Spectral Analysis of Aeromagnetic Data for Geothermal Reconnaissance of West of the Red Sea Region in Egypt

We wish to analyze magnetic field anomaly data from the Eastern Desert of Egypt along the Red Sea rift in terms of the bottom depth of the magnetic layer. Magnetic anomalies represent the contribution of the magnetic effect of rocks in the Earth's outer layers and, because the ferromagnetism of the magnetic minerals is partly controlled by the Curie temperature of the minerals, the derived bottom depths allow estimation of temperatures deep in the crust - something direct near-surface temperature measurements are unable to do. In part of our study area along the Red Sea rift, we will be able to utilize existing spectral depth determination methods to derive these depths and, consequently, temperatures at depth and assess the geothermal potential of the region. Based on our recent tests of all the existing spectral depth methods, we think that the areas farther away from the rift may not be amenable for use with the present methods and we will have to analyze the problem more fully and derive either new methods or theoretical correction factors for the present methods to derive meaningful depths and temperatures at depth. Because we do not know exactly the distance from the rift where the existing methods will become inadequate, we need to tackle this problem comprehensively and address both aspects.