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Genesis and Diagenesis of the Gattar Carbonate Platform, Lower Turonian, Northern Southern Tunisia

  • Conference paper
North African Cretaceous Carbonate Platform Systems

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series ((NAIV,volume 28))

Abstract

The Gattar carbonate platform represents (on the scale of the North African countries), the third event at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. The first two events, the eustatic transgression and the anoxia, straddle the C/T boundary, whereas the third event follows in the Early Turonian, and is expressed as a vast expanse of pure carbonate deposits.

In the Gafsa district, the Gattar platform developed on the high sectors from which the C/T anoxia had already disappeared. The carbonate bodies are mainly composed of bioclasts, rudists (Hippurites, Durania), and also contain gastropods and lesser amounts of echinoids, other bivalves, red algae and foraminifers. These carbonates represent the highstand systems tract of the third order C/T transition sequence. Biostratigraphically, these deposits represent the Thomasites rollandi Zone and the lower part of the Mammites nodosoides Zone (later Early Turonian).

The demise of the Gattar platform is synchronous and corresponds to the time-line of the upper limit of the C/T transition depositional sequence, at 90.13 Ma. The collapse of the rudist formations was initiated on the platform by the emersion of the whole platform over the Gafsa district; however, the following Annaba Clay sedimentation did not have any impact on this event. Finally, some Gattar carbonates, which exhibit emersion features such as birds-eyes, in their upper part, were systematically subjected to multiphase dolomitization.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Georesources, National Institute of Scientific and Technical Research, BP 95, TN-2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia

    H. Abdallah

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  1. H. Abdallah
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Geologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Eulàlia Gili

  2. Departement des Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia

    Mohamed El Hédi Negra

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Great Britain

    Peter W. Skelton

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Abdallah, H. (2003). Genesis and Diagenesis of the Gattar Carbonate Platform, Lower Turonian, Northern Southern Tunisia. In: Gili, E., El Hédi Negra, M., Skelton, P.W. (eds) North African Cretaceous Carbonate Platform Systems. NATO Science Series, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0015-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0015-4_3

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