Macrofauna and paleobiogeography of the Callovian Tuwaiq Mountain Formation in central Saudi Arabia
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Macrofauna and paleobiogeography of the Callovian Tuwaiq Mountain Formation in central Saudi Arabia Abdel Galil A. Hewaidy 1 & Sherif Farouk 2 & Khaled M. El-Kahtany 3
Received: 24 February 2015 / Accepted: 28 December 2015 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016
Abstract Forty-six Callovian macrofaunal species including 13 brachiopods, 19 bivalves, and 14 gastropods were collected from three surface sections—Shaib Al Hisyan, Khashm Al Giddiyah, and Dirab—in the Tuwaiq Mountain Formation around Riyadh City in central Saudi Arabia. The fauna is discussed systematically and with respect to biostratigraphic implications and its paleobiogeographic distribution. Four macrobiozones with two barren intervals are identified. These zones are from base upward: Pholadomya (Bucardiomya) lirata, Barren interval (1), Sphringanaria capax, Pholadomya inornata, and Coral Zone of Middle Callovian age and Barren interval (2) of Middle to Late Callovian age. The paleobiogeographic distribution of the fauna confirmed the endemism along the southern Tethyan margin of the Ethiopian Province.
Keywords Jurassic . Brachiopods . Bivalves . Gastropods . Paleobiogeography . Saudi Arabia
* Sherif Farouk [email protected] Abdel Galil A. Hewaidy [email protected]
1
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
2
Exploration Department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Cairo 11727, Egypt
3
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Introduction The Jurassic succession is well exposed in central Saudi Arabia particularly in the Riyadh-Dhurma area (Fig. 1). It represents the world’s largest oil reservoirs in eastern Saudi Arabia (Hughes 2006). The macrofaunal contents of the Tuwaiq Mountain Formation have been treated repeatedly in the past, e.g., by Arkell (1952), Imlay (1970), Enay et al. (1987), and El As’sad (1992) based on their ammonite content; El As’sad (1989) based on their corals; Kier (1972) by studying their echinoids; Almeras (1987) and Cooper (1989) based on brachiopodal contents; and Fischer et al. (2001) on their gastropod content. Additional studies without paleontologic details are those of Steineke et al. (1958). Powers et al. (1966), Powers (1968), Vaslet et al. (1983), Manivit et al. (1985), and Le Nindre et al. (1990). The Tuwaiq Mountain Formation was assigned to different ages in Saudi Arabia by different authors (Arkell 1952; Powers et al. 1966; Powers 1968; Vaslet et al. 1983; Moshrif and El As’sad 1984; Okla 1984; Manivit et al. 1985; Almeras 1987; Enay et al. 1987; Cooper 1989; El As’sad 1989, 1991, 1992; Fischer et al. 2001; Hughes 2006; Dabbagh 2006; Al Saad 2008; Basyoni and Khalil 2011; Fig. 2). Corals are common and were studied in detail as they form biostromes extending for about 1000 km long along the strike in central Saudi Arabia (El As’sad 1989). Generally, the ammonites and corals were subjected to more detailed works, whereas less interest was paid to brachiopods, bivalves, and gastropods. Thus, the
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