College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China

The Gulf of Suez Basin is a very mature and extremely prospective petroleum province. Many heavy oil fields have been found in the Basin, and such reserves are abundant. Characteristics and models of heavy oil are analyzed in this study based on tectonic, basin evolution, stratigraphic distribution and geochemical data. The best reservoirs of heavy oil are Miocene sandstone and limestone formations. Source rocks of hydrocarbon include deep limestone and shale of the Brown Limestone, the Thebes Formation and the Rudeis Formation. Thick evaporite rocks with rock salts and anhydrites deposited broadly throughout the basin are the most important regional seals, whereas Miocene shales are intraformational and regional seals that cover small areas. Heavy oil could be directly generated or densified during vertical migration along faults and reservoir accumulation. The heavy oil accumulation model is a mixed model that includes three mechanisms:fault dispersal, sulfocompound reactions and hydrocarbons generated from immature source rock. After analyzing the model and the distribution of source rocks, reservoirs, heavy oil fields and structures, it is concluded that the potential heavy oil area is at the center of the basin.