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Al Baniyah Formation
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Al Baniyah Fm base reconstruction

Al Baniyah Fm


Period: 
Cretaceous

Age Interval: 
late Turonian-Coniacian


Province: 
Cyrenaica Basin

Type Locality and Naming

Synonym:

References: Shaltami, O.R., et al. (2020), and Google Gemina (Aug’26)


Lithology and Thickness

Well-bedded crystalline limestones and dolomites with rich rudist and echinoid horizons.


Lithology Pattern: 
Dolomitic limestone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Unconformable (lower Turonian is absent) onto the Qasr Al Abid Fm according to Shaltami et al. (2020).

Upper contact

Unconformably (lower Santonian is absent) overlain by the Al Hilal Fm according to Shaltami et al. (2020).

Regional extent


GeoJSON

{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[24.38,28.97],[24.44,29.45],[23.6,29.81],[21.28,29.89],[20.27,32.06],[20.25,33.14],[20.67,33],[23.31,33.18],[24.38,32.55],[24.99,32.54],[25.2,31.39],[26.18,29.37],[24.38,28.97]]]}}

Fossils


Age 

Upper Turonian through Coniacian according to Shaltami et al. (2020).

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Turonian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.5

    Beginning date (Ma): 
91.65

    Ending stage: 
Coniacian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
85.70

Depositional setting


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information

:


Compiler:  
s:

Shaltami, O.R., et al. (2020). Petroleum system of the Cyrenaica Basin – A review. In: 1st International Symposium on Geosciences (ISG2020), 21th March 2020, Proceeding Book: published by BR Petrobras. P. 64-71.

Tawadros, E.E. (2011). Geology of North Africa. CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), 931 pp.

Google Gemini (Aug 2026) – assembled synthesis of Cyrenaica Basin units from various web-accessible publications.

El Oshebi, F.M., Fares, F.F. (2026). Stratigraphy, facies, and depositional environments of the Eocene sequence in the Ras Al Hilal area, Cyrenaica, Libya. Arabian Jour. Geosciences, 19:79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-026-12488-2.

El-Hawat, A.S., Abdulsamad, E.O. (2004) Geology and Archeology of Cyrenaica, Northeastern Libya. Field trip guide B01, 32nd International Geological Congress. 36 pp.