Sedimentology of the Fluvial and Deltaic System of Wadi Haliy Modern Analog from the Red Sea Coast, SW Saudi Arabia

This proposal deals with an integrated field and laboratory sedimentological, investigations of modern fluvial deltaic depositional system along the Red Sea coast, SW Saudi Arabia. The Wadi Haliy fluvial and Deltaic system is located on the Red Sea coast in the Tihamat Ash Sham province in the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia. It is a small delta covering < 100 km2 and is bounded by latitudes 18 00 and 19 00 N and longitudes 40o 30 and 42o 00E. The study intends to produce integrated facies depositional model for this modern fluvio-deltaic environment. Deltas host economic resources such as hydrocarbons, placer gold, and uranium. Many of the oil in giant oil fields are associated with deltaic deposits (Alaska, North Sea, Mississippi and Niger delta). Therefore, the intended study is of great importance and significance in assessing and predicting facies types and architecture and depositional environments. Moreover, fluvio-deltaic facies of Wadi Haliy can provide valuable modern analog to several important subsurface Saudi Arabian Phanerozoic formations and act as important hydrocarbon reservoirs and groundwater aquifers. Results obtained from this study would be beneficial for the understanding the controls and stratigraphic evolution of this Red Sea region, and will be of great value for reservoir and aquifer characterization development and management. This modern analog model can also help in providing geological data base which is beneficial in understanding and assessing and predicting similar ancient environment or for models obtained from subsurface data in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.