AEROMAGNETIC INVESTIGATION OF THE BANDED IRON FORMATIONS OF UM NAR AREA, CENTRAL EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

• Published in: Malaysian journal of geosciences Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 22 - 30
• Main Author: Abu Donia, Atef M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 16-01-2023
• ISSN: 2521-0920; 2521-0602
• DOI: 10.26480/mjg.01.2023.22.30

Wadi Um Nar area acquired its importance since the discovery of banded iron formations (BIFs), and is one of the largest iron formation occurrences in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Therefore, the recorded aeromagnetic data were processed, using a combination of edge enhancement filters, to identify major structures and recognize the lateral and vertical distribution of BIFs, as well as to determine the locations of buried magnetite ore bodies in this area. The obtained results from the application of these techniques revealed that the NW–SE, NE–SW and N–S directions are the common tectonic trends in the region. These trends could be faults or shear zones that have acted as good pathway or channels for hydrothermal fluids. Estimating the basement depth using source parameter imaging (SPI) showed that the BIFs depths varied from the surface down to about 450 m. Additionally, the orthogonal derivative maps of Wadi Um Nar BIFs showed an E–W trend, which corresponds exactly to the maximum magnetic intensity belt and their anomalies are characterized by a distinct dipole nature. These maps also revealed the extent and continuity of the main ore body of BIFs and showed that, they were mainly produced from magnetite mineral, formed in regions of structurally-controlled fluid flow.