GRAVITY AND HEAT FLOW STUDIES IN THE SIRTE BASIN, LIBYA
Abstract
Thermal and gravity observations were combined for the Sirte basin, north-central Libya. The goal is to better understand the thermal regime and tectonic evolution of the basin. The most prominent gravity anomalies are elongate maxima and minima trending north-northwest and correlate well with the structural highs and lows. The eastern portion of the basin, the Sirte basin deep, is characterized by a large gravity minimum containing local anomalies which define structures. Three gravity profiles were constructed traversing the three major features in the basin. The resulting earth models confirmed the block-faulting nature of the basin and indicate thinning of the crust beneath the rifted areas. The gravity highs across the basin may be explained as the result of thinning of the crust and/or the presence of shallow mafic intrusives. High heat flow characterizes the basin with heat flow values ranging from 51- 83 mWm('-2). The western portion of the basin is characterized by anomalously high heat flow. Both gravity and magnetic anomalies associated with that region are exceptionally prominent. Radiogenic heat production was determined for 24 sites and the results range from 0.8- 8.2 (mu)Wm('-3). Heat flow correlates with basement heat production which resulted in the definition of a new heat flow province. Reduced flow value is 52 (+OR-) 1 mWm('-2) and the slope is 7.9 (+OR-) 0.8 km. The heat flow-heat production line of the Sirte basin plots close to that of the Basin and Range province of the United States. The two regions possess geological and tectonic similarities including thin crust, normal faulting, and Tertiary volcanism.
Subject Area
Geology
Recommended Citation
SULEIMAN, IBRAHIM SHARIF, "GRAVITY AND HEAT FLOW STUDIES IN THE SIRTE BASIN, LIBYA" (1985). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI8604102.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI8604102