Geology and seismicity of Tushka area (Egypt): a role of pore pressure in triggering earthquakes

Abstract

The general plan for the development of Upper Egypt was suggested by the Egyptian government in 2014. This plan calls for the building of several massive projects, including new cities and tourist destinations around the Red Sea coast, and developing Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simbel cities. All accounting for overcome the dense population and trying to raise the national income sectors. Tushka project, located southwest of Lake Nasser, appears to be the most promising initiative for the southern region of Upper Egypt. For the first time, water from Lake Nasser started to reach the Tushka depressions in 1998 when the lake's water level rose over 178 m. Up to the end of 2001, water kept flowing into the depressions. In order to lessen the possibility of downstream degradation to the Nile valley brought on by unusual flooding, these depressions were utilized to discharge surplus water from the Lake Nasser maximum storage level as a natural flood diversion basin. Approximately, 374 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from \({M}_{L}\)= 0.8 to \({M}_{L}\)= 3.9 have been reported in the region since 1982. Studies have been conducted on the seismic conditions and the role of Lake Nasser water in triggering the seismic activity in the research area. The focal mechanism solution for the greatest earthquake, which occurred on March 7, 2013, with a magnitude of \({M}_{L}\)=3.9, revealed that normal faulting with strike slip component was the main reason for the earthquake. The frequency magnitude relationship of the data acquired provides a reasonably good match to guarantee that conclusion. The new data from the present research may be used to assess the seismic hazard and gain a better knowledge of the seismic activity in the Tushka area.