Sedimentologic and facies evidences reveal a marine environment for the Gercus Formation. Facies analysis and associated sedimentary structures including graded beddings decide turbidity origin of the rocks. Marine environment is supported by the identifying glauconite and fossils types reported for the first time.
The formation composed of seven lithotypes; shale/claystone, mudstone, sandstone, carbonate, conglomerate, breccias and debris flow, which are arranged in repeated cycles of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate turbidites in a range of gravity-flow regime. The Gercus successions are grouped into four facies associations confirming marine depositional systems, these are (from bottom to top); slump siliciclastic-calciturbidites (dolomite/shale dominated), proximal siliciclastic-calciturbidites (dolomite/sand dominated), distal siliciclastic-calciturbidites (sand/mud dominated) and slope siliciclastic turbidites (sand/clay dominated) respectively.
Petrographic analysis of sandstone units show predominant of lithic fragments, most of it are carbonate with subordinate tuffaceous fragments, chert, chalcedony, volcanic ash, metamorphic and detrital iron oxides grains, with noticeable grains of glauconite. Varieties of marine fossils are identified includes planktonic bivalves and benthic forams of cool water, which support the deeper marine environment. Petrographic examination of carbonate units reveal skeletal grains of benthic and planktonic forams, stromatolite, planktonic bivalves, corals and algae, with non-skeletal grains of chert, chalcedony, tuffaceous fragments, volcanic ash, and volcanic bubbles.
Petrography, lithofacies and lithostratigraphic analysis of the Gercus Formation suggest deposition in developed marine environment, mainly effected by gravity-flow turbidity currents, and displays successive submarine fans of high density turbulent currents in deeper margins. Mixed siliciclastic-carbonate cycles were deposited in intervals of weaning of turbulent currents. Based on clast type and size, it seems likely that a weakly turbulent to laminar gravity-flow phase was present when the flow event entered the basin at the end part of the fan. A change in flow behavior may have led to deposit sand-rich unit with ‘turbidite’ characteristics, which was subsequently grades upwards to clay-dominated unit.
This paper presents new details of lithostratigraphic subdivisions and associations of the Gercus Formation in Koi Dokan area, and new suggested marine environment of deposition. The previous workers suggest continental and probably mixed with deltaic environments in the upper part.
The Pila Spi formation composed of seven lithotypes; carbonates (dolomite and
dolomitic limestone), marl, shale/claystone, red argillaceous mudstone, sandstone,
carbonate breccias and debris flow, which are arranged in repeated cycles of mixed
siliciclastic-calciturbidites in a range of gravity-flow regime in the Koi Sanjaq area.
Sedimentologic and facies evidences suggest developed marine environment for the
Pila Spi Formation. Facies analysis and associated sedimentary structures including
graded beddings decide turbidity and gravity flow regime origin of the rocks.
Marine environment is supported by the identifying glauconite and fossils types,
which is reported here for the first time rather than lagoon enviro
Sedimentary structures of Gercus Formation in NE Iraq was little studied in the last decades. In this study the identified sedimentary structures display alternative graded and fining upward cycles, load and flute casts, submarine channels, sand and clay balls and pillow structures, convolute and slump beddings, of marine turbidity origin. The foreland part of Tethys basin characterized by deep marine Tanjero and Kolosh Formations followed by the Gercus formation with conformable relationships. The Eocene aged Flysch comprises predominantly litharenitic sandstones and interbedded mudstones, both of turbiditic affinities and most likely derived from a NE Arabian Plate source. The sediments provide excellent examples of distal fan sands as
... Show MoreA surface section of the Gercus Formation (Middle-Late Eocene) was studied in Berafat area, Dohuk Governorate, Northern Iraq. The Gercus Formation consists of a mixed siliciclastic sediments, evaporates and carbonate sequences in the studied region, predominantly in the upper and middle parts. Nevertheless, it usually consists of upward-fining carbonate-rich sandstone cyclothems, marl, conglomerate and siltstone along with a gypsum lens and thin micrite carbonate beds. The Gercus Formation was deposited in delta and delta front of occasionally depositional environment which is represented by red-brown claystone and reddish-brown mudstone lithofacies. Cross bedded pebbly sandstone, trough cross-bedded sandstone and lamin
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The present study deals with the petrographic investigations revealed that the sandstone of Gercus Formation the studied samples of sandstone units composed primarily of rock fragments (sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic), quartz grains (monocrystalline and polycrystalline), and feldspars (orthoclase, microcline and plagioclase). These components are cemented by carbonate and iron oxides. The studied sandstones are classified as litharenites, Sandstone rocks of Gercus Formation are chemically and mechanically unstable due to the high percentage of rock fragments ,such a grain assemblage infers that the source of the rock fragments is nearby. The petrographic analyses indicate that the studied sandstones are immature mineralogically b
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Three formations were studied from seven outcrops extend from Surdash to
Shaqlawa (Cenomanian – Santonian), they comprise Dokan, Gulneri and Kometan
Formations. Four microfacies and eight submicrfacies are identified depending on
this microfacies, we determine the depositional environments. Dokan Formation is
deposited in open-marine deep shelf environment; it could be deposited at deeper
shelf to slope and basinal settings. While Gulneri Formation deposited in open sea
shelf, as well as at outer shelf settings, the sediments consist of organic–carbon rich
black shale and consider a record of the ocean anoxic event 2, Kometan Formation
represent pelagic sediments characterize the deep-marine basins in open mar
Calciturbidites are similar to siliciclastic turbidites in structure, texture, basin physiography and processes of deposition; nevertheless, their clasts (grains) are carbonate minerals. Turbidity currents transport carbonate grains from carbonate source areas and coastal areas to the deep basins after passing the shelf (peri-platform). These currents are triggered by short-lived catastrophic events, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, marine slides, and typhoons. The Late Cretaceous Zagros Foreland and Hinterland in NE-Iraq (Kurdistan Region) was an active source for the shedding of voluminous sediments to the deep basin of Zagros Foreland Basin. During late Campanian, Shiranish Formation was deposited in the foreland basin; it occurs in the
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The Early Jurassic (Liassic) sequence crops out in numerous anticlines of the high folded zone of north and north-east Iraq and in the Rutba subzone (including Ubaid Formation) in west Iraq. The present study deals with siliciclastic / carbonate rocks of the 58 m-thick Ubaid Formation at Zor Hauran valley in south western Iraq. The formation consists of two parts; the lower part is composed of pebbly coarse sandstone and greenish to yellowish soft marl alternated with marly dolostone, while the upper part is characterized by light brown, well bedded dolostone, with stromatolite structure in some locations. Oval, light to dark brown nodules of chert are also present.
A detailed field lithological desc
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