Middle to Upper Eocene ostracofauna of central Tunisia and Pelagian Shelf: examples of Jebel Bargou and the Gabes Gulf
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Middle to Upper Eocene ostracofauna of central Tunisia and Pelagian Shelf: examples of Jebel Bargou and the Gabes Gulf Aïda Amami-Hamdi & Kmar Ben Ismail-Lattrache & Ferid Dhahri & Rakia Saïd-Benzarti
Received: 4 October 2012 / Accepted: 21 December 2012 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2013
Abstract Studies on ostracofauna gathered from the Middle– Late Eocene outcropping series of Jebel Bargou anticline, central Tunisia and from an offshore well in the Pelagian Shelf (ABR1) allowed to date major biostratigraphic limits and contribute to improve the precision on the present Eocene biozonation scheme based specially on the planktonic foraminifera markers. Paleogeographic and paleoecological interpretation was derived from an analysis of 60 ostracod species belonging to 38 genera coupled to lithostratigraphic facies interpretation. Ostracods associations indicate an evident similarity between the studied sections with circalittoral taxonomic dominance. In large scale, the ostracofauna recognized in the studied sections shows plentiful similarities with those of Northern Africa and the Middle East regions (Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Jordan, and Sicilia). The similarities with the genera from Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo are rare and totally absent with those of European margin. A. Amami-Hamdi (*) : K. B. Ismail-Lattrache Département de Géologie, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université El Manar, Campus Universitaire, 2092, El Manar II, Tunisia e-mail: [email protected] K. B. Ismail-Lattrache e-mail: [email protected] F. Dhahri Faculté des Sciences de Gafsa, Département des Sciences de la Terre, Université de Gafsa, Campus Universitaire, Sidi Ahmed Zarroug 2112, Tunisia e-mail: [email protected] R. Saïd-Benzarti Société de Recherches et d’Exploitation des Pétroles en Tunisie, 8 Rue Slimen Ben Slimen, 2092, El Manar II, Tunisia e-mail: [email protected]
Accordingly, during the Middle to Late Eocene, marine connection is evident between Northern Africa and the Middle East, probable between Northern Africa and eastern Africa and totally absent between Northern Africa and European margin because ostracods similarities are absent between European and Tunisian ostracods we were identified except some cosmopolitan forms. Keywords Tunisia . Middle to Upper Eocene . Ostracods . Jebel Bargou . Pelagian Shelf . Palaeoecology . Paleobiogeography
Introduction The biostratigraphy of the Middle-Upper Eocene series has been studied in central Tunisia and the Pelagian Shelf. This topic has been discussed in central Tunisia especially around the Jebel and Trozza Jebels by Ben Ismail-Lattrache (2000) and in the Makthar area by Mechmeche (1981). Other studies were focused on the Pelagian Shelf especially the Gabes Gulf (Ellouz 1984; Patriat et al. 2003). In central and southwestern Tunisia, the sedimentology and the micropaleontology of the Middle to Upper Eocene sedimentary succession were discussed in many studies and papers (Oertli 1976; Bismuth et al. 1978; Bismuth 1981; Mechmeche 1981; El Wae
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