Subsurface structural trends from gravity data analysis (Nebber-Saline region
-Northern Tunisian Atlas )
Imen Hamdi Nasr*1,2, Benen Sarsar Nawali1,3, Mohamed Hedi Inoubli1 ,Oussama Abidi1, Adnen
Amiri 1,Haifa Boussiga1
1 URGAMM, University of Tunis- El Manar.
2 Faculty of Science of Bizerte, Carthage University, Tunisia
3 ETAP Entreprise Tunisienne d' Activités
imenhamdi79@gmail.com
Introduction / Research Motivation
The North of Tunisia pertains to the North-eastern edge of the African plate. It is bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea and the Straight of Sicily to the North and North-Est, with an uppermost crust bearing
Meso-Cenozoic prevalent sedimentary packages that have long suffered Alpine and Atlassic orogenies
The present configuration of the Tunisian margin has resulted from the convergence and collisional
movement between the African and European plates including the Tethys geological domain. In the
concerning region, an Early Mesozoic rifting phase has structured basin sunk salt dominated Triassic
deposits, and was seconded by a passive margin tectonic basin style during the entire Meso-cenozoic times.
The present paper aims to understand the subsurface structural trends within the Northern Western
Tunisia using gravity data.
The main goal of this work is to analyze gravity anomaly data to identify possible lineaments in the
Western Tunisia area. Our pattern recognition criteria are based spatially on the EHG (Enhaced
Horizontal Gradient), TAM (Tilt Angle Method) and the ED( Euleur Deconvolution). All three methods
agree closely in determining the horizontal locations of contacts; the last two also give similar results for
source depths
Gravity data Analysis
A detailed high-resolution land gravity survey was carried out, which entailed a total of 660 stations of data
acquired over an area of approximately 640 square-kilometer, at an average of almost one station per square
kilometer. Free-air and Bouguer gravity corrections were performed using sea level as a datum and a
reduction density of 2.4 g cm3. Bouguer and terrain corrections were calculated automatically using a digital
terrain model obtained by digitizing 1/50 000 topographic maps
The complete Bouguer gravity anomaly values range from -15 mGal to the South East in the Bled Elgorfa, to
+2mGal in J. Boukhil to the Nord-West and in J Aksab to Center Est of the map. Positive anomalies are
situated in the central-eastern part of the map; they coincide with Triassic and Cretaceous outcrops at Jebel El
Zitoun, Sidi el Mahdi, Jebel Argoub Naoua and Jbel Sfa Boubakrer, J Aksab, J Cheid, J, Touila zones. The
maximum amplitude occurs over the lower cretaceous outcrops.
Figure 2: Simplified geological map of the
Figure 1: Location of the study area Gaafour area (adapted from Dali et al. 1994).
Coordinates are in m.
The positive anomaly are distinguished by its higher amplitude corresponds to the cretaceous series with
marls and limestone characterized by a significant density contrast.
Negative anomalies correspond mainly at Quaternary outcrops;
This is a label they
for the are located in the North in Krib plain
image. This is a label for the image.
and synclinal of Gaafour, in the south western part of the map in Bled El
This is a label for the image. Gorfa plain. Eocene series are
This is a label for the image.
also characterized by negative gravity response
Thisinisthe synclinal
a label of OuedGaafour
for the image. in the south western part
of the map.
Residual Gravity anomaly maps exhibit the combined effects of geologic bodies of distinctive densities,
which may have varying shapes, dimensions, and burial depths. Thus the gravity field is caused by the
superposition of signals from many different bodies at differing depths.
Data enhancement and interpretation
To help differentiate various gravity signals, we have implemented a three-stage analysis. First, a residual
gravity anomaly was computed by removing the regional gravity anomaly from the complete Bouguer
anomaly map, Second, the Enhanced Horizontal Gradients has been calculated and Finally, an image of the
TAM has been provided to illustrate in recognizing the horizontal location and depth of geologic contacts as
shown in Fig. 2 ,
In order to accentuate the shallow source anomalies, we applied a continuation filtering process designed to
obtain a separation of long wavelength anomalies from short wavelength anomalies.
The gravity field is the superposition of signals in close connection with the above defined parameters. In
order to accentuate the shallow source anomalies, a continuation filtering process which is designed lead to
a separation of long wavelength anomalies from short wavelength ones was applied.
Figure 3: Bouguer gravity anomaly mapFigure 5: Residual gravity anomalyFigure 6: Enhanced Horizontal Gradient
The present case study, regional component (Jacobsen, 1987) was computed through upward continuing
the Bouguer gravity grid to 25 km (average crustal thickness; Buness. et al., 1992); it is relevant to
indicate that for higher continuation levels, the extracted map shape is almost unchanged.
Therefore, a residual gravity map was computed by subtracting the regional grid from the Bouguer
gravity grid. Derivative maps were also computed in order to enhance the short wavelength features that
usually correspond to shallow elements of geology
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This map express shorter wavelength anomalies with values ranging between -3 and
+3mGal. High amplitude maxima are located in center-east and occur over lower
cretaceous of the big anticline of Bled Tejra-Aksab, to the north they correspond to the
southern part of J. Cheid-Lakouat with a lateral extension to the south. The northwestern
part corresponds partially to the Triassic outcrops of J. Boukhil which provide also high
response amplitude. In contrast, low amplitude anomalies are superimposed to
Quaternary and Eocene deposits. The NE-SW trending lineaments in the study area are
also supported by the residual gravity contours. Interpretation, reveals the particular
usefulness of these data spatially for mapping shallow faults. Longer wa-velength features,
typically the major tectonic elements such as basin bounding faults, and relative sediment
thickness are also well expressed. Comparisons of various gravity Bouguer anomaly and
its bounded compo-nents showed to be powerful to delineate subsurface geometry and
distribution and locate promising areas (Hamdi Nasr et al. 2010).
The comparison between Surface geology and Bouguer anomaly maps helps show that
Triassic terrains of Lorbeus Bougrine do not express specific Bouguer anomaly responses,
Over Cretaceous outcrops, in general, gravity Bouguer anomaly response is positive.
Tertiary series are associated to low Bouguer anomaly responses. The Quaternary series
are associated to low, or even the lowest gravity responses. Low gravity response of
synclines and troughs contrasts clearly with higher response of anticline structures.
Figure6: Comparison of TAM images (Dashed lines show the 0 radian contour
of the tilt angle. Solid lines are contours of the tilt angle for -π/4 and +π/4 radians)
and ED results; the source depths and locations from TAM and ED methods are well
correlated.
The Tilt Angle Map of the study area accentuates short wavelength and reveals the presence
of main gravity trends, NE–SW, which are coincident with the main regional structural
lineaments. One can conclude that there are more local uplifts in the northern edges of central
uplift than those of others. It is interesting to note that the TAM tends to convey the edge
detection from uplifts at all scales and depths shows the simple form of the TAM only
displaying the contours -π/4, 0, and +π/4radians. The zero contours estimate the location of
abrupt lateral changes in density of deeper materials. This map accentuates short wavelength
and reveals the presence of main gravity trends..
In the North Western part, the south east of J. boukhil is characterized by two parallel NW-
SE lineaments in the tilt derivative, with the distance between the -π/4° and +π/4 contours
typically less than 2 -2.5 km. This distance is twice the source depth (assuming contact source
geometry), so sources indicated by the tilt contours are predominantly beneath the surface,
the south one is deeper than the other one, this lineament bordering Bled El Ghorfa region to
the North West.
Within the Aksab anticline, the tilt contours are much more widely spaced. These contours
define gravity lineaments, as well as areas of more chaotic contours which in part could be
due to anomaly interference.
Discussion and Conclusions
The integrated interpretation of the geological outcrops together with the near surface
gravity responses enable a direct correlation between gravity anomalies and subsurface
sources. The identified features constitute themselves new constraints to better understand
the geological architecture of the area. This information can be used to better establish the
structural model in order to infer the tectonic evolution of the Region which is strongly
linked to the western Mediterranean geodynamic evolution. Indeed, the interpretation of
the gravity maps allowed gathering a synthetic overview of the underlying structures in the
area that are largely destroyed by the activity of the existing multi-direction fault systems.
The positive anomalies of, Lakouat, next to J. Bou-khil, Bled TejraAkseb, which are
interpreted as resulting from positive density contrast, are generally associated to the NE
directed faults.
The identified faults bordering Bled El Gorfa anomalie, help clarifying the organization of
its structure. It consists on a NW directed negative anomalies, already well expressed in all
gravity maps (residual, EHD, TAM and Euler deconvolution). NW directed faults is well
known in northern Tunisia it is characterized by an exten-sional movement which is
responsible of the partition of the region into blocks (Hamdi Nasr I. 2008, Amiri et al. 2011).
Thus NW directed faults limit graben structure, here it can be arguing the idea that Bled El
Ghorfa pertains to a depressed structure.
Fault systems disposition is expressed by the coexistence of compressive and extensive
structures is due to the occurrence of a compressive regime in the overall area.
The presented gravity analysis clarifies the identified inherited dislocations fault systems
some of them are sealed by the Quaternary.
References
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