Abstract
Photographs of the Red Sea area taken during the Gemini earth-orbiting missions show the gross structural relationship between the highlands of the Arabian-Nubian shield, the sediment-filled Red Sea “graben” system and the marginal sedimentary cover with large areas of volcanic activity.
Among five major systems of faults affecting the Arabian-Nubian massif, three systems trending N, NW, and WNW appear to have a profound influence on the structure of the Red Sea. The other systems oriented NE and E are more evident in the Gulf of Aden area. The fissure systems control the coastal outlines, and major physiographic features such as depressions, drainage lines, and much of the Nile Valley. The relative positions of two pairs of shear zones intersecting the northern part of the Red Sea provide additional geological evidence consistent with the relative northward movement of Arabia some 150km.
The regional fissure system disposition may be interpreted in terms of a combination of shear and tension producing conjugate fissures and gravity faults.
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Abdel-Gawad, M. (1969). Geological Structures of the Red Sea Area Inferred from Satellite Pictures. In: Degens, E.T., Ross, D.A. (eds) Hot Brines and Recent Heavy Metal Deposits in the Red Sea. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-28603-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-28603-6_5
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