Relationship between surface and subsurface structures of the northern Atlas foreland of Tunisia deduced from regional gravity analysis

Abstract

Gravity data were analyzed in the northern Atlas of Tunisia in order to identify the deep structures of the region and their relationship to the geological outcrop. The analysis based on the Bouguer gravity maps related to upward continuation at 1, 2, 4, 6, 10 and 12 km. The lineaments obtained by the horizontal gradient method were interpreted as deep faults with two global directions NE-SW and NW-SE related to major tectonic corridors. These lineaments were confirmed by the automatic estimation of depth solutions using the Euler deconvolution technique. By separation between the gravity anomaly bodies in different levels, it shows that almost all of the lineaments are oriented in NE-SW and NW-SE directions. The NW-SE-trending lineaments are related to deep faults and the NE-SW-oriented lineaments define the global direction of the surface, and they are related to shallow structures. 2.5D gravity modeling was used to improve the results obtained by the Maxima and the Euler deconvolution techniques. The 2.5D model points out the variation of depths of the NE-SW-trending major faults. In this study, we demonstrate the relationship between the NE-SW and the NW-SE directions. These two major sets of faults have been determined by the statistical study of the lineaments. This study confirms some faults already recognized or supposed by the classical geological studies, and it also detects a new deep fault masked in the surface, and gives information about major fault depths and the relation between different structures.