Serie de Taouratine Formation

Serie de Taouratine Fm

Period:

Cretaceous

Age Interval:

Berriasian – Albian.

Province:
Illizi Basin

Type Locality and Naming

It is the lithological and chronological equivalent of the Cabao Fm and the overlying Continental Intercalaire Fm in the Ghadames Basin (Benvegnù, 2020).

Synonym: Serie de Taouratine (Klett, 2000), Taouratine Fm

References: Klett, 2000; Benvegnù, 2020.

Lithology and Thickness

The Taouratine Fm marks the termination of the Lower Tethyan Cycle. It is characterized by the deposition of coarse-grained continental sandstones, specifically sandstones with quartz pebbles and red clays. Towards the top of the formation lies the Austrian unconformity (Aptian) due to an east-west transpressional and strike-slip movement that produced high-amplitude structures. At the top of the sequence, after the Austrian unconformity, deposition of a transgressive thin dolostone layer occurred (Benvegnù, 2020). [Generalized here as “coarse-grained sandstone”, but column of Klett (2000) indicates a more complex succession – partly used in the user-interface strat column.]

Lithology Pattern:

Coarse-grained sandstone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

It conformably overlies the Zarzaitine Superieur Fm.

Upper contact

It is conformably overlain by the Serie d’In Akamil Fm.

Regional extent

Illize Basin of SE Algeria

GeoJSON

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Fossils

Age

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Berriasian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.00

Beginning date (Ma):

143.10

Ending stage:

Albian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

1.0

Ending date (Ma):

100.50

Depositional setting

Continental – transgressive (Benvegnù, 2020)

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

Enam O. Obiosio, Solomon Joshua Avong and Henry Nasir Suleiman (2024) - Stratigraphic Lexicon compiled from the following books:

Benvegnù I. (2020): Thermal Evolution of Paleozoic and Triassic Reservoir Rocks in the Ghadames-Illizi Basin (Algeria). An unpublished MSc thesis at Universita’ degli Studi di Padova.

T.R. Klett (2000): Province, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya - The Tanezzuft-Oued Mya, Tanezzuft-Melrhir, and Tanezzuft-Ghadames. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 2202-C.