Contribution to the Eocene Sediments in Egypt: A New Formation Name for the Earlymiddle Eocene Sediment

Abstract

Summary The succession of the Eocene at the subsurface of october field (offshore Gulf of suez, Egypt) provides new data and contribution for the evolution of carbonate platform in the Eocene. Sidewall core samples that was obtained from Eocene carbonate sediments so far ascribed to the Thebes formation in the October hydrocarbon field in the Gulf of Suez (Egypt) was studied in terms of sedimentology, paleontology and depositional environment. The study of the Eocene carbonate facies in the October field revealed that 1) The succession is composed of pelagic foraminiferal limestone of varied color, containing abundant planktonic foraminifers and minor traces of chert. 2) Three microfacies are distinguished including wackestone of smaller planktonic foraminifera (53%), wackestone-packstone of planktonic foraminifera (39%) and packstone of planktonic foraminifera, 4) Nannoplankton and Foraminifers indicate that the studied succession is of early Eocene to middle Eocene age, 6) Lithology, fossil content and microfacies indicate a pelagic (basinal) depositional environment in an intraplatform basin at water depths of a few hundred meters. Finally, investigation of this Eocene succession showed that the studied section differs from the typical Thebes Formation concerning lithology, fossil content and facies, so a new Formation name has been introduced (Radwan Formation).