Abstract
Elemental sulfur deposits occur in Gebel El Zeit in various locations, rock types and forms. They occur as fine disseminations, fracture fillings and cone-shaped sulfur aggregates in powdery anhydrite in Little Zeit, Ras Zeit and northeast of the Cairn Hill; as fine disseminations in coral reefs east of Little Zeit and as vug fillings in the dolostones and limestones of Little Zeit and Ras Dip respectively. These types are associated with oil seepage and impregnations and are of bioepigenetic origin. Sulfur is recorded also as stratiform dissected bands in laminated rosette calcite and brown gypsum northeast of the Cairn Hill, where sulfur is of syngenetic origin, formed by biological activity.
Stable isotope studies of carbon and oxygen of the associated carbonate rocks in Little Zeit and Cairn Hill confirm the geologic and petrographic information and provide substantial evidence for the biogenic origin of the carbonate rocks. The δ13C values range from −23.7 to −3.1‰ and from −20.0 to −2.1‰ PDB in Little Zeit and Cairn Hill respectively, which indicate an organic source of carbon. This has, most probably, resulted from the oxidation of organic matter in petroleum by sulfate reducing bacteria in the process of sulfur formation. The δ18O values range from −8.5 to −1.5‰, and from −1.0 to +1.5‰ in Little Zeit and Cairn Hill respectively, which indicate meteoric water source in Little Zeit and mixed marine and continental water source in Cairn Hill.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AREF, M. A. M., 1988, Petrological and sedimentological studies on Gemsa Miocene sequence and associated sulfur deposits, Red Sea, Egypt: Unpublished M. Sc. Thesis, Cairo Univ., 149 p.
ARER, M. A. M., 1992, Petrological and sedimentological studies on Gemsa Miocene sequence and associated sulfur deposits, Red Sea, Egypt: Unpublished M. Sc. Thesis, Cairo Univ., 149 p.
AREF, M. A. M., 1992, Petrological and sedimentological studies on some sulfur bearing evaporite deposits on the western side of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt: Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, Cairo Univ., 355 p.
AREF, M. A. M., 1994, Petrographic criteria for the recognition of sulfur genesis: 2nd Int. Conf. on Geology of the Arab World, Cairo Univ., Abstract.
BODENLOS, A. J., 1973, Sulfur, in United States mineral resources: United States Geological Survey Prof. Paper 820, p. 605–618.
BOWMAN, S., 1931, Report on boring for oil in Egypt, Section III, Eastern Desert and adjoining Islands: Mines and Quarries Dept., Cairo, 353 p.
CAILAIUD, C., 1815–1824, Rediscovery of the Emerald mine of Jebel Zabra and the sulfur beds of Gemsa,in Wilkinson, J., 1832, Notes on a part of the Eastern Desert of Egypt with a map of the Egyptian desert between Gemsa and Suez:Jour. Geography, v. II, p.28–60.
CHENEY and JENSEN, M. L., 1965, Stable carbon isotopic composition of biogenic carbonates:Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 29, p. 1331–1346.
DAVIS, J. B., and KIRKLAND, D. W., 1970, Native sulfur deposition in the Castile Formation, Culberson County, Texas:Economic Geology, v. 65, p. 107–121.
DEGENS, E. T., and EPSTEIN, S., 1962, Relationship between18O/16O ratios in coexisting carbonates, cherts and dolomites:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 46, p. 534–542.
DESSAU, G., JENSEN, M. L., and SAKAI, N., 1962, Geology and isotopic studies of Sicilian sulfur deposits:Economic Geology, v. 57, p. 410–438.
DRUCKMAN, Y., WEISSBROD, T., and AHARON, P., 1993, Genesis of the Be’eri sulfur deposits, SW Israel:Geol. Survey Israel, v. 8, p. 34–36.
EL TAHLAWY, A., EL SAWAF, I., and GIRGIS, S., 1987, Report on sulfur exploration along the western side of the Gulf of Suez (Shagar area): Geological Survey of Egypt, Internal Report No. 99.
EVANS, A. L., and MOXON, I. W., 1986, Gebel El Zeit lithostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy — Neogene synrift sedimentation, a top a long-lived paleohigh: 8th Exploration Seminar (E.G.P.C.), Cairo, Egypt.
FEELY, H. W., and KULP, T. L., 1957, The origin of Gulf Coast salt dome sulfur deposits:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v.41, p. 1802–1853.
FLINT, D. E., 1964, Origin of Gulf Coast Salt dome sulfur deposits: Report to Freeport Sulfur Company, 18 p.
GHOBRIAL, M. G., 1959, Geological Researches, in Arabic: Geological Society of Egypt, Internal Report No. 24 (in Arabic).
HOLLISTER, V. F., 1977, Potential for occurrence of sedimentary sulfur deposits in northeastern British Columbia,CIM Bulletin, v. 70, p. 106–108.
HUME, W. E., 1916, Report on the oilfield region of Egypt: Egyptian Geological Survey, Cairo, 103 p.
KIRKLAND, D. W., and EVANS, R., 1976, Origin of limestone buttes, gypsum plain, Culberson County, Texas:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 63, p. 181–190.
MCKENZIE, A. J., 1985, Stable isotope mapping in Messinian evaporative carbonates of central Sicily:Geology, v. 13, p. 851–854.
MITCHELL, H. L., 1887, Report on the geology and petroleum of Ras Gemsah and Gebel Zeit: Report of Mining Depart., Cairo, 59 p.
NISSENBAUM, A., 1980, Sulfur occurrences in Israel and northen Sinai:Israel Journal of Earth Science, v. 29, p. 85–91.
NISSENBAUM, A., BRESELEY, B. J., and KAPLAN, I. R., 1972, Early diagenesis in a reducing Fjord, Saanich inlet, British Columbia, part-chemical and isotopic changes in major components of interstitial water.Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 36, p. 1007–1027.
PAWLOWSKI, S., PAWLOWSKA, K., and KUBICA, B., 1979, Geology and genesis of the Polish sulfur deposits:Economic Geology, v. 74, p. 475–483.
PERRY, S. K., 1983, The geology of Gebel El Zeit region, Gulf of Suez, Egypt: Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of South Carolina, 128 p.
PIERRE, C., 1988, Application of stable isotope geochemistry to the study of evaporites,in Schreiber, B. C., ed., Evaporites and hydrocarbons: Columbia University Press, New York, p. 300–344.
PIERRE, C., 1989, Sedimentation and diagenesis in restricted marine basins,in Fritz, p., and Fontes, J. Ch., eds., Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry, v. 3, p. 257–315.
PIERRE, C., and ROUCHY, J-M, 1988, Carbonate replacement after sulfate evaporites in the middle Miocene of Egypt:Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 58, p. 446–456.
RUWISCH, R. S., KLEINITZ, W., and WIDDLE, F., 1987, Sulfate reducing bacteria and their activities in oil production:Journal of Petroleum Geology, v. 58, p. 446–456.
SCHNELLMAN, G. A., 1959, Formation of sulfur by reduction of anhydrite at Ras Gemsa, Egypt:Economic Geology, v. 54, p. 889–894.
SHUKRI, N. M., and NAKHLA, F. M., 1955, The sulfur deposits of Ras Gemsa, Red Sea Coast: Symposium on Applied Geology, the Near East, UNESCO, Ankara, p. 114–123.
SWENNEN, R., VIAENE, W., and CORNELISSEN, C., 1990, Petrography and geochemistry of the Belle Roche breccia (Lower Visean, Belgium)-evidence for brecciation by evaporite dissolution:Sedimentology, v. 37, p. 859–878.
THODE, H. G., WANLESS, R. K., and WALLOUCH, R., 1954, The origin of native sulfur deposits from isotope fractionation studies:Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 5, p. 288–298.
WALI, A. M. A., and AREF, M. A. M., 1994, The role of sulfur bacteria in the formation of sulfur deposits in Shagar area, Gulf of Suez, Egypt:Geological Society of Egypt, v. 38, (in press).
YOUSSEF, E. A. A., 1989, Geology and genesis of sulfur deposits at Ras Gemsa area, Red Sea Coast, Egypt:Geology, v. 17, p. 797–801.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Philip, G., Wali, A.M.A. & Aref, M.A.M. On the origin of native sulfur deposits in Gebel El Zeit, Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Carbonates Evaporites 9, 223–232 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175232
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175232