The role of aeromagnetic data analysis (using 3D Euler deconvolution) in delineating active subsurface structures in the west central Arabian shield and the central Red Sea,Saudi Arabia

In this paper, we present a case study of structural mapping by applying the 3D Euler method to the high-resolution aeromagnetic data that was collected in the west central Arabian Shield region and the coastal region of the central Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. We show the 3D Euler deconvolution algorithm and apply it to magnetic potential field data from the west Central Arabian Shield and the Central Red Sea. The solution obtained with 3D Euler deconvolution gives better-focused depth estimates, which are closer to the real position of sources; the results presented here can be used to constrain depth to active crustal structures (volcanisms) for the study area. The results indicated that the area was affected by sets of fault systems, which primarily trended in the NNW–SSE, NW–SE, EW, and NE–SW directions. Moreover, estimated Euler solution map from aeromagnetic data delineated also the boundaries of shallow, small, and confined magnetic bodies on the offshore section of the study area. These nearly exposed basement intrusions are most likely related to the Red Sea Rift and may be associated with structures higher up in the sedimentary section. These volcanic bodies are extended to the continental part (onshore) of the west central Arabian Shield, particularly beneath both sides of the Ad Damm fault zone. This extension verifies that the fault was largely contemporaneous with a major period during the extension of the Red Sea Basin. Moreover, according to the distribution of circular magmatic-source bodies (circular-shaped ring dikes) that resulted from this study, we can state that the clustering of most earthquakes along this fault may most likely be attributed to the active mantle upwelling (volcanic earthquakes), which are ultimately related to volcanic processes. Furthermore, the oceanic crustal structures near and in the Red Sea offshore regions were also estimated and discussed according to the ophiolite occurrences and further opening of the Red Sea. Our results are largely comparable with studies of previous crustal sections, which were performed along the Red Sea Rift and the Arabian Shield. As a result, the areas above these anomalies are highly recommended for further geothermal study. This example illustrates that high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys can greatly help delineating the subsurface active structures in the west central Arabian Shield and the middle coastal region of the Red Sea of Saudi Arabia.     

First evidence for episodic flooding events in the arid interior of central Saudi Arabia over the last 60 ka

Although evidence for Quaternary environmental changes in the Arabian Peninsula is now growing, research has mostly been conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the Sultanate of Oman. There have been virtually no recent studies in Saudi Arabia, especially in the central region such as around Al‐Quwaiayh. In this area there are a series of outwash plains developed along the eastern edge of the Arabian Shield that formed in the late Quaternary. Four sedimentary sections, which are representative of the deposits that have accumulated, have been studied and five luminescence ages obtained. These are the first luminescence ages acquired from Quaternary sediments in central Saudi Arabia. The preserved fluvial deposits in the study area have formed during humid events at ca. 54 ka, ca. 39 ka and ca. 0.8 ka. In more recent times aeolian sands have been encroaching on to the distal parts of the outwash plains. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The use of multivariate statistical analysis in the assessment of groundwater hydrochemistry in some parts of southwestern Nigeria

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - Turabah area is located in the southwestern Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. The present study aims to shed light on the origin and mechanism of formation of the...     

Structural and geomorphic features accommodating groundwater of Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia

Al-Madinah City is located in the western part of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Shield. The area underwent several tectonic events that developed its structural and geomorphic features, such as the Infracambrian Najd strike-slip faults, development of the Cenozoic basaltic flows of Northern Harrat Rahat, and Cenozoic N–S and E–W transtensional faults, related to the Red Sea rifting. These successive events formed a deltaic-shaped basin of Al-Madinah. The Al-Madinah basin is part of a 400?×?150-km² Wadi Qanah–Al-Hamd watershed, which exhibits mainly parallel drainage pattern. Sub-basins, within the main basin, exhibit trellised and radial drainage patterns. The trellised drainage pattern reflects control of the Cenozoic faults, whereas the radial drainage pattern reflects volcanic-related system. Rotation of the Arabian Plate after several extensional events that lead to the opening of the Red Sea influenced the drainage flow to be going from east to west. This geological history that include eruption, normal faulting, and erosion prior to and during the Red Sea rifting formed relief inversion geomorphology of Tertiary basalts that cap Precambrian rocks of the Ayr and Jammah Mountains in western Al-Madinah. The groundwater in the central area is part of the northern Harrat Rahat basaltic aquifer in which the groundwater level rises up in the central area due to the blocking of groundwater flow by constructions below the central area and due to reduced groundwater abstraction. Building a dam 60 km northwest of Al-Madinah would preserve more surface water than the Al-Bayda dam, in which all main valleys join in at the suggested location.     

Overview of some geological hazards in the Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabia has harsh environmental conditions which enhance some geomorphologic/geological processes more than in other areas. These processes create different geological hazards. The general physiography of the Saudi Arabia is characterized by the Red Sea coastal plains and the escarpment foothills called Tihama, followed by the Arabian Shield Mountains, the Arabian Shelf plateau and finally the Arabian Gulf coastal plains. These types of geological hazards can be categorized into sand accumulations, earth subsidence and fissures, flash floods, problematic soils, slope stability problems, and karst problems. The current study gives an overview of all these hazards with examples, as well as develops a geo-hazard map for the Saudi Arabia. Our findings indicate that the desert environment needs much concern and care. National and international agencies have to join together with other people to keep the system balanced and to reduce the resulting geological hazards. Also, remedial measures should be proposed to avoid and reduce these natural hazards.     

Interpretation of a seismic-refraction survey across the Arabian shield in western Saudi Arabia

In February 1978 seismic-refraction profiles were recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey along a 1000 km line across the Arabian Shield in western Saudi Arabia. This report presents a traveltime and relative amplitude study in the form of velocity-depth functions for each individual profile assuming horizontally flat layering. The corresponding cross section of the lithosphere showing lines of equal velocity reaches to a depth of 60–80 km.The crust thickens abruptly from 15 km beneath the Red Sea Rift to about 40 km beneath the Arabian Shield. The upper crust of the western Arabian Shield yields relatively high-velocity material at about 10 km depth underlain by velocity inversions, while the upper crust of the eastern Shield is relatively uniform. The lower crust with a velocity of about 7 km/s is underlain by a transitional crust-mantle boundary. For the lower lithosphere beneath 40 km depth the data indicate the existence of a laterally discontinuous lamellar structure where high-velocity zones are intermixed with zones of lower velocities. Beneath the crust-mantle boundary of the Red Sea rift most probably strong velocity inversions exist. Here, the data do not allow a detailed modelling, velocities as low as 6.0 km/s seem to be encountered between 25 and 44 km depth.     

Ediacaran terrane accretion within the Arabian–Nubian Shield

The Ad Dawadimi Terrane is an Ediacaran basin of the Arabian Nubian Shield (ANS), Saudi Arabia. This basin terrane is situated in the far eastern part of the ANS and represents the youngest accretion event of the exposed ANS. Therefore, the timing of events within the basin is key to understanding both the closure of the Mozambique Ocean and the amalgamation of Gondwana along the northern East African Orogen. Here we present U/Pb detrital zircon data for the Abt Formation, the principle basin sediments of the Ad Dawadimi Terrane, along with ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages on muscovite and whole rock Sm/Nd data. These data indicate that deep-water deposition in the Abt Basin did not end until after ca. 620 Ma and that deformation and greenschist-facies metamorphism of the Abt Formation occurred at 620 ± 3 (2σ) Ma along an active margin. This is the youngest terrane amalgamation event reported so far in the Arabian–Nubian Shield, but we suggest even younger sutures lie further east beneath the Phanerozoic cover of eastern Saudi Arabia. Our results suggest that the Ediacaran basins of the eastern ANS were not part of the Huqf basin in Oman, which was instead part of a passive margin of Neoproterozoic India, separated from the active margin of Africa by the Mozambique Ocean that probably did not close until the late Ediacaran or early Cambrian.     

Gold mineralizations in the Arabian shield: statistical control on mining potential

Saudi Arabia possesses numerous low-grade gold deposits and many occurrences are located in the Arabian Shield. Currently, there are five operating gold mines and major plans are underway to develop three gold mining regions in various parts of the shield. Because of the presence of numerous deposits and a significant amount of investments earmarked for the development of these deposits by the Saudi Government during the last few years, Saudi Arabia is expected to become one of the leading gold producers in the world. This paper starts with an introduction of gold mineralization and mining activities in the Arabian Shield in a historical perspective. This is followed by a brief review of geology and the geological importance of the Arabian Shield as a host for various types of gold deposits. The latter part of the paper discusses the statistical distribution of gold grades and its impact on cutoff grade variations on the gold reserves and their mining potentials. Finally, considering the lognormal distribution of gold grades and reduction in cutoff grades, it is demonstrated how some of the previously classified uneconomic resources can be gradually converted into mineable reserves with increasing proportions.     

Utilization of supervised classification in structural and lithological mapping of Wadi Al-Marwah Area,NW Arabian Shield,Saudi Arabia

Wadi Al-Marwah area is located in the northwestern part of the Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia. It is mainly covered by Precambrian igneous and sedimentary rock units. This area was not subjected to previous detailed lithological or structural mapping. This study aims to apply supervised classification technique of remotely sensed digital satellite data of Landsat 7 for detailed lithological and structural mapping of the area. The fusion between multispectral Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM)+ data and high-resolution panchromatic ETM+ band-8 produced a color composite fused image for the study area, scale 1:50,000. The structural lineaments of the study area were extracted and interpreted from the digital imageries data. Little discrepancies or improvements were detected when combining the supervised classification results with the Landsat ratios or principal component analysis. These highlighted the benefits of multispectral classification, especially in terms of lithologic discrimination. The overall results of image processing techniques, applied in this work, were excellent and succeeded in the performance of a more detailed and accurate lithological and structural maps (scale 1:50,000) than the previous published maps for the investigated area.     

Aeromagnetic map constrains cratonization of the Arabian Shield

A new aeromagnetic map together with new geological and geochronological data has led to a reinterpretation of the geological history of the Arabian Shield.
The magnetic anomalies outline an orogenic complex containing a network of mostly left-lateral strike-slip faults, including the Nabitah Belt and several peripheral mountain ranges. Oblique accretion resulted in obliteration of early volcanic-arc magnetic fabrics, which were almost completely replaced by a NW–SE magnetic fabric in the northern Shield; the southern Shield, however, reveals extensive E–W anomalies related to post-accretion magmatic intrusions. This complex web of orogenic zones is intimately associated with synchronous molasse basins that formed 680–610 Ma.
The distribution and chronology of orogenic zones, related to the closing of East and West Gondwana, brings into question several earlier assumptions, such as high continental growth rates, palaeogeodynamic reconstructions, the definitions of the Nabitah and Najd faults, and the significance of molasse basins.     

Ray path interpretation of the crustal structure beneath Saudi Arabia

Interpretation of a long-range seismic refraction line in Saudi Arabia has shown that beneath the Arabian Shield velocity generally increases with depth, from about 6 km s⁻¹ at the surface to about 7 km s⁻¹ at the top of the crust-mantle transition zone. The base of this transition zone (Moho) occurs at 37–44 km in depth. Intracrustal discontinuities can also be recognized, the most important being in the 10–20 km-depth range and separating the upper from the lower crust. Laterally, the variations in the intracrustal discontinuities and the total crustal thickness can be correlated with previously defined tectonic regions. Beneath the Red Sea shelf and coastal plain the crust, including 4 km of sediments, is only 15–17.5 km thick. With the aid of both seismic and gravity data an abrupt, steeply dipping transition from the crust of the Red Sea shelf and coastal plain to that of the Arabian Shield has been derived. With a jump of more than 20 km in Moho depth, this appears to be the major discontinuity between the Red Sea depression and the Arabian continental shield.     

Improving the level of seismic hazard parameters in Saudi Arabia using earthquake location

Saudi Arabia is characterized as largely aseismic; however, the tectonic plate boundaries that surround it are very active. To improve characterization of seismicity and ground motion hazard, the Saudi Arabian Digital Seismic Network (SANDSN) was installed in 1998 and continues to be operated by the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). This article describes research performed to improve seismic hazard parameters using earthquake location and magnitude calibration of the high-quality SANDSN data. The SANDSN consists of 38 seismic stations, 27 broadband, and 11 short period. All data are telemetered in real time to a central facility at KACST in Riyadh. The SANDSN stations show low background noise levels and have good signal detection capabilities; however, some stations show cultural noise at frequencies above 1.0 Hz. We assessed the SANDSN event location capabilities by comparing KACST locations with well-determined locations derived from ground truth or global observations. While a clear location bias exists when using the global average iasp91 earth model, the locations can be improved by using regional models optimized for different tectonic source regions. The article presents detailed analysis of some events and Dead Sea explosions where we found gross errors in estimated locations. New velocity models we calculated that should improve estimated locations of regional events in three specific regions include (1) Gulf of Aqabah—Dead Sea region, (2) Arabian Shield, and (3) Arabian Platform. Recently, these models were applied to the SANDSN to improve local and teleseismic event locations and to develop an accurate magnitude scale for Saudi Arabia. The Zagros Thrust presents the most seismic hazard to eastern Saudi Arabia because of the frequent occurrence of earthquakes. Although these events are 200 km or further from the Arabian coast, wave propagation through sedimentary structure of the Gulf causes long-duration ground motions for periods between 3 and 10 s. Such ground motions could excite response in large engineered structures (e.g., tall buildings and long bridges) such as was experienced after the November 22, 2005 Qeshm Island earthquake off the southern coast of Iran.     

Gravity anomalies and associated tectonic features over the Indian Peninsular Shield and adjoining ocean basins

A combined gravity map over the Indian Peninsular Shield (IPS) and adjoining oceans brings out well the inter-relationships between the older tectonic features of the continent and the adjoining younger oceanic features. The NW–SE, NE–SW and N–S Precambrian trends of the IPS are reflected in the structural trends of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal suggesting their probable reactivation. The Simple Bouguer anomaly map shows consistent increase in gravity value from the continent to the deep ocean basins, which is attributed to isostatic compensation due to variations in the crustal thickness. A crustal density model computed along a profile across this region suggests a thick crust of 35–40 km under the continent, which reduces to 22/20–24 km under the Bay of Bengal with thick sediments of 8–10 km underlain by crustal layers of density 2720 and 2900/2840 kg/m³. Large crustal thickness and trends of the gravity anomalies may suggest a transitional crust in the Bay of Bengal up to 150–200 km from the east coast. The crustal thickness under the Laxmi ridge and east of it in the Arabian Sea is 20 and 14 km, respectively, with 5–6 km thick Tertiary and Mesozoic sediments separated by a thin layer of Deccan Trap. Crustal layers of densities 2750 and 2950 kg/m³ underlie sediments. The crustal density model in this part of the Arabian Sea (east of Laxmi ridge) and the structural trends similar to the Indian Peninsular Shield suggest a continent–ocean transitional crust (COTC). The COTC may represent down dropped and submerged parts of the Indian crust evolved at the time of break-up along the west coast of India and passage of Reunion hotspot over India during late Cretaceous. The crustal model under this part also shows an underplated lower crust and a low density upper mantle, extending over the continent across the west coast of India, which appears to be related to the Deccan volcanism. The crustal thickness under the western Arabian Sea (west of the Laxmi ridge) reduces to 8–9 km with crustal layers of densities 2650 and 2870 kg/m³ representing an oceanic crust.     

Petrogenesis of the Az Zabirah south zone bauxite ore deposits,central northern Saudi Arabia

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - The bauxite ore deposits are mainly found around the Az Zabirah area in the central northern part of Saudi Arabia. The age of the Az Zabirah bauxites was suggested...     

The Jinadriyah anticlines: a surface model for oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia

Mesozoic oil in Saudi Arabia exists in north/south-oriented anticlines. Such anticlines are usually studied using subsurface data. The present study introduces, for the first time in Saudi Arabia, a surface analog for these anticlines. The study covers two northerly oriented anticlines located in the Jinadriyah area at 15 km to the northeast of the Riyadh city. They are named herein the North and South Jinadriyah anticlines. The outcrops in both anticlines belong to the Lower Cretaceous Yamama Formation which consists of limestone in its lower part and limestone with shale in its upper part. The study included initially detailed interpretation of Google Earth and Landsat TM images to map the structural pattern of the anticlines. Detailed field mapping confirmed the satellite image interpretation and helped describe the geometry of the two anticlines in detail. The 3.5-km-long South Jinadriyah anticline is an open doubly plunging asymmetric anticline. The western flank is dissected by 13 minor reverse faults of north–south orientation. The North Jinadriyah anticline is about 5.5 km long and is relatively more complex than the South Jinadriyah anticline. It consists of northern, central, and southern segments that differ from each others in orientation and style. The anticline is dissected by 18 minor faults of different orientations and sense of displacement. Two perpendicular fracture sets with one being parallel to the anticline axes were recorded in the two anticlines. Both anticlines are interpreted as fault-propagation folds that were formed during the Late Cretaceous first Alpine orogeny. The mid-Late Tertiary second Alpine orogeny and Late Tertiary eastward tilting of the Arabian Plate increased the degree of folding and faulting.     

Lithostratigraphy,deformation history,and tectonic evolution of the basement rocks,Republic of Yemen: an overview

Basement rocks of presumed Precambrian age, in Yemen Republic (105,000 km²), are exposed in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the country. The basement rocks of southern Saudi Arabia and northern parts of Yemen are almost continuous and similar in the lithostratigraphic succession. In spite of the presence of such common basic characteristics for each, there are slight differences of local structural framework and major tectonic events. The structural complexity, great variety of rock units and types, multi-intrusive environments, and multiplicity of metamorphic events in the study basement rocks make the main target of lithostratigraphic analyses, in particular, daunting in the southern Arabian Shield. As reported here, accepting that the southern shield consists of five terranes and suture zones requires a limitation of such tectonic modifications. This led to the renaming of certain formations and groups and the revision of the lithostratigraphic successions for some regions. As a result, new lithostratigraphic relationships and names as well as tectonic events are proposed. Based on field and space image data, the basement rocks in Yemen exhibit at least six major phases of deformation (D1 to D6) including intensive brittle and ductile deformations that trend NW–SE and NNE–SSW (in major). Neoarchean rocks are well developed and restricted in the southeastern exposures (Al Bayda, Al Mahfid, and Al Mukalla terranes), whereas the final Pan-African cratonization of several rock units is widespread on all terranes, in which the major tectonic events and deformation history were concentrated during pre-Pan-African and early to late Pan-African orogenies. A correlation and evolution of the Precambrian rocks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt are taken into consideration.     

Geochemistry and petrology of Late Miocene-Pleistocene Dibdibba sandstone formation in south and central Iraq: implications for provenance and depositional setting

Major, trace, and some rare earth element compositions in clastic sediments of the Dibdibba Formation (Late Miocene-Pleistocene) in central and southern Iraq have been investigated to describe the sedimentary environment and provenance. These sediments are classified as subarkosic to arkosic with few sublithic arenite, lithic arenite, and gray wacke; they are mainly composed of quartz (Q) followed by feldspar (F) and rock fragments (L) with a petrologic composition of Q73-F21-L6. The Arabian Shield is a probable source of the studied sediments which are derived from multi-sources including igneous rocks (felsic to mafic) and metamorphic rocks and were transported by river currents towards the northeast. Eventually, the clastic sediments were deposited in a fluviatile environment covering a wide area in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq during the Late Miocene-Pleistocene. They were developed on a passive continental margin under a semi-humid climate alternating with drought periods. The grain size analysis indicates that Basra in the south of Iraq is close to the source, but Karbala and Najaf in central Iraq are farthest from the source.     

Seismicity and major geologic structures of Tiran and Sanafir islands and their surroundings in the Red Sea

Tiran and Sanafir islands and their surrounding areas are very important due to their location within the Red Sea, which is in a triple junction among the African and Arabian plates and the Sinai Peninsula microplate. Consequently, this area should be studied from a geological point of view, particularly because there is a plan to construct King Salman’s bridge connecting Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Freely available potential field data, such as magnetic and gravity data, were integrated with seismological data from nearby seismic stations to understand the regional structure and seismic activity in the area. Potential field data were analysed using edge detection techniques (Tilt DeRivative and horizontal gradient) for qualitative interpretation and 2D inversion modelling for quantitative interpretation. Seismological data were analysed geostatistically to identify many epicentre locations and estimate the focal depths. The results of the potential field data analysis indicate that Tiran and Sanafir islands are located along a subsurface geological edge trending NW, parallel to the Red Sea. A similarity in potential field anomalies between both islands and the southern Sinai Peninsula indicates that these islands were separated from the Sinai Peninsula during the formation of the Gulf of Aqaba via Dead Sea Transform fault. The analysis of the seismic data indicates that a specific motion characterizes each focal depth solution. The seismic events are related to main structural trends NW–SE and NE–SW.     

Analysis of lineaments within the Wajid Group,SW Saudi Arabia,and their tectonic significance

The Wajid Group is a Cambro-Permian sedimentary succession in southwest Saudi Arabia. This group is a well-known groundwater aquifer in the Wadi Al-Dawasir and Najran areas. The group also represents siliciclastic hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Rub' Al-Khali Basin. The Wajid Group is exposed in an area extending from Wadi Al-Dawasir southward to Najran city. This study aims to map and characterize the lineament traces of the Wajid Group outcrops. Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS satellite images with 30-m resolution, Spot-5 satellite images with 2.5-m resolution and SRTM digital elevation models (DEM) with 30-m resolution were used for lineament trace detection. Those lineament traces supplemented by aeromagnetic lineaments detected from reduced to pole magnetic anomaly map of the studied outcrop. Multi-scale lineament trace maps were generated, and the lineament datasets, including orientation and length, were analyzed statistically. Eight lineament trace trends were identified including NW-SE, NNW-SSE, N-S, NNE-SSW, NE-SW, ENE-WSW, E-W, and WNW-ESE. The northerly, northwesterly, and northeasterly trending lineament traces are predominant. The lineament trace lengths are generally followed the power law distribution. The lineament trace trends were validated through field investigation of the Wajid Group outcrop. The reported outcrop fracture trends are consistent with major lineament trace trends. Lineaments within the Wajid Group outcrop are also consistent with those of the southern portion of the Arabian Shield. The results of this study provide insight into the tectonic origin of the Wajid Group outcrop lineaments, and understanding of the lineaments distribution which can help to predict the fluid flow behavior within the groundwater fractured aquifers or hydrocarbon fractured reservoirs in Rub’ Al-Khali Basin.