PANORAMIC OF PALEOHABITATS OF PLIOCENE SAHABI FORMATION AND RECENT AS-SAHABI AREA, NORTHERN LIBYA

Ahmed Muftah

doi:10.46717/igj.53.1b.1rz-2020-03-01

Abstract

As-Sahabi area is located to the south of Ajdabiyah city in Sirt Basin, Libya. This area considered as a spectacular open Museum of vertebrate remains (i.e. teeth, bones, skulls and skeletons) of mammals, reptiles, aves and fish. This paper presents the methods used during the excavation and lists most of the documented taxa and finally compare these paleo-habitats with the corresponding present day habitat of As-Sahabi.The As-Sahabi fossils played important role in delineating the paleoenvironment and in understanding the migration routes as well as in tracing their evolutionary trends. These remains are preserved in continental deposits (mainly sands and clays) since 5 million years ago. Six paleo-habitats have been suggested “Salt neritic water paleo-habitat, Eo-Sahabi River paleo-habitat, Riverine forest and river edge: paleo-habitats, Water's edge and Eo-Sahabi estuary Paleo-habitats, Savana Paleo-habitat, and Arid Desert-like paleo-habitat. As-Sahabi vertebrates (e.g. crocodiles, hippos, hyena, etc..) are considered to be the ancestral taxa of the descendant vertebrates exist today in other parts of the world. However, some are found to be indigenous taxa due to migration failure such as the gigantic size, Mastodon (Stegotetrabeledon lybicus) and shovel-tusker proposcidean (Amebelodon cyrenaicus) or medium-sized with short-legged Anthracothere (Libycosaurus petrocchii). &nbsp

Highlights

The well-known Neogene paleontological site in Libya, As Sahabi (Fig. 1) has attracted paleontologists for its open natural museum of Neogene vertebrates, and tourists for its fascinating scenery and impressive desert landscape panorama
El-Shawaihdi et al (2014), El-Shawaihdi et al (2016) amended the lithostratigraphic nomenclatures of the As Sahabi area based on stable isotopes dating of few samples to modify formation "M" and regional correlation to introduced new “lower member” and “upper member” of Sahabi Formation, Qarrat Waddah Formation and Z Formation, the latest version (Fig. 4) the composite columnar section having adopted four superimposed formations composing the substratum: 1- M Formation: Semiconsolidated bioclasts exposed in floor of the Sebkhat, totally or partially decalcified and gypsified
A transgressive bar, followed by interbedding of sand, clay and Muftah dolomitic crusts generally bounded between two dolomite beds, the lower one is highly bioturbated (Fig. 4). 3- Qarat Weddah Formation (≈De Heinzelin and El- Arnauti's V member): Composes mainly of medium-coarse sands and sandy clays with lenses of dolomite and gypsum crystals (Fig. 4). 4- Z Formation (≈De Heinzelin and El- Arnauti's Z member): Very complex fossil soil capping the Sahabi Formation (Fig. 4)

Summary

Introduction

The well-known Neogene paleontological site in Libya, As Sahabi (Fig. 1) has attracted paleontologists for its open natural museum of Neogene vertebrates, and tourists for its fascinating scenery and impressive desert landscape panorama. During the 1920's, Italian soldiers noted by accident the presence of mammal fossil bones in the vicinity of the Qasr as Sahabi, a nowruined fort dating from Roman times, located at the southern part of the present paleontological site. In the early 1930's, the famed Italian geologist and paleontologist Ardito Desio, with Professor G. D' Erasmo from Naples and geologist G. Stefanini from the University of Pisa, conducted the first geological and paleontological investigation in the As Sahabi area (Petrocchi, 1934).

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Results

Conclusion