Structural interpretation of the Ifal Basin in north-western Saudi Arabia from aeromagnetic data: hydrogeological and environmental implications
Eslam Elawadi 1 2 4 Haider Zaman 3 Awni Batayneh 1 Saad Mogren 1 Abdalaziz Laboun 1 Habes Ghrefat 1 Taisser Zumlot 1
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
1 Department of Geology and Geophysics, King Saud University, PO Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
2 Airborne Exploration Division, Nuclear Materials Authority, PO Box 530, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.
3 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
4 Corresponding author. Email: eelawadi@ksu.edu.sa
Exploration Geophysics 44(4) 251-263 https://doi.org/10.1071/EG12069
Submitted: 2 November 2012 Accepted: 17 July 2013 Published: 2 September 2013
Abstract
The Ifal (Midyan) Basin is one of the well defined basins along the Red Sea coast, north-western Saudi Arabia. Location, geometry, thick sedimentary cover and structural framework qualify this basin for groundwater, oil and mineral occurrences. In spite of being studied by two airborne magnetic surveys during 1962 and 1983, structural interpretation of the area from a magnetic perspective, and its uses for hydrogeological and environmental investigations, has not been attempted. This work thus presents interpretation of the aeromagnetic data for basement depth estimation and tectonic framework delineation, which both have a role in controlling groundwater flow and accumulation in the Ifal Basin. A maximum depth of 3.5 km is estimated for the basement surface by this study. In addition, several faulted and tilted blocks, perpendicularly dissected by NE-trending faults, are delineated within the structural framework of the study area. It is also observed that the studied basin is bounded by NW- and NE-trending faults. All these multi-directional faults/fracture systems in the Ifal Basin could be considered as conduits for groundwater accumulation, but with a possibility of environmental contamination from the surrounding soils and rock bodies.
Key words: groundwater aquifers, Ifal Basin, magnetic interpretation, structural mapping.
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