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Carboniferous stratigraphy and depositional environments in the Ahnet Mouydir area (Algerian Sahara)

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Abstract

An up to 3,000-m-thick pile of Carboniferous rocks covers the northern fringe of the Precambrian Hoggar Massif (Touareg Shield) in southern Algeria, thus terminating the depositional history of the Palaeozoic in this sector of the North African Craton. The previous Devonian (Eifelian to Frasnian) palaeogeographic configuration of the area, characterized by ridges and shallow basins, is leveled by a widespread Famennian playa and lower Tournaisian delta sedimentation on a largely undifferentiated shelf. Tournaisian to Moscovian strata were deposited under open-marine, deltaic, shallow-subtidal, fluvial, and continental environments. The Carboniferous sequence can be subdivided into 12, largely interfingering, lithostratigraphic formations, which were dated by conodonts, ammonoids, foraminifers, and brachiopods, yielding a modified biostratigraphic framework of the area. The formations are stacked in four transgressive–regressive cycles, which include two major gaps, one during the middle Tournaisian, the other during the middle Visean to Serpukhovian. The oscillations of sea level can be traced into neighboring areas and seem coeval to early pulses of the Late Carboniferous/Early Permian glaciation of Gondwana. To a lesser degree they may reflect more local tectonic effects of the Variscan orogeny.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, grants We 239/15.1-4 and Ko 1829/3-1). The extensive fieldwork would not have been possible without the strenuous assistance of several students. Two short field trips were financially supported by SONATRACH and organized by K. Boumendjel and H. Naili (Boumerdès, Algeria). Brachiopods were determined by M. Mergl (Plzen, CSR) and N. Farsan (deceased), foraminifers by L. Hance (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium), plant remains by B. Meyer-Berthaud (Montpellier, France). The manuscript benefited from discussions with T. Aigner (Tübingen) and the critical and constructive comments of the two reviewers, H.-G. Herbig (Cologne, Germany) and I. D. Somerville (Dublin, Ireland). Technical assistance was offered by W. Gerber and P. Jeisecke (both Tübingen). We are grateful to these persons and organizations for their assistance in making this project possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geowissenschaften der Universität, Sigwartstrasse 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    J. Wendt

  2. Institut für Erdwissenschaften der Universität, Heinrichstrasse 26, 8010, Graz, Austria

    B. Kaufmann

  3. Instytut Geologii Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza, ul. Makow Polnych 16, 61-606, Poznan, Poland

    Z. Belka

  4. Naturhistorisches Forschungsinstitut Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    D. Korn

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  1. J. Wendt
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  2. B. Kaufmann
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  3. Z. Belka
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  4. D. Korn
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Wendt.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Coordinates of sections

232 (Hassi Habadra)

26° 30,695′; E 4° 6,657′

247/246 (NE of Jebel Berga, JB)

Base: N 26° 44,412′; E 1° 51,805′

Top: 26° 14,165′; E 1° 51,147′

254 (Adrar Morat, Ad)

Base: N 25° 47,805′; E 1° 32, 336′

257 (Imedene n’Azarif)

Base: N 25° 13,248′; E 3° 12,360′

260/259 (Erg Teguentour, ET)

Base: N 26° 8,622′; E 2°50,539′

Top: N 26° 8,223′; E 2° 51,842′

263 (Iridet et Tahthania)

N 26°37,029′; E 2° 51,881′

268 (Ain Behaga)

Base: N 26° 47,289′; E 3° 42,920′

272 (Jebel Azaz, JA)

Top: N 27° 7,796′; E 3° 23,875′

292 (WSW of Gara Azel Matti, AM)

Base: N 25° 35,604′; E 0° 49,238′

Top: N 25° 35,065′; E 0° 47,624′

294 (NW of Gara Azel Matti)

N 25° 53,749′; E 0° 42,400′

314 (Oued Habadra)

N 26° 31,007′; E 4° 2,330′

320 (Oued Temertasset, OT)

N 26° 36,693′; E 3° 50,175′

321/264–266 (Oued Temertasset, OT)

Base: 26° 41,340′; E 3° 48,188′

Top: 26° 42,237′; E 3° 49, 205′

325 (NE of Jebel Berga, JB)

Base: N 26° 44,400′; E 1° 51,902′

Top: N 26° 44,019′; E 1° 51,122′

330 (N of Ain Tiouendjiguine)

Base: N 26° 55,892′; E 3° 34,953′

Top: N 26° 55,853′; E 3° 34,813′

341 (W of Gara Azel Matti)

N 25° 38,394′; E 0° 47,919′

374 (Hassi Habadra)

N 26° 30,977′; E 3° 52,976′

385/303 (Hassi Taibine, HT)

Base: N 26° 34,758′; E 0° 26,935′

Top: N 2° 34,643′; E 0° 26,052′

403/249–252 (Tirechchoumine, T)

Base: N 26° 12,971′; E 1° 54,051′

Top: N 26° 12,314′; E 1° 57,407′

435 (SSW Jebel Mouima, JM)

Base: N 25° 46,434′; E 2° 48,881′

Top: N 25° 45,559′; E 2° 47,269′

  1. Spelling of locality names is according to the topographic 1:200,000 map of Algeria. Letter symbols refer to Figs. 2 and 3

Appendix 2

Biostratigraphically significant taxa

1. Genera of ammonoids (new taxa omitted)

    Acutimitoceras sp. (250/6)

    Bollandites div. sp. (251/26, 251/27)

    Bollandoceras div. sp. (246, 251/26)

    Eurites div. sp. (320/5)

    Heliocyclus div. sp. (321)

    Imitoceras div. sp. (264, 321)

    Muensteroceras div. sp. (251/6, 259/5, 264, 320/5, 321)

    Nigrocyclus div. sp. (321)

    Ouaoufilalites sp. (320/5)

    Pericyclus div. sp. (264, 321)

    Polaricyclus div. sp. (264, 321)

    Progoniatites div. sp. (264, 321)

    Winchelloceras div. sp. (321) 251/26)

2. Conodonts

    Apatognathus sp. (303/26)

    Cavusgnathus naviculus (252/58, 385/1)

    Cavusgnathus unicornis (303/4, 252/58)

    Declinognathus noduliferus (252/58, 303/24, 385/1)

    Gnathodus bollandensis (303/24)

    Gnathodus cuneiformis (272/7, 292/13)

    Gnathodus delicatus (272/7)

    Gnathodus bilineatus bollandensis (325/7)

    Gnathodus pseudosemiglaber (251/15, 251/20, 251/24, 251/26, 251/29, 251/30, 259/1, 263, 264, 265, 265/2, 266, 272/7, 292/21, 292/24, 320/6, 341, 403/11, 403/14, 403/16, 403/18, 435/8, 435/14, 435/24)

    Gnathodus semiglaber (263, 266, 272/7, 292/24, 341, 403/16, 435/14)

    Hindeodus cristulus (325/7)

    Hindeodus minutus (303/24, 252/58)

    Lochriea commutata (303/24)

    Mestognathus bipluti (385/1, reworked)

    Polygnathus bischoffi (272/7)

    Polygnathus communis communis (272/7)

    Polygnathus inornatus (272/7)

    Pseudopolygnathus multistriatus (272/7)

    Pseudopolygnathus pinnatus (320/6, 435/8)

3. Brachiopods (det. M. Mergl and N. Farsan)

    Antiquatonia hindei wettonensis (259/4)

    Cleiothyridina sp. (251/24, 251/26)

    Composita sp. (250/6, 251/24, 251/26, 292/13)

    Cupularostrum minutum (250/6)

    Cupularostrum sp. (251/3, 292/13)

    cf. Flexaria (252/28)

    cf. Grandispirifer (292/24)

    Marginatia sp. (292/13)

    Marginatia sp. (251/26, 259/4)

    Orbiculoidea sp. (251/24, 251/26)

    Paragastroderhynchus serdelensis (250/3)

    Pleuropugnoides cf. pleurodon (251/24, 251/26)

    Prospira cf. platycosta (250/6)

    Rhipidomella cf. maharuga (250/6)

    Rhipidomella sp. (251/24, 251/26)

    Saharonetes saharensis (250/6, 292/13)

    Schuchertella sp. (251/3, 292/13)

    Semiproductus? (250/6)

    Syringothyris sp. (250/6, 251/3)

    Syringothyris cf. texta (292/13)

    Tylothyris laminosa (A59/4)

4. Foraminifers (det. L. Hance)

    Archaediscus sp. (tenuis stage?) (403/11)

    Archaeodiscus sp. (385/5)

    Biseriella parva (303/33)

    Bradyina rotula (385/2)

    Cribrostomum sp. (385/4)

    Endostaffella sp. (385/5)

    Endothyra sp. (385/3, 385/4)

    Endothyranopsis sphaerica (385/2, 385/3)

    Endothyranopsis sp. (303/33)

    Eostaffella angusta (385/2)

    Eostaffella sp. (385/2, 385/5, 385/6)

    Hemigordius sp. A (Grove 1983) (435/24)

    Janischewskina typica (385/4)

    Koskinotextularia sp. (303/33)

    Mediocris sp. (385/3, 385/5)

    Neoarchaediscus sp. (385/3)

    cf. Neoarchaeodiscus–transition angulatus–tenuis (385/3)

    cf. Neoarchaeodiscus (385/2)

    Omphalotis sp.(385/3)

    cf. Palaeotextularia (303/33)

    Paraarchaediscus sp. (385/5)

    Planoendothyra sp. (385/5)

    cf. Planohowchinia (403/11)

    Plectogyranopsis ex gr. convexa (385/4)

    Plectogyranopsis sp. (303/33)

    Pseudoammodiscus sp. (403/11)

    Pseudoendothyra sp. (385/3, 385/5)

    Tetrataxis sp. (251/12, 263)

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Wendt, J., Kaufmann, B., Belka, Z. et al. Carboniferous stratigraphy and depositional environments in the Ahnet Mouydir area (Algerian Sahara). Facies 55, 443–472 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-008-0176-y

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