Sequence-stratigraphic interpretation of structurally controlled deposition: Middle Miocene Kareem Formation, southwestern Gulf of Suez, Egypt

The structural evolution and sequence-stratigraphic architecture of the syn-rift Middle Miocene (Langhian) Kareem Formation were studied in the Western Sub-Basin (WSB) of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Biostratigraphic data, facies interpretations, and log data from thirteen wells were used to construct six tectono-sedimentary scenarios and lithofacies-distribution maps, which illustrate the paleogeography during six systems tracts. Abrupt thickness and facies changes reflect deep basins and adjacent high-relief areas created by differential fault-block movements. Within the WSB seven individual fault blocks record complex, tectonically controlled deposition of the Kareem Formation, which we subdivide into two third-order sequences. Earlier tectonic interpretations, facies analysis, and stratigraphic correlations from individual fault blocks were used to interpret the varying depositional settings during six systems tracts and, as a consequence, to discern the structural evolution of the WSB during the Middle Miocene.