Khuff Formation | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Middle Permian (?Capitanian) to early Triassic | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Akhdar Group [1] |
Sub-units | From youngest to oldest: [2]
|
Underlies | Sudair Formation [1] [2] |
Overlies | Gharif Formation [1] |
Thickness | |
Location | |
Region | Middle East |
Country | |
Type section | |
Named by | Steineke et. al. [2] |
Year defined | 1958 [2] |
The Khuff Formation is a geologic formation in Oman and Saudi Arabia. [1] It preserves fossils dating back to the Permian and early Triassic periods. [2]
Depending on the author, various definitions and names for the members of the Khuff Formation have been proposed, which may lead to confusion. Vaslet et. al. (2005) defines the members as such (from oldest to youngest): [2]
The Al Siqqah Member is the oldest of the members, tentatively dated to the middle Permian (Capitanian). It is 35 meters thick at the type section, becoming thinner to the southeast. It has previously been referred to as the Unayzah Formation or Unayzah Member.
The Huqayl Member has been dated to the late Permian (?Wuchiapingian) based on foraminifer assemblage. It ranges from 30 to 40 meters in thickness.
The Duhaysan Member is 13.4 meters thick at Jabal Duhaysan, and is believed to be late Permian (Wuchiapingian-Changhsingian) in age.
The Midhnab Member (or Midhnab Shale) is believed to date to the Changhsingian and is about 60 meters thick in the Ad Dawadimi quadrangle.
The Khartam Member (formerly the Khartam Limestone) is the youngest member, with the lower part dating to the latest Permian and the upper part to the early Triassic.
The Khuff Formation was deposited on the outer shelf of the Arabian Platform and represents a shallow carbonate platform, with a coastline oriented northeast-southwest and facing the spreading Neotethys Ocean. The various units have been interpreted as lagoonal tidal sand flats or barrier beaches, outer-shelf conditions below storm wave base and deposition around storm wave base. The known fossil content supports the interpretation of the Khuff Formation as a marine environment. The presence of Tethyan brachiopods suggest a subtropical and warm climate, while cosmopolitan, endemic and Gondwanan brachiopod taxa indicate the area was open to outside influence, and the conodont fauna confirms a shallow marine habitat. [3] [4]
A large number of chondrichthyan dermal denticles are known from the formation. [3]
Cartilaginous fish reported from the Khuff Formation | ||||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic member | Material | Notes | Images |
Amelacanthus | A. cf. sulcatus | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 25 spine fragments. [3] | A ctenacanth. | ||
Anachronistidae? | Gen. et. sp. indeterminate | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 2 teeth. [3] | A potential anachronistid. | ||
Cooleyella | C. cf. fordi | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 2 teeth. [3] | An anachronistid. | ||
Deltodus | D. aff. mercurei | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 24 tooth plates. [3] | A cochliodontiform. | ||
Eugeneodontiformes? | Gen. et. sp. indeterminate | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 2 tooth crowns. [3] | A likely eugeneodont. | ||
Euselachii incertae sedis | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 10 teeth. [3] | A potential protacrodontid. | |||
Glikmanius | G. culmenis | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 137 teeth. [3] | A ctenacanth. | ||
G. cf. myachkovensis | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 649 teeth. [3] | A ctenacanth. | |||
Gunnellodus | G. bellistriatus | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 254 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | ||
Khuffia | K. lenis | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 79 teeth. [3] | A sphenacanthid. | ||
K. prolixa | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 27 teeth. [3] | A sphenacanthid. | |||
Nemacanthus | N. sp. | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 2 dorsal spine fragments. [3] | A palaeospinacid. | ||
Omanoselache | O. angiolinii | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 86 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | ||
O. hendersoni | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 717 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | |||
cf. O. sp. | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 14 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | |||
cf. 'Paleozoic Genus 1' sp. | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | A tooth. [3] | A hybodont, potential lochidiid. | |||
Petalodontiformes? | Gen. et. sp. indeterminate | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 2 broken teeth. [3] | Similar to Chomatodus . | ||
Reesodus | R. underwoodi | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 6 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | ||
Solenodus | S. cf. crenulatus | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 4 tooth plates. [3] | A cochliodontiform. | ||
Teresodus | T. amplexus | Haushi-Huqf area (Oman). [3] | 103 teeth. [3] | A hybodont. | ||
Conodonts reported from the Khuff Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic member | Material | Notes | Images |
"Jinogondolella" | "J." cf. altaduensis | Jabal al Murayrah (Saudi Arabia). [5] | Midhnab Member. [5] | 1 specimen. [5] | A gondolellid. | |
Brachiopods reported from the Khuff Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic member | Material | Notes | Images |
Kotlaia | K. sp. ind. | Saudi Arabia. [6] | Midhnab Member. [6] | An articulated specimen & a dorsal valve. [6] | An enteletoid. | |
Omanilasma | O. desertica | Haushi ring (Oman). [6] | 29 articulated specimens. [6] | A terebratulidan. | ||
O. husseinii | Oman & Saudi Arabia. [6] | Midhnab Member. [6] | Over 200 specimens. [6] | A terebratulidan. | ||
Cephalopods reported from the Khuff Formation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic member | Material | Notes | Images |
Tirolonautilus | T. feltgeni | South of Jabal al Amshiyah (Saudi Arabia). [7] | Lower Khartam Member. [7] | Internal mould. [7] | A tainoceratid nautiloid. | |
T. hoernesi | East of Safra ad Dumaythiyat (Saudi Arabia). [7] | Lower Midhnab Member. [7] | Internal mould. [7] | A tainoceratid nautiloid. | ||
The Permian is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period 298.9 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleozoic Era; the following Triassic Period belongs to the Mesozoic Era. The concept of the Permian was introduced in 1841 by geologist Sir Roderick Murchison, who named it after the region of Perm in Russia.
In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from 247.2 million years ago until 242 million years ago. The Anisian Age succeeds the Olenekian Age and precedes the Ladinian Age.
In the geologic timescale, the Wuchiapingian or Wujiapingian is an age or stage of the Permian. It is also the lower or earlier of two subdivisions of the Lopingian Epoch or Series. The Wuchiapingian spans the time between 259.51 and 254.14 million years ago (Ma). It was preceded by the Capitanian and followed by the Changhsingian.
In the geologic time scale, the Changhsingian or Changxingian is the latest age or uppermost stage of the Permian. It is also the upper or latest of two subdivisions of the Lopingian Epoch or Series. The Changhsingian lasted from 254.14 to 251.9 Ma ago. It is preceded by the Wuchiapingian age/stage and is followed by the Induan age/stage.
The Ladinian is a stage and age in the Middle Triassic series or epoch. It spans the time between 242 Ma and ~237 Ma. The Ladinian was preceded by the Anisian and succeeded by the Carnian.
The Hajar Mountains are one of the highest mountain ranges in the Arabian Peninsula, shared between northern Oman and eastern United Arab Emirates. Also known as "Oman Mountains", they separate the low coastal plain of Oman from the high desert plateau, and lie 50–100 km (31–62 mi) inland from the Gulf of Oman.
The Werfen Formation is a geologic formation in the Southern Limestone Alps and Dinaric Alps of Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy. It preserves fossils dating back to the Triassic period.
Permocupedidae is a family of Protocoleopteran stem group beetles. They first appeared during the Early Permian, and were one of the dominant groups of beetles during the Middle Permian. They became rare in the Late Permian, with only one species known from the Triassic, Frankencupes ultimus from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Röt Formation of Germany. They are thought to have been xylophagous, which is presumed to be the ancestral ecology of beetles.
Conodonts are an extinct class of animals whose feeding apparatuses called teeth or elements are common microfossils found in strata dating from the Stage 10 of the Furongian, the fourth and final series of the Cambrian, to the Rhaetian stage of the Late Triassic. These elements can be used alternatively to or in correlation with other types of fossils in the subfield of the stratigraphy named biostratigraphy.
The geology of the United Arab Emirates includes very thick Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine and continental sedimentary rocks overlying deeply buried Precambrian. The region has extensive oil and gas resources and was deformed during the last several million years by more distant tectonic events.
The Rub' al Khali Basin or ar-Rubʻ al-Khālī / ar-rubʿ al-ḵālī Basin, Arabic for "Empty Quarter Basin", is a major endorheic sedimentary basin of approximately 560,000 square kilometres (220,000 sq mi) in southern Saudi Arabia, northeastern Yemen, southeastern Oman and southeasternmost United Arab Emirates. The onshore foreland on Mesozoic rift basin is geographically defined by the eponymous Rub' al Khali and covers the regions of Najran and Riyadh and the Eastern Province. The basin is geologically bound by the Central Arabian Arch in the north, the Oman Thrust in the east, the Northern Hadramaut Arch in the south, and the Arabian Shield in the west. Politically, the southwestern boundary is formed by the border with Yemen and the border with Oman forms the southeastern boundary.
The Umm Irna Formation is a geological formation in Jordan. It is found in several outcrops in Jordan in the area around the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. It is Late Permian in age, and is the oldest unit in the succession, overlying the Cambrian aged Umm Ishrin Sandstone Formation. The formation predominantly consists of sandstones, claystones and mudstones deposited in fluvial and lacustrine conditions. The formation is of considerable paleobotanical interest, as it preserves the earliest known remains of plant groups that would become widespread during the Mesozoic, including corystosperm "seed ferns", represented by the widespread Triassic genus Dicroidium, cycads, conifers, as well as Bennettitales. Other plant groups present in the formation include Noeggerathiales, gigantopterids, lyginopterids and possible ginkgophytes.
Lophioneurida is an extinct order of Thysanoptera, dating from the Carboniferous to the Cretaceous. It is likely paraphyletic, with modern thrips having evolved from members of the group.
The South Oman Salt Basin or SOSB is a sedimentary basin located in the Sultanate of Oman, at the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. The basin is well-known for being one of the oldest commercial deposits in the world. Oil in the SOBS is associated with source rocks of the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Huqf Supergroup.
Linoproductus is an extinct genus of brachiopod belonging to the order Productida and family Linoproductidae. Specimens have been found in Carboniferous to Permian beds in Asia, North America, and South America.
Taldycupedidae is an extinct family of beetles primarily known from the Permian period.
Marginifera is an extinct genus of brachiopod belonging to the order Productida. Specimens have been found in Carboniferous to Triassic beds in Asia, Europe, Madagascar, and North America.
Roundyella is an extinct genus of ostracod belonging to the order Leperditellocopida and family Scrobiculidae. Specimens have been found in beds of Devonian to Triassic age in Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Geinitziidae is an extinct family of polyneopteran insects, known from the Permian to Cretaceous. They are currently considered to be members "Grylloblattida" a poorly defined group of extinct insects thought to be related to modern ice crawlers (Grylloblattidae). Other authors place them in the extinct order Reculida. Unlike modern ice crawlers, which are wingless, they had large wings, bearing a superficial resemblance to cockroaches, and are thought to have been day-active above ground predators.
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