Applied Geochemisto,, Vol. 1I, pp.

471--479,1996
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Composition and origin of thermal waters in the Gulf of Suez area, Egypt
N. C. Sturchio*and G. B. Arehart**
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, U.S.A.

M. Sultan
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

Y. Sano
Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

and
Y. AboKamarand M. Sayed
Egyptian Geological Survey and Mining Authority, Abbassia, Cairo, Egypt

(Received 17 February 1995; accepted in revised form 31 January 1996)

Abstract--Thermal waters with discharge temperatures ranging from 32 to 70°C are being discharged along
the Gulf of Suez (Egypt) from springs and shallow artesian wells. A comprehensive chemical and isotopic
study of these waters supports previous suggestions that the waters are paleometeoric waters from the
Nubian sandstone aquifer. The chemical and isotopic compositions of solutes indicate possible
contributions from Tertiary sedimentary aquifer rocks and windblown deposits (marine aerosols and/or
evaporite dust) in the recharge area. There is no chemical or isotopic evidence for mixing with Red Sea water.
Gas effervescence from the Hammam Faraoun thermal water contains about 4% CH4 (dit3C = --32.6%0)
and 0.03% He having an isotopic ratio consistent with a mixture of crustal and magmatic He
(3He/4He = 0.26 Ra). Geothermometers for the thermal waters indicate maximum equilibration tempera-
tures near 100°C. The waters could have been heated by percolation to a depth of several km along the
regional geothermal gradient. Copyright © 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

INTRODUCTION geothermometer temperatures did not generally

Thermal waters are being discharged near the Gulf of
Suez (Egypt) from springs and shallow artesian wells
(at discharge temperatures ranging from 32 to 70°C)
at Ain Sokhna, Ayun Musa, Hammam Faraoun, and
Hammam Musa (Fig. 1). These waters have been used
since the days of the Pharaohs for medical purposes
(El Ramly, 1969), and have recently received renewed
attention from the standpoint of geothermal potential
because of the extensive development of tourist
facilities along the Gulf of Suez. On the basis of H, O
and 14C isotopic analyses acquired during regional
hydrologic studies of the Sinai Peninsula, it was
inferred that thermal waters at Ayun Musa and
Hammam Faraoun were paleometeoric waters of the
Nubian sandstone aquifer; recharge of this aquifer
occurred in the central Sinai peninsula during the late
Pleistocene (Isaar et al., 1972; Gat and Isaar, 1974).
After conducting a reconnaissance geochemical study
using cation geothermometry, Swanberg et al. (1983;
1984) concluded that these thermal waters displayed
no evidence of a significant geothermal anomaly;
* Corresponding Author.
**Present address: IGNS Wairakei Research Centre,
Taupo, New Zealand.
471
exceed 100°C. Swanberg et al. (1984) suggested that
the thermal waters along the Gulf of Suez were heated
by deep convective circulation along a regional
geothermal gradient and were mixed with Red Sea
water during their migration to the surface. To
provide an improved basis for geothermal explora-
tion, this paper reevaluates the origin of these thermal
waters based on a comprehensive chemical and
isotopic study of their principal occurrences near the
Gulf of Suez. The present study includes a wider range
of analyses than previous studies and attempts to
enhance the definition of the sources of solutes and the
subsurface conditions encountered by the waters.
ANALYTICAL METHODS
Water samples for chemical analysis of cations and anions
(and for isotopic analysis of SO4 and Sr) were filtered through
0.45 l~mpolypropylenesyringe filters in the field. Samples for
H (including tritium) and O isotopic analyses of H20 were
not filtered. Samples for cation analysis were acidified to pH
< 2 shortly after collection. Cations were analyzed by ICP
AES, and anions by ion chromatography. Total alkalinity
was determined by acid titration. Gas samples were collected
by aspiration of gas bubbles, which displaced water in an
inverted funnel, into evacuated glass containers fitted with
Teflon valves. Residual gas composition was measured using
472 N.C. Sturchio et al.

/:" ~ ~ NubianSandstone
,t. ~ _ :i~ ¢,, (Recharge areas)

~i "~ ~'t'~ ~ Crystalline Rocks

0 , _

G.Ifotl

. '.:."i:!~i!i::i~!~::~i:2.

Fig. 1. Map showing location of thermal water occurrences along the Gulf of Suez, Egypt and recharge area
for the Nubian sandstone aquifer (after Isaar et al., 1972). The recharge area was mapped from Landsat
Thematic Mapper data processed as described in Sultan et al. (1987) and from published geologic maps
(Anon, 1981; Bartov et al., 1980).

an analytical gas-source mass spectrometer. Hydrogen and O
isotopic ratios in water were determined by the Zn reduction
and CO_,equilibration methods, respectively. Oxygen isotope
ratios in SO4 were determined by graphite reduction (Holt,
1977). Carbon isotope ratios in CO2 and CH4 were
determined following cryogenic separation of CO~ and
combustion of CH4 with CuO. Stable isotope ratio measure-
ments were performed using a VG Prism Series II mass
spectrometer. Stable isotopic data for H, C, and O are
expressed in 6 notation, that gives permil (%0) deviations
relative to the Standard Mean Ocean Water (SMOW) and
PeeDee Belemnite (PDB) standards, where &= [1000(R. . . . le/
Rstandard)--1], and R represents D/H, 13C/12C, or lSo/160.
Reproducibility of &values for D is + 1%o,and that for ~3C
and 180 is + 0.15/oo.Helium isotope and 4He/2°Ne ratios were
determined by a conventional noble gas mass spectrometer
after purification using hot Ti getters and charcoal traps held
at liquid N2 boiling temperature. The 3He/aHe ratio is
expressed in RA notation, where RA is the atmospheric
3He/4He ratio of 1.39 x 10-6. Strontium isotope ratios
(87Sr/S6Sr) were measured by thermal ionization mass
spectrometry (VG-54R) and were normalized to a S6Sr/SSSr
ratio of 0.1184. The 2& precision of individual measured
SrSr/S6Sr ratios is +0.00006. The value of SrSr/S6Sr deter-
mined for the NBS-987 SrCO3 standard reference material
during the course of this study was 0.71022 + 0.00003.
GEOLOGIC SETTING
The stratigraphy of the Gulf of Suez area has been
reviewed by Abdel-Gawad (1970), Reynolds (1979)
and Wasfi and Azazi (1979). Unconformably over-
lying the Precambrian basement is a section of
Carboniferous through Eocene sedimentary rocks
(shales, sandstones and limestones). A porous sand-
stone of Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous age,
ranging in thickness from 90 to 150 m, is widespread in
the northern Gulf area. This sandstone, commonly
referred to as the Nubian sandstone, has hydrologic
aquifer properties and is overlain by a sequence of
Upper Cretaceous through Upper Eocene limestones,
dolostones, chalks and marls, which acts as an
aquiclude to the underlying Nubian sandstone.
A major unconformity separates the post-Eocene
sediments from the underlying pre-Eocene deposits.
Miocene sedimentation in the Gulf of Suez area was
triggered by the Mediterranean transgression over a
graben complex. Two main facies were deposited: a
clastic phase representing the initial filling up of the
basin, and a later evaporitic phase that marked the
restriction of the basin. Evaporites in the northern
part of the Gulf of Suez area are almost exclusively
made of anhydrite and gypsum and lack halite.
Evaporites thicken to the S and towards the center of
the trough, reaching up to 610 m in thickness in Ras
Lagia (in the vicinity of Hammam Faraoun).
It has been suggested that in Pleistocene times,
when more humid climatic conditions prevailed, that
the Nubian sandstone aquifer was recharged by
meteoric waters (Isaar et al., 1972). The Nubian
aquifer in the Sinai Peninsula extends laterally in the
subsurface for approximately 10,000 km 2 from the
margins of the crystalline massif of central Sinai to the
Gulf of Suez in the W and the Dead Sea in the NE. The
recharge is believed to have taken place through the
sandstone outcrops at the northern flanks of the
Precambrian basement complex in central Sinai and
to a lesser extent through erosional windows in Sinai
and Negev (Isaar et al., 1972). We mapped the
postulated catchment area, where the Nubian sand-
stone crops out in central Sinai, using processed
Landsat Thematic Mapper data and published geolo-
gic maps (Fig. 1).
 Thermal waters in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt 473

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Chemical composition of thermal waters
Results of chemical and isotopic analyses of
thermal waters are presented in Table 1 and Figs 2-5.
Total dissolved solids range from 2600 to 14,000 mg/l.
The most abundant solutes in all waters are Na and
CI, while Mg, Ca, and SO4 also are prominent. The pH
values are near neutral. Thermal water compositions
are shown plotted on selected C1- variation diagrams
(Fig. 2a-e), along with some nonthermal Nubian
aquifer waters (Isaar et al., 1972), in comparison to a
marine composition line. Such plots can help to
evaluate the origin of groundwater solutes (Fontes et
al., 1991). If samples plot along the marine composi-
tion line, their solutes may represent simple dilution of
seawater or the dissolution of unfractionated marine
aerosols in the recharge area. Deviations from the
marine composition line may indicate that additional
processes and/or solute sources were involved in
generating the solute composition.
Tertiary marine waters have been thoroughly
flushed from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous
(Nubian) sandstone aquifer of the Sinai Peninsula
(Isaar, 1979; 1981). However, residual marine forma-
tion waters are present within this formation beneath
the Mediterranean coastal plain and in downdropped
blocks beneath the Gulf of Suez. Saline waters of
marine origin are also present in older and deeper
formations of Mesozoic and Paleozoic age (Bentor,
1969; Mazor and Mero, 1969; Fleischer et al., 1977;
Isaar, 1979; 1981). The potential solute sources
available for contributing to the chemistry of the
thermal waters are mixing of modern seawater (from
the Red Sea) and/or residual marine formation
waters, subsurface reaction with regional sedimentary
rocks (including the aquifer rocks), and dissolution of
marine aerosols and windblown rock dust in the
recharge area. The most likely of these solute sources
are evaluated below on the basis of chemical and
isotopic data.
The waters plot on or slightly below the seawater
dilution line for Na vs. C1- (Fig. 2a), indicating that if
residual marine formation waters or marine aerosols
are the source of these components, then some loss of
Na may have been caused by water-rock reaction
within the aquifer. Fig. 2b shows that all of the waters
share the characteristic of being enriched in Ca
relative to the seawater dilution line. This implies
that dissolution of Ca minerals such as calcite or
gypsum has occurred. Possible sources of these are the
Upper Cretaceous and Eocene carbonate rocks over-
lying the Nubian sandstone throughout much of the
region, windblown deposits in the recharge area, and
gypsum from Miocene evaporites and marine aero-
sols. The waters are enriched in SO4 relative to the
seawater dilution line, with the exception of Hammam
Faraoun (Fig. 2c). The enrichment in SO4 may
indicate that some of the excess Ca (Fig. 2b) was
derived from dissolution of gypsum. Most of the
waters are enriched in Br relative to the seawater

Table 1. Chemical and isotopic data for Gulf of Suez (Egypt) thermal waters a
Ain Ayun Hammam Hammam
Sokhna Musa Faraoun Musa

T,°C 32 37 70 48
pH i' 7.74 6.02 7.44 7.59
SiO2 19.1 17.8 51.1 21.6
B 0.04 0.90 0.18 0.04
Li 0. l I 0.09 0.32 0.12
Na 1946 652 3642 1586
K 72.2 38.9 127 64.2
Mg 258 52.2 270 330
Ca 413 224 966 523
Sr 16.3 4.85 21.9 10.1
HCO3 200 243 109 116
SO4 1320 378 780 I 130
F 2.4 6.6 2.5 1.6
CI 3710 983 8050 3870
Br 14 6.3 46 31
T.D.S. 7960 2600 14030 7670
6D, H20 -44 -34 -41 -36
t5 i s O , -6.9 -6.4 -6.4 -5.6
tl #'t

7 ]~s O , 14.5 12.5 11.9 13.1

SO4
3H, TU c 0.02 -- 0.5 0.26
STSr/S6sr 0.70803 0.70776 0.70795 0.70795
Concentrations in mg/I. Samples collected Jan. 1993 (except Ayun Musa, Mar.
1994).
b pH values determined in laboratory (except Ayun Musa determined in field).
c
TU = tritium unit = l atom 3H/10 18 atoms H; uncertainty _+0.3 TU.
474 N.C. Sturchio et el.

12OO0 seawater 1000

i
"Faraoun
(a) Sodium ..., I (b) Calcium
...
-J 8o00 ....' ,--I
r'
• H. Muse
E E 5oo
seawater
• Sokhna ...... "
Z 4oo0 ....'" "':' Faraoun O ......--
Sokhna ..."
./2,,.""b H. Muse t~=~/
,~"~.*Musa
, ....'""" ............

,~ ........ •
~ A ; MUSe .... I . . . . . . . . .
...:": .. ~ . . . . , . . . . , ....
50OO 10000 15000 20000 5000 10000 15060 20000

CI, mg/L CI, mg/L

80'
....i
seawater
(c) Sulfate (d) Bromine
...........i
seawater

.--I 60 ¸
" ~ 2000 ...." .--I
..." • Faraoun ..
E ...' ....."
Sokhne, E 40.
...."
.s" • H. Muse .-"'""
O 100o. H. Muse" rn
O9
..." "Faraoun
20 .. so~
0 0 I . . . . I l • , • .
0 50OO 10000 15000 200O0 0 5000 10000 15000 20000

CI, mg/L CI, mg/L

(e) Boron seawater

.--I

E
m-2
A, Muse ,

•. " , ~ . n ~ H iMus a .Fara°un . . . ,

;000 10O0O 15O0O 20OO0

CI, mg/L
Fig. 2. Chloride variation diagrams (mg/l) for Gulf of Suez thermal waters (solid circles), nonthermal
Nubian aquifer waters from the central Sinai (solid triangles) (Isaar et el., 1972), and seawater (solid square):
(a) Na vs. CI; (b) Ca vs. CI; (c) SO4 vs. C1; (d) Br vs. CI; and (e) B vs. CI, Also shown for comparison is a
seawater dilution line (dashed).

dilution line (Fig. 2d). As Br enrichment is common in marine formation waters, aquifer rocks and wind-
marine aerosols (Winchester and Duce, 1967), the blown deposits (including marine aerosols and eva-
results shown in Fig. 2d may indicate dissolution and porite dust) in the recharge area. The fact that the
evaporative concentration of marine aerosols in the nonthermal Nubian aquifer waters plot along the
recharge area, and this could be the source for much of same trends as the thermal waters in Fig. 2a-d
the NaCI in the waters as well. Most of the waters are indicates that the same sources contribute to the
strongly depleted in B relative to the seawater dilution compositions of both types of waters, and that solute
line (Fig. 2e). As B is generally a conservative element acquisition mechanisms are somewhat temperature-
in groundwater systems, this depletion argues against dependent (i.e., more solutes acquired at higher
direct seawater mixing as suggested by Swanberg et al. temperature). Isotopic data for the waters and for
(1984). However, B can be removed from ground- certain solutes (discussed below) provide stronger
water by adsorption onto clay minerals (Palmer et al., constraints on specific solute sources and their
1987). The C I - variation diagrams presented here acquisition mechanisms.
thus allows 3 principal solute sources - - residual Saturation indices (SI) for a variety of minerals were
 Thermal waters in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt
calculated (from chemical data shown in Table 1) at
thermal water discharge temperatures using SOLMI-
NEQ.88 (Kharaka et aL, 1988). In all waters, barite,
chalcedony and a-cristobalite were approximately
saturated (SI values of 0.0 + 0.2). Quartz was slightly
oversaturated (SI values of 0.3 to 0.4). All SO4
minerals other than barite were significantly under-
saturated (SI < -0.5). Fluorite is saturated (SI values
of - 0 . 2 to 1.0) in all waters except Hammam Musa
(-0.5). The only sample for which field pH data were
collected is Ayun Musa; all CO3 minerals in this water
have SI values < -0.9. It is expected that the other
waters are also undersaturated in CO3 minerals, but
degassing of CO2 following sample collection appar-
ently caused large pH increases (about 1.5 pH units) in
the samples, and, therefore, reliable calculations of in
situ CO3 mineral saturations for those waters could
not be made. The calculated saturations with silica
minerals and undersaturations with Ca-bearing SO4
and CO3 minerals are consistent with equilibration
with a sandstone aquifer free of carbonates and
sulfates (except barite) immediately prior to discharge.
Any contact between these waters and CO3 or SO4
minerals would result in dissolution of those minerals,
so any such interaction can be traced by the isotopic
compositions of strontium and sulfate in the waters.
Isotopic composition o f thermal waters and solutes
Hydrogen and O isotope ratios of the thermal
waters, and some nonthermal modern meteoric
waters from the presumed recharge area in the central
Sinai peninsula (Gat and Isaar, 1974), are shown in
Fig. 3. Our data agree with those reported previously
(Gat and Isaar, 1974) for waters at Ayun Musa and
Hammam Faraoun. The waters at Ayun Musa and
Hammam Faraoun were interpreted by Isaar et al.
(1972) and Gat and Isaar (1974) to represent late
Pleistocene recharge of the Nubian aquifer at central
Sinai outcrops. Their ~D and 6180 values lie along the
global meteoric water line (6D = 8 6180 + 10) of Craig
0961), as do paleowaters from the Western Desert of
Egypt, whereas modern precipitation in the Eastern
Mediterranean area has a greater deuterium enrich-
ment, riD=8 ~t80+22 (Gat et al., 1969). This
difference reflects recharge of the Nubian aquifer
under climatic conditions different from modern
conditions (Isaar et aL, 1972; Gat and Isaar, 1974).
The fact that the thermal water data plot along the
meteoric water line on the 6D vs. 61SO diagram (Fig.
3), displaced considerably from seawater, precludes a
significant seawater component. The isotopic data are
consistent with the "totally flushed" category of Isaar
(1979). The most saline of the thermal waters
(Hammam Faraoun) has the same O isotopic compo-
sition as the least saline (Ayun Musa) (Table 1). These
data constrain the possible proportion of residual
marine formation waters to be negligibly low. Thus,
the principal mechanism for acquiring NaC1 must be
475
20
0
seawater
20
40
/ thorm~springs
G u l f of S u e z
Nubian aquifer p a l e o w a t e r s
-100 Western Desert E g y p t
120 .... i .... i .... i . . . . t . . . . I . . . . I ....
12 10 8 6 4 2 0
8180 %.
Fig 3 6D vs 6180 in Gulf of Suez thermal waters (this
study), modern meteoric water from the central Sinai
peninsula (Gat and Isaar, 1974), Western Desert (Egypt)
paleowaters(Sturchio et al., unpublished data), and seawater.
Also shown is the global meteoric water line. 6D = 6180 + 10
(Craig, 1961).
either dissolution of marine aerosols or evaporite dust
(e.g. from coastal sabhkas) in the recharge area, or
perhaps by physical release of highly saline fluid
inclusions through dissolution of aquifer rocks (cf.
Nordstrom et al., 1989).
Tritium values in the thermal waters are low ( < 0.5
TU), indicating long subsurface residence time and no
evidence for mixing with young (< 50 a) meteoric
water. Isaar et al. (1972) quote a 14C age of > 30,900 a
B.P. for thermal water from Ayun Musa.
The 6180 values for dissolved SO4 range from 11.9
to 14.5. These values are similar to those reported for
Tertiary marine SO4 (Claypool et aL, 1980). This
similarity indicates that possible sources of the
dissolved SO4 could be residual marine formation
waters or dissolution of gypsum from the extensive
Miocene evaporite formations in the area. The
gypsum may have been dissolved either at the recharge
area (windblown deposits) or in the subsurface (by
contact with gypsum- or anhydrite-bearing rocks).
That the waters are undersaturated with anhydrite
and gypsum at their discharge temperatures indicates
that they had not equilibrated recently with gypsum-
or anhydrite-bearing rocks, unless this occurred at
higher temperatures. The range in ~lSo values of SO4
is consistent with either multiple SO4 sources with a
range of lSO values, or a single, homogeneous SO4
source with O isotopic ratios fractionated subse-
quently (e.g. by aqueous-phase redox processes occur-
ring within the aquifer).
The STSr/86Sr ratios measured for the thermal
waters range from 0.70776 to 0.70803. These ratios
are indistinguishable from those reported by Star-
insky et al. (1980) for groundwaters in the Upper
Cretaceous and Lower to Middle Eocene carbonate
aquifers of the eastern Sinai and the northern Negev
Desert. This result indicates the dissolution of Cretac-
eous or Eocene CO3 minerals by the waters, either
prior to recharge into the Nubian aquifer or along the
subsurface flow path. The Sr concentrations range
476 N.C. Sturchio et al.

0.71 Table 2. Chemical and isotopic analysis of Hammam

Faraoun gas effervescence
seawater
H2 <0.013
0309 He 0.027
CH4 3.97
CO2 11.4
03 Ain S o k h r ' m .
H a m m a m MUSa
l
/ C2H6 0.0051
0208 ' " " * / AyunMusa N2 83.1
Hammam Faraoun J °
Cretaceous & Eocene aquifer waters 02 0.33
(I/Sr = 0.26 to 7.69) Ar 1.13
0.707 .... I . . . . I . . . . t . . . . I . . . .
4He/2°Ne 72.5
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25
3He/4He, RA 0.256
1/Sr, mg/L fi~3C,CO2 - 11.2
~I3C, CH4 - 32.6
Fig. 4. 87Sr/S6Srvs l/Sr(mg/l)diagramshowingGulfofSuez
thermal waters (this study), modern seawater, and the range Water-free analysis (mol %).
for waters from Upper Cretaceous and Lower to Middle
Eocene CO2 aquifers of eastern Sinai and the northern Negev
Desert (data from Starinsky et al., 1980).
CH4 (Schoell, 1980). Isaar (1979) points out that
unflushed and partially flushed portions of the Nubian
aquifer in Israel contain gas and oil deposits. The CH4
from 4.85 to 21.9 mg/1 and are greatly enriched in Hammam Faraoun waters could be derived from
relative to the seawater dilution line. Therefore, most these deposits.
of the Sr cannot have been derived directly from
seawater, residual marine formation waters, or marine
aerosols without significant rock-water interaction. Geothermometry
Fig. 4 shows a S7Sr/S6Sr vs 1/Sr diagram. This type of
plot can clearly illustrate mixing relations in ground- Discussions of the principles, assumptions, limita-
waters (Faure, 1986). This diagram indicates that the tions, and applications of geothermometry in geother-
Sr isotope ratios are independent of Sr concentration, mal systems have been given by Fournier (1981) and
and modern seawater (which has a 87Sr/S6Sr ratio of Giggenbach (1988). For the Gulf of Suez thermal
0.70923 [DePaolo and Ingram, 1985]) is not required waters, the cation geothermometers yield tempera-
to be a significant mixing component in the system. tures ranging from 14 to 176°C (Table 3). Of these,
geothermometers based on chalcedony solubility and
Na/Li ratios yield temperatures closest to discharge
Hammam faraoun gas effervescence temperatures (27 to 73°C). Significantly higher and
similar temperatures are given by the Na/K and N a -
Gas effervescence from Hammam Faraoun consists K-Ca geothermometers (141 to 175°C). The N a - K -
primarily of N2 and CO2, with He, CH4, C2H6 and Ar Ca geothermometer is known, however, to over-
also present in significant amounts (Table 2). The N2/ estimate equilibration temperatures for Mg-rich
Ar ratio (73.5) suggests air-saturated water plus excess waters (Fournier and Potter, 1979), and the Mg-
air. The N2, 02 and Ar are most likely of dominantly corrected Na-K--Ca temperatures (16 to 66°C) are
atmospheric origin, although 02 is depleted relative to similar to those predicted by the other cation
N2 and Ar and was probably consumed by reactions geothermometers (Table 3).
within the aquifer. The low O2 constrains possible air The SO4- water O isotope geothermometer yields
contamination during sampling to less than 1.6%. The temperatures ranging from 72 to 96°C (Table 3).
relatively high He concentration indicates acquisition Although these temperatures seem reasonable, an
of radiogenic He and implies a long subsurface important caveat regarding the SO4- water O isotope
residence time, consistent with the low tritium values thermometer results is that the SO4 6180 values are in
for these waters. the range of those for Tertiary marine SO4. This could
The isotopic ratio of 3He/4He in the gas is 0.26 RA. indicate that the SO4 was acquired by dissolution of
An He isotopic mass balance as demonstrated by Sano marine SO4 minerals and did not equilibrate isotopi-
et al. (1988) shows that this 3He/4He ratio indicates the caUy with the water, as expected from the very slow O
presence of about 3% mantle He (RA=8). Such isotopic equilibration rates determined experimentally
mantle He could be supplied by emanation or between SO4 and water at neutral pH values and low
alteration from late Tertiary volcanics that may be temperature (Chiba and Sakai, 1985).
encountered as dikes in the subsurface (Anon, 1981), The gas geothermometers involving C O 2 and CH4
or perhaps from a deeper source (cf. Lupton et aL, yield anomalously high temperatures of 192 and
1977). 350°C, respectively. These temperatures should be
The 513C value of CO2 is - 11.2 and that for CH4 is considered suspect because the equilibration of these
- 32.6 (Table 2), which could be residual thermogenic gases is slow at low temperatures (Giggenbach, 1987)
 Thermal waters in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt 477

Table 3. Chemical and isotopic geothermometry of thermal waters and gas, °C

thermometer Ain Sokhna Ayun Musa Hammam Faraoun Hammam Musa

T , ° C 32 37 70 48
(discharge)
Quartz (cond.)" 62 59 103 66
Chalcedonya 29 27 73 34
Na/K a 145 176 141 150
Na-K-Ca ~ 146 156 147 145
Na-K--Ca-Mgb 16 66 52 20
Na/Lic 43 - 56 51
Mg°5/Li° 15 - 33 14
K~/Mg¢ 74 79 88 69
AlSo, SO 4- 72 81 96 93
H20 r
CO2/CH4g - 192 -
A13C, C O 2 - - - 350 -
CH4h

Fournier (1981).
b Fournier and Potter (1979).
c Fouillac and Michard (1981).
d Kharaka and Mariner (1988).
e Giggenbach (1988).
f McKenzie and Truesdell (1977).
g Giggenbach (1987).
h Bottinga (1969).

and the 6~3C value for CH4 is close to that of

thermogenic natural gas. The CH4 could have been '%. ~.,',....
added at any point along the flow path and not had
" supersaturatsd
time to equilibrate with the CO2. g, -2
Another useful geothermometric constraint is pro- Faraoun • ". H. Musa'"-.
•.. "".. " ,Sokhna ".
vided by anhydrite solubility. Fig. 5 shows a plot of " A. Musa ° ".
the calculated aqueous activity of Ca 2÷ vs. that of -3
SO42- in relation to anhydrite solubility isotherms. ...... - . . ~oo'c . So*c
The highest allowed equilibration temperatures of the undersaturated " " ' ' •.,..
150°C " ..
thermal waters, according to Fig. 5, are not much . ." ' ., .
4 . . . . ~ . • i",,. ~
greater than 100°C. This is a conservative estimate, -4 -3 -2 -1
because anhydrite is undersaturated in these waters log alSO4 2"]
and it has retrograde solubility. In summary, from the
combined geothermometric results discussed above, Fig. 5. Activity diagram for log aCa 2+ vs log aSO42",
there appears to be no compelling evidence for showing anhydrite solubility isotherms at 50°C, 100°C, and
150°C.
subsurface temperatures much higher than 100°C in
the Gulf of Suez thermal water aquifers.

derivation of solutes mainly from regional marine

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Thermal waters that discharge at several locations
along the Gulf of Suez were sampled for chemical and
isotopic analysis to help evaluate their origin and
solute sources and the geothermal potential of the
area. Hydrogen and O isotope ratios support previous
suggestions (Isaar et al., 1972; Gat and lsaar, 1974)
that the waters are paleowaters from the Nubian
aquifer that were recharged during the Late Pleisto-
cene. The isotopic data preclude significant mixing
proportions of seawater or residual marine formation
water. Low tritium activities ( < 0.5 TU) and available
radiocarbon data are consistent with a long subsur-
face residence time. Chemical compositions indicate
sedimentary rocks and windblown deposits (marine
aerosol and evaporite dust). Sulfate &180 values and
87Sr/86Sr ratios indicate Tertiary marine SO4 and
Cretaceous-Eocene marine CO3 sources, respectively.
Thermogenic CH4 and a trace of mantle He are
present in Hammam Faraoun gas effervescence.
Geothermometric calculations show no compelling
evidence for subsurface temperatures much in excess
of 100°C, which supports the conclusion of Swanberg
et al. (1983; 1984) that there is no significant
geothermal anomaly associated with the Gulf of Suez
thermal waters. There is, however, an apparently
extensive resource of low-to-moderate temperature
thermal water in the region that could be useful for a
variety of direct-use applications. Geothermal gradi-
478 N.C. Sturchio et al.
ents estimated from bottom-hole temperatures in oil
wells are known to increase with proximity to the Red
Sea coast in Egypt, and the average gradient is
approximately 27°C/km in the Gulf of Suez area
(Boulos, 1990). A much higher gradient of 48°C/kin
was estimated from measurements in a well drilled at
Hammam Faraoun (Boulos, 1990). The highest
measured temperature in the Gulf of Suez area was
about 148°C at a depth of 4002 m (Boulos, 1990). It is
clear that the regional geothermal gradients are a
sufficient heat source for the thermal waters in the
area, provided that they reach a depth of at least 3 kin.
Boulos (1990) proposed that further geothermal
exploration should target the sandstone of the Upper
Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Nubian Formation,
which reaches a thickness of up to 500 m in the Gulf
of Suez, where it occurs offshore in downfaulted
blocks at depths up to 4 km. Isaar et al. (1972)
estimated that an annual withdrawal of 20 x 106 m 3
from the Nubian aquifer could be sustained for about
30 a before depleting this resource.
Acknowledgements--This work was supported by the Geos-
ciences Research Program, Office of Basic Energy Sciences,
U.S. Department of Energy, under contract W-31-109-Eng-
38 and the NASA Geology Program, under contract NAGW
1358. We thank L. Heraty, B. Holt, E. Huff and F. Smith for
analytical assistance at Argonne, R. L. Michel of the U.S.
Geological Survey in Reston, VA, for tritium data; and M.
Bassiouni, A. Dardir and G. Naim for logistical support in
Egypt.
Editorial handling: Dr Y. K. Kharaka.
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