Integrated planktonic stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Lower-Middle Miocene successions in the central and sout
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Integrated planktonic stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Lower-Middle Miocene successions in the central and southern parts of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt Abdel-Galil A. Hewaidy 1 & Medhat M. M. Mandur 2 & Sherif Farouk 2 & Ibrahim S. El Agroudy 2
Received: 16 March 2015 / Accepted: 10 September 2015 / Published online: 24 February 2016 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2015
Abstract Lower to Middle Miocene successions in three offshore wells named GS 160-2, QQ-89, and Ras Elush-2 located in the central and southern parts of the Gulf of Suez were examined for their planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossil assemblages, and paleoenvironments. These successions are subdivided from older to younger into Aquitanian Nukhul, Burdigalian-Langhian Rudeis, Langhian Kareem, and Serravallian Belayim formations. The identified foraminifera includes 54 benthic species belonging to 25 genera and 47 planktonic species belonging to 11 genera, in addition to 64 calcareous nannofossil species belonging to 21 genera. The stratigraphic distribution of these assemblages suggests classifying the studied successions into seven planktonic foraminiferal and six calcareous nannoplankton biozones. The planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton biozones are integrated. Different environments ranging from shallow inner to outer shelf are recognized. This is based on quantitative analyses of foraminifera including benthic biofacies, planktonic/benthonic ratio, and diversity. Syn-rift tectonics played an important role in configuration of the Miocene depositional history in the Gulf of Suez region.
* Medhat M. M. Mandur [email protected] Abdel-Galil A. Hewaidy [email protected] 1
Faculty of Science, Geology Department, Al-Azhar University, Naser City 11727, Cairo, Egypt
2
Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Naser City 11727, Cairo, Egypt
Keywords Lower/Middle Miocene . Foraminifera . Calcareous nannoplankton . Biostratigraphy . Paleoenvironments
Introduction The Miocene successions in the Gulf of Suez are characterized by their vertical and lateral facies changes due to the tectonic rift events that complicated the stratigraphic correlation. An integrated planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy may help in establishing a more accurate correlation in that area. Among the most significant recent publications on the Gulf of Suez area are El-Heiny and Martini (1981), Andrawis and Abdel Malik (1981), Evans (1988), Haggag et al. (1990), El-Azabi (2004), Moustafa (2004), Abul-Nasr et al. (2009), Mandur (2009), Mandur and Baioumi (2011), Abed El-Naby et al. (2010), and Hewaidy et al. (2012, 2013). The present study is an attempt to integrate the planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphic classifications of the Lower to Middle Miocene subsurface successions in the Gulf of Suez region. It also sheds more light on the depositional environmental conditions which prevailed during deposition of the studied successions.
Material and methods The materi
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