Paleoecology of Benthic Foraminifera in Coral Reefs Recorded in the Jurassic Tuwaiq Mountain Formation of the Khashm Al-Qaddiyah Area, Central Saudi Arabia

Journal Article

مستخلص المنشور

Thirty three benthic foraminiferal species belong to 23 genera and 16 families have been
recorded from the coral reefs of the Callovian Tuwaiq Formation, Khashm Al-Qaddiyah area, Central
Saudi Arabia. Three species: Astacolus qaddiyahensis, Nodosaria riyadhensis, Siderolites jurassica are
believed to be new. Nearly all identified foraminifera are of Atlantic-Miditeranean affinity. The foraminiferal
assemblage recorded in the present work is mixed of open marine, moderately deep marine
conditions associations and shallow to deep lagoon. The reefal part of upper Twiaq Formation
may have been deposited in shallow water of lower to middle shelf depth (20–50 m) as indicated by
abundant corals and benthic foraminifera. The coral fauna and bearing benthic foraminifera indicated
moderate water energy.