Al Faidiyah Formation (Miocene of Libya)

Where: Libya (32.7° N, 21.9° E: paleocoordinates 31.6° N, 20.7° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• basin-level geographic resolution

When: Al Faidiyah Formation, Early/Lower Miocene (23.0 - 16.0 Ma)

• LITHOSTRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIPS: From the Al Faidiyah (formerly Faidia Fm of Pietersz, 1968), which disconformably overlies the Al Abraq Fm (Early-early Late Oligocene), the Al Bayda Fm, or the Al Majahir Fm (Cretaceous) and is overlain or interfingers with the Ar Rajmah Fm (Middle Miocene). AGE: Upper Late Oligocene-lower Middle Miocene, on the basis of microfossil (foraminiferal) biostratigraphy. Assigned here to an Early Miocene interval to avoid orphaning. THICKNESS: ranges from 10-160 m across its range.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: poorly lithified, green claystone and poorly lithified, shelly/skeletal, white, yellow, silty, calcareous marl

• ENVIRONMENT: Shallow marine littoral to neritic, with open sea connections and locally lagoonal conditions of deposition.
• GENERAL LITHOLOGY: Several lithologies including greenish calcareous clay, calcilutite marl which is glauconitic and cream to yellow friable bioclastic limestone. LITHIFICATION: Poorly-lithified, not stated, but apparent from facies description.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: surface (in situ),

• COLLECTORS: Not stated, possibly multiple collectors. REPOSITORY: Unknown.

Primary reference: M. F. Megerisi and V. D. Mamgain. 1980. The Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary Formations of northern Libya: a synthesis. Department of Geological Researches and Mining Bulletin 12:1-85 [A. Hendy/A. Hendy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 42143: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 24.07.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• COVERAGE: Limited, but including bivalvia, gastropoda, echinoids, algae, and foraminifera. NOMENCLATURE: Somewhat antiquated nomenclature, but identified to species and subgenus resolution.
unclassified
  -
Foraminifera
 Globigerinoidea - Globigerinidae
Tubothalamea
 Miliolida - Austrotrillinidae
 Miliolida - Alveolinidae
Foraminifera
 Nummulitacea - Nummulitidae
Gastropoda
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
Trochus sp. Linnaeus 1758 top snail
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithium sp. Bruguière 1789 cerith snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
"Turritella sulcifera" = Ispharina sulcifera
"Turritella sulcifera" = Ispharina sulcifera Deshayes 1832 turret shell
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Glycymerididae
Glycymeris pilosus clam
MISSPELT: Glycemeris pilosus
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Chlamys (Pecten) vezzanensis, "Chlamys (Pecten) substriatus" = Chlamys substriata, "Chlamys (Pecten) zitteli" = Camptonectes (Camptochlamys) zitteli, "Chlamys (Aequipecten) benedictus" = Aequipecten, "Chlamys (Pecten) malvinae" = Aequipecten malvinae, Spondylus crassicosta
"Chlamys (Pecten) substriatus" = Chlamys substriata Roemer 1835 scallop
"Chlamys (Pecten) zitteli" = Camptonectes (Camptochlamys) zitteli Wohrmann and Koken 1892 scallop
"Chlamys (Aequipecten) benedictus" = Aequipecten scallop
"Chlamys (Pecten) malvinae" = Aequipecten malvinae Dubois de Montpereux 1831 scallop
Spondylus crassicosta Lamarck 1819 scallop
 Ostreida - Gryphaeidae
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
 Cardiida - Veneridae
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Echinoidea
 Clypeasteroida - Clypeasteridae
 Clypeasteroida - Scutellidae