Gar El Muluk Hill (Pliocene of Egypt)

Also known as Gar El Muluk Formation, Gar El Muluk Hill

Where: Al Buhayrah, Egypt (30.4° N, 30.3° E: paleocoordinates 30.2° N, 30.2° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Gar El Muluk Formation, Late/Upper Pliocene (3.6 - 2.6 Ma)

• From Wamas et al. 2020: James and Slaughter (1974) studied the type section of Gar El-Muluk and gave it the Upper Pliocene age. Philip et al. 1975 assigned it to Upper Pliocene age based on its fossils and stratigraphic position. Also, Abu Zeid (1984), Abdullah (1996), El-Shahat, et al. (1997) suggested an Upper Pliocene age for the Muluk Formation. In the present study, Upper Pliocene age is adopted for the El-Muluk Formation.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: deltaic; poorly lithified, micaceous, green shale

• A fluvio-marine sequence formed during the earliest deltas of the paleo-Nile. Collection is marine, however.
• Green, sandy micaceous shales.

•The formation consists of 35 m (115 ft) of shales, calcareous sandstones and thin limestone beds. It has been assigned a lower to upper Pliocene age. The succession includes, in an ascending order: 1) black carbonaceous shales, GREEN SANDY MICACEOUS SHALES; 2) cross-bedded sandstones and shales; 3) a 30 cm thick bed of calcareous sandstones; 4) a 10 m interval composed of green sands and shales; 5) a 10 cm limestone bed; 6) dark shales and green gypsiferous sands with chert pebbles and gypsum breccia.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: No detailed collection data reported.

Primary reference: E. E. Tawadros. 2001. Geology of Egypt and Libya 1-468 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 42119: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 23.07.2004, edited by Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Collection based on taxa listed in text as typical of formation. Includes only one mollusca, although plant fragments and fish bones are also mentioned.
unclassified
  -
Nodosariata
 Nodosariida - Nodosariidae
Nodosaria sp. Lamarck 1812
Globothalamea
 Rotaliida - Discorbidae
Rosalina globularis d'Orbigny 1826
Eponides sp. Montfort 1808
 Rotaliida - Rosalinidae
 Rotaliida - Cibicididae
 Rotaliida - Nonionidae
Nonion sp. Monfort 1808
Foraminifera
  -
 Globigerinoidea - Globorotaliidae
"Globorotalia acostaensis" = Neogloboquadrina acostaensis
"Globorotalia acostaensis" = Neogloboquadrina acostaensis Blow 1959
 Globigerinoidea - Globigerinidae
Orbulina universa d'Orbigny 1839
Globigerina bulloides d'Orbigny 1826
Globigerina foliata Bolli 1957
"Globorotalia obesa" = Globigerinella obesa Bolli 1957
"Globigerina calida" = Globigerinella calida Parker 1962
subspecies praecalida
Tubothalamea
 Miliolida - Hauerinidae
Foraminifera
 Rotaliacea - Rotaliidae
Bivalvia
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
"Ostrea cucullata" = Saccostrea cuccullata
"Ostrea cucullata" = Saccostrea cuccullata Born 1778 oyster
Ostracoda
 Platycopida - Cytherellidae
Cytherella sp. Jones 1849 ostracod
 Podocopida - Cytherideidae
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Muridae
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
? Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Libypithecus markgrafi Stromer 1913 monkey
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion sp. de Christol 1832 hipparionine horse
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Sivachoerus sp. Pilgrim 1926 pig
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hippo
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Samotherium sp. Forsyth Major 1888 giraffe
 Theriamorpha - Sivatheridae
Libytherium sp. Pomel 1892 placental
 Carnivora - Felidae
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaena sp. Brisson 1762 hyaena
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Lutra sp. Brisson 1762 otter
 Carnivora - Phocidae
Pristiphoca sp. Gervais 1853 seal
 Sirenia -
Sirenia indet. Illiger 1811 sirenian
Reptilia
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionyx sp. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809 softshell turtle
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
"Crocodilus sp." = Crocodylus
"Crocodilus sp." = Crocodylus Laurenti 1768 crocodile
Aves
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Struthio sp. Linnaeus 1758 ostrich