Coordinates: 28°45′N 33°00′E

Gulf of Suez
The Gulf of Suez (Arabic: ‫خليج السويس‬, romanized:  khalīǧ
Gulf of Suez
as-suwais; formerly ‫بحر القلزم‬, baḥar al-qulzum, lit. "Sea
of Calm") is a gulf at the northern end of the Red Sea, to the
west of the Sinai Peninsula. Situated to the east of the Sinai
Peninsula is the smaller Gulf of Aqaba. The gulf was formed
within a relatively young but now inactive Gulf of Suez Rift
rift basin, dating back about 26 million years.[1] It stretches
some 300 kilometres (190  mi) north by northwest,
terminating at the Egyptian city of Suez and the entrance to
the Suez Canal. Along the mid-line of the gulf is the
boundary between Africa and Asia.[2] The entrance of the
gulf lies atop the mature Gemsa oil and gas field.[3]
The gulf Visible bodies are the Gulf of Suez (west,
is considered one of the world's important maritime zones left in photo), the Gulf of Aqaba (east,
right in photo), and the Red Sea (south,
due to being an entrance to the Suez Canal.
bottom left in photo). Photo dated
February 2009.

Contents
Geography
Extent
Geology
Ecology
References
External links

Geography
Location Red Sea
The gulf occupies the northwestern arm of the Red Sea
Coordinates 28°45′N 33°00′E
between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. It is the third arm of
the triple junction rift system, the second arm being the Gulf Basin countries Egypt
of Aqaba.
Max. length 314 km (195 mi)
The length of the gulf, from its mouth at the Strait of Gubal Max. width 32 km (20 mi)
(alternate name: Strait of Jubal)[4] to its head at the city of Average depth 40 m (130 ft)
Suez, is 195 miles (314 km), and it varies in width from 12
to 20 miles (19 to 32 km). Max. depth 70 m (230 ft)

Extent

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as "A line running from
Ras Muhammed (27°43'N) to the South point of Shadwan Island (34°02'E) and thence Westward on a
parallel (27°27'N) to the coast of Africa".[5]
Geology
The Gems Field was discovered in 1869, but did not
produce until 1910. The Hurghada Field produced in
1913. By 1998, over 1900 wells had been drilled and 120
fields identified. The major oil source rock is the Upper
Cretaceous marine Sudr Formation, the limestone
Campanian Brown/Duwi Member in particular, which is
25–70 m (82–230 ft) thick in the gulf.[6]

The gulf sedimentary basin stratigraphic section consists

of prerift Paleozoic to Oligocene clastic rocks and
carbonates, and synrift and postrift Miocene to Holocene
clastics and evaporites.[7]: 2 36 
Three large oil fields are in Northernmost part of Gulf of Suez with town
the gulf: the El Morgan discovered in 1964, Belayim Suez on the map of 1856
discovered in 1955, and the October Field discovered in
1977.[7]: 2 38  The October Field produces from the
Cretaceous Nubia Formation, the Upper Cretaceous Nezzazat Formation, the Miocene Nukhul Formation,
and the Miocene Asl Member of the Upper Rudeis Formation.[7]: 2 36 

Ecology

References
1. http://geoinfo.amu.edu.pl/wpk/geos/GEO_2/GEO_PLATE_T-37.HTML Detailed geological
information on the Gulf
2. "ISS EarthKAM: Images: Collections: Composite: Gulf of Suez, Egypt and Saudi Arabia" (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/20031027190013/http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/images/Eg
ypt.shtml). Archived from the original (http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/images/Egypt.sht
ml) on 2003-10-27.
3. "USGS Open File Report OF99-50-A Red Sea Basin Province (Province Geology)" (http://g
eology.cr.usgs.gov/energy/WorldEnergy/OF99-50A/province.html).
4. "Madiq jubal" (http://www.tageo.com/index-e-eg-v-00-d-m459600.htm). Tageo.com database
of geographic coordinate information.
5. "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/htt
p://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf) (PDF). International
Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (https://iho.int/uploads/user/pub
s/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf) (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved
28 December 2020.
6. Lindquist, Sandra (1998). The Red Sea Province: Sudr-Nubia(!) and Maqna(!) Petroleum
Systems, USGS Open File Report 99-50-A. US Dept. of the Interior. pp. 6, 8.
7. Lelek, J.J., Shepherd, D.B., Stone, D.M., and Abdine, A.S., 1992, October Field, In Giant Oil
and Gas Fields of the Decade, 1978-1988, AAPG Memoir 54, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa:
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, ISBN 0891813330

External links
Satellite photographs of the Gulf, and of the Suez Canal (http://egypt.africa-atlas.com/image
s.htm)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gulf_of_Suez&oldid=1080735065"

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