US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Spectral Analysis of Aeromagnetic Data for Geothermal Reconnaissance of West of the Red Sea Region in Egypt

描述：该奖项旨在支持伊利诺伊州卡本代尔南伊利诺伊大学地质学系的Dhananjay Ravat博士和埃及核材料管理局的Ahmed Salem博士的合作研究。他们计划分析沿红海裂谷的埃及东部沙漠的磁场异常数据，以得出磁层底部深度和居里温度的变化，以评估该地区的地热潜力。长期以来，磁场异常的频谱分析一直被用来确定磁源的顶部和底部的深度。早期的方法是基于随机源分布的假设，这在当时被认为是合理的。最近对这些方法进行了修订，以包括更逼真的分形源几何图形。PI和其他人最近发现了这些方法在分析厚层地壳和具有较大方差的层时的其他局限性。虽然在本研究中，目前的方法将足以确定红海沿线约100公里区域的磁厚度，因为那里的磁源预计很薄，但这些方法需要进行一些修改，以便能够用于远离裂谷的地壳深处的磁性单元。这项研究的修改将使埃及东部沙漠的许多磁异常数据能够从磁源到底部的深度、居里温度深度和该地区地壳的温度变化方面进行分析。情报优点：根据最近的研究，目前确定磁性层底部深度的光谱磁学方法在某些情况下可能不够充分。这项研究将要么开发新的方法，要么修改旧的方法，以克服从厚层和深度差异大的地质源估算深度的局限性。广泛的影响：由于世界各地的大量研究人员正在使用现有的方法，这些方法在某些情况下被认为是不合适的，改进的方法将有助于更好地估计居里深度的变化，更好地评估地热潜力。研究中开发的方法将向世界各地的社区提供。另一个影响是加强了参与的两个组织之间的联系以及未来的交流和研究。另一个重要影响是培养和发展本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员。该项目由美国-埃及联合基金计划支持，该计划为两国的科学家和工程师提供资助，以开展这些合作活动。

0608650RavatDescription: This award is to support a cooperative research by Dr. Dhananjay Ravat, Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale, Illinois and Dr. Ahmed Salem, Nuclear Materials Authority of Egypt, Maadi, Egypt. They plan to analyze magnetic field anomaly data from the Eastern Desert of Egypt along the Red Sea rift to derive the variation in the bottom depth of the magnetic layer and Curie temperatures in order to assess the geothermal potential of the region. Spectral analyses of magnetic field anomalies have long been used to determine the depth to the top and bottom of magnetic sources. The early methods were based on an assumption of random source distributions which was thought reasonable at that time. These methods have been recently revised to include more realistic fractal source geometries. Additional limitations of these methods for analyzing thick crustal layers and layers with large variance were recently discovered by the PI and others. While, in the present study, the current methods will work adequately to define the magnetic thickness in a region with a swath of about 100 km along the Red Sea because the magnetic sources over there are expected to be thin, these methods will require some modification so that they can be used on magnetic units extending in the deep crust, away from the rift. The modifications resulting from the research will allow analysis of much of the magnetic anomaly data from the Eastern Desert of Egypt in terms of the depth to the bottom of the magnetic sources, Curie temperature depths and the temperature variation in the crust in the region.Intellectual Merit: In the light of the recent research, the present spectral magnetic methods of determining the depth to the bottom of the magnetic layers may be inadequate in certain situations. This study will either develop new methods or modify old methods to overcome the limitations in estimating depths from thick layers and geologic sources with large depth variance.Broader Impact: Since a large number of researchers around the world are using the present methods which are deemed inadequate in certain situations, an improved methodology will help better estimation of the variation of the Curie depth and better assessment of geothermal potential. The methods developed in the study will be available to the worldwide community. Another impact is strengthening of ties between the two organizations involved and future exchange and research. An additional important impact is training and development of undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral researchers.This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.