Melaz Shuqran Fm
Period:
Ordovician
Age Interval:
Katian
Province:
Murzuq Basin, Ghadames Basin
Type Locality and Naming
Named after Melez Shuqran Mountains in the western part of Jabal Al Hasawnah province, by Massa and Collomb (1960). The Melaz Shuqran Formation is well developed in the Idri area on the Al Qarqaf Arch, and has also been mapped along the western flank of the Murzuq Basin (Alkhalas, 2006). It is also called Melez Shugran Fm (see Fig. 1.3 of Alkhalas, 2006), and Melez Chograne Fm. (Shalback, 2015).
Synonym: Melez Chograne (Craig, 2006; used in SEPM)
References: Collomb, 1960; Pierobon, 1991; Hallett, 2002; Alkhalas, 2006; Shalback, 2015
Lithology and Thickness
the formation is characterized by shales and siltstones along with fine-grained sandstones deposited in a quiet marine, pre-glacial environment. It is a pelitic to fine clastic sequence consisting of varicolored, chloritic, thin-bedded shales and siltstones intercalated with fine-grained sandstone exhibiting micro-hummocks, wave ripples and bioturbations which attest to a shallow marine facies (Alkhalas, 2006; Shalback, 2015).
Lithology Pattern:
Sandy claystone
Relationships and Distribution
Lower contact
It unconformably overlies the Hawaz Fm (Ordovician glaciation).
Upper contact
It is unconformably overlain by the Mamuniyat Fm (Ordovician glaciation).
Regional extent
It is present in the Murzuq and Ghadames Basins.
GeoJSON
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Fossils
Age
The underlying Hawaz Fm is Darriwilian-Sandbian, therefore this formation is placed in the Katian, but with a termination in latest Katian by the glacial unconformity.
Age Span:
Beginning stage:
Katian
Fraction up in beginning stage:
0.00
Beginning date (Ma):
452.75
Ending stage:
Katian
Fraction up in the ending stage:
0.9
Ending date (Ma):
445.96
Depositional setting
Quiet marine, periglacial environment (Alkhalas, 2006)
Depositional pattern:
Additional Information
Compiler:
Enam O. Obiosio, Solomon Joshua Avong and Henry Nasir Suleiman (2024) - Stratigraphic Lexicon compiled from the following books: