of estimated recoverable reserves Withinthis broad area Abdel Fattah [2 3] recognized that the
Matruh Basin (Figure 1) has special importance becauseof its position with respect to many nearby oil fields TheMatruh Basin was estimated by Shahin [4] to host 23 BBOEwith a low attached risk to the preservation of hydrocarbonaccumulations because oil migration postdates the severeLate Cretaceous tectonics
In light of these discoveries and exploration interestthere is a clear need to understand the tectonic history ofthis area and to define elements of the petroleum systemthat can lead to continued exploration success In this papera thermal model that predicts source rock maturity andhydrocarbon generation for the Matruh Basin and adjacentareas is constructed
We also use 3D seismic data to illustrate the structuralcomplexity of this area and to help constrain its tectonichistory The study area (Figure 1) covers approximately 5200square kilometers (asymp2085 square miles)
HindawiInternational Journal of GeophysicsVolume 2018 Article ID 4931307 19 pageshttpsdoiorg10115520184931307
2 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
Abu Tunis 1X
Darduma 1A
Mideiwar
MMX1
Mersa Matruh
Mediterranean Sea
Matruh 2-1
Matruh 3-1
Matruh 1-1
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
Ras Kanayes 1
Siqeifa 1
N
N
E
Figure 1 Well location map Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
The main potential source rocks in the Matruh Basinarea are the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib the JurassicKhatatba [7] and the Albian Kharita Formations [8] Thehydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs are represented by the Mid-dle Jurassic Khatatba Formation Lower Cretaceous AlamEl Bueib Formation and the Lower to Upper CretaceousBahariya Formation [9] Three wells the Alexandrite-1X(2003) Mihos-1X (2004) and Imhotep-1X (2004) lie in thesoutheastern corner of our study area in the Matruh BasinThey produce gas from the Middle Jurassic Khatatba andEarly Cretaceous for Alam El Bueib Formations
2 Geologic Setting
21 Structural Background Thenorthern part of theWesternDesert Basin can be subdivided into five subbasins (Figure 2)The Alamein and Shushan subbasins strike approximatelyWSW to ENE and are bounded by faults of similar orienta-tion The Alamein subbasin is bounded to the north by theDabaa Ridge and to the south by the Alamein Trough TheShushan subbasin is bounded to the north by the UmbarkaPlatform and to the south by the North Qattara Ridge TheQattara subbasin strikes approximately E-W and is boundedto the north by North Qattara Ridge and to the south by theSouth Qattara Ridge The Khalda and Matruh subbasins arebordered by NNE to SSW trending faults [5]
The structural evolution of Egypt was influenced byseveral tectonic events that reactivated older structural trendsprevailing in the basement rocks [10 11] Hantar [10] iden-tified four main structural trends in the basement rocksthese being orientations of N-S NE-SW ENE-WSW and E-W trends During the Jurassic several rift basins were formedas a result of the rifting that was caused by the separation ofNorthAfricaArabia Plate fromEuropean Plate [1] Following
the rifting process during the Late Cretaceous the SyrianArc System was developed due to NW to NNW-SE to SSEcompressional forces that affected Egypt as a result of theconvergence between AfricanArabian and Eurasian plates[12 13]This compression lasted into the Eocene and led to theelevation and folding of major portions of the NorthWesternDesert along NE to ENE-SW to WSW trends Dolson et al[1] suggested that most of the traps discovered in theWesternDesert are related to the Syrian Arc Starting in the Oligoceneand continuing through the Miocene the rifting of the Gulfof Suez and formation of the Red Sea were fulfilled due toextensional forces in the NE-SW direction [14]
TheMatruh and adjacent Shushan subbasins initiallymayhave been formed as a single rift during the Permo-Triassicand later developed in a pull-apart structure [15] Metwalliand Pigott [7] tested the rifting hypothesis using geochemicaldata to examine the thermal modelTheir results showed thatthe riftingmodel approximates reality but that the steady stateassumption was not consistent with the geochemical data
3 Stratigraphy
The complex tectonic history of the Western Desert isresponsible for themany unconformities found in the stratig-raphy of the area [16] The sedimentary cover of the NorthWestern Desert ranges in age from Cambrian to Recent [8]A summary stratigraphic column for the area is shown inFigure 3
The Mesozoic section is represented by Jurassic and Cre-taceous rocks The Jurassic is composed of three formationsThese are from oldest to youngest the Wadi El NatrunKhatatba and Masajid Formations The Wadi El NatrunFormation is composed mainly of limestone and shale Thisformation is present in the northernmost part of theWestern
International Journal of Geophysics 3
FIELDS NOT TO SCALE
0 100
(km)
0 60
(mi)
Figure 2 The main five subbasins constituting the Northern Western Desert Basin (after Sultan and Halim [5])
Desert but undergoes a facies change to its time equivalentRas Qattara Formation (consisting mainly of sandstones andshales) to the south In the study area the Ras QattaraFormation is only presented in the Matruh 1-1 well
TheKhatatba Formation overlies theWadi El Natrun For-mation and is composed of carbonaceous shalewith interbed-ded sandstone and minor thin limestone The Masajid For-mation composed of limestone with intercalations of shaleconformably overlies the Khatatba Formation
The Cretaceous system in the Western Desert area hasbeen subjected to various classifications and nomenclatures[8] As employed here the Lower Cretaceous system iscomposed of three formations The oldest is Alam El Bueibwhich is a thick succession of clastic rocks deposited uncon-formably over the eroded surface of the Jurassic Masajidmarine carbonates It is mainly composed of argillaceoussandstones that become shalier toward the northwest [8]The Alam El Bueib Formation is subdivided into severalmembers including (1) the Matruh Member (Neocomianlower Aptian) which is composed of shales and sandstones(2) theUmbarkaMember (Barremian) which consists mainlyof sandstone and shale with few streaks of limestone and (3)the Mamura Carbonate Member which is mainly composedof limestone [17]
The Alamein Formation overlies the Alam El Bueiband is a good regional geological and geophysical marker[8] It is composed essentially of dolomite and shale TheKharita Formation overlies the Alamein and is essentiallycomposed of sandstones with thin shale intercalations andrare carbonate interbeds
The Upper Cretaceous is also represented by three for-mations Bahariya Abu Roash and Khoman The BahariyaFormation which is the oldest is composed mainly of sand-stone intercalated with shale siltstone and limestone [18]The second formation is the Abu Roash which represents
upper CenomanianSantonian deposition This formation issubdivided into seven rock units arranged from top to baseas A B C D E F and G and is composed mainly oflimestone with minor shale and evaporites The youngestUpper Cretaceous Formation is Khoman which representsthe sediments of MaestrichtianCampanian It is mainlycomposed of limestone
Tertiary rocks are also present in the area The Eoceneis represented by the Appollonia Formation (lower-middleEocene) which lies unconformably above the Upper Cre-taceous Khoman Formation It is composed mainly oflimestone occasionally dolomitic with a few shale layersThe Oligocene-Upper Eocene Dabaa Formation overlies theAppollonia and is mainly composed of shale The LowerMiocene is represented by Moghra Formation which iscomposed of sandstone interbedded with shale with fewstreaks of limestone The Marmarica Formation which isthe uppermost stratigraphic unit in the area covers most ofthe North Western Desert It was formed during the MiddleMiocene and is composed of alternating beds of limestoneand shale with some streaks of dolomite
4 Database and Methodology
Wireline and cuttings logs for nine wells were provided bythe Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) andShell Egypt The data extracted from the wells were used toconstruct the burial history thermal maturity and lithofaciesmaps for both the Albian Kharita and the CenomanianBahariya Formations (Table 1) The main data required toconstruct the burial history subsidence curves and thermalmaturity include formation tops from ground level absolutetime of deposition inmillions of years (Ma) lithological com-position hiatus ages thickness and age of eroded intervaland heat flow data Absolute age in many of the different
4 International Journal of Geophysics
Tim
e(M
a) Age
Recent
Miocene
Oligocene
50
100
150
200
Upper
Middle
Lower
PALEOCENE
MaestrichtianCampanian
SantonianConiacianTuronian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
BarremianHauterivianValangenian
Beriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
OxfordianCallovianBathonianBajocianAalenian
Toarcian
Puensbachian
Sinemurian
Tert
iary
Eoce
ne
Late
Cre
tace
ous
Early
Cre
tace
ous
Late
Jura
ssic
Mid
dle
Jura
ssic
Early
Jura
ssic
Dabaa ldquoGhoroudrdquo
Apollonia ldquoGuindirdquo
Khoman
Abu Roash
Kharita
Masajid
Khatatba
Wadi N
atrun
Mamura SiqeifaUmbarka
Ala
mEl
Bue
ib
Alamein
Matruh
ShoshanZone A2
Alamein Dolomite
Bahariya ldquoMideiwarrdquo
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Marmarica
Moghra
Lithostratigraphic units Gamma rayLithology
Porosity
Figure 3 Stratigraphic column of the Matruh area North Western Desert Egypt Modified after MidOil [6]
stratigraphic units was defined using the global stratigraphicchart compiled by Cowie and Bassett [19] The lithologiccomposition of the stratigraphic units was obtained from thewireline and cuttings logs
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys covering a totalarea of about 1000 km2 were provided by Apache EgyptThese data have a 4 s record length 4ms sampling rate and25 times 25m bin size Time slices and vertical transects throughamplitude and coherency versions of the data were used tomap faults Detailed structural interpretations of these data
will be presented elsewhere In this paper the discussion of theseismic data is restricted to illustrating the types of structuralfeatures present in this area that cannot be observed or ade-quately mapped using well control alone and relating thesefeatures to the results of our subsidence history analyses
The net subsidence in a basin results from the combi-nation of both subsidence due to tectonics and subsidenceowing to sediment and water loading The process used todetermine the amount of load induced subsidence is iso-static backstripping This method removes sediment layers
International Journal of Geophysics 5
Table 1 Lithologic constituents of Bahariya and Kharita Formations Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
Formation name Lithology Well name SS LS Anh shale SiltSt Dolom clay
Kharita 723 114 04 109 05 45 Darduma 1ABahariya 408 242 274 33 21Kharita 602 42 316 4 Siqeifa 1XBahariya 334 283 346 37Kharita 695 32 07 217 45 Mideiwar 1XBahariya 473 205 25 72Kharita 694 14 11 23 51 Abu Tunis 1XBahariya 467 182 01 24 11Kharita 718 24 185 73 Marsa Matruh MMX-1Bahariya 289 316 387 08Kharita 68 11 221 82 06 Matruh 1-1Bahariya 537 132 331Kharita 727 214 59 Matruh 2-1Bahariya 277 228 422 73Kharita 697 39 232 32 Matruh 3-1Bahariya 24 162 509 89Kharita 783 08 18 29 Ras Kanayes Ja27-1Bahariya 362 162 476
correcting for decompaction fluctuation of sea level andsea depth and assuming Airy isostasy adjusts for isostaticcompensation Tectonic subsidence is basement involved andoccurs by an observable time transient change in lithosphericthickness with accompanying perturbation and change in thecrustrsquos thermal state [7]
Temperature is the most sensitive parameter in hydro-carbon generation Thus reconstruction of temperature his-tory is essential when evaluating petroleum prospects [20]Petroleum generation is temperature-dependent and time-dependent but varies exponentially with temperature andlinearlywith time [21]The temperature and timedependencyfor hydrocarbon generation are described by the Arrheniusequation
119870 = 119860 exp(minus119864119886119877119879) (1)
where 119870 is the rate constant 119860 is the frequency factor119864119886 is the activation energy 119877 is the Gas constant (Joulemoleminus1 Kminus1) and 119879 is the absolute temperature (∘K)The Arrhenius equation suggests that 10∘K rise in tempera-ture causes the reaction rate to double
The BasinMod 1D software (Platte River Associates) wasused in this study formodeling both the basin subsidence andconsequent hydrocarbon potential of the available boreholes
5 3D Seismic Structural Analysis
Harding (1985) stated that ldquoearly identification of structuralstyle is an important exploration function and the appropriateselection of prospect (trap) models often depends on thereliability of such identificationrdquo
6 Faults Characteristics and Interpretation
Matruh Basin is highly faulted The faults affecting the timezone of interest (sim800ndash1500ms) were interpreted first inorder to reveal the geologic history of the area and allow hori-zons to be correctly correlated as well as help in predictingwhat sort of hydrocarbon traps may be exist in the area Thefault interpretation was carried out through the interpreta-tion of the vertical transects through the amplitude volumeresulted from the poststack processing techniques applied aswell as the time slices through the coherency volume
The time slices through the coherency volume (Figures4 and 5) reflect that all faults strike NW-SE Consequentlyto interpret these faults a series of 21 equally spaced verticaltransects extending NE-SW (perpendicular to the faultsdirection) were interpreted The location map of the seismicline used in the interpretation of faults is given in Figure 6
Figures 7ndash9 illustrate vertical transects with the inter-preted faults while Figures 10 and 11 show picked faults onthe uninterpreted time slices (Figures 4 and 5) at 1000 12001400 and 1600ms through the coherency volume
Generally all the interpreted faults through the seismicvolume are extensional normal faults that generally formgrabens and half grabens that extend throughout the studyareaThe length of these faults planes varies frommore 9Kmtominor faults with lengths of about few hundreds of metersTheir vertical extension (in the time direction) varies fromapproximately 200ms to major faults of about 2700ms Interms of fault mechanical stratigraphy note that there areat least two distinct episodes of extension revealed by twofault populations those who terminate below the sim110maAlamein and those that terminate and cut thesim90AbuRoashAs Pigott and Abouelresh [22] have pointed out owing to
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
2 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
Abu Tunis 1X
Darduma 1A
Mideiwar
MMX1
Mersa Matruh
Mediterranean Sea
Matruh 2-1
Matruh 3-1
Matruh 1-1
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
Ras Kanayes 1
Siqeifa 1
N
N
E
Figure 1 Well location map Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
The main potential source rocks in the Matruh Basinarea are the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib the JurassicKhatatba [7] and the Albian Kharita Formations [8] Thehydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs are represented by the Mid-dle Jurassic Khatatba Formation Lower Cretaceous AlamEl Bueib Formation and the Lower to Upper CretaceousBahariya Formation [9] Three wells the Alexandrite-1X(2003) Mihos-1X (2004) and Imhotep-1X (2004) lie in thesoutheastern corner of our study area in the Matruh BasinThey produce gas from the Middle Jurassic Khatatba andEarly Cretaceous for Alam El Bueib Formations
2 Geologic Setting
21 Structural Background Thenorthern part of theWesternDesert Basin can be subdivided into five subbasins (Figure 2)The Alamein and Shushan subbasins strike approximatelyWSW to ENE and are bounded by faults of similar orienta-tion The Alamein subbasin is bounded to the north by theDabaa Ridge and to the south by the Alamein Trough TheShushan subbasin is bounded to the north by the UmbarkaPlatform and to the south by the North Qattara Ridge TheQattara subbasin strikes approximately E-W and is boundedto the north by North Qattara Ridge and to the south by theSouth Qattara Ridge The Khalda and Matruh subbasins arebordered by NNE to SSW trending faults [5]
The structural evolution of Egypt was influenced byseveral tectonic events that reactivated older structural trendsprevailing in the basement rocks [10 11] Hantar [10] iden-tified four main structural trends in the basement rocksthese being orientations of N-S NE-SW ENE-WSW and E-W trends During the Jurassic several rift basins were formedas a result of the rifting that was caused by the separation ofNorthAfricaArabia Plate fromEuropean Plate [1] Following
the rifting process during the Late Cretaceous the SyrianArc System was developed due to NW to NNW-SE to SSEcompressional forces that affected Egypt as a result of theconvergence between AfricanArabian and Eurasian plates[12 13]This compression lasted into the Eocene and led to theelevation and folding of major portions of the NorthWesternDesert along NE to ENE-SW to WSW trends Dolson et al[1] suggested that most of the traps discovered in theWesternDesert are related to the Syrian Arc Starting in the Oligoceneand continuing through the Miocene the rifting of the Gulfof Suez and formation of the Red Sea were fulfilled due toextensional forces in the NE-SW direction [14]
TheMatruh and adjacent Shushan subbasins initiallymayhave been formed as a single rift during the Permo-Triassicand later developed in a pull-apart structure [15] Metwalliand Pigott [7] tested the rifting hypothesis using geochemicaldata to examine the thermal modelTheir results showed thatthe riftingmodel approximates reality but that the steady stateassumption was not consistent with the geochemical data
3 Stratigraphy
The complex tectonic history of the Western Desert isresponsible for themany unconformities found in the stratig-raphy of the area [16] The sedimentary cover of the NorthWestern Desert ranges in age from Cambrian to Recent [8]A summary stratigraphic column for the area is shown inFigure 3
The Mesozoic section is represented by Jurassic and Cre-taceous rocks The Jurassic is composed of three formationsThese are from oldest to youngest the Wadi El NatrunKhatatba and Masajid Formations The Wadi El NatrunFormation is composed mainly of limestone and shale Thisformation is present in the northernmost part of theWestern
International Journal of Geophysics 3
FIELDS NOT TO SCALE
0 100
(km)
0 60
(mi)
Figure 2 The main five subbasins constituting the Northern Western Desert Basin (after Sultan and Halim [5])
Desert but undergoes a facies change to its time equivalentRas Qattara Formation (consisting mainly of sandstones andshales) to the south In the study area the Ras QattaraFormation is only presented in the Matruh 1-1 well
TheKhatatba Formation overlies theWadi El Natrun For-mation and is composed of carbonaceous shalewith interbed-ded sandstone and minor thin limestone The Masajid For-mation composed of limestone with intercalations of shaleconformably overlies the Khatatba Formation
The Cretaceous system in the Western Desert area hasbeen subjected to various classifications and nomenclatures[8] As employed here the Lower Cretaceous system iscomposed of three formations The oldest is Alam El Bueibwhich is a thick succession of clastic rocks deposited uncon-formably over the eroded surface of the Jurassic Masajidmarine carbonates It is mainly composed of argillaceoussandstones that become shalier toward the northwest [8]The Alam El Bueib Formation is subdivided into severalmembers including (1) the Matruh Member (Neocomianlower Aptian) which is composed of shales and sandstones(2) theUmbarkaMember (Barremian) which consists mainlyof sandstone and shale with few streaks of limestone and (3)the Mamura Carbonate Member which is mainly composedof limestone [17]
The Alamein Formation overlies the Alam El Bueiband is a good regional geological and geophysical marker[8] It is composed essentially of dolomite and shale TheKharita Formation overlies the Alamein and is essentiallycomposed of sandstones with thin shale intercalations andrare carbonate interbeds
The Upper Cretaceous is also represented by three for-mations Bahariya Abu Roash and Khoman The BahariyaFormation which is the oldest is composed mainly of sand-stone intercalated with shale siltstone and limestone [18]The second formation is the Abu Roash which represents
upper CenomanianSantonian deposition This formation issubdivided into seven rock units arranged from top to baseas A B C D E F and G and is composed mainly oflimestone with minor shale and evaporites The youngestUpper Cretaceous Formation is Khoman which representsthe sediments of MaestrichtianCampanian It is mainlycomposed of limestone
Tertiary rocks are also present in the area The Eoceneis represented by the Appollonia Formation (lower-middleEocene) which lies unconformably above the Upper Cre-taceous Khoman Formation It is composed mainly oflimestone occasionally dolomitic with a few shale layersThe Oligocene-Upper Eocene Dabaa Formation overlies theAppollonia and is mainly composed of shale The LowerMiocene is represented by Moghra Formation which iscomposed of sandstone interbedded with shale with fewstreaks of limestone The Marmarica Formation which isthe uppermost stratigraphic unit in the area covers most ofthe North Western Desert It was formed during the MiddleMiocene and is composed of alternating beds of limestoneand shale with some streaks of dolomite
4 Database and Methodology
Wireline and cuttings logs for nine wells were provided bythe Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) andShell Egypt The data extracted from the wells were used toconstruct the burial history thermal maturity and lithofaciesmaps for both the Albian Kharita and the CenomanianBahariya Formations (Table 1) The main data required toconstruct the burial history subsidence curves and thermalmaturity include formation tops from ground level absolutetime of deposition inmillions of years (Ma) lithological com-position hiatus ages thickness and age of eroded intervaland heat flow data Absolute age in many of the different
4 International Journal of Geophysics
Tim
e(M
a) Age
Recent
Miocene
Oligocene
50
100
150
200
Upper
Middle
Lower
PALEOCENE
MaestrichtianCampanian
SantonianConiacianTuronian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
BarremianHauterivianValangenian
Beriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
OxfordianCallovianBathonianBajocianAalenian
Toarcian
Puensbachian
Sinemurian
Tert
iary
Eoce
ne
Late
Cre
tace
ous
Early
Cre
tace
ous
Late
Jura
ssic
Mid
dle
Jura
ssic
Early
Jura
ssic
Dabaa ldquoGhoroudrdquo
Apollonia ldquoGuindirdquo
Khoman
Abu Roash
Kharita
Masajid
Khatatba
Wadi N
atrun
Mamura SiqeifaUmbarka
Ala
mEl
Bue
ib
Alamein
Matruh
ShoshanZone A2
Alamein Dolomite
Bahariya ldquoMideiwarrdquo
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Marmarica
Moghra
Lithostratigraphic units Gamma rayLithology
Porosity
Figure 3 Stratigraphic column of the Matruh area North Western Desert Egypt Modified after MidOil [6]
stratigraphic units was defined using the global stratigraphicchart compiled by Cowie and Bassett [19] The lithologiccomposition of the stratigraphic units was obtained from thewireline and cuttings logs
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys covering a totalarea of about 1000 km2 were provided by Apache EgyptThese data have a 4 s record length 4ms sampling rate and25 times 25m bin size Time slices and vertical transects throughamplitude and coherency versions of the data were used tomap faults Detailed structural interpretations of these data
will be presented elsewhere In this paper the discussion of theseismic data is restricted to illustrating the types of structuralfeatures present in this area that cannot be observed or ade-quately mapped using well control alone and relating thesefeatures to the results of our subsidence history analyses
The net subsidence in a basin results from the combi-nation of both subsidence due to tectonics and subsidenceowing to sediment and water loading The process used todetermine the amount of load induced subsidence is iso-static backstripping This method removes sediment layers
International Journal of Geophysics 5
Table 1 Lithologic constituents of Bahariya and Kharita Formations Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
Formation name Lithology Well name SS LS Anh shale SiltSt Dolom clay
Kharita 723 114 04 109 05 45 Darduma 1ABahariya 408 242 274 33 21Kharita 602 42 316 4 Siqeifa 1XBahariya 334 283 346 37Kharita 695 32 07 217 45 Mideiwar 1XBahariya 473 205 25 72Kharita 694 14 11 23 51 Abu Tunis 1XBahariya 467 182 01 24 11Kharita 718 24 185 73 Marsa Matruh MMX-1Bahariya 289 316 387 08Kharita 68 11 221 82 06 Matruh 1-1Bahariya 537 132 331Kharita 727 214 59 Matruh 2-1Bahariya 277 228 422 73Kharita 697 39 232 32 Matruh 3-1Bahariya 24 162 509 89Kharita 783 08 18 29 Ras Kanayes Ja27-1Bahariya 362 162 476
correcting for decompaction fluctuation of sea level andsea depth and assuming Airy isostasy adjusts for isostaticcompensation Tectonic subsidence is basement involved andoccurs by an observable time transient change in lithosphericthickness with accompanying perturbation and change in thecrustrsquos thermal state [7]
Temperature is the most sensitive parameter in hydro-carbon generation Thus reconstruction of temperature his-tory is essential when evaluating petroleum prospects [20]Petroleum generation is temperature-dependent and time-dependent but varies exponentially with temperature andlinearlywith time [21]The temperature and timedependencyfor hydrocarbon generation are described by the Arrheniusequation
119870 = 119860 exp(minus119864119886119877119879) (1)
where 119870 is the rate constant 119860 is the frequency factor119864119886 is the activation energy 119877 is the Gas constant (Joulemoleminus1 Kminus1) and 119879 is the absolute temperature (∘K)The Arrhenius equation suggests that 10∘K rise in tempera-ture causes the reaction rate to double
The BasinMod 1D software (Platte River Associates) wasused in this study formodeling both the basin subsidence andconsequent hydrocarbon potential of the available boreholes
5 3D Seismic Structural Analysis
Harding (1985) stated that ldquoearly identification of structuralstyle is an important exploration function and the appropriateselection of prospect (trap) models often depends on thereliability of such identificationrdquo
6 Faults Characteristics and Interpretation
Matruh Basin is highly faulted The faults affecting the timezone of interest (sim800ndash1500ms) were interpreted first inorder to reveal the geologic history of the area and allow hori-zons to be correctly correlated as well as help in predictingwhat sort of hydrocarbon traps may be exist in the area Thefault interpretation was carried out through the interpreta-tion of the vertical transects through the amplitude volumeresulted from the poststack processing techniques applied aswell as the time slices through the coherency volume
The time slices through the coherency volume (Figures4 and 5) reflect that all faults strike NW-SE Consequentlyto interpret these faults a series of 21 equally spaced verticaltransects extending NE-SW (perpendicular to the faultsdirection) were interpreted The location map of the seismicline used in the interpretation of faults is given in Figure 6
Figures 7ndash9 illustrate vertical transects with the inter-preted faults while Figures 10 and 11 show picked faults onthe uninterpreted time slices (Figures 4 and 5) at 1000 12001400 and 1600ms through the coherency volume
Generally all the interpreted faults through the seismicvolume are extensional normal faults that generally formgrabens and half grabens that extend throughout the studyareaThe length of these faults planes varies frommore 9Kmtominor faults with lengths of about few hundreds of metersTheir vertical extension (in the time direction) varies fromapproximately 200ms to major faults of about 2700ms Interms of fault mechanical stratigraphy note that there areat least two distinct episodes of extension revealed by twofault populations those who terminate below the sim110maAlamein and those that terminate and cut thesim90AbuRoashAs Pigott and Abouelresh [22] have pointed out owing to
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 3
FIELDS NOT TO SCALE
0 100
(km)
0 60
(mi)
Figure 2 The main five subbasins constituting the Northern Western Desert Basin (after Sultan and Halim [5])
Desert but undergoes a facies change to its time equivalentRas Qattara Formation (consisting mainly of sandstones andshales) to the south In the study area the Ras QattaraFormation is only presented in the Matruh 1-1 well
TheKhatatba Formation overlies theWadi El Natrun For-mation and is composed of carbonaceous shalewith interbed-ded sandstone and minor thin limestone The Masajid For-mation composed of limestone with intercalations of shaleconformably overlies the Khatatba Formation
The Cretaceous system in the Western Desert area hasbeen subjected to various classifications and nomenclatures[8] As employed here the Lower Cretaceous system iscomposed of three formations The oldest is Alam El Bueibwhich is a thick succession of clastic rocks deposited uncon-formably over the eroded surface of the Jurassic Masajidmarine carbonates It is mainly composed of argillaceoussandstones that become shalier toward the northwest [8]The Alam El Bueib Formation is subdivided into severalmembers including (1) the Matruh Member (Neocomianlower Aptian) which is composed of shales and sandstones(2) theUmbarkaMember (Barremian) which consists mainlyof sandstone and shale with few streaks of limestone and (3)the Mamura Carbonate Member which is mainly composedof limestone [17]
The Alamein Formation overlies the Alam El Bueiband is a good regional geological and geophysical marker[8] It is composed essentially of dolomite and shale TheKharita Formation overlies the Alamein and is essentiallycomposed of sandstones with thin shale intercalations andrare carbonate interbeds
The Upper Cretaceous is also represented by three for-mations Bahariya Abu Roash and Khoman The BahariyaFormation which is the oldest is composed mainly of sand-stone intercalated with shale siltstone and limestone [18]The second formation is the Abu Roash which represents
upper CenomanianSantonian deposition This formation issubdivided into seven rock units arranged from top to baseas A B C D E F and G and is composed mainly oflimestone with minor shale and evaporites The youngestUpper Cretaceous Formation is Khoman which representsthe sediments of MaestrichtianCampanian It is mainlycomposed of limestone
Tertiary rocks are also present in the area The Eoceneis represented by the Appollonia Formation (lower-middleEocene) which lies unconformably above the Upper Cre-taceous Khoman Formation It is composed mainly oflimestone occasionally dolomitic with a few shale layersThe Oligocene-Upper Eocene Dabaa Formation overlies theAppollonia and is mainly composed of shale The LowerMiocene is represented by Moghra Formation which iscomposed of sandstone interbedded with shale with fewstreaks of limestone The Marmarica Formation which isthe uppermost stratigraphic unit in the area covers most ofthe North Western Desert It was formed during the MiddleMiocene and is composed of alternating beds of limestoneand shale with some streaks of dolomite
4 Database and Methodology
Wireline and cuttings logs for nine wells were provided bythe Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) andShell Egypt The data extracted from the wells were used toconstruct the burial history thermal maturity and lithofaciesmaps for both the Albian Kharita and the CenomanianBahariya Formations (Table 1) The main data required toconstruct the burial history subsidence curves and thermalmaturity include formation tops from ground level absolutetime of deposition inmillions of years (Ma) lithological com-position hiatus ages thickness and age of eroded intervaland heat flow data Absolute age in many of the different
4 International Journal of Geophysics
Tim
e(M
a) Age
Recent
Miocene
Oligocene
50
100
150
200
Upper
Middle
Lower
PALEOCENE
MaestrichtianCampanian
SantonianConiacianTuronian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
BarremianHauterivianValangenian
Beriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
OxfordianCallovianBathonianBajocianAalenian
Toarcian
Puensbachian
Sinemurian
Tert
iary
Eoce
ne
Late
Cre
tace
ous
Early
Cre
tace
ous
Late
Jura
ssic
Mid
dle
Jura
ssic
Early
Jura
ssic
Dabaa ldquoGhoroudrdquo
Apollonia ldquoGuindirdquo
Khoman
Abu Roash
Kharita
Masajid
Khatatba
Wadi N
atrun
Mamura SiqeifaUmbarka
Ala
mEl
Bue
ib
Alamein
Matruh
ShoshanZone A2
Alamein Dolomite
Bahariya ldquoMideiwarrdquo
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Marmarica
Moghra
Lithostratigraphic units Gamma rayLithology
Porosity
Figure 3 Stratigraphic column of the Matruh area North Western Desert Egypt Modified after MidOil [6]
stratigraphic units was defined using the global stratigraphicchart compiled by Cowie and Bassett [19] The lithologiccomposition of the stratigraphic units was obtained from thewireline and cuttings logs
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys covering a totalarea of about 1000 km2 were provided by Apache EgyptThese data have a 4 s record length 4ms sampling rate and25 times 25m bin size Time slices and vertical transects throughamplitude and coherency versions of the data were used tomap faults Detailed structural interpretations of these data
will be presented elsewhere In this paper the discussion of theseismic data is restricted to illustrating the types of structuralfeatures present in this area that cannot be observed or ade-quately mapped using well control alone and relating thesefeatures to the results of our subsidence history analyses
The net subsidence in a basin results from the combi-nation of both subsidence due to tectonics and subsidenceowing to sediment and water loading The process used todetermine the amount of load induced subsidence is iso-static backstripping This method removes sediment layers
International Journal of Geophysics 5
Table 1 Lithologic constituents of Bahariya and Kharita Formations Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
Formation name Lithology Well name SS LS Anh shale SiltSt Dolom clay
Kharita 723 114 04 109 05 45 Darduma 1ABahariya 408 242 274 33 21Kharita 602 42 316 4 Siqeifa 1XBahariya 334 283 346 37Kharita 695 32 07 217 45 Mideiwar 1XBahariya 473 205 25 72Kharita 694 14 11 23 51 Abu Tunis 1XBahariya 467 182 01 24 11Kharita 718 24 185 73 Marsa Matruh MMX-1Bahariya 289 316 387 08Kharita 68 11 221 82 06 Matruh 1-1Bahariya 537 132 331Kharita 727 214 59 Matruh 2-1Bahariya 277 228 422 73Kharita 697 39 232 32 Matruh 3-1Bahariya 24 162 509 89Kharita 783 08 18 29 Ras Kanayes Ja27-1Bahariya 362 162 476
correcting for decompaction fluctuation of sea level andsea depth and assuming Airy isostasy adjusts for isostaticcompensation Tectonic subsidence is basement involved andoccurs by an observable time transient change in lithosphericthickness with accompanying perturbation and change in thecrustrsquos thermal state [7]
Temperature is the most sensitive parameter in hydro-carbon generation Thus reconstruction of temperature his-tory is essential when evaluating petroleum prospects [20]Petroleum generation is temperature-dependent and time-dependent but varies exponentially with temperature andlinearlywith time [21]The temperature and timedependencyfor hydrocarbon generation are described by the Arrheniusequation
119870 = 119860 exp(minus119864119886119877119879) (1)
where 119870 is the rate constant 119860 is the frequency factor119864119886 is the activation energy 119877 is the Gas constant (Joulemoleminus1 Kminus1) and 119879 is the absolute temperature (∘K)The Arrhenius equation suggests that 10∘K rise in tempera-ture causes the reaction rate to double
The BasinMod 1D software (Platte River Associates) wasused in this study formodeling both the basin subsidence andconsequent hydrocarbon potential of the available boreholes
5 3D Seismic Structural Analysis
Harding (1985) stated that ldquoearly identification of structuralstyle is an important exploration function and the appropriateselection of prospect (trap) models often depends on thereliability of such identificationrdquo
6 Faults Characteristics and Interpretation
Matruh Basin is highly faulted The faults affecting the timezone of interest (sim800ndash1500ms) were interpreted first inorder to reveal the geologic history of the area and allow hori-zons to be correctly correlated as well as help in predictingwhat sort of hydrocarbon traps may be exist in the area Thefault interpretation was carried out through the interpreta-tion of the vertical transects through the amplitude volumeresulted from the poststack processing techniques applied aswell as the time slices through the coherency volume
The time slices through the coherency volume (Figures4 and 5) reflect that all faults strike NW-SE Consequentlyto interpret these faults a series of 21 equally spaced verticaltransects extending NE-SW (perpendicular to the faultsdirection) were interpreted The location map of the seismicline used in the interpretation of faults is given in Figure 6
Figures 7ndash9 illustrate vertical transects with the inter-preted faults while Figures 10 and 11 show picked faults onthe uninterpreted time slices (Figures 4 and 5) at 1000 12001400 and 1600ms through the coherency volume
Generally all the interpreted faults through the seismicvolume are extensional normal faults that generally formgrabens and half grabens that extend throughout the studyareaThe length of these faults planes varies frommore 9Kmtominor faults with lengths of about few hundreds of metersTheir vertical extension (in the time direction) varies fromapproximately 200ms to major faults of about 2700ms Interms of fault mechanical stratigraphy note that there areat least two distinct episodes of extension revealed by twofault populations those who terminate below the sim110maAlamein and those that terminate and cut thesim90AbuRoashAs Pigott and Abouelresh [22] have pointed out owing to
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
4 International Journal of Geophysics
Tim
e(M
a) Age
Recent
Miocene
Oligocene
50
100
150
200
Upper
Middle
Lower
PALEOCENE
MaestrichtianCampanian
SantonianConiacianTuronian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
BarremianHauterivianValangenian
Beriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
OxfordianCallovianBathonianBajocianAalenian
Toarcian
Puensbachian
Sinemurian
Tert
iary
Eoce
ne
Late
Cre
tace
ous
Early
Cre
tace
ous
Late
Jura
ssic
Mid
dle
Jura
ssic
Early
Jura
ssic
Dabaa ldquoGhoroudrdquo
Apollonia ldquoGuindirdquo
Khoman
Abu Roash
Kharita
Masajid
Khatatba
Wadi N
atrun
Mamura SiqeifaUmbarka
Ala
mEl
Bue
ib
Alamein
Matruh
ShoshanZone A2
Alamein Dolomite
Bahariya ldquoMideiwarrdquo
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Unconformity
Marmarica
Moghra
Lithostratigraphic units Gamma rayLithology
Porosity
Figure 3 Stratigraphic column of the Matruh area North Western Desert Egypt Modified after MidOil [6]
stratigraphic units was defined using the global stratigraphicchart compiled by Cowie and Bassett [19] The lithologiccomposition of the stratigraphic units was obtained from thewireline and cuttings logs
Two three-dimensional seismic surveys covering a totalarea of about 1000 km2 were provided by Apache EgyptThese data have a 4 s record length 4ms sampling rate and25 times 25m bin size Time slices and vertical transects throughamplitude and coherency versions of the data were used tomap faults Detailed structural interpretations of these data
will be presented elsewhere In this paper the discussion of theseismic data is restricted to illustrating the types of structuralfeatures present in this area that cannot be observed or ade-quately mapped using well control alone and relating thesefeatures to the results of our subsidence history analyses
The net subsidence in a basin results from the combi-nation of both subsidence due to tectonics and subsidenceowing to sediment and water loading The process used todetermine the amount of load induced subsidence is iso-static backstripping This method removes sediment layers
International Journal of Geophysics 5
Table 1 Lithologic constituents of Bahariya and Kharita Formations Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
Formation name Lithology Well name SS LS Anh shale SiltSt Dolom clay
Kharita 723 114 04 109 05 45 Darduma 1ABahariya 408 242 274 33 21Kharita 602 42 316 4 Siqeifa 1XBahariya 334 283 346 37Kharita 695 32 07 217 45 Mideiwar 1XBahariya 473 205 25 72Kharita 694 14 11 23 51 Abu Tunis 1XBahariya 467 182 01 24 11Kharita 718 24 185 73 Marsa Matruh MMX-1Bahariya 289 316 387 08Kharita 68 11 221 82 06 Matruh 1-1Bahariya 537 132 331Kharita 727 214 59 Matruh 2-1Bahariya 277 228 422 73Kharita 697 39 232 32 Matruh 3-1Bahariya 24 162 509 89Kharita 783 08 18 29 Ras Kanayes Ja27-1Bahariya 362 162 476
correcting for decompaction fluctuation of sea level andsea depth and assuming Airy isostasy adjusts for isostaticcompensation Tectonic subsidence is basement involved andoccurs by an observable time transient change in lithosphericthickness with accompanying perturbation and change in thecrustrsquos thermal state [7]
Temperature is the most sensitive parameter in hydro-carbon generation Thus reconstruction of temperature his-tory is essential when evaluating petroleum prospects [20]Petroleum generation is temperature-dependent and time-dependent but varies exponentially with temperature andlinearlywith time [21]The temperature and timedependencyfor hydrocarbon generation are described by the Arrheniusequation
119870 = 119860 exp(minus119864119886119877119879) (1)
where 119870 is the rate constant 119860 is the frequency factor119864119886 is the activation energy 119877 is the Gas constant (Joulemoleminus1 Kminus1) and 119879 is the absolute temperature (∘K)The Arrhenius equation suggests that 10∘K rise in tempera-ture causes the reaction rate to double
The BasinMod 1D software (Platte River Associates) wasused in this study formodeling both the basin subsidence andconsequent hydrocarbon potential of the available boreholes
5 3D Seismic Structural Analysis
Harding (1985) stated that ldquoearly identification of structuralstyle is an important exploration function and the appropriateselection of prospect (trap) models often depends on thereliability of such identificationrdquo
6 Faults Characteristics and Interpretation
Matruh Basin is highly faulted The faults affecting the timezone of interest (sim800ndash1500ms) were interpreted first inorder to reveal the geologic history of the area and allow hori-zons to be correctly correlated as well as help in predictingwhat sort of hydrocarbon traps may be exist in the area Thefault interpretation was carried out through the interpreta-tion of the vertical transects through the amplitude volumeresulted from the poststack processing techniques applied aswell as the time slices through the coherency volume
The time slices through the coherency volume (Figures4 and 5) reflect that all faults strike NW-SE Consequentlyto interpret these faults a series of 21 equally spaced verticaltransects extending NE-SW (perpendicular to the faultsdirection) were interpreted The location map of the seismicline used in the interpretation of faults is given in Figure 6
Figures 7ndash9 illustrate vertical transects with the inter-preted faults while Figures 10 and 11 show picked faults onthe uninterpreted time slices (Figures 4 and 5) at 1000 12001400 and 1600ms through the coherency volume
Generally all the interpreted faults through the seismicvolume are extensional normal faults that generally formgrabens and half grabens that extend throughout the studyareaThe length of these faults planes varies frommore 9Kmtominor faults with lengths of about few hundreds of metersTheir vertical extension (in the time direction) varies fromapproximately 200ms to major faults of about 2700ms Interms of fault mechanical stratigraphy note that there areat least two distinct episodes of extension revealed by twofault populations those who terminate below the sim110maAlamein and those that terminate and cut thesim90AbuRoashAs Pigott and Abouelresh [22] have pointed out owing to
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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International Journal of Geophysics 5
Table 1 Lithologic constituents of Bahariya and Kharita Formations Matruh Basin North Western Desert Egypt
Formation name Lithology Well name SS LS Anh shale SiltSt Dolom clay
Kharita 723 114 04 109 05 45 Darduma 1ABahariya 408 242 274 33 21Kharita 602 42 316 4 Siqeifa 1XBahariya 334 283 346 37Kharita 695 32 07 217 45 Mideiwar 1XBahariya 473 205 25 72Kharita 694 14 11 23 51 Abu Tunis 1XBahariya 467 182 01 24 11Kharita 718 24 185 73 Marsa Matruh MMX-1Bahariya 289 316 387 08Kharita 68 11 221 82 06 Matruh 1-1Bahariya 537 132 331Kharita 727 214 59 Matruh 2-1Bahariya 277 228 422 73Kharita 697 39 232 32 Matruh 3-1Bahariya 24 162 509 89Kharita 783 08 18 29 Ras Kanayes Ja27-1Bahariya 362 162 476
correcting for decompaction fluctuation of sea level andsea depth and assuming Airy isostasy adjusts for isostaticcompensation Tectonic subsidence is basement involved andoccurs by an observable time transient change in lithosphericthickness with accompanying perturbation and change in thecrustrsquos thermal state [7]
Temperature is the most sensitive parameter in hydro-carbon generation Thus reconstruction of temperature his-tory is essential when evaluating petroleum prospects [20]Petroleum generation is temperature-dependent and time-dependent but varies exponentially with temperature andlinearlywith time [21]The temperature and timedependencyfor hydrocarbon generation are described by the Arrheniusequation
119870 = 119860 exp(minus119864119886119877119879) (1)
where 119870 is the rate constant 119860 is the frequency factor119864119886 is the activation energy 119877 is the Gas constant (Joulemoleminus1 Kminus1) and 119879 is the absolute temperature (∘K)The Arrhenius equation suggests that 10∘K rise in tempera-ture causes the reaction rate to double
The BasinMod 1D software (Platte River Associates) wasused in this study formodeling both the basin subsidence andconsequent hydrocarbon potential of the available boreholes
5 3D Seismic Structural Analysis
Harding (1985) stated that ldquoearly identification of structuralstyle is an important exploration function and the appropriateselection of prospect (trap) models often depends on thereliability of such identificationrdquo
6 Faults Characteristics and Interpretation
Matruh Basin is highly faulted The faults affecting the timezone of interest (sim800ndash1500ms) were interpreted first inorder to reveal the geologic history of the area and allow hori-zons to be correctly correlated as well as help in predictingwhat sort of hydrocarbon traps may be exist in the area Thefault interpretation was carried out through the interpreta-tion of the vertical transects through the amplitude volumeresulted from the poststack processing techniques applied aswell as the time slices through the coherency volume
The time slices through the coherency volume (Figures4 and 5) reflect that all faults strike NW-SE Consequentlyto interpret these faults a series of 21 equally spaced verticaltransects extending NE-SW (perpendicular to the faultsdirection) were interpreted The location map of the seismicline used in the interpretation of faults is given in Figure 6
Figures 7ndash9 illustrate vertical transects with the inter-preted faults while Figures 10 and 11 show picked faults onthe uninterpreted time slices (Figures 4 and 5) at 1000 12001400 and 1600ms through the coherency volume
Generally all the interpreted faults through the seismicvolume are extensional normal faults that generally formgrabens and half grabens that extend throughout the studyareaThe length of these faults planes varies frommore 9Kmtominor faults with lengths of about few hundreds of metersTheir vertical extension (in the time direction) varies fromapproximately 200ms to major faults of about 2700ms Interms of fault mechanical stratigraphy note that there areat least two distinct episodes of extension revealed by twofault populations those who terminate below the sim110maAlamein and those that terminate and cut thesim90AbuRoashAs Pigott and Abouelresh [22] have pointed out owing to
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
6 International Journal of Geophysics
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(b)
Figure 4 Time slices at 1000ms through the coherency volume for Upper Bahariya Formation (a) Time slices at 1300ms through thecoherency volume for Kharita Formation (b)
N
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 5 Time slices at 1400ms through the coherency volume for Base Kharita Formation (a) Time slices at 1600ms through the coherencyvolume for Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b)
the general increase in bulk modulus with increasing depthof overburden deep seated faults rupture young rocks butextension of young rocks will not rupture deeper rocksThusthe upper fault termination provides the youngest age of Page18 of 40 a fault Therefore for these seismic observations inthe Matruh Basin the fault mechanical stratigraphy revealsa pre-Alamein and a post-Abu Roash time of extension As
we shall see later in this paper these two extension events areconfirmed by the 1D basin subsidence analysis
The structure contourmaps of both Bahariya and KharitaFormations are shown in Figure 12 Those maps show thatthe tops of the two formations dip to the southeast to reachtheir deepest values at the Ras Kanayes well reached 5711 ft(1741m) for Bahariya and 6717 ft (2047m) for Kharita The
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 7
(mi)
Line 7900
(km)
0 2 4
0 2
N
Figure 6 Location map of the equally spaced lines used in the interpretation of faults
(mi)(km)
0
0
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
302
2
4
Figure 7 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoFrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30 (mi)(km)0 02 24
Figure 8 Interpreted seismic line number ldquoKrdquo (see Figure 6 forlocation)
shallowest values for Bahariya and Kharita Formations arerecorded at the MMX-1 well with values of 38236 ft (1165m)and 4689 ft (1429m) respectively
Figure 13 shows a structuremap of the Alamein Dolomitethat was based on the data from the nine well and a depth-converted Alamein Dolomite horizon that was picked in two3D seismic volumes (grey area) The map shows a general
(km)
0 2
(mi)0 2
4
SW NE
TWT
(sec
onds
)
05
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
Figure 9 Interpreted seismic line no ldquoQrdquo (see Figure 6 for location)
dipping trend to the southeast direction of the area underconsideration to exceed the depth of 8700 ft (26518m) atthe south east corner As shown in Figure 5(a) enormousnumber of faults is affecting the area Generally these faultsstrikeNW-SE and are extensional normal faults that generallyform grabens and half grabens While Figure 5(b) showsa sequence of Syrian Arc folds with axial surfaces that
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
8 International Journal of Geophysics
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a) (b)
Figure 10 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1000ms For Upper Bahariya Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices onFigure 4(a) Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1200ms For Kharita Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 4(b)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(a)
(mi)
(km)0
0
2
2
4
N
(b)
Figure 11 Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1400ms ForBase Kharita Formation (a) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(a)Tracked faults on coherency time slice at time 1600ms For Alam El Bueib 1 Formation (b) the uninterpreted time slices on Figure 5(b)
strike NE-SW These structures may have been formed atSantonianCampanian times
Comparison of Figure 13 which incorporates 3D seismicdata with the structure maps shown in Figure 12 clearlyindicates that not all of the structural elements present in thisarea are being captured using well control alone (ie all of
Figures 12(a) and 12(b) and part of Figure 13) As describedbelow lithofacies and isopach maps were constructed fromthe availablewell control As the sparsewell control is unlikelyto capture all the changes in lithology and thickness withinthe study area nevertheless the broad-scale trends (egregional structural dips and thickness changes) are being
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 9
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31
∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 12 Structure contourmaps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations Arrows refer to the possible hydrocarbonsmigration pathway
sufficiently well defined using well control to warrant use ofthe maps for subsequent analyses presented in this paperFurthermore in the absence of other published data wehope that the analyses presented here will be of use toexplorationists working this area
7 Lithofacies Analysis
The sand to shale ratio maps of Bahariya and Kharita For-mations are illustrated in Figures 15(a) and 5(b) respectivelyThe Bahariya (Figure 15(a)) shows an increase in sandstoneto the west with shale being dominant in the eastern parts ofthe areaThe Kharita map (Figure 15(b)) shows a lowest value
at Siqeifa 1X well (19) and an increase to both the east andwest The highest sand to shale ratio (66) for this formationis in the Darduma 1A well Although sandstone and shaleare the two main lithologic constituents in the Bahariya andKharita Formations Table 1 shows that other lithologies arealso present and can be important constituents For exampleapproximately 31 of the Bahariya Formation consists oflimestone in the MMX-1 well
The isopach maps of Bahariya and Kharita Formationsare shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) respectively Both mapsdemonstrate a general increase in thickness to the northwestdirection reaching maxima in the Darduma 1A well whichpenetrated 11821 ft (3603m) of the Bahariya and 2305 ft
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
10 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
N
E
Figure 13 Structure contour map of Alamein Dolomite Formation A-A1015840 and B-B1015840 are locations of the seismic sections in Figure 14
1000
ms
A A
(a)
1000
ms
B B
(b)
Figure 14 Sample seismic vertical transects showing enormous amount of faults trending NW-SE (a) and Syrian Arc folds (b) Locations ofthese transects are shown on Figure 13
(7026m) of the Kharita FormationThe lowest value for eachof the two formations is recorded atMatruh 1-1 with a value of794 ft (242m) for Bahariya and 1158 ft (3529m) for Kharita
Unfortunately similar to the structure maps constructedwithout 3D seismic control these isolith and isopach mapsare unlikely to capture all of the stratigraphic variabilitypresent in the area The maps are presented as they help toput first-order controls on the petroleum system of this area
8 Burial History and Subsidence
The quantitative analysis of burial history through time isused to reconstruct thermal and maturity histories Thisanalysis aims at producing time depth histories and sedi-mentation rates The correction of decompaction needs to
be carried out for burial history analysis Decompaction(backstripping) is based on the skeletal (solid grain) volumebeing constant while the rock volume is changed with depthof burial due to the loss of porosity [23]
Figure 17 shows the burial history and subsidence curvesin the Darduma 1A Mideiwar 1X Matruh 1-1 and RasKanayes wells These figures indicate a rapid subsidenceduring the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous times The faultmechanical-dominated subsidence (when highest tectonicsubsidence rate) is represented by the steep part of the burialhistory diagramThe slope of the burial history curves changeat time intervals which corresponds to the Turonian (92Ma)and become flatter indicating the dominance of crustalthermal cooling subsidence Uplift can also be noticed in allthe wells that started at the CretaceousPaleogene (73Ma)
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 11
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 15 Sand to Shale ratio maps of Bahariya (a) and Kharita (b) Formations
This uplift may be as a result of the Syrian Arc that causedinversion in most of North Western Desert Basins [1 12 24]
9 Thermal History and Source Rock Maturity
Ghanem et al [8] evaluated the potential source rocks of theLower Cretaceous rocks in the Matruh Basin in a study thatwas based essentially on the geochemical analysis of thesesediments They concluded that the Kharita Formation is afair to good source rock
An application of Arrhenius relationship is the Time-Temperature Index (TTI) [25 26] This index is based onthe view that the reaction rates double every 10∘C rise in thetemperature
In the current study the bottom hole temperatures thatwere corrected to the cooling effect were used to constructthe thermal history applying the rifting heat flow approachThe beta factor (120573init) is the ratio of the lithospheric thicknessimmediately after stretching to the initial lithospheric thick-ness Figure 18 shows the 120573init factor map of the study areawhich shows values to range from 11 to 17 with the valuesincrease to the southeast direction toward the deeper parts ofthe basin
Figure 19 shows the burial history and maturity profileswhich reveal the Albian Kharita Formation and CenomanianBahariya Clastics to be in the early to middle maturitylevels A representation of the maturity prediction versusdepth is shown in Figure 20 The figure shows that the early
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
12 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(a)
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)
(km)0 5 10
N
(b)
Figure 16 Isopach maps of Bahariya Formation (a) and Kharita Formation (b)
maturation (119877119900 = 05 percent) started almost at a depthof 2800 ft (8534m) at Ras Kanayes to 3000 ft (9144m) atMideiwar 1A while the main gas started at approximately7700 ft (23469m) at Darduma 1A to 9000 ft (27432m) atMatruh 1-1
Figure 21 shows a maturity depth map which shows thedepth to the top of the oil window (119877119900 = 055) It shows ageneral decrease in thematurity depth values to the southeastdirection of the area
10 Discussion and Results
The sand to shale ratio map of Bahariya (Figure 15(a))reveals sandy facies in the western parts and shaly facies in
the eastern parts of the study area The Kharita shown inFigure 15(b) reveals a primarily sandy formation and it hassome shale volume that can enable Kharita to be a significantsource rock Bahariya serves as a primary reservoir in theMatruh Basin The presence of these shale ratios in Bahariyawill work as a lateral seals that increase (together with theimpermeable cover of Abu Roash Carbonates and Shales) itsreservoir abilities
It was indicated from both stratigraphic and seismicinterpretation and the geology review of the North WesternDesert that the Matruh-Shushan basins were formed in theMiddle-Late Jurassic as a rift basin [7]
McKenzie [27] classically described a procedure for theformation of extensional rifting basins through which subsi-dence occurs in two stages
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 13
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-Valen
U Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL Aptian M-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
(c)
J K Pal N
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur
L TurU Cen L CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
14000
12000
(d)
Figure 17 Burial history profiles subsidence curves and the isotherms for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) andRas Kanayes (d)
(i) First stage is the tectonic subsidence results bystretching of the lithosphere by extensional forcesThis stage is accompanied by upwelling of the hotterasthenosphere which worms up the lithosphere
(ii) Second stage is the thermal subsidence as a result ofthe cooling of the lithosphere This subsidence takesplace through a longer time than the first one
Figure 17 indicates two distinct episodes of rapid subsidenceone during the Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous (pre-Alamein)time and one during the post-Abu RoashMiddle CretaceousThe fault mechanical-dominated subsidence (when highesttectonic subsidence rate) is represented by the steep part ofthe burial history diagram The slopes of the burial historycurves change at time interval which corresponds to a sim160
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
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Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
14 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
N
E
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
Figure 18 Stretching (120573init) factor map of the study area
pre-Alamein event and a younger than Turonian (92Ma)post-Abu Roash event Note that the 1D basin subsidencemodel events are confirmed by the previously mentioned twoepisodes of faulting In both cases during rifting the top ofthe asthenosphere moves to much shallower depths leadingto higher heat flows and higher geothermal gradients withvalues which will depend on how much the crust is thinnedand this is conveniently expressed by the 120573init ldquostretchingfactorrdquo introduced by Metwalli and Pigott [7] Thus it isdefined so that the larger the number the greater the lateralextension [21] From these two extension events the depthto the oil window (Figure 21) decreases to the southeastdirection the same direction of the increase of the stretching120573init factor (Figure 18) as well as the increase in the shalepercentages in the source Kharita Formation
As shown previously Kharita and Bahariya Formationsare thermally mature enough for hydrocarbon generationThe maturation levels at the surface of the Bahariya Kharitaand Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) can be shown inFigures 22ndash24 Figure 22 shows that in the northwest half ofthe area Bahariya is in the early mature stage while it is inthe mid mature stage in the southeast half of the area Themajor parts of Kharita Formation (Figure 23) are in the midmature stage except for these narrow areas in the north (atwell MMX1) and to the west (at Abu Tunis 1X well) whichare in the early maturation level Finally the maturity levelshave increased through the thick body of Kharita Formationto reach the main gas generation at the well (Darduma 1A)and mid maturation levels to the northeast and northwest ofthe area and late maturation levels at the rest parts of the areaThe generated hydrocarbons will migrate in the directions ofthe arrows shown on the structure contour maps of Bahariyaand Kharita (Figures 12(a) and 12(b)) to the higher level at thedirection of the well MMX-1 in which Bahariya has higher
shale and limestone percentages (Table 1) that can work aslateral seals in addition to the impermeable limestone caprock of Abu Roash Formation Caution should be taken asthe area is highly faulted and structurally complicated ascan be seen on the sample seismic transects in Figures 14(a)and 14(b) that shows the opportunity of having hydrocarbontraps at such relatively shallow level through the faults(Figure 14(a)) andor Syrian Arc anticlines (Figure 14(b))
11 Conclusions
Matruh Basin as a rift basin exhibited a rapid subsidenceduring Middle and Late Jurassic which continued during theearly Cretaceous This subsidence was followed by a ther-mal subsidence that started approximately at the Turonian(92Ma)
TheAlbianKharita Formation showed a sandy facies witha considerable volume of shale that enables it to be a goodsource rockAhigh percentage of shales inKharita Formationand high sealing efficiency have been responsible for theconcentration of gas and condensate in the Albian sourcedKharita sandstones rather than in the higher younger forma-tions Bahariya Formation can be a considerable source rockespecially in the shaly portions to the east of the study area
Due to transitional facies characters shale occurrencetends to be localized and shalesandstone vertical ratiostend to vary in the different formations The best sealingconditions are said to occur in the basinal areas rather than onridgeplatform areas where sequence becomes more sandy
The constructed thermal models show that the AlbianKharita and Cenomanian Bahariya deposits in the MatruhBasin are mature enough to produce hydrocarbons WhileBahariya showed an early maturation levels to the northwest
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 15
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCampSantTuronCenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU Jurassic
M-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
T J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
250 200 100 0
Age (Ma)
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
t = 0
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(a)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
J K Pal NMatruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
J K Pal N0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
M MioceneL MioceneOligoceneMaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Matruh basin
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
200 150 100 50 0
Age (Ma)
t = 0
J K Pal N
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
14000
12000
Eocene
M Miocene
Matruh basin
L MioceneOligocene
MaasCamSan
ConTur L TurU Cen L CenL CenU AlbAlbian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 19 Burial history profiles and maturity windows for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
16 International Journal of Geophysics
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
M MioceneL MioceneEoceneMaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carbCenom ClasBasal Cen carbAlbian
Apt (Zone A1)Apt (Zone A2)Apt (Zone B)Haut-BarremBerias-ValenU JurassicM-U Jurassic
L Jurassic
t = 0
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
(a)
Matruh basin
01 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)D
epth
subs
urfa
ce (f
eet)
M MioceneL Miocene
Eocene
MaastCamp
SantTuron
Cenom carb
Cenom Clas
Albian
Aptian
U Jurassic
t = 0
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(b)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
Matruh basin
M MioceneL MioceneOligocene
MaastCampU TuronTuronianU CenomTur
L CenomL-U Cenom
M-U AlbianL AptianM-U Bar
U Ox-L ValL-M Ox
L Val-M Bar
Cal-LOxU Bat-CalM BathonianBaj-M Bat AAl-Baj
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(c)
t = 001 1 10
Maturity ( Ro)
Matruh basin
Dep
th su
bsur
face
(fee
t)
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Eocene
M Miocene
L Miocene
Oligocene
MaasCamSanConTur
L TurU CenL CenL CenU Alb
Albian
L Aptian
L Bar-U Haut
M-U Bar
L Haut-ValL Kim-U Ox
Early mature (oil)05 to 07 ( Ro)Mid mature (oil)07 to 1 ( Ro)Late mature (oil)1 to 13 ( Ro)Main gas generation13 to 26 ( Ro)
(d)
Figure 20 Maturity profiles for the wells Darduma 1A (a) Mideiwar 1X (b) Matruh 1-1 (c) and Ras Kanayes (d)
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 17
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 21 Maturity depth map of the study area
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 22 Maturity levels at the surface of Bahariya Formation
and mid maturation to the southeast Kharita showed midmaturation levels in the most parts of the areaThese thermalmodels are concordant with the discovered gas reservoirsin the Matruh Basin from the deeper Alam El Bueib and
Khatatba Formations This work suggests that oil and gasdiscoveries can be fulfilled in the shallower levels of theMatruh Basin That will require a detailed structural analysisat these levels
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
18 International Journal of Geophysics
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)
Early matureMid mature
(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Figure 23 Maturity levels at the surface of Kharita Formation
31∘00
27∘00
27
∘30
27∘00
27
∘30
31∘24
31∘00
31∘24
0 5
(mi)(km)0 5 10
N
N
E
Mid mature
Main gas generationLate mature
Figure 24 Maturity levels at the surface of Alamein (lower surface of Kharita) Formation
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
International Journal of Geophysics 19
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
References
[1] J C Dolson M V Shann S Matbouly C Harwood R Rashedand H Hammouda ldquoThe Petroleum Potential of Egyptrdquo inPetroleum Provinces of the 21st Century v Memoir 74 W AMorgan Ed pp 453ndash482 American Association of PetroleumGeologists Tulsa Okla USA 2001
[2] T Abdel Fattah ldquoPetrophysical geological and geophysicalstudies at Matruh basinrdquo Qena vol 1 no 2 pp 61ndash74 1993
[3] T Abdel Fattah ldquoSource rock evaluation of the pre-Aptiansection at Matruh sub-basin north Western Desert-EgyptrdquoDelta Journal of Science vol 18 no 2 pp 149ndash159 1994
[4] A N Shahin ldquoUndiscovered petroleum reserves in NorthernWestern Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the 1st InternationalConference Geology of the Arab World pp 30-31 Cairo Egypt1992
[5] N Sultan and A Halim ldquoTectonic Framework of northernWestern Desert Egypt and its effect on hydrocarbon accumula-tionsrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPCNinth Exploration ConferenceCairo Egypt 1988
[6] Mid-oil Company ldquoStratigraphic column Matruh area West-ern Desertrdquo Internal report 1983 Mid-oil Company 1983
[7] F I Metwalli and J D Pigott ldquoAnalysis of petroleum systemcriticals of the Matruh-Shushan Basin Western Desert EgyptrdquoPetroleum Geoscience vol 11 no 2 pp 157ndash178 2005
[8] M F Ghanem M M Hammad and A F Maky ldquoOrgano-geochemical evaluation of the subsurface lower Cretaceousrocks of Matruh Basin North Western desert Egyptrdquo El MiniaScience Bulletin vol 10 no 2 pp 81ndash107 1997
[9] A F Douban ldquoBasin analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality ofMatruh basin North Western Desert Egyptrdquo in Proceedings oftheThird International Conference for Geology of theArabWorldpp 595ndash624 Cairo University Cairo Egypt 1996
[10] G Hantar ldquoNorth Western Desertrdquo in The Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 293ndash319 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[11] H Schandelmeier E Klitzsch F Hendriks and P WyciskldquoStructural development of North-East Africa since Precam-brian timesrdquo in Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungenvol 75 of Reihe A Geologie und Palaeontologie pp 5ndash24 1987
[12] R Guiraud ldquoMesozoic rifting and basin inversion along thenorthern African Tethyan margin an overviewrdquo GeologicalSociety London Special Publications vol 132 pp 217ndash229 1998
[13] I M Hussein and A M A Abd-Allah ldquoTectonic evolution ofthe northeastern part of the African continentalmargin EgyptrdquoJournal of African Earth Sciences vol 33 no 1 pp 49ndash68 2001
[14] W M Meshref ldquoTectonic frameworkrdquo inThe Geology of EgyptR Said Ed pp 113ndash156 Balkema Publishers RotterdamNetherlands 1990
[15] W M Meshref and H Hamouda ldquoBasement tectonic map ofnorthern Egyptrdquo in Proceedings of the EGPC 9th Explorationand Production Conference vol 1 pp 55ndash76 Egyptian GeneralPetroleum Corporation Bulletin Cairo Egypt 1990
[16] G Sestini ldquoEgyptrdquo in Regional Petroleum Geology of the World22 H Kulke Ed vol 3 pp 23ndash46 Gebruder BorntraegerBerlin Germany 1994
[17] M M Ali Geophysical study on Matruh area Northern partof the Western Desert of Egypt [MS thesis] Assiut UniversityAssiut Egypt 1988
[18] S F SaidGeology Petrology And Reservoir Development Studiesof Umbarka area Western Desert Egypt [MS thesis] HelwanUniversity Helwan Egypt 2003
[19] J W Cowie and M G Bassett ldquoGlobal stratigraphic chartwith geochronometric and magnetostratigraphic calibrationrdquoInternational Union of Geological Sciences vol 12 no 2 1989
[20] B P Tissot R Pelet and P H Ungerer ldquoThermal historyof sedimentary basins maturation indices and kinetics of oiland gas generationrdquo The American Association of PetroleumGeologists Bulletin vol 71 no 12 pp 1445ndash1466 1987
[21] C Barker Thermal Modeling of Petroleum Generation Theoryand Application vol 45 Elsevier New York NY USA 1996
[22] J D Pigott and M O Abouelresh ldquoBasin deconstruction-construction Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency throughthe integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismicfaultmechanical stratigraphy - Example fromFaras FieldNorthWestern Desert Egyptrdquo Journal of African Earth Sciences vol114 pp 110ndash124 2016
[23] P A Allen and J R Allen Basin Analysis Principles AndApplications Blackwell Scientific Publications Oxford UK1990
[24] M L Keeley and M S Massoud ldquoTectonic controls on thepetroleum geology of NE Africardquo Geological Society LondonSpecial Publications vol 132 pp 265ndash281 1998
[25] N V Lopatin ldquoTemperature and geologic time as factors incoalificationrdquo Izvestia Akademii Nauk USSR Seriya Geologich-eskaya vol 3 pp 95ndash106 1971
[26] D W Waples ldquoTime and temperature in petroleum formationapplication of Lopatinrsquos method to petroleum explorationrdquoTheAmerican Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin vol 64no 6 pp 916ndash926 1980
[27] D McKenzie ldquoSome remarks on the development of sedimen-tary basinsrdquo Earth and Planetary Science Letters vol 40 no 1pp 25ndash32 1978
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Journal of
ChemistryArchaeaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Marine BiologyJournal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
BiodiversityInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
EcologyInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom
Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science
Volume 2018
Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Geophysics
Environmental and Public Health
Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Microbiology
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Public Health Advances in
AgricultureAdvances in
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Agronomy
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
International Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
MeteorologyAdvances in
Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom
The Scientific World Journal
Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
ChemistryAdvances in
ScienticaHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Geological ResearchJournal of
Analytical ChemistryInternational Journal of
Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018
Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom