The Crustal Structure of Egypt and

Northern Red Sea Region

By
Ahmed Hosny

(NRIAG) National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics

Cairo, Egypt
 Objectives

The crust and Uppermost mantle structures of Egypt

(compositions and Moho Undulations beneath Egypt)

Identify the thickness of the mafic lower crust of Egypt’s

regions, is it different or similar????

•Compute Velocity model for each geographic region to

locate local and regional earthquakes

•As a comparison, If Egypt’s crust composition similar to

other African and Arabian crusts or different
Seismic DATA

•Tele-Seismic data
within distance
between 30-90 degrees
recorded by the
Egyptian National
Seismic Network
(ENSN)
Methodology
A) Receiver Functions Method (RFs), Ligorría and Ammon
(1999)
B) H-k stacking method of Zhao and Kanamori (2000)
C) Joint Inversion Method , Juliá et al., (2000, 2003)

Joint inversion method

The shear wave velocity structure of
the crust beneath each seismic station
is obtained by jointly inverting receiver
functions and the Rayleigh wave group
velocity dispersion
NETWORK (ENSN)

The Egyptian
National
seismic
network
(ENSN)

Broadband and
short period
stations
Total ~ 76 stations
Beneath 26 broadband
stations

Geologic map of
Egypt with
locations of 26
seismic stations
used in the
current study
Results

Stacking of RFs of
HRG station located
on Red Sea coast
line
Results

Stacking of RFs of
NAHD station
located in southern
Egypt (inland)
Results

Joint inversion results for

the same two stations,
HRG and NAHD

Consistent results with

the H-k stack for the
two stations

Hk=27 km
Hk=39 km
 Results

C) Average results

Geog. Crustal Vp/Vs Vs Mafic l.C

region Thick. ratio km/s
Km
Shore line 28 km 1.77 3.6 4.4 km
average average average average

North- 36 km 1.81 3.4 ?? 3.0 km

middle average average average average
Egypt

South 38.6 km 1.77 3.7 13 km ??

Egypt average average average average

Tow cross sections revealed

the Moho Undulations
beneath Egypt
Results

D) Average velocity models for

Egypt

For locating earthquakes,

three Average velocity model
for each geographic region
 Summary

Beneath26 broadband stations, the moho undulations and evolution of Egypt's

crust has been investigated by using the RFs and the joint inversion of RFs and
fundamental group velocity dispersion

Based on the obtained results

Egypt has been classified into three different geographic regions; rift areas
(Suez Gulf and the Red Sea), north-middle of Egypt, and south of Egypt.

Thinning crust beneath the stations located on the rift areas = ~27-28 km;
Vp/Vs =1.77, and Vs = 3.6 km/sec.

Beneath the north-middle of Egypt, thick crustal thickness is ~36.0 km;

Vp/Vs= 1.81, and low Vs =3.4 km/sec Due to the sedimentary cover.

While, beneath the south of Egypt, the average crustal thickness is 38.6 km
with an average Vp/Vs ratio of 1.77, and associated with an average crustal
shear wave velocity is 3.7 km/sec.
 Conclusions

Similarly, our results compare favorably with crustal thickness along

the Arabian side of the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea and in the
Arabian Shield

In comparison to crustal structure in similar tectonic settings

elsewhere in Africa, our results also show good similarity, except for
southern Egypt, where the thickness of the mafic lower crust is
substantially greater. We attribute the thickened mafic lower crust to
modification of the crust during the collision of east Gondwana
against the Sahara Metcraton along the Keraf Suture during the final
assembly of Gondwana in the Neoproterozoic.

This Suture is very clear beneath southern Egypt but is damaged in north-
middle Egypt due to the effect the rift system of the Gulf of Suez and the
Red Sea.
 Conclusions

For locating local and regional earthquakes occur in and around Egypt,
we computed three average P-wave and S-wave velocity models for
each geographic region, north-middle, rift areas, and south of Egypt
region.

Therefore
Results of the receiver functions and joint inversion not only can
be exploited for crustal composition or for Computing the shear
wave velocity beneath station areas,
BUT ALSO
could reveal an important tectonic phenomenon. For example,
our study revealed the extension of the Keraf suture from
northern Sudan to Egypt.
 Collession between
The Arabian Nubian
Shield (ANS) and the
Sahara Metacraton

Suture shear zone

THANKS

Questions???