Advanced Structural Geology

Objectives

The course includes a quantitative approach of stress and strain in various tectonic setting, advanced aspects of rock deformation and rheology in the light of brittle, ductile and plastic deformation processes, an appraisal of the spectrum of complex deformation geometries, approaches of balancing and restoring deformation, as well as aspects of climate-tectonic interaction. 

Content

 

1. Structural geology and analysis in hydrocarbon provinces 

1.1. Structural geology and tectonics.

1.2. Structural data. 

1.3. Seismic data and other data sources.

1.4. Kinematic and Numerical modeling.

1.5. Structural interpretation and analysis.

1.6. Decision

2. Stresses and structural deformations 

2.1. Stress types and Erath`s crust deformations.

2.2. Stresses and structural development.

2.3. Pure and simple shear models

2.4. Examples: structure-stress trainings

3. Extensional Tectonics 

3.1. Brittle failure and rock rheology.

3.2. Faults and stresses.

3.3. Normal faults geometry and associated deformations.

3.4. Rifting mechansims, geometry, and basins.

3.5. Extensional fault-propagation folding and trishear deformation.

3.6. Transfer zones.

3.7. Examples: structures and evolution of Gulf of Suez rift

4. Contractional Tectonics  

4.1. Compressional tectonics and deformations.

4.2. Thin- and thick-skinned deformations

4.3. Thrust-propagation folding.

4.4. Folding mechanisms and processes.

4.5. Folds and foliations.

4.6. Refolding and folds interferences.

4.7. Shear zones and related deformations.

4.8. Examples: thrust-propagation folds, folding mechanism and fractures, and shear zones

5. Wrench Tectonics 

5.1. Sequence of wrenching deformations

5.2. Pull-apart and push up deformations and flower structures

5.3. Transtension and transpression deformations.

5.4. Examples: structures of Dead Sea shear zone. 

6. Inversion Tectonics 

6.1. Types of tectonic inversion.

6.2. Structural characteristic and markers of inversion tectonics.

6.3. Examples: inversion tectonics and deformation in North Egypt.

7. Fractures  

7.1. Types of fractures

7.2. Fracture identifications in surface and subsurface (cores and image logs). 

7.3. Failure and fracture criteria 

7.4. Fracture termination and interaction.

7.5. Deformation bands and fractures in porous rocks.

7.6. fractures associated with faults and folds.

7.7. Examples: fracture related structural elements and fracture identifications

8. Salt tectonics  

8.1. Salt tectonics and halokinesis.

8.2. Salt diapirism, salt geometry and the flow of salt.

8.3. Rising diapirs: processes.

8.4. Salt diapirism in the extensional regime.

8.5. Diapirism in the contractional regime.

8.6. Diapirism in strike-slip settings.

8.7. Salt collapse by karstification.

8.8. Salt de´collements.

8.9. Examples: salt deformations in Egypt

9. Preset-day and paleostresss analysis 

9.1. Concepts and parameters of stress analysis.

9.2. Stress tensors.

9.3. Deformational data used in stress analysis.

9.4. Graphical stress analysis.

9.5. Kinematic stress analysis.

9.6. Numerical stress analysis.

9.7. Training: stress analysis using Tensor software.

10. Structures on subsurface sections and maps

10.1. Structures during drilling and on cores.

10.2. Structures on seismic sections.

10.3. Structural models and reconstructions.

10.4. Structures interactions on maps.

10.5. Training: structures on sections and maps.

11. Balancing and restoration

11.1. Basic concepts and restrictions.

11.2. Restoration of geologic cross sections.

11.3. Restoration of maps.

11.4. Stresses, strain and fault-slip estimations.

Training: manual and modeling examples 

Instructor

Prof. Ali Mohamed Ali Abd-Allah 

List of Publications: 

1. Strougo, A. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (1990): Mokattamian stratigraphy of northcentral Eastern Desert (south of Maadi-Qattamiya road). - MERC, Ain Shams Uni., Earth Science Sereis, 4:152-175. 

2. Moustafa, A.R. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (1991): Structural setting of the central part of the Cairo-Suez district. - MERC, Ain Shams Uni., Earth Science Series, 5:133-145. 

3. Strougo, A.; Bignot, G.; and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (1992): Biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental of Middle Eocene benthic foraminiferal assemblages of northcentral Eastern Desert, Egypt. - MERC, Ain Shams Uni., Earth Science Series, 6:1-12. 

4. Moustafa, A.R. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (1992): Transfer zones with en echelon faulting at the northern end of the Suez rift. - Tectonics, 11(3):499-506. 

5. Abd-Allah, A.M.A. and Bakry, G. (1994): The tectonic framework of the northeastern desert of Egypt and its hydrocarbon potential. - EGPC, 12th Exploration Conf., Egypt; 87-103. 

6. Abd-Allah, A.M.A. and Nabih, N.A. (1998): Structural analysis of Nezzazat-El Tor fault blocks, eastern side of Suez rift: Egyptian Journal of Geology, 43 (1): 73-91. 

7. Nabih, N.A. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (1998): Subsurface fault prediction in the central Gulf of Suez rift: using a fault model derived from the subsurface and outcrop data. - Egyptian Journal of Geology, 43 (1): 93-107. 

8. Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2000): Structural framework and rock slope instability in extremely structural deformed granitic rocks, Arafat-Muzdalifah district, Saudi Arabia. - Journal of Faculty of Education, Ain Shams Uni. No. 25: 139-158. 

9. Hussein, I.M. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2001): Tectonic evolution of the northeastern part of the African continental margin. - Journal of African Earth Sciences, 33 (1): 49- 68. 

10.Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2001): Folding and faulting of neoautochthonous sequence in the Al Fayah fold belt: Northern Oman Mountains, United Arab Emirates. - Annale of Geological survey of Egypt, XXIV: 413-433. 6 

11.Dowidar, H.M. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2001): Structural setting of the Giza Pyramids plateau and the effect of fractures and other factors on the stability of its monumental parts, Egypt. - Annale of Geological survey of Egypt, XXIV:393-412. 

12.Moustafa, A.R., Abd-Allah, A.M.A., and Reda, T. (2002): Fault propagation folding in the October field, north Gulf of Suez, Egypt. - Conf. of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). 

13.Youssef, M.I. and Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2003): Structural geology of the southeastern segment of the Cairo-Suez district, Egypt. - 5 th International Conf. on the Geology of the Middle East: 559-569. 

14.Abdel Aal, M H.; Abd-Allah, A.M.A.; and Khafagy, A. (2004): Compressive strength of some carbonate rocks: problem and measurements. - Journal of Applied Geophysics, V. 3, No. 2: 27-41. 

15.Abd-Allah, A.M.A.; Moustafa, A.R. and Hashem, W.A. (2004): Structural characteristics and analysis of the Gebel El Halal fold, Northeast Sinai, Egypt. - MERC, Ain Shams Uni., Science Series, 18: 1-26. 

16.Sturchio, N.C.; Du, X.; Purtschert, R.; Lehmann, B.E.; Sultan, M.; Patterson, L.J.; Lu, Z. T.; Muller, P.; Bigler, T.; Bailey, K.; Connor, T.P.; Young, L.; Lorenzo, R.; Becker, R.; El Alfy, Z.; El Kaliouby, B.; Dawood, Y.; and Abdallah, A.M.A. (2004): One million year old groundwater in the Sahara revealed by krypton-81 and chlorine-36.- Geophysical Research Letter, V. 31, L05503. 17.Awad, S.A., Dawood, Y.H.; Abd-Allah, A.M.; Sharafeldin, A. and Agila, W. (2005): Geotechnical and geochemical assessment of the Eocene and Miocene clays, east of Cairo, Egypt. - MERC, Ain Shams Uni., Science Series, 19, 117-142. 18.Patterson, L.J.; Sturchio, N.C.; Kennedy, B.M.; Soest, C.; Sultan, M.; Tian Lu, Z.; Lehmann, B.; Purtschert, R.; El Alfy, Z.; El Kaliouby, B.; Dawood, Y.; and Abdallah, A.M.A. (2005): Cosmogenic, radiogenic, and stable isotopic constraints on groundwater residence time in the Nubian Aquifer, Western Desert of Egypt.- Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, V. 6, No. 1:1-19. 

19.Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2008): Mesozoic-Cenozoic inversion tectonics of north Sinai: Integration of structural and basin analysis. - Journal of Applied Geophysics, V. 7: P. 77- 108. 

20.Abd-Allah, A.M.A. (2008): Structural evolution of the intracontinental Nile Valley rift, Egypt. - Journal of Applied Geophysics, V. 7: P. 49-75. 7 

21.Abd-Allah, A.M.A (2008): Structural characteristics and deformation of the northern part of the central dip province of the Suez rift, Egypt. Middle East Research Center MERC, Earth Science Series, V. 22, P. 1-24. 

22.Abd-Allah, A.M.A, Hashem, W., and Abdelghany. O. (2008): Late Cretaceous-Eocene reactivations of the Hatta shear zone, Northern Oman Mountains. - International Journal of Geology, 2: 23-32. 

23.Abd-Allah, A.M.A, Hashem, W., and Abdelghany. O. (2009): Post-subduction deformations of the northwestern end of Hatta shear zone, El Rawdah area, Northern Oman Mountains. - International Journal of Scientific Research, V.18: P. 31-48. 

24.Abd-Allah, A.M.A (2009): Volcanic activity and related structures in the western part of Hammam Faraun block, Suez rift, Egypt. Middle East Research Center, Earth Science Series. 

25.Abd-Allah, A.M.; Dawood, Y., Awad, S., and Igela, W. (2009): Mineralogy and Chemical compositions of shallow marine clays, East of Cairo, Egypt: A Geotechnical perception. Journal of King Abdul Aziz University, Earth Sciences, V. 20, No. 1, 141- 166. 

26.Ghandour, A., McCann, T., Abd El–Aal, M., Valdivia–Manchego, M., Boukhary, M. and Abd-Allah, A. (2012): The interrelationship of fault activity and sedimentation in the Late Miocene–Pleistocene succession of the Nile Delta, Egypt. (Die) – Z. dt. Ges. Geowiss., Stuttgart. 

27.Abd-Allah, A.M.A., Abdel Aal, M., Ghandour, A. (2012): Structural characteristics and tectonic evolution of the northwestern margin of Nil Delta, Egypt. - Journal of African Earth Sciences,68, 82-95. 

28.Abd-Allah, A.M.A, Hashem, W., and Abdelghany. O. (2013): Structural and tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Upper Cretaceous-Oligocene sequence in Malaqit-El Saah range, United Arab of Emirates. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 79, 111-124. 

29.Abd-Allah, A.M.A., Abdel Aal, M.H., El-Said, M.M., Abd El-Naby, A., (2014): Structural evolution of the southern transfer zone of the Gulf of Suez rift, Egypt. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 96, 21-38. 

30.Abd-Allah, A.M.A; El-Sawy, K.S.; Abu Seif, E.S.; El-Fakharani, A.S.; Sharaf, M.A., (2014): Rock slope stability and design in Arafat-Muzdalifa area, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 7, 4029-4042. 8 

31.Abd-Allah, A.M.A; Ahmed A. H., Abdelhamid El-Fakharani., El-Sawy E.K., Ali, K.A. (2014): Fatima suture: A new amalgamation zone in the western Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia. Precambrian Research 249, 57-78. 

32.Abdelmalik, K.W., Abd-Allah, A.M.A (2018): Integration of remote sensing technique and field data in geologic mapping of an ophiolitic suture zone in western Arabian Shield. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 146, 180-190. 

33. Abd-Allah, A.M.A., Baghdady, A.R., Dawood, Y.H., (2018): Adequacy of carbonate aggregates as an alternative for chert aggregates in concrete manufacture. Construction and Building Materials 181, 94-105. 

34. El-Fakharani, A.S., Abd-Allah, A.M., El-Sawy, K.E., Shujoon, A., (2019). Emplacement level and pre-existing structures control pluton mechanisms and host rock interactions of three granitic plutons, western Arabian Shield. International Journal of Geology. International Journal of Earth Sciences. 

35. Baghazi, H.; Abd-Allah, A.M.A.; El-Fakharani, A.S.; Matsaah, M. (in review). Stressstrain analysis and tectonic setting of Fatima suture zone. 

36. Abd-Allah, A.M.A., Abd El-Naby, a., Abdel Aal, M.H. (in review). Tectonic and basin evolution of South Eastern Mediterranean margin, North Sinai, Egypt. Journal of Petroleum Geoscience and engineering 

37. Helaly, A. M.; Abd-Allah, A.M.A., El-Said, M. ( ): Geomagnetic mapping of the southern transfer zone of the Suez rift, Egypt.