Marada Formation

Marada Fm

Period:

Neogene

Age Interval:

Early-Middle Miocene

Province:
Sirte Basin

Type Locality and Naming

The Marada Formation crops out extensively in jebels and scarps around Marada Oasis (central Sirte Basin) and the Jebel Zelten (Selley, 1997).

Synonym: Marádah Fm,

References: Selley, 1997; Abugares, 2007

Lithology and Thickness

The Marada Formation consisting of interbedded shales, sandstone, sandy limestone and calcarenite (Abugares, 2007). Lower - Qarat Jahannam Member (ca. Aquitanian-Burdigalian) of cross-bedded sandstones and calcareous shales. Upper - Ar Rahlah Member (ca. Langhian-Serravallian) of bioclastic limestone and calcareous sandstone.

Lithology Pattern:

Sandy limestone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It unconformably overlies the Diba Fm.

Upper contact

-NA- Basin’s surface.

Regional extent

GeoJSON

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Fossils

Age

“The clastic-phase has thought to be deposited in the Lower Miocene (Aquitanian-Burdigalian) since the lower Qarat Jahannam Member rests on an erosional surface of submarine origin in the southwestern outcrops. The second phase, however, is interpreted to be deposited in the Middle Miocene (Langhian and Serravallian) based on the total-stratigraphic range of the larger benthicforaminifera Borelis melo melo” (Abdulsamad et al. (2021). Miocene rocks around the Marádah Oasis, Central Sirt Basin, Libya: Facies Development and implication on stratigraphy. Earth-Science Research, 10 (1).)

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Aquitanian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.00

Beginning date (Ma):

23.04

Ending stage:

Serravallian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

1.0

Ending date (Ma):

11.63

Depositional setting

The Marada Fm. accumulated as interfingering of various continental, littoral, and shallow-marine deposits (Abugares, 2007).

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

T. S. Ahlbrandt (2001): The Sirte Basin Province of Libya—Sirte-Zelten Total Petroleum System, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2202–F

R.C. Selley (1997): The Sirte Basin of Libya. In: African Basins. Sedimentary Basins of the World, 3, edited by R.C. Selley (Series Editor: K.J. Hsu), Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, pp. 27-37.

Abugares, Miloud M. (2007): Deposition, Diagenesis, and Reservoir Development of the Cretaceous Lidam Formation, SE Sirt Basin, Libya. Durham e-Theses. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2599/

Elkanouni, I. E. D. (2014). Sedimentology, Sequence stratigraphy and Spatial-temporal Patterns of the late Paleocene Succession, western Sirt Basin, Libya, Durham e Theses. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10538/