Exploration
Frontier Exploration in
Egypt’s Mediterranean Sea
Several promising play types can be identified on new pre-stack depth migrated seismic.
SIMON BAER, ØYSTEIN LIE, MATTHEW PYETT, CHRIS DAVIES, RUNE SAKARIASSEN; PGS
AYMAN EL MORSHEDY, EGAS (Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company)
Offshore west Egypt is a frontier region that offers significant
and diverse potential plays. There are proven onshore Jurassic/
Cretaceous oil and gas plays, Nile-sourced Pliocene sandstones,
and Oligocene to Miocene deep marine fans as well as Jurassic
to Miocene carbonate structures. A geological overview
of this area, west of the Nile Delta Basin, was published in
2016 (New Opportunities Offshore West Egypt, GEO ExPro,
Vol.13, No.1). Since then, the existing 2D seismic database
has been reprocessed using the latest processing and imaging
techniques. In addition, new 2D GeoStreamer ® data has been
acquired that complements the rejuvenated seismic database
whilst expanding the seismic footprint across the region. This
has allowed new structural insights and helped to further
understand the offshore area and the anticipated play types. In
this article we look at some examples of various identified leads,
which are presented on pre-stack depth migrated images.
Attractive Carbonate Leads
Numerous Cretaceous and Miocene carbonate leads have
been identified on the shelf and on the transform margin.
These structures have been identified on continental crust,
as suggested by the acquired gravity and magnetic data. The
setting is proximal to a proven thermogenic system in the
onshore Western Desert region. In-house basin modelling
54 GEOExPro October 2017
The frontier area offshore west Egypt comprises (from
south to north) a comparatively narrow shelf zone,
including south-west to north-east trending canyons, a
transform margin and a section of the Herodotus Basin,
with the Mediterranean Ridge to the north-west and the
Nile Delta to the east.
suggests that there is potential for both biogenic and
thermogenic sources of hydrocarbons. In terms of a seal, the
Messinian salt pinches out towards the transform margin and
does not overlie all the carbonate structures across the shelf.
However, overlying intra-formational shales are expected to
act as a sufficient seal.
Large Deep Marine Fan Systems
The Oligocene/Miocene deep marine fan play is proven east of
the study area within the Nile Delta/Cone area, where it can
be defined as a lowstand incised valley/submarine canyon play.
This play is believed to exist further basinward as a distal part
and is therefore considered to be a deep marine fan system/
turbidite play in the Herodotus Basin. Several potential areas
of sediment provenance may have sourced coarse-grained
siliciclastic material into the deep Herodotus Basin, including
the Nile Delta/Cone (proven from the east), mainland Egypt
(from the south) and the Cyprus Margin (from the north-
east). The extension of the Nile provenance is probably the
most influential source of sediment input into the deep basin.
Oil-Prone Shelf
The narrow shelf is near to the proven onshore oil and gas
discovery trend. Both siliciclastic and carbonate reservoir units
 The platform-slope architecture
has provided several Jurassic,
Cretaceous (Near Top Cretaceous
– turquoise horizon) (B, C, D) and
Miocene (A) carbonate structures.
Some of these extend to more than
150 km2 and are clearly indicated
by an impedance increase on top
of the structures, which is also
seen as a lateral polarity-change
in A where the base salt reflector
changes polarity from a peak (soft
kick) to a trough (hard kick) due to
the lateral change from clastics to
carbonates beneath the salt.

are likely to extend offshore, where several

leads have been identified. The Matruh
Canyon and the Canyon East are situated
downdip from numerous oil and gas fields
in the Western Desert and form a potential
offshore extension of that onshore discovery
trend. Both canyons may contain several
potential reservoir and source intervals.
Syn-rift Jurassic highs and post-rift rollovers
on a shale detachment are considered to be
the main play types.

Promising Frontier Area

A comprehensive study supported by new
geophysical PGS data identifies numerous A north-west to south-east oriented
leads and play types throughout offshore west seismic line, with an associated
geological cartoon showing
Egypt, which makes the area a promising
potential deep marine fan/turbidite/
frontier region for exploration. Attractive sheet sand deposition during the
Cretaceous and Miocene carbonate leads Oligo-Miocene level in the deep
of significant sizes are situated on the shelf Herodotus Basin that are truncated
by the overlying Messinian salt.
and on the transform margin. Large deep
marine fan systems as well as numerous
sub-salt inversion structures have been identified in
the Herodotus Basin. The oil-prone shelf contains
both carbonate and sandstone reservoir potential, in
addition to play types within the canyons.

This south-west to north-east oriented line highlights several

lead opportunities within the Cretaceous and Jurassic carbonate
platform on the shelf and on the transform margin. These leads
are indicated to be four-way closures, sealed by Lower Cretaceous
shales and sourced by Jurassic source rocks, which are proven
in the working petroleum system onshore Western Desert. (Top
Salt – pink; Base Salt – violet; Messinian Unconformity – yellow;
Intra Oligocene – orange; Base Oligocene – salmon red; Near
Top Cretaceous – turquoise; Top Alamein Dolomite – green; Top
Jurassic – blue; Top Basement – red).

GEOExPro October 2017 55