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Palaeoenvironmental and Palaeontological Study of the Gabal Ekma Section (Egypt) Throughout the Coniacian-Santonian Boundary

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The Phanerozoic Geology and Natural Resources of Egypt

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Abstract

The Gabal Ekma section, located in the Sinai desert (Egypt), is characterised by shallow marine deposits of mixed siliciclastic/carbonate sediments of the Matulla Formation which includes the Coniacian and Santonian stages. The section exhibits significant accumulation of organic-rich intervals and phosphatic layers associated with fossiliferous vertebrate remains. The Coniacian-Santonian (CS) carbon isotopic patterns appear to be recognised in the Egyptian section and are used to characterise the interval of the CS oceanic anoxic event (OAE 3). However, this latest Cretaceous OAE appears not to be truly important on a global scale but was more dependent on local or regional conditions. These are mainly limited to shallow-water environments and epicontinental seas of the equatorial and South Atlantic basins and the Western Interior Seaway. Based on a weathering index and mineralogy, climate gradually evolved from warm and seasonal climate to arid conditions during the late Coniacian up to the base of the Santonian (Michel Dean Event). Then a significant change to more humid and tropical conditions is observed above the Michel Dean Event (early Santonian), which persisted up to the Buckle Event (base on the late Santonian), coinciding with the organic-rich shales deposits in deeper environments. Fluctuations in total phosphorus (Total-P) contents are clearly independent from detrital input but seem to be controlled by regional anoxia and phosphogenesis. Total-P contents are indeed depleted in the organic-rich interval, suggesting intense P regeneration due to anoxic conditions. This type of P regeneration may explain the formation of the bone bed located at the C-S boundary characterised by very well-preserved shark teeth and vertebra, associated with phosphatised nodules in a sandy phosphatic matrix.

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Acknowledgements

We warmly thank Peggy Vincent (MNHM, Paris, France), Jeremy E. Martin (ENS Lyon, France) for the vertebrate remains determination, Guillaume Guinot (INSEM, Montpellier, France) for the current study of shark teeth. We warmly also thank Valentina Togni and Alicia Fantasia for their helpful laboratory assistance, Hassan Khozyem for his advice, help in laboratory, and assistance during fieldwork in Egypt, Abdelaziz Tantawy (Aswan University) for his help in the field in Egypt, and Tiffany Monnier and Jean-Claude Lavanchy for the analyses of major element. This research is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grants 200021-116046/1 and 200020-119943/1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Brahimsamba Bomou & Thierry Adatte

  2. Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Jorge E. Spangenberg

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  1. Brahimsamba Bomou
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  2. Thierry Adatte
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  3. Jorge E. Spangenberg
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Correspondence to Brahimsamba Bomou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt

    Zakaria Hamimi

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt

    Hassan Khozyem

  3. Lausanne, Switzerland

    Thierry Adatte

  4. IFP Energies Nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France

    Fadi H. Nader

  5. Department of Geoscience, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Missouri, MO, USA

    Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe

  6. Department of Geoscience, University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX, USA

    Mohamed K. Zobaa

  7. University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Haytham El Atfy

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Bomou, B., Adatte, T., Spangenberg, J.E. (2023). Palaeoenvironmental and Palaeontological Study of the Gabal Ekma Section (Egypt) Throughout the Coniacian-Santonian Boundary. In: Hamimi, Z., et al. The Phanerozoic Geology and Natural Resources of Egypt. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95637-0_11

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