DOCSLIB.ORG

Simmons LV1 17June

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

GeoArabia, Vol. 12, No. 4, 2007 Arabian Plate sequence stratigraphy and global chronostratigraphy Gulf PetroLink, Bahrain Arabian Plate sequence stratigraphy: Potential implications for global chronostratigraphy Michael D. Simmons, Peter R. Sharland, David M. Casey, Roger B. Davies and Owen E. Sutcliffe ABSTRACT The ability to recognise and correlate third-order depositional sequences across Arabia and between Arabia and other plates indicates that these sequences are driven by synchronous eustatic sea-level change. This is of value in providing guidance for the definitions of stages, which are the fundamental units of chronostratigraphy. Each Phanerozoic stage requires a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), which is a location and specific bedding plane where the base of each stage is defined. This definition is tied to an event in the rock record useful for correlation. Progress in defining GSSPs has been delayed because of difficulties in choosing the most appropriate event and section to relate to a definition. It is recommended here that stage boundaries be related to correlative conformities of sequence boundaries. This closely links chronostratigraphy with sequence stratigraphy and honours the original concepts upon which many stages were first described in the 19th Century. INTRODUCTION Perhaps one of the most basic and often-asked questions in geoscience is “what age is it?” when referring to part of an outcrop or subsurface succession. To this end many geoscientists will have a geological timescale wallchart or reference card close to hand showing the relative positions of the familiar subdivisions of the geological timescale (Figure 1). Whilst most geologists will be aware that timescales evolve because of new radiometric dates or improvements in radiometric dating calibration and precision (for example, compare the latest timescale of Gradstein et al., 2004, with one of its predecessors such as Harland et al., 1990), many will be unaware that many of the units on the chart (Aptian, Visean, etc) still lack a formal definition. This is of concern because, for example, using the same set of fossils to derive an age, one geologist can call a given rock succession early Aptian, but another geologist may call the same succession late Barremian, all because each are using a different (usually palaeontological) event to define the base of the Aptian. Obviously this is very confusing for the non-specialist just wishing to understand the age and correlation of the rock succession. Unless chronostratigraphic terms are defined, one is reminded of the egocentric words of Humpty-Dumpty in the famous story by Lewis Carrol Alice Through the Looking-Glass: “when I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less”. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the evolving concepts of sequence stratigraphy, such as those published by Sharland et al. (2001, 2004) and Davies et al. (2002), may assist in defining the units of the geological timescale and, in turn, help harmonise the disciplines of sequence stratigraphy and chronostratigraphy. To do so, we: • briefly review the historical background to key chronostratigraphic terminology; •discuss the interplay between sequence stratigraphy and stage boundaries; •argue that stratigraphic sequences are global and synchronous in nature; and •present examples to demonstrate how sequence stratigraphy may assist in chronostratigraphic stage definition. 101 Simmons et al. ERA PERIOD EPOCH STAGE AGE (Ma) GSSP ARABIAN PLATE SEQUENCE STRATI- GRAPHY ERA PERIOD EPOCH STAGE AGE (Ma) GSSP ARABIAN PLATE SEQUENCE STRATI- GRAPHY HOLOCENE J110 147.0 PLEISTOCENE 1.8 L Gelasian 2.6 Tithonian J110 SB 149.0 PLIOCENE M Piacenzian E Zanclean 3.6 J100 151.0 5.3 150.8 J90 151.4 Messinian J80 151.8 7.2 Kimmeridgian J70 152.2 L 154.5 J60 155.25 Tortonian LATE 11.6 J60 SB 156.0 Serravallian Oxfordian 13.6 Ng40 14.5 J50 159.0 M Langhian 16.0 Ng30 15.9 161.2 Ng20 17.5 Callovian J40 162.5 MIOCENE Burdigalian Ng20 SB 19.0 164.7 J40 SB 165.0 E 20.4 Ng10 20.0 Bathonian Aquitanian J30 167.5 Ng10 SB 23.0 167.7 23.0 Bajocian J20 171.0 Pg50 24.5 MIDDLE Chattian 171.6 28.4 Pg40 29.0 Aalenian 175.6 Rupelian JURASSIC J20 SB 177.0 OLIGO- CENE Pg30 33.0 33.9 Toarcian J10 181.0 Priabonian Pg30 SB 33.5 37.2 CENOZOIC 183.0 Bartonian 40.4 Pliensbachian J10 SB 188.0 Lutetian EARLY 189.6 Sinemurian EOCENE 48.6 LAEOGENE NEOGENE Pg20 50.0 Pg20 SB 51.0 196.5 PA Ypresian Hettangian 199.6 55.8 MESOZOIC Thanetian Rhaetian 203.6 58.7 Pg10 59.0 Selandian LAEO- 61.7 Tr80 208.0 Danian Pg10 SB 63.0 PA CENE Norian 65.5 Maastrichtian Tr80 SB 214.0 K180 70.0 LATE 70.6 216.5 Tr70 220.0 Campanian K170 78.0 Carnian Tr70 SB 223.5 K170 SB 80.0 Tr60 227.0 228.0 Tr60 SB 229.0 LATE 83.5 K160 85.0 Santonian TRIASSIC 85.8 Tr50 Coniacian K150 88.0 Ladinian 233.0 89.3 Turonian K150 SB 92.0 237.0 K140 93.0 93.5 MIDDLE K130 95.5 Anisian Tr40 242.0 Cenomanian K120 99.0 Tr40 SB 244.2 99.6 245.0 K110 100.5 Olenekian Tr30 249.7 249.7 Tr20 250.0 EARLY Induan Tr10 250.5 Albian 251.0 Tr10 SB 251.0 K100 108.0 Changhsingian 253.8 P40 253.0 MESOZOIC K90 110.0 Lopingian P30 256.0 Wuchiapingian CRETACEOUS 112.0 K90 SB 112.5 260.4 Capitanian Aptian K80 119.0 Guada- 265.8 P20 266.0 Wordian lupian 268.0 K70 124.5 Roadian EARLY 125.0 270.6 K60 125.5 P20 SB 271.0 Barremian Kungurian 130.0 K50 129.0 275.6 PERMIAN ALAEOZOIC Hauterivian P K40 134.5 Artinskian 136.4 Cisuralian Valanginian K40 SB 139.5 284.4 P10 286.0 140.2 K30 140.0 Sakmarian Berriasian K20 142.0 145.5 K10 145.0 102 Arabian Plate sequence stratigraphy and global chronostratigraphy ERA PERIOD EPOCH STAGE AGE (Ma) GSSP ARABIAN PLATE SEQUENCE STRATI- GRAPHY ERA PERIOD EPOCH STAGE AGE (Ma) GSSP ARABIAN PLATE SEQUENCE STRATI- GRAPHY Aeronian S10 437.0 Sakmarian Llandovery 439.0 294.6 Rhuddanian 443.7 S10 SB 443.8 Asselian Hirnantian Hirnantian 445.6 299.0 Ashgill Unnamed 450.0 Gzhelian O40 453.0 303.9 Caradoc Kasimovian 306.5 Unnamed 460.9 Moscovian Llanvirn O30 464.0 311.7 P10 SB 312.0 Darriwilian 466.0 O30 SB 467.0 Pennsylvanian Bashkirian Arenig 318.1 Unnamed ORDOVICIAN 478.6 O20 480.0 Serpukhovian Trema- Tremadocian docian O10 488.0 326.4 488.3 C10 330.0 Furongian ALAEOZOIC P Paibian Cm30 498.0 Visean 501.0 Cm20 505.0 CARBONIFEROUS MIDDLE Mississippian 513.0 345.3 Botoman Cm20 SB 515.0 518.5 Atdabanian CAMBRIAN 522.5 Tournaisian Tommotian EARLY 531.5 359.2 D30 363.0 Cm10 542.0 542.0 Famennian D30 SB 369.0 ALAEOZOIC P LATE 374.5 Frasnian 385.3 Figure 1: Geological Time Scale 2004 Givetian (Gradstein et al., 2004) highlighting MIDDLE 391.8 stages with a GSSP definition. The Eifelian Arabian Plate Sequence Stratigraphic 397.5 Model (Sharland et al., 2001, 2004) is D20 400.0 plotted against this timescale. In the Emsian Arabian Plate Sequence Stratigraphy EARLY 407.0 D10 408.0 column the blue lines represent the Pragian Maximum Flooding Surfaces (MFS), 411.2 Lochkovian and the red lines the Sequence 416.0 Boundaries (SB). Ordovician Pridoli S20 417.5 418.7 nomenclature shows a comparison of Ludfordian Ludlow 421.3 Gorstian classic British stages against 422.9 S20 SB 422.0 Homerian developing global nomenclature as of Wenlock 426.2 Sheinwoodian 428.2 2004. See Gradstein et al. (2004) for error bars on absolute age estimates SILURIANLlandovery Telychian DEVONIAN and other discussion on stage 436.0 nomenclature. 103 Simmons et al. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The stage is the standard unit of chronostratigraphic subdivision. Although rooted in the fundamental concepts of William Smith, stages were first introduced by the great 19th Century French palaeontologist and stratigrapher Alcide d’Orbigny who recognised rock units in France (and elsewhere), which had distinctive fossil assemblages, such that those units could be correlated from location to location (d’Orbigny, 1842, 1849, 1852). Many of these units are still in use today, particularly many of the standard stages of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (Cavelier and Roger, 1980; Torrens, 2002). In keeping with the prevailing view in the mid-19th Century that “cataclysmic events” controlled Earth history, d’Orbigny believed that each of his stages resulted from faunal turnovers in response to sudden events in Earth history (see reviews of Monty, 1968; Rioult, 1969; Torrens, 2002). Stages were described as “the expression of the boundaries which Nature has drawn with bold strokes across the whole globe” (d’Orbigny, 1842 as quoted in English translation by Rioult, 1969). Despite much debate in the geological literature over the last 150 years as to the definition of stages, it seems that we may be coming full circle and that sequence stratigraphy provides the vehicle to express d’Orbigny’s original views within a modern geoscience framework. Because d’Orbigny was working mainly on outcrops in platform locations (“up-systems tract” in a sequence stratigraphic sense), many of his stages are bounded by unconformities (i.e. sequence boundaries). This is exactly why he observed faunal turnover at their boundaries, and is what sequence stratigraphy would predict (Holland, 1995). The ideas of d’Orbigny were soon enthusiastically embraced by many other European palaeontologists and stratigraphers, and soon a plethora of stage nomenclature spread across the globe.
Recommended publications
  • Abstract Book Progeo 2Ed 20

    Abstract Book Progeo 2Ed 20

    Abstract Book BUILDING CONNECTIONS FOR GLOBAL GEOCONSERVATION Editors: G. Lozano, J. Luengo, A. Cabrera Internationaland J. Vegas 10th International ProGEO online Symposium ABSTRACT BOOK BUILDING CONNECTIONS FOR GLOBAL GEOCONSERVATION Editors Gonzalo Lozano, Javier Luengo, Ana Cabrera and Juana Vegas Instituto Geológico y Minero de España 2021 Building connections for global geoconservation. X International ProGEO Symposium Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Instituto Geológico y Minero de España 2021 Lengua/s: Inglés NIPO: 836-21-003-8 ISBN: 978-84-9138-112-9 Gratuita / Unitaria / En línea / pdf © INSTITUTO GEOLÓGICO Y MINERO DE ESPAÑA Ríos Rosas, 23. 28003 MADRID (SPAIN) ISBN: 978-84-9138-112-9 10th International ProGEO Online Symposium. June, 2021. Abstracts Book. Editors: Gonzalo Lozano, Javier Luengo, Ana Cabrera and Juana Vegas Symposium Logo design: María José Torres Cover Photo: Granitic Tor. Geosite: Ortigosa del Monte’s nubbin (Segovia, Spain). Author: Gonzalo Lozano. Cover Design: Javier Luengo and Gonzalo Lozano Layout and typesetting: Ana Cabrera 10th International ProGEO Online Symposium 2021 Organizing Committee, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España: Juana Vegas Andrés Díez-Herrero Enrique Díaz-Martínez Gonzalo Lozano Ana Cabrera Javier Luengo Luis Carcavilla Ángel Salazar Rincón Scientific Committee: Daniel Ballesteros Inés Galindo Silvia Menéndez Eduardo Barrón Ewa Glowniak Fernando Miranda José Brilha Marcela Gómez Manu Monge Ganuzas Margaret Brocx Maria Helena Henriques Kevin Page Viola Bruschi Asier Hilario Paulo Pereira Carles Canet Gergely Horváth Isabel Rábano Thais Canesin Tapio Kananoja Joao Rocha Tom Casadevall Jerónimo López-Martínez Ana Rodrigo Graciela Delvene Ljerka Marjanac Jonas Satkünas Lars Erikstad Álvaro Márquez Martina Stupar Esperanza Fernández Esther Martín-González Marina Vdovets PRESENTATION The first international meeting on geoconservation was held in The Netherlands in 1988, with the presence of seven European countries.
  • Materialsbookjurassiccretaceou

    Materialsbookjurassiccretaceou

    УДК: 551.762.3/763.12 ББК 26.323 The International Scientific Conference on the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary. September 7-13, 2015, Samara (Russia). – Togliatti: Kassandra, 2015. – 102 p. The present volume compiles short papers with new data on the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary strata and their fauna of different regions of Russia (Volga region, Siberia, Crimea, Primorye) and of North America. Most papers are devoted to problems of biostratigraphy and paleontology of marine animals and their trace fossils. Besides this, some data on magnetostratigraphy, interregional correlations, history of defining J/K boundary in the Decisions of ISC, and eoomic value of the interval. For geologists, paleontologists, stratigraphers, students of geological and geographical profiles. Responsible editors: E.Yu. Baraboshkin, D.E. Bykov Editorial board: M.A. Rogov, A.Yu. Guzhikov, V.V. Arkadiev, V.V. Gusev, A.A. Konovalova Technical editor: A.P. Ippolitov Layouts: A.P. Ippolitov English translation of papers by V.V. Efimov, I.A. Meleshin, E.L.Vasileva, A.P.Pronin and F.M. Kuanyshev: A.P. Ippolitov Международная научная конференция по проблеме границы юрской и мело- вой систем. 7-13 сентября 2015 г., г.Самара (Россия): Материалы совещания. – Тольятти: Издательство «Кассандра», 2015. – 102 с. В сборнике опубликованы новые данные о пограничных отложениях юры и мела различных регионов России (Поволжье, Сибирь, Крым, Приморье) и Северной Америки. Большинство работ посвящено био- стратиграфии и палеонтологии морских животных и следов их жизнедеятельности. Кроме того, приво- дятся сведения о магнитостратиграфии, межрегиональной корреляции, истории проведения границы юры и мела в постановлениях МСК, и экономической важности этого интервала. Сборник представляет интерес для геологов, палеонтологов, стратиграфов, студентов геологиче- ского и географического факультетов.
  • Africa-Arabia-Eurasia Plate Interactions and Implications for the Dynamics of Mediterranean Subduction and Red Sea Rifting

    Africa-Arabia-Eurasia Plate Interactions and Implications for the Dynamics of Mediterranean Subduction and Red Sea Rifting

    This page added by the GeoPRISMS office. Africa-Arabia-Eurasia plate interactions and implications for the dynamics of Mediterranean subduction and Red Sea rifting Authors: R. Reilinger, B. Hager, L. Royden, C. Burchfiel, R. Van der Hilst Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA USA, [email protected], Tel: (617)253 -7860 This page added by the GeoPRISMS office. Our proposed GeoPRISMS Initiative is based on the premise that understanding the mechanics of plate motions (i.e., the force balance on the plates) is necessary to develop realistic models for plate interactions, including processes at subduction and extensional (rifting) plate boundaries. Important advances are being made with new geologic and geophysical techniques and observations that are providing fundamental insights into the dynamics of these plate tectonic processes. Our proposed research addresses directly the following questions identified in the GeoPRISMS SCD Draft Science Plan: 4.2 (How does deformation across the subduction plate boundary evolve in space and time, through the seismic cycle and beyond?), 4.6 (What are the physical and chemical conditions that control subduction zone initiation and the development of mature arc systems?), and 4.7 (What are the critical feedbacks between surface processes and subduction zone mechanics and dynamics?). It has long been recognized that the Greater Mediterranean region provides a natural laboratory to study a wide range of geodynamic processes (Figure 1) including ocean subduction and continent- continent collision (Hellenic arc, Arabia-Eurasia collision), lithospheric delamination (E Turkey High Plateau, Alboran Sea/High Atlas), back-arc extension (Mediterranean basins, including Alboran, Central Mediterranean, Aegean), “escape” tectonics and associated continental transform faulting (Anatolia, North and East Anatolian faults), and active continental and ocean rifting (East African and northern Red Sea rifting, central Red Sea and Gulf of Aden young ocean rifting).
  • The Central Asia Collision Zone: Numerical Modelling of the Lithospheric Structure and the Present-Day Kinematics

    The Central Asia Collision Zone: Numerical Modelling of the Lithospheric Structure and the Present-Day Kinematics

    Th e Central Asia collision zone: numerical modelling of the lithospheric structure and the present - day kinematics Lavinia Tunini A questa tesi doctoral està subjecta a l a llicència Reconeixement - NoComercial – SenseObraDerivada 3.0. Espanya de Creative Commons . Esta tesis doctoral está sujeta a la licencia Reconocimiento - NoComercial – SinObraDerivada 3.0. España de Creative Commons . Th is doctoral thesis is license d under the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0. Spain License . The Central Asia collision zone: numerical modelling of the lithospheric structure and the present-day kinematics Ph.D. thesis presented at the Faculty of Geology of the University of Barcelona to obtain the Degree of Doctor in Earth Sciences Ph.D. student: Lavinia Tunini 1 Supervisors: Tutor: Dra. Ivone Jiménez-Munt 1 Prof. Dr. Juan José Ledo Fernández 2 Prof. Dr. Manel Fernàndez Ortiga 1 1 Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera 2 Department of Geodynamics and Geophysics of the University of Barcelona This thesis has been prepared at the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) March 2015 Alla mia famiglia La natura non ha fretta, eppure tutto si realizza. – Lao Tzu Agradecimientos En mano tenéis un trabajo de casi 4 años, 173 páginas que no hubieran podido salir a luz sin el apoyo de quienes me han ayudado durante este camino, permitiendo acabar la Tesis antes que la Tesis acabase conmigo. En primer lugar quiero agradecer mis directores de tesis, Ivone Jiménez-Munt y Manel Fernàndez. Gracias por haberme dado la oportunidad de entrar en el proyecto ATIZA, de aprender de la modelización numérica, de participar a múltiples congresos y presentaciones, y, mientras, compartir unas cervezas.
  • Geological Evolution of the Red Sea: Historical Background, Review and Synthesis

    Geological Evolution of the Red Sea: Historical Background, Review and Synthesis

    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277310102 Geological Evolution of the Red Sea: Historical Background, Review and Synthesis Chapter · January 2015 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-45201-1_3 CITATIONS READS 6 911 1 author: William Bosworth Apache Egypt Companies 70 PUBLICATIONS 2,954 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Near and Middle East and Eastern Africa: Tectonics, geodynamics, satellite gravimetry, magnetic (airborne and satellite), paleomagnetic reconstructions, thermics, seismics, seismology, 3D gravity- magnetic field modeling, GPS, different transformations and filtering, advanced integrated examination. View project Neotectonics of the Red Sea rift system View project All content following this page was uploaded by William Bosworth on 28 May 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. Geological Evolution of the Red Sea: Historical Background, Review, and Synthesis William Bosworth Abstract The Red Sea is part of an extensive rift system that includes from south to north the oceanic Sheba Ridge, the Gulf of Aden, the Afar region, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez, and the Cairo basalt province. Historical interest in this area has stemmed from many causes with diverse objectives, but it is best known as a potential model for how continental lithosphere first ruptures and then evolves to oceanic spreading, a key segment of the Wilson cycle and plate tectonics.
  • 9 Paleontological Conference Th

    9 Paleontological Conference Th

    Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Paleobiology 9th Paleontological Conference Warszawa, 10–11 October 2008 Abstracts Warszawa Praha Bratislava Edited by Andrzej Pisera, Maria Aleksandra Bitner and Adam T. Halamski Honorary Committee Prof. Oldrich Fatka, Charles University of Prague, Prague Prof. Josef Michalík, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava Assoc. Prof. Jerzy Nawrocki, Polish Geological Institute, Warszawa Prof. Tadeusz Peryt, Polish Geological Institute, Warszawa Prof. Grzegorz Racki, Institute of Paleobiology, Warszawa Prof. Jerzy Trammer, University of Warsaw, Warszawa Prof. Alfred Uchman, Jagiellonian University, Kraków Martyna Wojciechowska, National Geographic Polska, Warszawa Organizing Committee Dr Maria Aleksandra Bitner (Secretary), Błażej Błażejewski, MSc, Prof. Andrzej Gaździcki, Dr Adam T. Halamski, Assoc. Prof. Anna Kozłowska, Assoc. Prof. Andrzej Pisera Sponsors Institute of Paleobiology, Warszawa Polish Geological Institute, Warszawa National Geographic Polska, Warszawa Precoptic Co., Warszawa Cover picture: Quenstedtoceras henrici Douvillé, 1912 Cover designed by Aleksandra Hołda−Michalska Copyright © Instytut Paleobiologii PAN Nakład 150 egz. Typesetting and Layout: Aleksandra Szmielew Warszawska Drukarnia Naukowa PAN ABSTRACTS Paleotemperature and paleodiet reconstruction on the base of oxygen and carbon isotopes from mammoth tusk dentine and horse teeth enamel during Late Paleolith and Mesolith MARTINA ÁBELOVÁ State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr, Mlynská dolina 1, SK−817 04 Bratislava 11, Slovak Republic; [email protected] The use of stable isotopes has proven to be one of the most effective methods in re− constructing paleoenvironments and paleodiet through the upper Pleistocene period (e.g. Fricke et al. 1998; Genoni et al. 1998; Bocherens 2003). This study demonstrates how isotopic data can be employed alongside other forms of evidence to inform on past at great time depths, making it especially relevant to the Palaeolithic where there is a wealth of material potentially available for study.
  • Arabian Peninsula from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Jump to Navigationjump to Search "Arabia" and "Arabian" Redirect Here

    Arabian Peninsula from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Jump to Navigationjump to Search "Arabia" and "Arabian" Redirect Here

    Arabian Peninsula From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search "Arabia" and "Arabian" redirect here. For other uses, see Arabia (disambiguation) and Arabian (disambiguation). Arabian Peninsula Area 3.2 million km2 (1.25 million mi²) Population 77,983,936 Demonym Arabian Countries Saudi Arabia Yemen Oman United Arab Emirates Kuwait Qatar Bahrain -shibhu l-jazīrati l ِش ْبهُ ا ْل َج ِزي َرةِ ا ْلعَ َربِيَّة :The Arabian Peninsula, or simply Arabia[1] (/əˈreɪbiə/; Arabic jazīratu l-ʿarab, 'Island of the Arabs'),[2] is َج ِزي َرةُ ا ْلعَ َرب ʿarabiyyah, 'Arabian peninsula' or a peninsula of Western Asia situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian plate. From a geographical perspective, it is considered a subcontinent of Asia.[3] It is the largest peninsula in the world, at 3,237,500 km2 (1,250,000 sq mi).[4][5][6][7][8] The peninsula consists of the countries Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.[9] The peninsula formed as a result of the rifting of the Red Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago, and is bordered by the Red Sea to the west and southwest, the Persian Gulf to the northeast, the Levant to the north and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The peninsula plays a critical geopolitical role in the Arab world due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas. The most populous cities on the Arabian Peninsula are Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Sanaʽa, and Mecca. Before the modern era, it was divided into four distinct regions: Red Sea Coast (Tihamah), Central Plateau (Al-Yamama), Indian Ocean Coast (Hadhramaut) and Persian Gulf Coast (Al-Bahrain).
  • Boreal–Tethyan Biogeographical Ecotone Setting in Europe During Jurassic–Cretaceous Transitional Time on the Base of Mollusca

    Boreal–Tethyan Biogeographical Ecotone Setting in Europe During Jurassic–Cretaceous Transitional Time on the Base of Mollusca

    BOREAL–TETHYAN BIOGEOGRAPHICAL ECOTONE SETTING IN EUROPE DURING JURASSIC–CRETACEOUS TRANSITIONAL TIME ON THE BASE OF MOLLUSCA. V. A. ZAKHAROV and M. A. ROGOV Geological institute of RAS, Pyzhevskii Lane, 7, 109017 Moscow, Russia Abstract: Mollusca of northern hemisphere in Late Jurassic and most Early Cretaceous were rather distinctly geographically differentiated on boreal, which occurs in the seas, placed, as a rule, to the north of 50 parallels and tethyan inhabited the seas placed usually to the south of 45 parallels. Between these latitudes long time on the certain aquatic areas, being from time to time displaced in space, biogeographical ecotone is settled. Key words: mollusca, biogeographical ecotone, Jurassic/Cretaceous, Europe The new data received per last decade on mollusca mainly from Upper Jurassic and Lower Neocomian sequences of Europe, have allowed more precisely to establish the setting of Boreal-Tethyan ecotone in Late Jurassic and Early Neocomian and to determine a geographical position of southern border of the Boreal-Atlantic Realm (Saks et al., 1971; fig. 1а, b). The new time intervals of moving of associations and separate taxons of tethyan mollusca in Boreal basins and back are established (fig. 2). The migrations (M) with the different intensity was occur during Kimmeridgian up to Valanginian and were restricted by the Boreal-Atlantic Realm in West-European [W-Е] and East Europe [E-Е] provinces. A mollusca: an ammonites, belemnites and bivalves were divided into 4 groups: tethyan and boreal (most numerous groups), subboreal: mostly with the tethyan affinities (they were most typical for ecotones) and Arctic (assumed as extremely boreal).
  • Seismic Anisotropy and the Mantle Dynamics Beneath the Arabian Plate

    Seismic Anisotropy and the Mantle Dynamics Beneath the Arabian Plate

    Scholars' Mine Doctoral Dissertations Student Theses and Dissertations Fall 2018 Seismic anisotropy and the mantle dynamics beneath the Arabian plate Saleh Ismail Hassan Qaysi Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations Part of the Geophysics and Seismology Commons Department: Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Recommended Citation Qaysi, Saleh Ismail Hassan, "Seismic anisotropy and the mantle dynamics beneath the Arabian plate" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations. 2727. https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/2727 This thesis is brought to you by Scholars' Mine, a service of the Missouri S&T Library and Learning Resources. This work is protected by U. S. Copyright Law. Unauthorized use including reproduction for redistribution requires the permission of the copyright holder. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SEISMIC ANISOTROPY AND THE MANTLE DYNAMICS BENEATH THE ARABIAN PLATE by SALEH ISMAIL HASSAN QAYSI A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS 2018 Approved by: Kelly Liu, Advisor Stephen Gao Neil L. Anderson Ralph Flori Jr Saad Mogren 2018 Saleh Ismail Hassan Qaysi All Rights Reserve iii PUBLICATION DISSERTATION OPTION This dissertation consists of two articles formatted using the publication option. Paper I, the pages from 3 – 19 were accepted for publication in the Seismological Research Letter on December 19, 2018 under number (SRL-D-18-00144_R1). Paper II, the pages from 20 – 56 are in a preparation to be submitted to a scientific journal. iv ABSTRACT We investigate mantle seismic azimuthal anisotropy and deformation beneath the Arabian Plate and adjacent areas using data from 182 broadband seismic stations which include 157 stations managed by the Saudi Geological Survey.
  • Paleozoic Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Western and Southwestern Deserts of Iraq

    Paleozoic Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Western and Southwestern Deserts of Iraq

    GeoArabia, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1998 Paleozoic Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems, Iraq Gulf PetroLink, Bahrain Paleozoic Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Western and Southwestern Deserts of Iraq Adnan A.M. Aqrawi Smedvig Technologies ABSTRACT A stratigraphic scheme for the Paleozoic of the Southwestern Desert of Iraq is proposed based upon the review of recently published data from several deep wells in the western part of the country and from outcrops in other regions in Iraq. The main formations are described in terms of facies distribution, probable age, regional thickness, and correlations with the well-reported Paleozoic successions of the adjacent countries (e.g. Jordan and Saudi Arabia), as well as with the Thrust Zone of North Iraq. The Paleozoic depositional and tectonic evolution of the Western and Southwestern Deserts of Iraq, particularly during Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian, shows marked similarity to those of eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. However, local lithological variations, which are due to Late Paleozoic Hercynian tectonics, characterize the Upper Paleozoic sequences. The Lower Silurian marine “hot” shale, 65 meters thick in the Akkas-1 well in the Western Desert, is believed to be the main Paleozoic source rock in the Western and Southwestern Deserts. Additional potential source rocks in this region could be the black shales of the Ordovician Khabour Formation, the Upper Devonian to Lower Carboniferous Ora Shale Formation, and the lower shaly beds of the Upper Permian Chia Zairi Formation. The main target reservoirs are of Ordovician, Silurian, Carboniferous and Permian ages. Similar reservoirs have recently been reported for the Western Desert of Iraq, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia.
  • Rift-Valley-1.Pdf

    Rift-Valley-1.Pdf

    R E S O U R C E L I B R A R Y E N C Y C L O P E D I C E N T RY Rift Valley A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. G R A D E S 6 - 12+ S U B J E C T S Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography C O N T E N T S 9 Images For the complete encyclopedic entry with media resources, visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rift-valley/ A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading. Rift valleys differ from river valleys and glacial valleys in that they are created by tectonic activity and not the process of erosion. Tectonic plates are huge, rocky slabs of Earth's lithosphere—its crust and upper mantle. Tectonic plates are constantly in motion—shifting against each other in fault zones, falling beneath one another in a process called subduction, crashing against one another at convergent plate boundaries, and tearing apart from each other at divergent plate boundaries. Many rift valleys are part of “triple junctions,” a type of divergent boundary where three tectonic plates meet at about 120° angles. Two arms of the triple junction can split to form an entire ocean. The third, “failed rift” or aulacogen, may become a rift valley.
  • Regional Correlation of Jurassic/Cretaceous

    Regional Correlation of Jurassic/Cretaceous

    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by NERC Open Research Archive 1 Regional correlation of Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary strata based on the Tithonian to 2 Valanginian dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy of the Volga Basin, western Russia 3 4 Ian C. Harding a,*, Giles A. Smith b, James B. Riding c, William A.P. Wimbledon b 5 6 a School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, National 7 Oceanography Centre - Southampton, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United 8 Kingdom 9 b Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, 10 Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom 11 c British Geological Survey, Kingsley Dunham Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 12 5GG, United Kingdom 13 14 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (Ian C. Harding). 15 16 17 ABSTRACT 18 19 Precise stratal correlation of Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary successions in the Boreal 20 Province, including the western European and Russian regions, based on ammonite 21 biostratigraphy remain significantly problematical due to widespread faunal 22 provincialism. In order to help clarify this situation, the marine palynology of the 23 Tithonian (uppermost Jurassic) and the Berriasian and Valanginian (Lower Cretaceous) 24 strata exposed on the banks of the River Volga at Gorodishche and Kashpir, near 25 Ul’yanovsk, has been studied in detail. Over 100 dinoflagellate cyst species were 26 recovered, and their ranges used to compile a detailed Tithonian to Valanginian 27 palynostratigraphy for the Volga Basin. First and last appearance datums of key 28 dinoflagellate cyst taxa are used to define ages for unreliably dated strata in the Russian 29 successions by comparison with the stratigraphical ranges of the same taxa calibrated to 30 ammonite zones in Boreal northwest Europe.