Structural setting of Cretaceous pull-apart basins and Miocene extensional folds in the Quseir–Umm Gheig region, northwestern Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

We examine the evolution of the northwestern Red Sea, Egypt, by study of the Quseir–Umm Gheig subbasin. The subbasin records two main tectonic events. The first event is related to development of Late Cretaceous synclinal basins due to sinistral movement along the reactivated Najd fault system. Evidence for this includes: (1) the Cretaceous basins are concentrated mainly in the central Eastern Desert, which represents the main influence zone of the Najd fault system, (2) folds are not everywhere parallel to the faults and their axes are curvilinear, (3) the faults dislocated the axial plane of the synclines, (4) the Cretaceous basins occur in an en-echelon arrangement, (5) there is a difference of 20° between the orientation of the sinistral strike-slip shear zones and the associated en-echelon synclinal folds, (6) principal stress directions are delineated by subhorizontal σ1 and σ3 and subvertical σ2, (7) sheared conglomerate is detected in the Nubia Formation, (8) minor overturned folds and minor NE-vergent thrusts occur in the Duwi and Dakhla Formations, and (9) there is a predominance of NE-SW normal faults in Cretaceous–Eocene sequences. The second event is related to the sinistral movement along the NNE-SSW Aqaba–Dead Sea transform and dextral movement along Queih and Hamrawin shear zones. This movement was synchronous with northeast extension of the Red Sea. The structures developed during this movement include: (1) NW-trending extensional faults, (2) extensional fault-related folds in Miocene-Pliocene deposits, and (3) buckle folds in Pliocene and post-Pliocene sequences. Buckle folds were developed during NW compression associated with sinistral movement along NNE-SSW strike-slip faults. Gypsiferous shale-rich beds in Miocene-Pliocene rocks played the main role in development of fault-related folds and buckle folds in the Quseir–Umm Gheig subbasin.