Located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, to the west of the Sinai Peninsula, is the Gulf of Suez (Arabic: خليج السويس, romanized: khalīǧ as-suwais; historically بحر القلزم, baḥar al-qulzum, meaning “Sea of Calm”). The smaller Gulf of Aqaba lies to the east of the Sinai Peninsula. Created roughly 26 million years ago, the Gulf formed within the comparatively young, now-dormant Gulf of Suez Rift basin. It extends about 300 kilometres (190 mi) in a north-northwesterly direction, ending at the city of Suez in Egypt and the gateway to the Suez Canal. The geographic divide between Africa and Asia follows the Gulf’s midpoint. At the entrance of the Gulf sits the mature Gemsa oil and gas field. As the approach to the Suez Canal, the Gulf is regarded as one of the most critical maritime shipping routes globally.
Location of Gulf of Suez
The Gulf of Suez is the northwestern extension of the Red Sea between the east coast of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula bifurcates the northern part of the Red Sea into two gulfs, namely the Gulf of Aqaba in the east and the Gulf of Suez in the west.
Geography of the Gulf of Suez
The Gulf occupies the northwestern arm of the Red Sea between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. It is the third arm of the triple junction rift system, the second being the Gulf of Aqaba.
The length of the Gulf, from its mouth at the Strait of Gubal (alternate name: Strait of Jubal) to its head at the city of Suez, is 195 miles (314 km), and it varies in width from 12 to 20 miles (19 to 32 km).
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the Gulf as “A line running from Ras Muhammed (27°43’N) to the South point of Shadwan Island (34°02’E) and thence Westward on a parallel (27°27’N) to the coast of Africa”.
Geology
The Gems Field was discovered in 1869 but was not produced until 1910. The Hurghada Field was created in 1913. By 1998, over 1900 wells had been drilled, and 120 fields were identified. The primary oil source rock is the Upper Cretaceous marine Sudr Formation, the limestone Campanian Brown/Duwi Member in particular, 25–70 m (82–230 ft) thick in the gulf.
ThGulflf sedimentary basin stratigraphic section consists of pre-rift Paleozoic to Oligocene clastic rocks and carbonates and syn-rift and post-rift Miocene to Holocene clastic and evaporites. Three large oil fields are in the gulf: thGulf Morgan was discovered in 1964, Belayim was found in 1955, and the October Field was located in 1977. The October Field produces from the Cretaceous Nubia Formation, the Upper Cretaceous Nezzazat Formation, the Miocene Nukhul Formation, and the Miocene Asl Member of the Upper Rudeis Formation.