At the entrance to Wadi El Mahash El Asfal, Ras El Burka submarine prolonged alluvial fan was constructed on the western side of the Gulf of Aqaba. The fan's growth pattern, sedimentation, and structure are all attempted to be explained in this paper. Geophysical studies in the northern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba were conducted during the cruise M44/3 in 1999 and form the basis for the research of the Ras El Burka region.
The Sinai Peninsula hills and mountains that had been eroded provided the sediment for this fan, and during the infrequent rains, the sediment was transported to the Gulf of Aqaba via Wadi El Mahash El Asfal. Sedimentary facies inside the Ras El Burka fan were interpreted using high-resolution multi-channel seismic profiles, which revealed variable seismic facies. The predominant seismic facies exhibit reflections of moderate to high amplitude, which are understood to be gravel to sand deposits. Thus, a coarse-grained, sand-rich turbidite system may be used to describe the Ras El Burka submarine fan. Since there are still active faults and steep slopes, many of these slumps and slides are likely caused by these factors on the sharp slope, the walls of the canyons, and the fault scarps of the fan. The interaction between sediment inflow, tectonism, and climatic conditions determines the patterns of sedimentation in the fan.