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Qasr Al Abid Formation
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Qasr Al Abid Fm base reconstruction

Qasr Al Abid Fm


Period: 
Cretaceous

Age Interval: 
late Cenomanian


Province: 
Cyrenaica Basin

Type Locality and Naming

Synonym:

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


Lithology and Thickness

Greenish marls and glauconitic sandstones grading upward into soft clayey limestones


Lithology Pattern: 
Shallow-marine marl


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Unconformable onto the Albian strata according to Shaltami et al. (2020), which was named a Daryanah Fm on chart of El Oshebi and Fares, 2026; but the current main one seems to the Bir Hacheim Fm.

Upper contact

Unconformably (lower Turonian is absent) overlain by the Al Baniyah 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 Cenomanian according to Shaltami et al. (2020).

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Cenomanian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.5

    Beginning date (Ma): 
97.20

    Ending stage: 
Cenomanian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
93.90

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.