Abstract
El-Guss Abu Said plateau lies on the western scarp of Farafra Oasis. The studied succession consists of Esna Formation (shale) at the base, which is overlain by well-bedded alveoline marl (Nusf Formation) with occasional limestone ledges rich in nummulitic fauna. This unit ends with varved-like thin beds of marl and limestone before it is truncated by limestone unit of the Farafra Formation (limestone). Esna Formation is deep shelf facies as it is rich in planktonic foraminifera that assign it to Early Eocene in age. The first occurrence of nummulitic fauna was recorded in the lower part of Nusf Formation. Two species of Nummulites were identified; Nummulites solitarius de la Harpe 1883 and Nummulites fraasi de la Harpe 1883. These two species date this unit to Early Eocene time (Ypresian) that ranges from SBZ5 to SBZ6 of the standard Serra-Kiel et al., 1998, shallow benthic zonal scheme. The shift from deep shelf facies of Esna Formation to the carbonate platform facies of Nusf and Farafra Formations could point to a tectonic uplift that occurred in Early Eocene time.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr. Gamal Salama, Faculty of Education Ain Shams University, and Dr. Kamel Mahfouz and Mr. Eslam El-Sheikh, El-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, for their kind help in the field work.
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Shreif, A., Boukhary, M., Abul-Nasr, R.A. et al. Ypresian Nummulites and their stratigraphic significance from El-Guss Abu Said plateau, Farafra Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 12, 72 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-4195-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-4195-x