Late Cenomanian ostracode faunas from the area south of Ain Sukhna, western side of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Mohamed Boukhary,Moustafa Kerdany,Ragy Eissa,Abdel-Mohsen M. Morsi

doi:10.4154/gc.2009.02

Abstract

Study of ostracode faunas from a Cenomanian exposure represented by the Galala Formation in the area south of the town Ain Sukhna on the western side of the Gulf of Suez has yielded 11 species belonging to 10 genera. The recorded species have been taxonomically described, discussed where required, and illustrated. The ostracode assemblage is characteristic for the late Cenomanian. It is composed of taxa of a typical marine shelf setting. The majority of the recorded species have a vastly extending geographic distribution in the areas along the southern shores of the Tethys, indicating the absence of significant geographic barriers along this stretch during the late Cenomanian.

Highlights

The studied section is located on the western side of the Gulf of Suez, 5 km south of Ain Sukhna at latitude 29°33 ́17 ̋ and longitude 32°20 ́24 ̋ (Fig. 1)
A well-preserved ostracod fauna has been retrieved from the Galala Formation
The investigated section was previously studied for foraminifers (KERDANY et al, 1973) and ostracods (BOUKHARY et al, 1977)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The studied section is located on the western side of the Gulf of Suez, 5 km south of Ain Sukhna at latitude 29°33 ́17 ̋ and longitude 32°20 ́24 ̋ (Fig. 1) It consists of yellowish and grayish calcareous marls assigned to the Cenomanian Galala Formation (Fig. 2). It is underlain by a covered interval resting upon a ~70 m thick succession of varicoloured sandstones with minor clay, marl and limestone interbeds of the Permo-Triassic Qiseib Formation of ABDALLAH & ADINDANI (1963). The number of previous studies dealing with the Cenomanian ostracods of Egypt has been substantially increased and many publications are available. DAMOTTE (1985, 1995), VIVIÉRE (1985), ATHERSUCH (1988, 1994), BABINOT & COLIN (1988), MAJORAN (1988, 1989, 1996), ANDREU-BOUSSUT (1991), ANDREU (1993), ABDALLAH et al (1995), GEBHARDT (1999), COLIN et al (2001), LUGER (2003) and SCHULZE et al (2004) have been used here

SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS

BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC IMPLICATIONS

PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHIC IMPLICATIONS