Recently, one of the important methods for studying crustal deformation, by means of space techniques,
is the Global Positioning System (GPS). The earth's crust deformation attains values of only few mm/yr and can be
determined according to the spatial and time density of the measurements as well as their degree of accuracy. A
geodetic network consists of 11points was established early in 1997 in southern Sinai . This network was observed six
times in different campaigns during the period 1997 – 2003. The observed data were analyzed using Bernes 4.2
software to determine velocity vectors along the Gulf of Suez and Sinai Peninsula. The estimated horizontal velocity
vectors in the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2000) show that the velocity of Sinai Peninsula ranges
from 1.8 to 2.3± 0.5 mm/yr in the NE direction. This velocity is consistent with those predicted by the model NUVEL-
1A in the same direction but smaller in magnitude.
The strain Tensor program was used to estimate the principal axes of strains. The principal axes of the strain
indicate that the studied region is mainly divided into two areas: western part, around Gulf of Suez, where extensional
strain is predominant and the eastern part, around the Gulf of Aqaba, where compressional strains prevail. Principal
axes of the strain indicate that an extensional force is acting along the Gulf of Suez in NE-SW direction. Moreover, the
principal axes of strains show a good correlation with the directions obtained from earthquake focal mechanisms. |
