Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Miocene platform-margin reefs, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Conference · · AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6085164

Jebel Abu Shaar is a completely dolomitized carbonate platform atop a crystalline basement horst on the western side of the Gulf of Suez. Margins of the platform, where not removed by synsedimentary faulting, are formed by well-developed coral reefs. The massive reef carbonates consistently illustrate two stages of growth: a basal paucispecific unit of branching coral bafflestone, mostly Stylophora and a thicker upper unit of diverse coral framestone, dominated by faviids. A deep-water, slope-parallel biostrome of ahermatypic corals, dominated by Dendrophyllia and containing numerous Balanophyllia and Madracis, is present 10 km north of Abu Shaar. Corals are well cemented by numerous rinds of marine cement which is overlain by geopetal internal sediment containing planktonic foraminifers and pteropods.

Research Organization:
Queen's Univ., Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
OSTI ID:
6085164
Report Number(s):
CONF-880301-
Journal Information:
AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States) Vol. 72:2; ISSN AABUD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English