Biostratigraphic implications of the Maastrichtian-lower Eocene sequence at the North Gunna section, Farafra Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Biostratigraphy of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in the Sirwan Valley (Sulaimani Region, Kurdistan, NE Iraq)

“…bulbosa Belford, Gublerina cuvillieri Kikoine, Gumbelitria cretacea Cushman. As defined above, the present Biozone CF3 is correlatable with the zone recorded by Li & Keller (1998a,b), Abramovich & Keller (2003) in DSDP Site 525A, Abramovich et al (2002) from Madagascar, Keller et al (1995) Abawi et al (1982) and Abdel-Kireem (1986a); in Italy by Premoli Silva & Sliter (1995 and Premoli Silva et al (1998); in Egypt by Abdel-Kireem & Samir (1995).…”

Maastrichtian to Paleocene depositional environment of the Dakhla Formation, Western Desert, Egypt: sedimentology, mineralogy, and integrated micro- and macrofossil biostratigraphies

“…A major hiatus spanning zones CF2-CF3 (c. 61-65.5 Ma) is also present in the Farafra area where sediment deposition occurred in a deeper middle to outer neritic environment, and a hiatus of similar magnitude was identified at the nearby Ain El Khadra section by Ibrahim & Abdel-Kireem (1997). The widespread erosion during the late Maastrichtian in the Western Desert is generally attributed to uplift of the Bahariya arch (Said, 1961;Abdel-Kireem & Samir, 1995;Galal, 1995;Abdel-Kireem et al, 1996;Ibrahim & Abdel Kireem, 1997) within the Syrian arc system (Almogi-Labin et al, 1990). Our study suggests that localized uplift in the Bir Abu Minqar area may have continued through the middle and late Maastrichtian, whereas at other localities uplift and erosion was restricted to the late Maastrichtian beginning about 66 Ma (Figure 18).…”

“…One of the major problems encountered by all investigators was the poor age control of Upper Cretaceous stratigraphic sequences in the Western Desert as a result of a poor fossil record. Exceptions are the outcrops of the Farafra Oasis, which are rich in microfossils (Hottinger, 1960;Said & Kerdany, 1961;Youssef & Abdel Aziz, 1971;Samir, 1994Samir, , 1995Abdel-Kireem & Samir, 1995;Tantawy, 1998), and the Cenomanian deposits of the Bahariya Formation to the north (Slaughter & Thurmond, 1974;Dominik, 1985;Allam, 1986;Werner, 1989;Smith et al, 2001). Consequently, age control in most studies of the Dakhla Formation was limited to assigning an undifferentiated Maastrichtian age, and correlation of sequences was frequently based on the lithology of formations (e.g., upper Campanian Duwi Formation, Maastrichtian Dakhla Formation, Paleocene Tarawan Formation).…”

Fossil plant remains from Oligocene (?) of Farafra Oasis, Egypt

“…The plant-bearing, stromatolitic limestones of Northern Gunna have been erroneously equated to the Farafra Limestone capping the Esna Shale in the plateau of El-Guss Abu Said to the west and southwest of these hillocks (Youssef and Abdel-Aziz, 1971;Abdel-Kireem and Samir, 1995); probably on the basis of their stratigraphic position. However, it has been shown that the Esna Shale of Northern Gunna correlates only with the lower part of the Esna Shale of El-Guss Abu Said and hence, the greater part of these shales (and the overlying Farafra Limestone) must have been stripped away by erosion from the hillocks of Northern Gunna prior to the formation of the stromatolitic limestones (Strougo, 1996).…”