This field trip offers geoscientists a focused exploration of the Egyptian Western Desert. The trip emphasizes the region’s tectono-stratigraphic evolution and how it has shaped the development of world-class petroleum systems. Participants will examine surface analogs of key subsurface elements, including Mesozoic and Cenozoic clastic and carbonate reservoirs, source rock intervals, and regional sealing units. Special attention will be given to fault-controlled traps, basin inversion structures, and stratigraphic pinch-outs that control hydrocarbon accumulations in basins such as Abu Gharadig, Alamein, and Faghur. Field stops will highlight depositional environments ranging from fluvial to marine, structural features related to rifting and compression, and outcrop analogs that directly inform reservoir quality, stratigraphic architecture, and trap integrity. By integrating field observations with regional petroleum system knowledge, the trip will deepen participants’ understanding of exploration and development strategies in the Western Desert.

What You Will Learn:

1- Reservoir quality assessment
2- Structural and stratigraphic trap recognition
3- Basin inversion concepts

By the end of this field trip, participants will gain a clear understanding of the geological framework that governs hydrocarbon systems in the Egyptian Western Desert. They will learn to recognize and interpret key stratigraphic units—source rocks, reservoirs, and seals—within well-exposed Mesozoic and Cenozoic sequences. The trip will also develop practical skills in identifying structural features such as normal faults, inversion structures, and tilted fault blocks, and understanding their impact on hydrocarbon migration and trapping. Through field observations, mapping exercises, and discussions, participants will enhance their ability to link surface geology to subsurface exploration, evaluate prospectivity, and apply learned concepts to real-world petroleum systems in rifted basin settings.

The Schedule:

Day 1: Arrival in Bahariya Oasis and Regional Geological Overview.

Day 2: Structural Framework and Basin Evolution.

Day 3: Reservoir and Source Rock Analogs.

Day 4: Stratigraphic Traps and Sequences.

Day 5: Integration, Exploration Applications, and Departure.

Register for Western Desert of Egypt – Hydrocarbon Potential