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Evidence of halokinetic sequences in Albian deep carbonates around Triassic bodies in the ElKef-Tajerouine area, saliferous province of NW Tunisia

  • 2nd CAJG 2019
  • Published:
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Abstract

Facies and morphostructural enable the recognition of salt–sediment interaction close to the Triassic evaporites of the NE-SW elongated structures of the Kef–Tajerouine area, NW Tunisia. Unconformity-bound growth strata associated with passively rising salt diapirs defined as halokinetic sequences have been recognized within the Debadib-Ben Gasser Triassic salt body (El Kef–Tajerouine area), at the Triassic contact at Guern Halfaya, at J. Slata, and the South of J. Harraba. Salt tectonics was active during the period spanning from the late Albian in the salt province of NW of Tunisia. Facies analyses of Albian sediments revealed that the diapirism appears mainly in the deep facies of the Fahdene Formation. The halokinetic Albian sequences are formed owing to the variations in sediment-accumulation rate versus diapir-rise rate and roof thickness. The halokinetic sequences above and beside the Triassic salt bodies suggest passive diapirism at this time interval. Composite halokinetic sequences bounding unconformities correlate to periods of slower deposition (transgressive system tract).

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr Hector Bismuth for his reports on the samples in the El Kef–Tajerouine stratigraphic sections. They highly appreciate the important suggestions by M. Pierre Souquet on the geodynamic part of this paper. The authors also acknowledge the help of Mr. Christopher Talbot correcting an early draft. We are very grateful to the referees, (Etienne Jaillard, Jurgen Adam and anonymous) whose constructive comments led to significant improvements in the final version of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jalila Saadi, Faculty of Sciences, Carthage University, “Gematics&Geosystems” 02/UR/10-01, Bizerta-Zarzouna, 7021, Tunisia

    Jalila Saadi & Ghassen Dhaouadi

  2. CERT, Borg Cedria, Tunis, Tunisia

    Eslem Neffati

  3. National Office of Mines, La Charguia, Tunis, Tunisia

    Mohamed Ben Youssef

  4. National Office of Mines, La Manouba-Tunis, Tunisia

    Faouzi Daha

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  1. Jalila Saadi
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  2. Eslem Neffati
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  3. Ghassen Dhaouadi
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  4. Mohamed Ben Youssef
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  5. Faouzi Daha
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Correspondence to Jalila Saadi.

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Responsible Editor: Attila Ciner

This paper was selected from the 2nd Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG), Tunisia 2019

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Saadi, J., Neffati, E., Dhaouadi, G. et al. Evidence of halokinetic sequences in Albian deep carbonates around Triassic bodies in the ElKef-Tajerouine area, saliferous province of NW Tunisia. Arab J Geosci 14, 1451 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07525-1

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