The late Ypresian (early Eocene) Jdeir Formation was deposited in the Mesozoic‐Cenozoic Gabes‐Tripoli Basin, offshore Libya. The basin developed on the northern passive margin of the African Plate and was relatively unstable being affected by syn‐sedimentary tectonic movements. Deposition was coeval with a relative rise of sea‐level and the subsequent highstand. A lower, thinly‐developed nummulitic bank facies with restricted distribution records the transgressive event and is succeeded by more micritic sediments that record the time of maximum flooding. The succeeding sea‐level highstand is represented by a thick, and widely developed, progradational‐aggradational nummulitic sequence that displays lateral changes across WE‐ESE trending facies belts. Three major lithofacies are recognized in the Jdeir Formation: Nummulites packstone‐grainstone, Alveolina‐Orbitoliteswackestone‐packtone, andFragmental‐Discocyclina‐Assilina wackestone‐packstone, depositedin bank, back‐bank, and fore‐bank environments, respectively. The formation passes to the NNE into the pelagic lithofacies of the Hallab Formation; landward, to the south, it passes into shoreline evaporitic facies of the Taljah Formation. The lithofacies were structurally controlled by contemporaneous and/or syndepositional tectonic movements, with nummulitic facies tending to develop on uplifted areas. Petrographic and petrophysical studies indicate that porosity in the Jdeir Formation is controlled by depositional environment, tectonic setting and diagenesis. The combined effects of salt tectonics, a major unconformity at the top of the formation and meteoric diagenesis have produced excellent‐quality reservoir facies at the Bouri oilfield and in other areas. Porosity is highest in the nummulitic bank facies and lowest in the Alveolina‐Orbitolites micrite facies. Good to excellent reservoir quality occurs in the upper part of the nummulitic packstone‐grainstone facies, especially where these sediments overlie structurally high areas. High rates of dissolution found at the crests of domes and anticlines suggest that early diagenetic processes and features are, in part, structurally controlled. Future exploration success will depend on investigation of similar structures within the Gabes‐Tripoli Basin. Both porosity initiation and preservation are related to early depositional and diagenetic processes. The wide time‐gap between hydrocarbon generation and reservoir formation points to the role of the seal in porosity preservation and rules out the assumption that early emplacement of oil had preserved the porosity.

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Dolomitization in the early Eocene Jirani Formation in the Gabes‐Tripoli Basin (offshore western Libya) occurred in two stages. Stage I dolomites are composed of two types, one associated with anhydrite (Type I) the other anhydrite free (Type II,). The stratigraphic and sedimentological settings together with petrographic and geochemical criteria suggest that dolomitization was effected by refluxed evaporative seawater. Stable isotope and trace element analyses suggest dolomitization of both Types from a fluid of near‐surface seawater composition under oxidising conditions modified by evaporation. Non‐luminescence and lack ofzonation of all the dolomite indicate that the dolomitizing fluids maintained a relatively constant composition. The geologic setting during the early Eocene, interpreted as hypersaline lagoon, supports an evaporative reflux origin for the anhydritic dolomite Type I. Type II developed under less saline conditions in the transition zone between lagoon and open marine shelf. Stage II dolomitization is recorded by negative isotope values in both Types I and II indicating their dissolution and recrystallization (neomorphism) by dilute solutions. A period of exposure of the overlying Jdeir Formation following a relative sea‐level fall allowed ingress of meteoric waters into both the Jdeir and the underlying Jirani Formations. Flushing by meteoric waters also resulted in development of excellent secondaly porosity and caused major dissolution of anhydrite to form the anhydritic‐free dolomite facies typical of Type II. Following, and possibly during, both Stages I and II, low temperature dolomites (Type IIIa) precipitated in pore spaces from residual jluids at shallow burial depths, partially occluding porosity. In the late stage of basin evolution, medium clystalline, pore‐filling saddle dolomite precipitated, causing some filling of mouldic and vuggy porosity (Type IIIb). Very light oxygen isotopic signatures confirm that it developed from high temperature fluids during deep burial diagenesis. Calculation of temperatures and timings of the dolomitization and cement phases show that the main dolomitization phases and Type IIIa cements occurred in the early Eocene, and that the saddle dolomite precipitated in the Miocene; these results are consistent with age relationships established from stratigraphic, petrographic and geochemical signatures. The most common porosity includes intercrystal, vuggy and mouldic types. Porosity is both pre‐dolomitization and syn‐dolomitization in origin, but the latter is the most dominant. Hence, reservoir quality is largely controlled by fluid dynamics.

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This study represents a preliminary investigation of the late Messinian subsurface Marsa Zouaghah Formation in the Western Libyan Offshore, Central Mediterranean Sea. The formation was deposited in three major environmental settings: (a) Marginal Sabkha; (b) Open Lagoon; and (c) Hypersaline Lagoon. The marginal sabkha and open lagoonal settings are locally interrupted by intertidal oolitic shoal deposits. The marginal sabkha facies is replaced in central parts of the Libyan offshore by a narrow zone of aeolian‐fluvial facies, the distribution and thickness of which is entirely controlled by a local uplift, the Tripoli Nose'. The marginal sabkha facies broadly defines the late Messinian palaeoshoreline lying parallel to, and north of, the E‐W Jifarah fault system which dominated the southern part of the Libyan offshore. This fades is, thus, interpreted as being structurally controlled by fault systems. The hypersaline lagoonal facies is developed in areas of relatively higher rates of subsidence than that of adjacent facies belts. It is therefore, related to restriction formed by continuous subsidence and evaporation. The Marsa Zouaghah Formation constitutes saltern evaporates deposited over a wide platform in sabkha and lagoonal settings, forming part of the ‘basin‐wide‐evaporites’ of the Mediterranean Basin deposited during the Messinian salinity crisis. The evaporites formed during a major relative sea‐level fall within a subsiding basin situated on the northern continental margin of the African plate. Local, vertical and lateral variations in lithofacies and thickness within the Messinian deposits of the north‐west Libyan offshore were controlled by contemporaneous strike‐slip movements in addition to sea‐level change.