An integrated approach to evaluate the possibility of urban development around Sohag Governorate, Egypt, using potential field data

Due to the nature of its subsurface structure, the Sohag Governorate is considered one of the most difficult areas in Egypt in terms of urban development. In this paper, we have integrated aeromagnetic and gravity data and a geographic information system (GIS) environment in order to delineate subsurface structures and understand in particular the associated change in the depth of the basement rocks in the wadies of Sohag basin, the western bank of the Nile Valley. The Bouguer anomaly and total magnetic intensity maps of the study area were filtered and interpreted. Following that, a 3D inversion for the magnetic data was used to determine the depth and the relief of the basement. It is found that the main structural trend in the investigated area, as revealed from the gravity and magnetic interpretation, is N60W which represents the Gulf of Suez direction. The depth to the basement ranges from 400 to 4000 m and is about 3500 m at the Sohag basin. The basement structure, which impacts the thickness of the sedimentary cover and hence the hydrocarbon potentiality in the area, is interpreted as alternating uplifts and basins resulting from parallel fault sets. Analysis of the geophysical data has also revealed that the main groundwater aquifer is composed of sand or sandy clay and has a depth range of 50 to 65 m.