The Western Desert of Egypt has had a sporadic history of exploration. Production has been continuous since the discovery of the Alemein field in 1967, but the emergence of the Gulf of Suez as a giant oil field province has overshadowed Western Desert production.

Recent discoveries in the Abu Gharidig subbasin, and better quality seismic data from the basin to the north, indicate that there are significant untested structures. A simple extension tectonic model may not completely answer the history of basin evolution. However, by invoking a tectonic model with some wrenching components, both facies and structure can be placed in a coherent regional framework. This new model introduces significant new exploration play concepts.

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