7

CHAPTER TWO REGIONAL GEOLOGY

2.1 Tectonic Settings: Cyrenaica region is located in northeastern Libya on the North African coast. It consists of two distinct tectonic provinces separated by a hinge line called Cyrenaican fault system. These provinces are the mobile north Cyrenaica inverted basin, referred to as Al abal Al A!hdar" and the more stable Cyrenaica #latform to the south, $ig. %&.'(. The northern mobile belt area has been influenced by the Tethys tectonic activities and events since its opening during the urassic. It subse)uently shaped by the reversal of the *urasian and African plate movement that led to subduction of the latter beneath the former from the +pper Cretaceous to the present. *l,-awat and Abdulsamad, %&../(.

Cyrenaic a fault

0
Abdulsamad %&../(.

km 25

Fig. 2.1: Land sat image of northern Cyrenaica showing main tectonic provinces, *l -awat and

0 2.2 Stratigra !" o# A$ %a&a$ A$ A'!(er 2.2.1 Cretaceo)s In northern Cyrenaica +pper Cretaceous roc!s are attributable to either a platform facies %in the south and west(, or a basinal facies %in the north and east(, with some interfingering in the transition 1one. The oldest Cretaceous roc!s are e2posed in a small inlier at ardas Al Abid, near the site of the first wildcat well in Libya, Al,'0, where a deeply eroded anticline e2poses roc!s of Cenomanian age .$ig %&.&(. In the northern Cyrenaica there is a gap cut the end of 3antonian section.

Fig 2.2: :eological map and cross sections showing the e2posures of the Late Cretaceous roc!s, %green color(, *l -awat and Abdulsamad, %&../(.

2.2.2 Tertiar" S"ste*: The Tertiary 3ystem includes four cycles of sedimentation developed from #aleocene to 4iocene. These cycles includes seven formations which are arranged from the oldest to youngest as following Al +waliyah, Apollonia, 5arnah, Al 6ayda, Al Abra), Al $aidiyah and Ar 7a8mah $ormations, %$ig. &.9(.

; Pa$eocene:

The #aleocene was initiated by a ma8or transgression at the beginning of the 5anian. 3ubse)uent erosion produced a regional unconformity separating Cretaceous from Tertiary roc!s %7ohlich, ';0.(. The #aleocene in Al abal Al A!hder area is represented by Al +wayliah $ormation" it contains an assemblage of plan!tonic foraminifera indicative of 5anian to 3etandian age. It Composed of Chal!y to microcrystalline limestone and greenish marls are, -allett %&..&(. Eocene:

The *arly *ocene was characteri1ed by a strong uplift and the partial emergence of the Cyrenaican uplift during the Cyrenaican <rogeny 6arr and 6erggren, %';0.(. This uplift was responsible for the erosion of the #aleocene strata and the paucity of #aleocene and *arly *ocene e2posures in Al abal Al A!hdar, 7ohlich %';0.(. In *arly to 4iddle *ocene, global marine transgression was e2tensive enough to cover most of the Cretaceous , #aleocene highs of Al abal Al A!hdar, *l -awat and Al shelmani %';;9(. The sediments of *ocene time are dominated by shallow neritic, lagoonal and littoral environment represented by 5arnah $ormation and deep marine sediments represented by Apollonia formation, the relationship between these two formations is lateral gradational contact, 7ohlich, %';7/, ';0.(, $ig. &.9. Apollonia formation composed of finely crystalline to chal!y limestone, containing chert nodules. It contain fauna of plan!tonic foraminifera which indicate a Lutetian age. Apollonia $ormation is represented by open,marine, deep platform and slope argillaceous micrites. chal!y limestones with occasional marl partings composed of reefal limestones contain corals, algae and Nummulites of 6artonian,#riabonian age. It is now accepted that the Apollonia $ormation is the lateral e)uivalent of at least part of the 5arnah $ormation, 7ohlich %';0.(.

'.

Fig. 2.+= 3tratigraphic chart of the surface e2posures of the northern Cyrenaica after *l, -awat and Abdulsamad %&../(.

O$igocene: The *arly <ligocene marine transgression covered a small part of Al abal Al

A!hdar allowing for the deposition of 3hahhat 4arl 4ember and the overlaying Algal Limestone 4ember. The two members form Al 6ayda $ormation 7ohlich, %';0.(. A disconformity surfaces separate Al 6ayda $ormation from the overlaying Al Abra)

'' $ormation which is disconformably overlies by Al $aidiyah $ormation %<ligocene to 4iocene(, 7ohlich %';0.(. Al 6ayda $ormation is a neritic, largely shallow>marine facies 7ohlich, %';0.(. Al Abra) $ormation is formed under deep to shallow marine environment. This formation contains limestone and marlstone. 7ohlich %';0.(. ,iocene: abal Al A!hdar

5uring the Late <ligocene,*arly 4iocene time Al 4iocene sea, %*l, -awat and Abdulsamad, &../(..

anticlinorium formed a chain of raised Cretaceous *arly Tertiary islands in the The <ligocene , 4iocene boundary is found to be erosional everywhere in Libya. The 4iocene is divided into two cycles, arranged from oldest to youngest as follows= ,Al $aidiyah $ormation %Late <ligocene,*arly 4iocene(. ,Ar 7a8mah :roup consists of two formations" the oldest is 6engha1i $ormation %4iddle,4iocene( and the youngest is ?adi Al @attarah $ormation %Late 4iocene(.