CONTINUOUS SEA-FLOOR SPREADING IN RED SEA: AN ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATION OF MAGNETIC ANOMALY PATTERN.

The magnetic anomaly pattern over the Red Sea can be modeled as a continuous system of sea-floor spreading from the early Miocene to the present by using a time-varying process filter. Application of a time-varying process filter appears to be a powerful tool in analyzing magnetic anomalies over passive continental margins. Estimated flow and intrusion parameters suggest that a wide distribution of axial dikes or horizontal strain is the dominant factor in forming the magnetic anomaly pattern. The interpretation of the anomaly pattern implies that basement within the main trough of the Red Sea is composed of a thick accumulation of volcanic sills and flows deposited during early rifting. The process filter width derived from the magnetic anomaly pattern at earliest rifting can be used to estimate the lateral variation from igneous to continental-type crust in a statistical sense. Refs.