TECTONIC AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF PORT FOUAD MARINE GAS FIELD, NORTH WEST SINAI, EGYPT

Abstract

Port Fouad Marine Gas Field is the main focus of the present work; it lies in the northwestern Mediterranean section of the offshore Sinai, to the north of Port Said Concession of the IEOC, approximately 35 km northeast of Port Said. The present work covers the structural setting, seismic- facies analysis, and erosional features of the subsurface Miocene-Pleistocene sediments. A set of thirty 3D seismic sections and well logging data of five wells are used to interpret the structural elements, sequence stratigraphy, erosional morphology, and depositional environments. Interpretation of different reflection configuration patterns, lithological and gamma ray logs helped to divide the Miocene-Pleistocene succession into fifteen 3rd order sequences. Seismic facies analysis reveals the channel features and the channel fill at Tor 1-1 and Tor 1-2 cycles that can be considered as potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. The displacement on the NE-dipping surfaces of the NW oriented faults resulted in northerly-dipping tops of these sequences. This dip allowed thickening deposition of the Pliocene-Pleistocene facies gradually due north on the continental margin. Late Miocene unconformity surface that exists between thin Messinian evaporites and thick Pliocene shale is dominated by several incised channels. Erosional truncation, channel cross section, onlap-fills, down-lap, erosional processes and thickness variation of the upper Miocene Wakar Formation are used to define a great canyon that running northwest, parallel to both the affecting faults and the giant salt basin that exists further to the east of the study area. Erosional processes during the evolution of this canyon resulted in southward thickening of this formation and ended by the formation of many small channels that filled with the Messinian evaporites and lower Pliocene shale.