Geodynamics of the Egyptian side of eastern Mediterranean region: preliminary results

Abstract

ABSTRACT Eastern Mediterranean has been identified as an ideal natural laboratory for studying the kinematics and dynamics of plate interactions because of the wide variety of tectonic processes encompassed, including various stages of continental collision, subduction of oceanic lithosphere and associated back-arc spreading and continental extension. The tectonic framework of the eastern Mediterranean is dominated by the collision of the Arabian and Nubian plates with Eurasia. The interaction of Nubian, Arabian, Eurasian plates and Sinai sub-plate, is the main factor for the seismicity and crustal deformation of Egypt. For the purpose of studying the crustal deformation of Egypt, a set of thirteen GPS stations that covers the time span 2013–2014 is used. For the sake of datum definition and to set a good configuration around the Egyptian stations, we processed 123 international permanent stations with the Egyptian sites using Bernese V.5.2. The estimated absolute horizontal velocity of the Egyptian stations including Nubian plate motion is about 28–30 ± 0.7 mm/yr towards the northeast direction. In Nubia fixed frame, most of the Egyptian sites show insignificant velocity rates, while with respect to Eurasia, we estimated a velocity rate of 6.7 ± 0.6 mm/yr towards the north to northwest direction. Even with only two years of GPS data, our solution is comparable to the previously published rates.