Abstract
The Early to Middle Oligocene is missing throughout much of the Arabian Peninsula. Only in the Oman Mountains and related linear NW-SE trending mountains are these sediments found. In the United Arab Emirates shallow water carbonates of the Asmari Formation (Early to Middle Oligocene) range from 435–481 m (1427–1578 ft), cropping out at the Jabal Hafit area near Al Ain. Detailed measured sections, sampling and thin section analysis show these carbonates comprise seven distinct facies: 1) Nummulitic Packstone, 2) Foraminiferal Wackestone/Packstone (non-Nummulitic forams), 3) Echinoderm/Red Algal Packstone, 4) Coral Framestone, 5) Peloidal Packstone, 6) Mudstone/Wackestone, and 7) Dolomite.
Diagenetic events which have affected the Oligocene section include early cementation, formation of micrite envelopes, inversion of original aragonite and high Mg-calcite fabrics (i.e., biogenic tests and early marine cements) to low Mg-calcite, leaching of tests, dolomitization, stylolitization and fracturing, late diagenetic coarse calcite spar cementation, emplacement of bitumen within stylolitic seams and finally, hematite and pyrite staining.
A depositional model has been proposed based on the fossil and lithofacies assemblages which suggests that a deep, outer shelf, quiet water lagoon supplies peloids to the back-reef, reef and fore-reef facies as well as the shallow open marine facies of the inner shelf. A short-lived sea level low is believed to have occurred, where continental waters manifested their presence in rare chertification and partial to complete dolomitization of some samples.
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Whittle, G.L., Alsharhan, A.S. & El Deeb, W.M.Z. Bio-lithofacies and diagenesis in the early-middle oligocene of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Carbonates Evaporites 10, 54–64 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175240
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03175240