Abstract
This study aims to test the relationship between the elements Potassium (K), Uranium (U), and Thorium (Th) measured by spectral gamma-ray to sedimentary facies. Spectral gamma-ray is widely used in depositional facies and sequence stratigraphic analysis. Here, spectral gamma-ray U, Th, and K measurements from two logged sections of the Early Triassic Lower Mahil Formation (Upper Khuff-equivalent, KS1) of Al Jabal Al-Akhdar (Saiq Plateau and Wadi Sahtan), north Oman, are discussed. A detailed sedimentological description for both logged sections was performed using Dunham’s classification, and spectral gamma-ray measurements were taken every 10 cm with an RS-230 BGO Handheld Spectrometer. Several lithofacies were identified, including breccia, packstone/grainstone, and mudstone. Saiq Plateau and Wadi Sahtan lithofacies are grain-dominated facies (e.g., shoals), which indicate that the Lower Mahil Formation was deposited in a shallow carbonate ramp (shoal to foreshoal setting). In all lithofacies in the Lower Mahil Member, the percentage of U exceeds Th and K. This relative enrichment of the U reflects the reduction conditions and high preservation of organic matter.
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Acknowledgements
This study is supported by the Research Council (TRC) Grant Fund # RC/RG-DVC/ESRC/18/01.
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Moustafa, M.S.H. et al. (2023). Spectral Gamma-Ray Variability Within Carbonate Lithofacies: An Example from the Early Triassic Lower Mahil Formation (Upper Khuff-Equivalent) of Al Jabal Al-Akhdar, North Oman. In: Çiner, A., et al. Recent Research on Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Paleontology, Tectonics, Geochemistry, Volcanology and Petroleum Geology . MedGU 2021. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43222-4_12
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