Crustal Strain and Stress Fields in Egypt from Geodetic and Seismological Data

The comparison between crustal stress and surface strain azimuthal patterns has provided new insights into several complex tectonic settings worldwide. Here, we performed such a for Egypt taking account updated datasets of seismological geodetic observations. In north-eastern Egypt, the field shows fan-shaped pattern with WNW–ESE orientation on Cairo region, which progressively rotated to NW–SE along Gulf Aqaba. prevailing normal faulting regime, however, Sinai/Arabia plate boundary it coexists strike–slip one (σ1 ≅ σ2 > σ3), while Suez, is characterized by extension occurring near-orthogonal directions σ3). On Nile Delta, maximum horizontal (SHmax) scattered orientations, Aswan strike pure features. strain-rate largest values Red Sea boundary. Crustal stretching (up 40 nanostrain/yr) occurs these areas WSW–ENE NE–SW contraction northern Delta (10 offshore (~35 E–W N–S respectively. orientations over investigated area reveals that both are near-parallel driven same large-scale processes.