An interpretation of gravity anomalies in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract
This paper gives an interpretation of the results of the 1950 British Submarine Gravity Survey. The area covered by the survey is divided into four separate problems: the environs of Malta, the Crete island arc, Cyprus, and the Nile delta. A 2000 ft. submarine scarp south of Malta is associated with a change in the Bouguer anomaly of about 34 mgal. This scarp is interpreted as a fault scarp, and geological sections consistent with the gravity and seismic data are drawn. The positive anomalies in the southern Aegean Sea and the negative anomalies outside the Crete island arc lead to the hypothesis that, in this area, the granitic and intermediate layers are of constant thickness, the Mohorovicic discontinuity remaining parallel to the surface topography. Large positive anomalies on Cyprus indicate the presence of a large buried basic or ultrabasic mass; this mass is discussed with relation to the geological structure of the island. The thickness of sediments on the Nile delta and the crustal sag caused by them are estimated from gravity anomalies and topographic considerations.

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