Curie depth map for Sinai Peninsula, Egypt deduced from the analysis of magnetic data

Sinai Peninsula is considered as a unique region in the world due to its geographical location, tectonic and thermal activities. It is located geographically at the crossroads of Europe. Asia, and Africa constituting a triple junction point between the three continents. It is also characterized by thermal manifestations represented by several hot springs with varied temperatures (30-70 degrees C). Most of these hot springs are located along the shoreline of the Gulf of Suez. In this study, we aim to map the Curie depth isotherm surface for Sinai Peninsula based on the analysis of ground magnetic data. Spectral analysis technique will be used to estimate the boundaries (top and bottom) of the magnetized crust. The depths obtained for the bottom of magnetized crust are assumed to correspond to Curie point depths where the magnetic layer loss its magnetization. Results of this study indicate that the shallow Curie depths (similar to 15-18 km) are located at the southern part of Sinai Peninsula and along the shoreline of the Gulf of Suez and depths increase (22-25 km) towards the central and north western portions of Sinai Peninsula. The whole average Curie depth point of Sinai Peninsula is about 20 km. Generally, the shallow depths to Curie isotherm indicate that Sinai Peninsula is a promising area for further geothermal exploration particularly near the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.