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

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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.