Gravimetric Study of the Khemis Miliana Plain (Upper Cheliff Basin): Structure of the Transition Zone Between the Cheliff and Mitidja Basin (North of Algeria)

Abstract

Located in the North of Algeria, between two important seismogenic basins (the Cheliff and the Mitidja basin), the Khemis Miliana plain represents an important structure in understanding the connection between these two seismogenic basins. This Neogenic plain is known as a large depression covered with Quaternary alluvial deposits. It corresponds to an elongated East-West structure, is about 80 km long and 35 km wide. From September 2016 to April 2018 we achieved a new geophysical survey in this area. A total of 1536 gravity measurements points, spaced ~1 km apart were realized. This work leads to the establishment of a new structural image of the Khemis Miliana plain, using of different processing methods applied on gravity data. This allows the identification of the anomalies, causative structures and lineaments and the understanding of the connection between the Cheliff and Mitidja basins.