STRATIGRAPHY, PALEONTOLOGY AND DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS OF SOME EXPOSED MIOCENE SEDIMENTS IN CAIRO-SUEZ DISTRICT, EGYPT

Journal Article

• Magazine \ Newspaper: Egypt. Jour. Paleontol.,
• Volume Number: 5
• Pages: 223 - 251

Publication Abstract

The transgressive-regressive Miocene succession exposed at gabals Geneife, Homeira
and Gharra in Cairo-Suez District is unconformably underlain and overlain by continental
sediments of Oligocene and post Miocene (?) respectively. It could be differentiated into two
rock-units from base to top, Gharra Formation and Genefe Formation. Thirty eight macrofossil
species (26 bivlaves, 7 gastropods and 5 echinoids) have been identified and photographed.
They belong to 19 genera and 15 families. The paleogeographic and biogeographic distribution
of the majority indicated an Atlantic-Mediterranean affinity with few Indo-Pacific one. The
studied marine Miocene sequence in the study areas was divided into two sedimentary facies:
the lower one is a clastic-dominated facies, which is represented by the Gharra Formation while
the upper one is a carbonate-dominated and is represented by the Genefe Formation. Based
on microfacies associations, sedimentary structures and fossil content the studied Miocene
succession was deposited in an environment ranged from tidal flat, typical reef flank to shelf
lagoons with open circulation.