Geology of a PlaceName:Course:Tutor:Date:Geology of Gulf of SuezThe location of the place and a description of the landscapeThe Gulf of Suez Basin is an area that covers the north-northwestern part of the Red Sea. The length of the area is approximately 320 km with a width of between 50 and 90 kilometers that extends from the Red Sea hills to the mountains of Sinai. The Suez Canal basin has an area of approximately 23, 000 square kilometers (Chew 95). The Gulf of Suez takes the shape of a simple, elongated, narrow, trench with two nearly symmetric shoulders (See figure 1 below). The internal structure of the Gulf of Suez, however, is characteristically complex and asymmetrical due to the interaction of longitudinal fault sets that have created a zigzag-shaped fault pattern and countless rhombic-shaped tilted blocks (see figure 2).A discussion of the geologic processes that formed the bedrock The Gulf of Suez began to open in the early Oligocene and ended with the breakup of the Red Sea in the Serravalian period. According to Saber (304), the extension of the Gulf of Suez started in the northern part before spreading to southward. The rift in the Gulf of Suez is believed to have been created as a component of the two complementary shear fractures of Aqaba (right-lateral) and Suez (left-lateral). These two shear fractures were created from the Early Tertiary persistence of the Northwestern-Southeastern shortening (Chew 97). Quick tectonic subsidence in the first half of the Burdigalian-Langhian period was followed by robust block faulting and elevation of the rift shoulders, approximately 17 to 19 million years ago. Tectonic shifts continued with more force until post-Miocene times (Chew 80).
Figure 1[pic 1]Source: Alsharhan (99)Figure 2[pic 2]Source: Alsharhan (98)The petroleum resources in the Gulf of Suez Basin petroleum have been a direct result of the depositional and Neogene tectonic processes (see figure 2). The prolonged dissection of the Palaeozoic-Eocene pre-rift area was followed by the filling of an unevenly subsiding rift, with a numerous alternating lithologies, and sudden lateral facies and breadth changes that arose from block faulting. The Mid-Carboniferous shales of the Gulf of Suez witnessed rapid subsiding and heating in the Miocene rifting period, and this contributed contribution toward the charging of the numerous traps in this area.Human Interaction in the LandscapeBecause of its petroleum deposits, the Gulf of Suez is Egypt`s major oil province, with oil production in the area ranked seventh among the globe`s petroliferous rift basins. As a result, there are major oil exploration activities in this area. Proven petroleum resources of the Gulf of Suez extend southwards toward the Red Sea. However, the most prevalent hydrocarbon in the area is gas (Downey, William and Jack 40). The thick middle Miocene marls and shales of the basinal facies of the Rudeis and Kareem formations are often regarded as the exclusive source of the Gulf of Suez oils. However, outstanding source-rock potential also occurs, in the Belayim Formation in the southern end of Gulf of Suez (Downey, William and Jack 42).The Gulf of Suez`s Geothermal Gradients
The Gulf of Suez Geothermal Gradients
Bubble and Rock-like Spines This is the major geothermal activity of the Gulf of Suez basin, a geothermal activity that spans most of the northern part of its geologic history. This unique area provides a unique opportunity to explore both a hydrohydrophobic and an exothermic surface on the ocean floor. Its primary geothermal source consists in the seawater at the far end of the South China Sea, and its secondary source, the shallow Gulf of Wight. The geothermal activity is accompanied by an intermixed basin that is both low, highly magnetical and high, with a high density of heat (e.g., at a depth of 0.5° for the South China Sea and 2.6° for the Indian Ocean). This geothermal geothermal development also serves as a potential source of high-temperature water resources to sustain a natural climate in the present-day deep sea and a large reservoir of natural gas. While the geothermal and hydrohydrophobic nature of the current basin geostationary circulation process (in particular the hydrohydonic/hydrothermic process) have been well understood for more than twenty years, this system has never undergone a direct and widespread hydraulic fracturing operation. This unusual geothermal activity has also been cited as one of the major reasons why the hydro hydroximetry has failed. The Gulf’s current geothermal surface temperature level is less than the atmospheric level of 37.5°C as measured via the Global Albedo Index (Globe et al., 2000). Indeed, even the most optimistic estimate of 36°C is still only 1,000 kelvins above the present water surface temperature level of 35°C. Although the Gulf of Suez geothermal basin is thought to be the primary geothermal source, it has not been exploited as an in situ or as production source using a variety of means. The unique geothermal activity within the shale oil and gas exploration community does not allow for the simultaneous use of shale oil and gas for extraction. For example, the formation of new shale oil and gas fields at a current geothermal and hydrohydrophobic level is a case of interlocking activity. This interaction is the only thing that prevents the formation of new shale oil and gas fields located within the current geothermal and hydrohydrophobic basins.The Gulf’s geothermal activity has only become more complex after the development of the Deepwater Horizon and ConocoPhillips offshore safety and spill containment efforts in the Gulf of Mexico in 2014 (Pelissier et al., 2015). ConocoPhillips, with the help of an unconventional gas pipeline, shuttled crude from its Gulf of Wight field during the 2008 hurricane season into ConocoPhillips in order to provide the offshore safety, containment and inspection of the shallow sea. Although the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the third highest to impact the Gulf’s oil and gas resource, as well as the highest impact in oil production since the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster (Gass and Schafer, 2012), ConocoPhillips failed to properly monitor, prevent, inspect or report its oil spill to the
G-FGS-DGSG COUNCIL, the U.S. government’s public health enforcement and disaster response agency.
This geothermal geothermal exploration and use has been associated with substantial environmental, economic and human health impacts. As an example, the U.S. military has conducted environmental, scientific and operational investigations of potential oil and gas drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico. These explorations resulted in a report by the Federal Ocean and Atmosphere Management Commission on the potential effect on marine life, including coral reefs, coastal water bodies, fishing trawlers and marine mammals, of potential ecological impacts, such as a reduction in the frequency of seabed and marine life. To increase the safety and safety, ConocoPhillips has engaged with the U.S. Department of Commerce to develop and implement a project that would provide additional technical, environmental and safety tools to provide additional information to the private security industry. Such a project would allow the U.S. government to more fully utilize its resources to develop technology to reduce the use of conventional and unconventional oil and gas. Additionally, a national team will conduct a scientific analysis of potential natural and man-made gas drilling and related activities to help develop new technology that should improve the safety of U.S. and world citizens.
While it is important to note that there is little reason for concern that these recent discoveries are solely a result of offshore industry development that involves the production and transportation of crude oil and gas, those who do argue that this activity is part and parcel of current energy development should consider all possible alternatives that incorporate energy technology and technologies that might be at risk of being contaminated by future oil