Seismic stratigraphy of the Messinian Nile Delta coastal plain: Recognition of the fluvial Regressive Systems Tract and its potential for hydrocarbon exploration

Abstract

The Upper Miocene strata of the Nile Delta (Egypt) record the dramatic events of the Messinian opening and closing of the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, the complexity of the associated stratigraphic relations within the Lower Messinian Qawasim and the Upper Messinian Abu Madi formations contribute to present challenges in their effective gas exploration and production. Through recognition and delineation of the Regressive Systems Tract on the Messinian Nile coastal plain, a new understanding of fluvial responses to changes in sea level as observed in the sedimentary record and to its optimal hydrocarbon reservoir exploration may be obtained. Seismic stratigraphic analysis of 1800 km of 2D seismic with eighteen boreholes of these two formations reveals the dynamic interplay between fluvial downcutting and fill as a response to global and Mediterranean sea level oscillations. The observation of fluvial channel terraces on the delta plain during downstepping relative sea level falls...