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SEQUENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF HANIFA FORMATION (UPPER JURASSIC) PALEOCNVIRONMENTS AND PALEOGEOGRAPHY, CENTRAL SAUDI ARABIA
Author(s) -
Moshrif Mohamed A.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of petroleum geology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1747-5457
pISSN - 0141-6421
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-5457.1984.tb00889.x
Subject(s) - geology , paleontology , fauna , transgressive , marine transgression , carbonate platform , palaeogeography , reef , shore , sea level , oceanography , structural basin , tectonics , facies , ecology , volcanism , biology
The Hanifa Carbonate lithofacies (Upper Jurassic) started to develop during Early Kimmeridgian time, when an extensive area in central Arabia was covered by relatively deep marine waters. These rock units were formed along a shoreline, resulting in sucessive lagoonal and tidal‐flat belts, the deposition of pelleted and laminated calcilutites and gypsum, and a restricted fauna. The open shelf lay east of the lagoon zone, accounting for the development of oolites, coral reef and calcarenites, and a diversified fauna on the deeper shelf. At its maximum extent, the “Hanifa Sea” reached west nearly as far as the city of Riyadh in central Saudia Arabia, and extended NE and east, covering Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Iran. South of Riyadh, the Hanifa lithofacies may be traced towards the SE over the Rub‐al‐Khali area, and SW over Yemen and the Aden Protectorates. North and NW of Riyadh, these same Upper Jurassic shallow‐marine rock units developed over Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and northern Sinai, and most probably extended over northern Africa. Although the sediments forming the lower part of the Hanifa suggest that during Early Kimmeridgian tima a transgressive phase began, and most likely continued during part of the Middle Kimmeridgian, a regressive stage ensued towards the end of th Kimmeridgian, when the upper part of the Hanifa was deposited.