Modern and Quaternary Red Sea Carbonate platforms and Mixed systems

Several ongoing projects are currently investigating modern and Quaternary sedimentation in the Red Sea, with key focus areas along the Egyptian coastline (including Abu Dabbab, Soma Bay, and others) and the Saudi Arabian coastline (such as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Farasan Islands). Investigated topics include the coupling of integrated carbonate-siliclastic sediment-routing systems, the record of sea-level changes, and the physical and geological processes controlling carbonate deposition.

One of the projects investigates the largely unexplored Farasan Islands and adjacent carbonate banks along the southern Saudi Red Sea margin. We focus on the morphology, structure, and evolution of mesophotic to aphotic carbonate systems and associated seafloor geomorphology. While shallow reefs (<30 m) are well documented, deeper carbonate platforms and the surrounding deep seafloor remain poorly understudied in this area. Using integrated multibeam bathymetry, seismic imaging, and sedimentological data, we aim to understand how tectonics (especially salt tectonics), climate variability, and sea-level change have influenced the development of these carbonate systems and seafloor features over the past million years and into the present.