ETAP

Memoir N° 22
Tunis 2006
CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

I – HISTORY OF EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION: STATISTICS . 11

II – GENERAL GEOLOGY 15
A. Morphology and Geographic Units 15
B. General Geologic Features 15
C. Structural Units 19

III – STRATIGRAPHY 25
– HISTORY 25
– PRECAMBRIAN 25
– PALEOZOIC 27
* Cambrian 27
* Ordovician 27
* Silurian 29
* Devonian 31
* Carboniferous 31
* Permian 33

– MESOZOIC 35
* Triassic 35
- Lower Triassic or Scythian 35
- Middle Triassic : Anisian & Ladinian 35
- Upper Triassic: Carnian, Norian & Rhetian 37
* Jurassic 39
- Early Liassic-Rhetian-Pliensbachian 41
- Pliensbachian-Callovian 43
- Callovian p.p.- Tithonian 45
* Cretaceous 47
- Early Cretaceous 49
• Sidi Khalif Formation 49
• Asfer Formation 51
• Sened Group 51
• Meloussi Formation 51
• Boudinar Formation 51
• Gafsa Group 53
• Bou Hedma Formation 53
• Sidi Aich Formation 57
• Orbata Formation 57
• Serdj Formation 63
 • M’Cherga Formation 65
- The Albian Crisis 71
- Late Cretaceous 71
• Zebbag Formation 73
• The Fahdene Formation 77
• The Bahloul Horizon 79
• Aleg and Kef Formations 81
• Abiod Formation 83

– COENOZOIC 93
I - Paleocene and Eocene 93
• El Haria Formation 93
• Metlaoui Formation 95
• Souar Formation and equivalents 99
II – Oligocene and Early Miocene 101
• Fortuna Formation 101
• Numidian Flysch 103
• Ketatna and Salammbô Formations 105
III – Middle Miocene – Pleistocene 105
• The Transgressive Miocene 107
• Middle to Late Miocene 107
• Marine Pliocene series 113
• Pleistocene and Holocene 113

IV – STRUCTURE AND TECTONICS 117

A – Tectonic History 117
B – Basin Evolution 129

V – PETROLEUM GEOLOGY 139

A – Source Rocks 139
B – Reservoirs and seals 151
C – Oil and Gas Potentiel 175

VI – REGIONAL EVALUATION 179

A – South 179
B – Western Tunisia 179
C – Eastern Tunisia 181
D – Northwest Tunisia 183

CONCLUSIONS 187

REFERENCES 189-230
FIGURES

Fig. 1 Evolution of Exploration activities – Permits.

Fig. 2 Evolution of Exploration activities – Wells.
Fig. 3 Evolution of Seismic Survey.
Fig. 4 Geographic map.
Fig. 5 Geologic map.
Fig. 6 Moho depth.
Fig. 7 Structural sketch.
Fig. 8 Bouguer anomaly.
Fig. 9 Stratigraphic nomenclature of the Paleozoic.
Fig. 10 Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic chart.
Fig. 11 Ordovician lithostratigraphic correlation.
Fig. 12 Silurian sequences.
Fig. 13 Hercynian unconformity.
Fig. 14 Litostratigraphic colum of the Triassic in Central Tunisia.
Fig. 15 Jurassic isopach map.
Fig. 16 Stratigraphic sketch of Tunisian Cretaceous.
Fig. 17 Composite section of the Cretaceous series: Central & Southern Tunisia.
Fig. 18 Composite section of the Cretaceous series: Northern Tunisia .
Fig. 19 Lower Cretaceous in Central Tunisia.
Fig. 20 Log of Lower Cretaceous at Jebel Meloussi.
Fig. 21 Schematic isopach map of Valanginian-Hauterivian
Fig. 22 Late Hauterivian-Albian isopach map.
Fig. 23 Log of Gafsa Group: a) at Jebel Kebar and b) at Jebel Sidi Aich.
Fig. 24 Logs of Lower Cretaceous at J. Mrhila and J. Chambi.
Fig. 25 Composite section of the Serdj Formation at the type locality.
Fig. 26 Aptian isopach map.
Fig. 27 Type section of the Hameima Formation at J. Hameima & la Gara
Fig. 28 Section of the M’Cherga Formation East of Jebel Oust.
Fig. 29 Correlation chart of Aptian & Albian Units in Central Tunisia.
Fig. 30 Type section of Zebbag at Khanguet Zebbag.
Fig. 31 Section of Zebbag Formation at Jebel Orbata.
Fig. 32 Isopach and facies map of the Cenomanian.
Fig. 33 Parastratotipe section of the Fahdene Formation, East of La Gara.
Fig. 34 The well log of Isis Member.
Fig. 35 The Bahloul Horizon & Lower Aleg at the Oued Bahloul section.
Fig. 36 Bahloul biology.
Fig. 37 Parastratotipe section of the Aleg Formation .
Fig. 38 Coniacian paleogeography & facies map.
Fig. 39 Type section of the Beida Member.
Fig. 40 Type section of Kef Formation.
Fig. 41 Type section of the Abiod Formation.
Fig. 42 Section of the Abiod Formation West of the Kef.
Fig. 43 Campanian-Maastrichtian map.
Fig. 44 Early Eocene isopach map. 5
 Fig. 45 Early Eocene paleogeography & facies map.
Fig. 46 The Ypresian facies evolution in Central Tunisia.
Fig. 47 Middle to Late Eocene paleogeography & facies map.
Fig. 48 Oligocene-Aquitanian paleogeography & facies map.
Fig. 49 Section of Fortuna Sandstone.
Fig. 50 Numidian series of Tunisia.
Fig. 51 Coenozoic correlations in the Gulf of Gabès.
Fig. 52 Upper Langhian paleogeography & facies map.
Fig. 53 Correlations of Coenozoic series in Sfax area & Eastern Offshore.
Fig. 54 Paleogeography map of Saouaf Formation & equivalents.
Fig. 55 Correlation of Molasses in North of Tunisia.
Fig. 56 Hercynian unconformity subcrop map.
Fig. 57 Tectonic sketch across Jeffara & Hammada El Hamra.
Fig. 58 Tentative paleogeographic section across Tunisia.
Fig. 59 Seismic profile in Isis area North-East of Gulf of Gabès
Fig. 60 North-South Axis & tectonic sketch.
Fig. 61a & b South of the North-South Axis & associated atlassic ranges.
Fig. 62 Evolution of sedimentation along seismic profile KN 25.
Fig. 63 Interpretation of profile 120 / Sfax area.
Fig. 64 Summarized structural cross-section of Northern Tunisia.
Fig. 65 Geosismic correlation illustrating the Horst & Graben in the West Gulf of Gabès.
Fig. 66 Seismic profile in Eastern Kairoun plain.
Fig. 67 Interpretation of seismic profile CBK 10.
Fig. 68 Regional correlation in Gulf of Tunis-Cap Bon & Gulf of Hammamet.
Fig. 69 Synthetic log of the Silurian Tannezuft source rock.
Fig. 70 Synthetic log of the Devonian Aouinet Ouenine source rock.
Fig. 71a & b Tannezuft source rock characteristics
Fig. 72a & b Aouinet Ouenine source rock characteristics.
Fig. 73 Albian source rock .Distribution & characteristics.
Fig. 74 Cenomanian-Turonian source rock. Distribution & characteristics.
Fig. 75a & b Source rock assessement for Fahdene and Bahloul formations.
Fig. 76 Ypresian source rock. Distribution and characteristics.
Fig. 77a Source rock assessement of Bou Dabbous formation.
Fig. 77b Main source rock levels within Middle-Late Jurassic .
Fig. 77c Source rock assessement for Jurassic series.
Fig. 78 Producing reservoirs distribution map.
Fig. 79 Ordovican reservoir log in Franig.
Fig. 80 Correlation of Acacus reservoirs in SE Tunisia.
Fig. 81 Silurian Acacus reservoir.
Fig. 82 Type well log of Acacus “A” reservoir.
Fig. 83 Tunisian Paleozoic Triassic & Jurassic reservoirs distribution map.
Fig. 84 Kirchaou formation in El Borma 135 well.
Fig. 85 Tunisian Cretaceous reservoirs distribution map.
Fig. 86 Aptian Serdj reservoir: type well log of Douleb.
Fig. 87 Reservoir interpretation at Ezzaouia 6 well.
Fig. 88 Turonian Bireno reservoir characteristic Rhemoura 1 well.
6 Fig. 89 Synthetic section of Lower & Middle Turonian in Central Tunisia.
Fig. 90 Abiod limestone reservoir at Sidi El Kilani 1 well.
Fig. 91 Tunisia Tertiary reservoirs distribution map.
Fig. 92 Log of El Garia reservoir at Ashtart field.
Fig. 93 Middle Eocene Reineche reservoir at Crecina 11 well.
Fig. 94 Middle Eocene Reineche reservoir at Chergui 5 well.
Fig. 95 Ain Grab type section.
Fig. 96 Lithostratigraphic correlation in the Birsa Formation.
Fig. 97 National crude oil production.
Fig. 98 Location of Basins in Tunisia.
Fig. 99 Regional SW-NE geoseismic section.
Pl. I Correlation of Triassic-Jurassic lithostratigraphic Units.
Pl. II Correlation of Jurassic lithostratigraphic Units.
Pl. III Jurassic lithostratigraphic chart.
Pl. IV Correlation of Coenozoic lithostratigraphic Units.

ANNEXE
Regional Evaluation map.

7
INTRODUCTION

In 1990 ETAP decided to release data and to publish a regional synthesis on Tunisia Petroleun Geology:
Ben Ferjani A., Burollet P.F. and Mejri F.,1990, (ETAP Memoir N°1).

During the last 15 years several oil and gas discoveries have enriched the hydrocarbon potential of
Tunisia.
Field works and subsurfare syntheses have been published in ETAP memoirs, in the “Notes du Service
Géologique de Tunisie” and in international publications as “Société Géologique de France and C.R.of
Academic of Sciences in Paris.
Two stratigraphic atlases have been published by ETAP: one on the Jurassic and Triassic type sections
(1993) and one on Cretaceous Stratigraphy (1995). An other one is in course of redaction on
Coenozoic sections.
So it is a convenient time for a rejuvenation of the 1990 book. The general organization of the treatise
is the same; however the authors do not repeat some detail studies and charts and they privilege the
information on petroleum potential.
The only one “hors-texte” plate is the map of the prospects at 1/1 000 000 scale.
Even still in 2005 large parts of Tunisia are underdrilled. Numerous structural features were explored by
a single well, including salt domes or salt walls. Large areas, as in the Center-West and in the North
are still at the reconnaissance level. Since 1990 no resca has been conducted to explore stratigraphic
traps.
New objectives, source rocks and reservoirs have been discovered: Devonian source rocks; Acacus
Silurian reservoirs, Abiod and Bou Dabbous fractured reservoirs, Mid-Eocene Reineche reservoir, Triassic
and Jurassic source rocks etc.
The following chapters will expose the stratigraphic, geochemical and structural elements, including the
new data and interpretations. The authors hope having made a usuful contribution supporting an opti-
mistic evaluation of the Tunisian oil and gas potential.
They extend their special thanks to the general Managers of ETAP, successively A.Chine, T.El Kamel,
and K. Daly.

9
10
Fig. 1 : Evolution of Exploration Activities - Permits
I - History of Exploration and Production: Statistics

Exploration for hydrocarbons in Tunisia began in 1894, when the first exploration license was
granted in north of Teboursouk near Ain Guetrane / northern Tunisia. Since that time, over
244,000 kilometers of seismic 2D and 9600 sq kilometers of seismic 3D data has been recorded
and nearly 543 exploration wells drilled. Tunisian proven ultimate recoverable reserves are esti-
mated at 2 Billion barrels oil and 5 Trillion cubic feet of gas. The first hydrocarbon discovery, gas
in Lower Cretaceous sandstones, was made in the Jebel Abderrahman structure of the Cap Bon
region in 1948. Up until the 1960’s, most of Tunisia exploration was focused in northern and cen-
tral Tunisia.

1. PRE WORLD WAR I : 1909 - 1942

Early efforts to find oil in Tunisia were concentrated around known seepages. The first exploration
license has been granted in 1894 in northern Tunisia near Ain Guetrane , At the beginning of 1909,
shallow wells were drilled near Ain Ghelal , south of Lake of Bizerte .
In 1931 SEREPT was created by french and tunisian states and it was founded to explore for petrole-
um in the country.
Exploration activity was based on surface geology and surface seeps, with the available primitive tech-
nology . Six wells have been drilled, two of them showing strong indications of gas and oil Kebir-1
near Bizerte and El Haroun-1 south of Bizerte Lake.

2. POST WORLD WAR II : 1945-1954

During the period between 1949 and 1950, seismic activity was focused in the Cap Bon and north-
central region, and the first discovery of gas was made in the Jebel Sidi Abderrahmam structure . In
1950 began the exploration of Eastern Tunisia: Shell and Gulf in association with SEREPT : CPDT and
SNAP explored the Sahel and Central Tunisia and later NW Tunisia . Several wells have been drilled,
bringing informations on the stratigraphy of Eastern Tunisia and indicating oil shows as in Ktitir-1 and
2, Chorbane-1 , Sainte Juliette-1 , etc…

3. AFTER THE INDEPENDENCE

Hydrocarbons laws were progressively changed. The permits became less large and numerous new
operators acted successively. Exploration activity increased between 1956 and 1960 with the drilling
of 20 wells with a total depth of about 41,600 m.

4. 1960-1980 PERIOD
During this period an extensive exploration program was carried with progressive introduction of new
techniques, particularly the magnetic record of seismic and the first commercial oil production was made
in Middle Triassic Sandstone of the El Borma structure on the Algerian border in 1964.
Stimulated by this discovery , exploration extended into Central Tunisia and the eastern offshore of Sfax-
Gabès and was rewarded in 1966-67 by the discovery of the Douleb and Semmama oil fields , Sidi
El Itayem oil field in 1970 and Ashtart offshore oil field in 1971.
Later in the seventies, exploration in the offshore was boosted by the high oil price and several areas
were concerned , additional oil was discoveries in Miocene Sands (Birsa and Yasmin fields in 1976;
Tazerka field in 1979) in the Gulf of Hammamet .In the other hand gas was tested at Miskar in 1974
and Hasdrubal in 1975 but considered at that time as non commercial.
11
12
Fig. 2 : Evolution of Exploration Activities - Wells
5. SINCE EIGHTIES
Early eighties the application of modern exploration techniques and the introducing of more flexibility in
permit granting and acreage were rewarded by some finds in new objectives such as oil was made
from the Jurassic M’rabtine sandstones and the Cenomanian Zebbag dolomites ( Ezzaouia and El Biban
oils fields in 1980) and gas and condensate were discovered in the Ordovician quartzite ( El Franig
gas field in 1981) in the Chotts basin.
Since 1987 the Tunisian Government elaborated a new strategy in incentive fiscal terms and increas-
ing licence flexibility to encourage international oil compagnies to explore and produce hydrocarbons
in Tunisia , new oil and gas discoveries were made such as the Sidi El Kilani oil field (1989) , the Belli
and the Cercina oil fields (1991), the Oued Zar 1& 2 (1996-1998), Laarich 2 (1997) and
Hamouda1(1998) oil discoveries, the Zarat and the Baraka oil fields and the Hasdrubal and the
Chargui gas fields (1998).

Total exploration wells drilled in Tunisia are 543, with 26.3 percent considered discoveries, (20.1 percent
oil, 6.2 percent gas), 28.9 percent with good hydrocarbon shows, and 44.8 percent dry. In southern
Tunisia, where 23 (or 17.7 percent) of the total successful exploration wells are considered discoveries,

13
Fig. 3 : Evolution of Seismic Survey
14 Fig. 4 : Geographic map with marin bathymetry
II - General Geology

A. MORPHOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHIC UNITS

Tunisia is divided into three morpho-structural provinces: (fig. 4 and 5).

- The Saharan Platform

It is a flat plateau, dipping gently to the south-west where it is overlain by dunes of the Great Erg. On the
northeastern side a series of cuestas limit the low lands of El Ouara and Jeffara. The northwestern limit is
formed by very large salt lakes, Chott Jerid and Chott El Gharsa, the latter being 17 m below sea level.

- The Atlasic Tunisia

It includes the main mountains and ranges of Tunisia, with three prominent zones:
- In the south, E-W trending ranges, forming steps between the high steppes of Kasserine Sbeitla area
and the low lands of the Chotts.
- On the eastern side, North-South trending chains correspond to a major set of lineaments, named
North-South Axis (Burollet 1956), with the abbreviation «NOSA» (Boccaletti et al 1988).
- In the central part, the highest mountains of Tunisia are roughly oriented SW-NE from Jebel Chambi,
near Kasserine to Jebel Bou Kornine near Tunis. This geographic zone was named "Dorsale Tunisienne"
or "Tunisian Back-bone". To the north of this dorsale, the main high grounds are due to preserved Eocene
synclines as the Jugurta Table, Kessera, Dyr El Kef, or Jebel Gora.
- The Tellian Tunisia has a medium elevation and a rather complex relief. It is cut in the southern part by
the Medjerda valley, a succession of wide flat alluvial basins and narrow passes. Two isolated mountains
dominate the low forelands of the nappe zone: Jebel Hairech, near Jendouba, and Jebel Ichkeul, SW of
Bizerte; both are formed by slightly metamorphic Triassic and Liassic series. The northwestern hills are
made of the thick Numidian Flysch covered by forests or bush; the northern coast is sharply cut, and is
barren with the exception of the Bizerte and Tabarka harbours and the Gulf of Tunis.

- The Eastern Tunisia

It is characterized by flat slowly subsiding lowlands. It is formed of two parts:
- Onshore, low hills, flat plains and large sebkhas (salt pans) form the plain of Kairouan, the Sahel, and
the Sfax plain.
- Offshore, the Pelagian Sea is a large, shallow, epicontinental shelf with, on the northern side and sou-
theast, two more actively subsiding zones, a little deeper: the Gulfs of Hammamet and Gabes sepa-
rated by the stable central zone of the Kerkennah Islands. They are surrounded by large and very shal-
low banks, part of them emerging at low tides. South of the Gulf of Gabes, Jerba Island is an appen-
dice of the Jeffara coastal plain.
The eastern coast, the islands, and the large shallow shelf contain numerous ports and touristic resorts,
and the important activity of the Tunisian fishing industry.

B. GENERAL GEOLOGIC FEATURES

For a clearer understanding of Tunisian geology, some major structural and paleogeographic facts have
to be underlined

a - Basement: A Pre-Paleozoic basement is known only by several wells in the Saharan part of
Tunisia.This basement is formed either by granite or by metamorphic rocks. 15
Below the Atlasic Tunisia and the Pelagian sea, there is no information about the nature, the age, and
16
Fig. 5 : Geologic map
 17
Fig. 6 : Motho Depth After the Results of the European Geotraverse
18
Fig. 7 : Structural sketch (main structural elements)
the depth of the basement. The Tunisian section of the European seismic geotraverse indicates a conti-
nental crust, the base of which is about 37 to 40 km deep below Central Tunisia, with a shallowing in
direction of the sea both eastward and northward. In surface, the main lineaments, oriented NS or SW-
NE, or NW-SE, may be basement features (Fig. 7).
b - Couverture folds: The Triassic series, especially its upper part, includes large thicknesses of evapori-
tes : halite and sulfates; because of this, the Atlastic Tunisia and a large part of the Eastern Tunisia, inclu-
ding its offshore, are disconnected from the basement and are folded as "plis de couverture".
c - In surface, as in subsurface geology, the structure of the Atlasic and Eastern Tunisia is rather com-
plex; however several main trends and units may be identified and they allow the interpretation of a
general framework.
The main features are:
- NS discontinuities in the basement (as the NS Axis for exemple developed hereafter).
- E -W oriented distension features, corresponding to large steps of the southern margin of the Tethys.
- Wide uplift axes or subsiding troughs developed during certain phases of the geologic history; they
are roughly oriented EW.
- First compressionnal structures during the Upper Cretaceous: stress oriented NW-SE giving axes of
folds trending SW-NE.
- Late Cretaceous and Coenozoic distension (SW-NE) forming grabens oriented NW-SE or WNW-ESE,
such as the troughs of the Pelagian Sea or the transverse grabens in the Atlasic Tunisia.
- Extrusion of Triassic mixed shale, evaporite and few dolomite; the outcrops are mainly insoluble cap-
rocks. The few wells drilled through diapirs encountred massive salt below 200 or 300 m of gypsum.
- Extreme youth of the Tectonics, just sketched during preliminary phases: Upper Cretaceous, Mid--
Eocene, Oligocene and Lower Miocene; folding began really with the Middle Miocene, in the North,
during the first arrival of the Tellian nappes. However, the most active tectonics occured at the end of
the Miocene and after the Pliocene and the Villafranchian. Neo-tectonic movements are known during
Pleistocene, and even during historic times.

C. STRUCTURAL UNITS
Tunisia, including the continental shelf, may be divided into several main structural units. From south to
north we have (Fig. 5 and 7) :

1/ Saharan Tunisia
l/1-Saharan Platform :
Precambrian basement overlain by a thick Paleozoic sheet, unfolded, just gently uplifted in the northern
part: Telemzane Arch, Medenine, Sidi Toui, El Uotia Arch; thick conti-nental crust.

1/2-Saharan transition zone:

It is characterized by faulted steps forming the southern margin of deep basins (Proto-Tethys) infilled by
Late Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic series. Faults are trending WE (South of Djerid chott or Sidi
Toui area) or NW-SE (Medenine, Ben Gardane, etc.).
The continental crust is of Saharan type but it thins a little to the NE, towards the Gulf of Gabes.North
of the latitude of Gabes, Tunisia is divided into two main parts, on.both sides of the North-South Axis.

2/ Western Tunisia:
It is characterized by Atlasic folds separated by wide synclines. To the north, it grades to the Northern
Tunisia with overthrusts and nappes. The whole of Western Tunisia is made of couverture folds floating 19
on Triassic evaporites. From south to north, several sub-units may be identified :
 2/1-Southern Atlas or Gafsa zone:
This is an area of long ranges separated by wide plains, located between the huge salt lake of "Chott
El Jerid" on the southern side and the "Kasserine Island" in the north.
In general, the ranges trend West-East but, in detail, they are made of “en échelon” folds, each of them
having a WSW-ENE or SW-NE axis.
There are two main trends; on the southern border the Tozeur-Asker - Hadifa - Zemlet Beida Range; on
the northern side the Bliji, Alima, Ben Younes, Orbata, Bou Hedma Range. Between these two chains
several isolated anticlines are known as Sehib, Berda, Chemsi, and Ben Kheir.
The main W-E trends correspond to deep hinge lines in relation with thickening of the series northwards:
Barremian, Aptian Formations near the Tozeur - Zemlet Beida range, Zebbag and Aleg Upper
Cretaceous Formations along the northern range.
The anticlines are assymetric with a steep dipping and faulted southern flank.
The area is cut by a major WNW-ESE fault system called "the Gafsa Fault". It consists of several "en
échelon" or divergent faults; during Atlasic phases, this system acted with right lateral wrench movement.
Several authors described an active paleogeographic role of Gafsa Fault during Cretaceous times. For
the writers, it seems that the effects of Gafsa Fault were local and that the main paleogeographic fea-
tures were WE hinge lines as shown by the isopach maps and by the gravity map. (Fig. 8).
From west to east, in the Gafsa zone, the thicknesses decrease progressively to reach their minimum
near Zemlet Beida and Mezzouna area, which represents the southern part of the North South Axis.

2/2-Kasserine Island:
It is a stable uplift where Mesozoic series are less thick than in the Gafsa trough or in the "Sillon Tunisien".
Marine Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Formations are confined to the peripheric zones around the
Island.
In surface, it is made also of anticlines forming isolated mountains with flat plains or plateau between
them. Average elevation of the plains grades from 400 m in the eastern part to 800 m or 1000 m in
the NW part (Feriana and Thala).
The ranges trend SW-NE, rarely WSW-ENE. Two main steps are uplifted northwards and are cut by
faults bordering Mio-Pleistocene grabens. Some faults had clearly a synsedimentary role, as N.of Jebel
Sel-loum or N.of J. M'Rhila, where Albian series of Koudiat EI Beida are thick and marine; they have
no equi-valent around J. M'Rhila itself.
Several diapiric extrusions are visible on surface, generally near the tectonic crossings. Underground
dia-pirs have also been observed on the seismic profiles (BK1).
On the northern border, the Cretaceous series become thicker due both to a greater subsidence and to a
more continuous succession. Paleocene and lower Eocene marine formations are also missing in this area.

2/3-Carbonate platform and domes, north of the Kasserine Island (Thala - Makthar zone) :
North of Kasserine Island, there is a transition zone between the island and the deep "Sillon Tunisien".
It is a kind of rectangle crossing Thala and Haidra in the SW, Jebel Harraba on the NW corner, Jebel
Trozza and Jebel Bou Dabbous marking the eastern side. The Aptian reefoid Serdj limestone forms high
domes and the Lower Eocene Metlaoui limestone is carved in high synclinal tables.
The area is cut by several transverse grabens: Kalaa Kasbah, Rohia, Le Sers, and Siliana.
Triassic extrusions are rare, restricted to the north western area. In their large majority, tectonic features
trend SW-NE with the typical Atlasic orientation, showing a neat obliquity in regard to the W-E paleo-
geo-graphic limits. As in the NW part of Kasserine Island, Lower Cretaceous series are very thick.
Aptian and somewhere Lower Albian carbonates are biostromal or biohermal. Upper Cretaceous
20 Formations present open marine facies and their thicknesses are variable depending on the early Atlasic
movement.
2/4-Le Sillon Tunisien:
The northern part of Western Tunisia is a deep marine basin named the "Sillon Tunisien" or Tunisian
Trough. The limit with the Thala - Makthar zone is not very neat except for the change of facies from
Serdj reefoid limestone to basinal shales.
Stratigraphic series contain mainly shales in the Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Eocene times with just two
important carbonate formations:
The Upper Senonian chalky limestone (Abiod Formation) and the Lower Eocene Metlaoui limestone with
two facies: Nummulite "El Garia" and Planctonic Globigerina micrite "Bou Dabbous".
There are numerous large Triassic extrusions. On the eastern side, near the N-S Axis, Jurassic limestones
rise up in sharp faulted blocks.
The most frequent tectonic orientation is SW-NE. However there are some transverse features such as
the Bou Arada graben (W-E) or NS faults as near Jebel Rhazouane.
The northern limit is made of the front of overthrusted Tellian units and of two large domes of slightly
metamorphosed Triassic and Jurassic rocks: Jebel Hairech and Jebel Ichkeul.
Large post-orogenic Mio-Pliocene basins developed in the late synclinal zones: Ie Kef,
Jendouba,Sloughia, Mabtouha, Mateur and Ghar EI Melh. The river Medjerda follows some of these
low-lands.
In the northern part there are frequent decollements (or delamination) in shale units, mainly Senonian
shales; Upper Senonian chalky limestone or Lower Eocene carbonates are squeezed as tectonic
wedges: Bou Salem, Beja, Mateur, etc.

2/5-North - South Axis:

On its eastern side, Western Tunisia is limited by a series of ranges trending N-S or SSW-NNE, often
overthrusted eastwards. This zone, called N-S Axis (or NOSA), extends from EI Hamma of Gabes
(South) to the Guff of Tunis (North). Near Kairouan two offsets displace the Axis east-wards: Cherichera
- Batene and Draa Es Souatir-Fadeloun.
The NS Axis corresponds to a deep fault system oriented NS : during Mesozoic and Early Eocene times
the eastern side was higher and more stable than western Tunisia. An early diapirism along the main
scars caused reductions of thickness and block tilting during Jurassic, Early Cretaceous, and Middle
Cretaceous times. With Late Cretaceous first compressive phases, the anticlinal ranges of Western
Tunisia were gently shaped: however, blocked along the eastern side of the NS Axis acting like a buffer,
Atlasic folds could not develop with the SW-NE direction and were oriented roughly N-S. During Mid
- and Late Eocene, when stresses were more or less N-S, an inversion of tectonic relationship appeared
between the western and eas-tern sides of the Axis. The eastern areas began to subside actively and
have become low lands .
During the Miocene Atlasic phases the couverture folds were able to advance eastwards with N 70 to
N90 right lateral shear faults.
On the Bouguer anomaly map, the Axis corresponds to a steeply grading zone and the offset near Kai-
rouan can be clearly identified (Fig. 8).

2/6-Tellian and Numidian nappes:

The northwestern part of Tunisia is a pile of nappes corresponding to series which were sedimented in
deep unstable furrows. The upper-most unit is the thick mass of Numidian Flysch of Oligocene and Lower
Miocene age. At the base of the nappes, blades of Triassic evaporites and clays are common; these
are due to detachment surfaces or to diapiric extrusions cut and trailed by moving nappes.
Basic and acidic igneous rocks are described in several places and correspond to Late Miocene and
Plio-cene activity. The main thrust phase is Serravallian. The latest known overthrusted unit, the upper 21
part of the Numidian flysh is dated as Burdigalian.
22
Fig. 8 : Bouger Anomaly map (After Midassi M. & OGST)
After their emplacement, the nappes were strongly folded (Tortonian). The post-orogenic molasses of
Upper Miocene age were disturbed prior to the transgression of Lower Pliocene marine series; all the
Pliocene beds were folded at the beginning of Pleistocene. This is generally the case in Tunisia.
The Continental shelf of Kroumirie and Mogods seems to resemble exactly the Numidian zone on land.
In surface"La Galite" archipelago is formed of Tellian Oligo-Miocene flysch and of Miocene granite with
cordierite.In depth it may belong to an Alkapeca terrane.
Fifty kilometres north of La Galite, in the Sardinia Channel, the seismic geotraverse has shown a very
shallow basement feature, probably a squeezed wedge of the same terranes known in Kabylia, NE
Sicily or Calabria.

3/ The Eastern Tunisia:

East of the North-South Axis, Eastern Tunisia is formed by a large shallow continental shelf and by low
plains.
During Cretaceous distension phases volcanic activity occured but is restricted to this part of Tunisia.
From south to north one may distinguish the following units:

3/1- The Gulf of Gabes :

Highly subsiding during Triassic, Jurassic, and some episodes of Cretaceous times, this area is charac-
terized by faulted steps forming a transition with the Jeffara Platform.
Salt tectonic was very active and some diapirs pierced through the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic series
often forming long submarine salt walls.
Protected from Atlasic compression by the NS Axis, the Pelagian platform is affected by NW - SE dis-
tension faults, some of which border grabens such as the Zohra Trough. This is a prolongation of the
Tripolitania Offshore where distension features consist mainly of tilted blocks of basement, with Jurassic
and Cretaceous series sealed by prograding Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Formations.

3/2- The Central Zone:

It is a relatively high zone in the present submarine topography as in the hypsometry on land, Kerkennah
and Agareb uplifts showing divergent hydrographic drainage.
The facies resemble the series known in the Kasserine Island (2-2) and in the transition zone (2-3).
Several areas had an irregular subsidency with inversions, as the so-called Kairouan Island in
Cretaceous times, or the Isis-Lampedusa zone where several Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene units are
missing due probably to submarine starving or to subsequent erosion.
The NW-SE faults are prominent with grabens such as the Jarrafa Trough, offshore, or the Sidi EI Hani
deep on shore. These faults often acted as wrench faults associated with NS breaks.
During Miocene, irregular instability developed depocenters with large thicknesses of paralic sediments
(Saouaf Formation) which were strongly folded by the late Atlasic phases, forming "antiforms" or mush-
rooming pseudo-anticlines, as near Zeramedine, or Sidi Ech-Cherif. Salt tectonics is less active than in
the Gulf of Gabes; several underground salt domes however are known on land as in the Menzel
Chaker or Ktifa Wells.
Below the Pelagian Sea, evaporitic facies of the Triassic grade laterally to carbonates. As a conse-
quence, in the eastern part of the continental shelf there is no detachment between the basement and
the Mesozoic sediments.
In the northeastern zone deep grabens have been formed or reactivated during Late Miocene and
Plio--Pleistocene times and still form deep water troughs: Pantellaria, Linosa, and Malta. Recent vol- 23
canism is often associated with the distension, and has formed the islands of Pantellaria and Linosa.
 3/3-The Gulf of Hammamet:
It is a complex and unstable area with Cretaceous and Cenozoic depo-centers separated by highs, par-
tially eroded. Grabens were formed at various phases depending on the suc-cessive orientations of
stresses. Facies resembled the series known in the "Sillon Tunisien".

3/4-The Cap-Bon Peninsula:

The Peninsula is squeezed between the NS Axis, the front of the nappes (Zembra Island) and the Gulf
of Hammamet. If the series outcropping in the large anticline of Sidi Abder-rahman belongs to the "Sillon
Tunisien" type, there is a progressive grading to carbonate facies, reefoid or dolomitic to the northeast.
Reverse faults are frequent as east of Jebel Korbous or along the eastern coast (Korba, Kelibia subsurface.
ridge). In many ways, this northeastern facies present a neat parentship with some Sicilian Units.

24
Fig. 9 : Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the Paleozoic (After H. Bismuth ; L. Memmi and S. Kharbachi)
III - Stratigraphy

HISTORY
The stratigraphy of Tunisia was progressively established during the last hundred years. Some works in
this field are classical such as these of Ph. Thomas, L. Pervinquiere and M. Solignac.
After the second world war, a special effort was made to clarify and to study in detail the stratigraphy
of Tunisia.
The Geological Survey of Tunisia conducted numerous local studies and published treaties and books.
Among the various searchers we would in particular like to mention G. Castany, P. Sainfeld, Ch. Gottis,
M. Arnould, A. Azzouz, A. Biely, M. Rakus, S. Pini, A. Fournet, T. Lajmi, M. Belhadj,etc.
The oil companies surveyed numerous maps and stratigraphic sections: SEREPT with the works of E.
Dumon, P.F. Burollet, G. Champagnac, P. Lossel, D. Berthe, X. Des Ligneris, B.Quoix, C. Bolthenhagen,
M.Kessibi, M.N. Mahjoub, etc; SNAP (Gulf Oil Company) with D. Keppel, P.F. Burollet, A. Dumestre,
R. Dardel and G. Demaison; CPDT (Shell) with J. De Raaf, J.B. Fontan, etc. Some more recent compa-
nies such as HOMT,Unions Texas, Shell and Marathon conducted field surveys and stratigraphic syn-
theses.
Special tribute should be paid to groups which published synthetic results: Elf Aquitaine with the works
of J.P. Richert, M. Bramaud, D. Fournié, etc.; TOTAL-CFP with the researches of D. Compte, A. Maurin,
P.F. Burollet, Ph. Trouvé, A. Marie, J.P. Bouju, J.L. Oudin, M. Tlatli, A. Sedjil, M. S’himi,etc.
The special merits of the paleontologists have to be underlined: at the Geological Survey of Tunisia, suc-
cessively S. Arnould-Saget and L. Memmi assisted the field geologists. For the vertebrates they received
the help of P. Robinson. The University of Tunis participated actively in the works of M. Feki and Mrs.
S.Gargouri-Razgallah and D. Turki-Zaghbib.
The micropaleontology is the best tool for dating and environmental studies. The most active contribu-
tors, in chronologic order, are E. Schijfsma, Ch.Glintzbockel, J. Rabaté, H. Bismuth, J. Salaj, A.L.
Mamouri, N.Bel Hadj-Chitta, D. Dali-Ressaut, Ph. Dufaure, P. Bellier, P. Beseme, H. Hooyberghs, P.
Donze, N. Chine Dehmane, etc.
Many teachers from various universities and scientific research organisations as well as some indepen-
dant searchers contributed to the establishment of Tunisian geology. There is no scope to mention them
all here; the reader will find their names in the text and in the list of references.
We would, however, like to mention the authors who have published extended regional studies, such
as G. Busson, A. Jauzein, P.Guirand, A. M’Rabet, V. Perthuisot, H. Rouvier, S. Sassi, M.M. Turki, F.
Zargouni and N. Ben Ayed.
ETAP published two catalogs of type sections and stratigraphic units in Tunisia : Triassic and Jurassic
(1993) and Cretaceous (1995) A catalog of the Coenozoic series is in preparation.

PRECAMBRIAN
The Precambrian basement is not known at surface in Tunisia. Several wells of the Tunisian Sahara have
bottomed in granite or metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian series .
The closest outcrops are in Libya (Wadi Hassaouna in Jebel Gargaf) or in Algeria (Tassili
N’Ajjer). After these surrounding areas and some wells in Libya and Algeria, we may suppose
that the Saharan platform of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Western Egypt has been formed by col-
lisions, crustal accretion and metamorphism of Pan-African orogenesis, between 750-550 Ma.
If we compare with Libya and South Algeria, the main tectonic lines and sutures trend N.S.in
present position and we may suppose an inheritage of these directions in the substratum of 25
Tunisia.
26
Fig. 10 : Paleozoic Early Mesozoic lithostratigraphic Chart of Southern Tunisia
(After Dridi and Maazaoui 1993)
PALEOZOIC
Except for the Permian series of Jebel Tebaga near Medenine , the Paleozoic does not outcrop in
Tunisia. It is known from many wells drilled in the saharan part of the country and the largest accumu-
lation of oil (El Borma field) comes from a Silurian source rock.
The closest outcrops are found in Libya (Northern Fezzan near the southern border of Hammada El
Homra) or in Eastern Algeria (South of the Tinhert in the Illizi basin).This explains why many of the lithos-
tratigraphic names came from these neighbouring countries.Other names were however defined in
tunisian sections.

Cambrian
The Cambrian series is an 800 to1000m thick sheet or coarse to fine grained sandstone, arkosic in
places and quartzitic, especially in the lower part. It is named Sidi Toui sandstone from the well section
of Sidi Toui 1 drilled 45km south of Ben Gardane.
At the type locality , it has been divided by Bonnefous into three members:
- Lower member: quartzites
- Middle member: it is the thickest one with medium to coarse grained arkosic sandstone interbedded
with argillaceous sandstone and quartzitic layers. No fossils were found and there are only enigmatica
called Tigillites or Scolithes (vertical perforations).
- Upper member: this consist of sandstone and quartzite with some argillaceous layers and some vol-
canic igneous rock .There are Tilligites beds in the upper part.
In Libya , near Ghadames , algal spores and Acritarchs have been found , thus giving a Mid-Cambrian
age.
The Cambrian sandstones bodies are widely distributed and cover large parts of Algeria, Libya, Egypt,
etc.In the southern areas they correspond to braided stream deposits originating from central Africa
basement uplifts. Progressively to the north, the facies grades to tidal and shallow marine or transition-
nal facies on a very large flat platform.
This Cambrian sheet of sands suggest a lot of questions:
- One is the morphology of their basal surface, roughly flat and low, following the destruction of the
high Pan-African mountains.
- The other is mineralogical: the sands are clean and well mature even if they are coarse grained .It is
possible that they have made a long way : first southwards during the destruction of the Pan-African
ranges, then back northwards when the surface was down warped by cooling subsidence. The clays
have been winnowed and deposited off West Morocco where they formed the Avalon deep sea cone
(Burollet 2004)
In Northern Morocco deep basinal facies with a rich marine fauna are known.

Ordovician
The Ordovician of southern Tunisia is mainly composed of sandstones and shales containing a marine
fauna of brachiopods, acritarchs and trilobites. The rock sequence has been divided into four forma-
tions from the base upwards: the Sanrhar, Kasbah Leguine, Bir Ben Tartar and Jeffara. These units are
described as follows.

The Sanrhar Formation, of Tremadocian age, consists of sandstones and claystones. The section is
defined in the well Sanrhar-1, (SN-1), at Borj Bourguiba, where a thickness of 261 meters is present.
Toward the north in the Chotts basin, the equivalent sequence is represented by interbedded shales, silt-
stones and sandstones known as the El Gassi Formation. Within this area, the Cambro-Ordovician 27
boundary has been identified with fauna based on Chitinozoans and Acritarchs.
28
Fig. 11 : Ordovician lithostratigraphic correlation (after M. Dridi & al 1993)
The overlying Kasbah Leguine Formation is defined in well LG-1, located in the Jeffara basin. The for-
mation consists of sandstones and interbedded quartzitic sandstones and shale. A complete sequence
is represented in wells SN-1, ST-1 and TT-1. In the Chotts basin, the equivalent sequence is represent-
ed by El Atchane sandstone at the base overlain by Hamra quartzose sandstone at the top.(Fig.11)

The Bir Ben Tartar Formation consists mainly of sandstone with fine grained sandstone and silty shale
intercalations, as defined at the type locality, well TT-1. At this location the unit is 103 meters thick,
expanding to some 150 meters further south. Laterally to, and within the Chotts basin, the Bir Ben Tartar
is represented by the Azel Formation, primarily consisting of shale. Trilobites and graptolites yield a
Llanvirnian and Llandeilian age.

The Jeffara Formation consists of a microconglomeratic shale which grades upwards into sandstone, silty
shale and shale. The basal shale appears to be transgressive with respect to the underlying Bir Ben
Tartar Formation. Brachiopods, calymenids and conodonts yield a Caradocian to Ashgillian age for
the Jeffara sequence.
It is a periglacial unit overlying an eroded irregular surface. As a consequence the thickness varies from
40 to 150m.
The Jeffara Formation is a lateral equivalent of Melez Chograne shale and Memouniat Formation of
Libya and the “Argiles microconglomératiques” overlain by the M’kratta horizon in Algeria.

The Ordovician sequence was deposited over a large area, which extended from the southern part of
the Chotts basin to the north, the Jeffara basin to the east and throughout the Ghadames basin to the
south. Ordovician sediments are absent in the upper part of the Telemzane Arch due to Hercynian ero-
sion. The overall sequence is rather homogeneous in lithology, ranging in thickness from 100 to a max-
imum of 463 meters in well TT-1. A shallow marine environment is interpreted from the common occur-
rence of glauconite as well as a marine fauna in the Jeffara area. The latest Ordovician is character-
istically terminated by Taconian erosion, and then succeeded by glacial conditions.

Silurian
The Silurian sequence is well known to the south of the Telemzane Arch, where it is divided into two for-
mations: the Tannezuft Shale and the Acacus Sandstones. These units were defined in Libya, where
they outcrop in the large Ghat area of Fezzan. Towards the north in the Chott basin, only the upper
portion of the Silurian is present (Fig.12)

The Tannezuft Formation consists of a basal, thin sequence fine-grained quartzose sandstone which rests
on Ordovician sediments. Upwards, the Tannezuft becomes more shaley, grading into shale, marl and
dark, marly limestone. Graptolites, chitinozoans, acritarchs and spores yield a Llandoverian to
Wenlockian age. The top of the sequence is often missing below the Hercynian unconformity. The
lower part of the Tannezuft is rich in organic matter with good source-rock characteristics.

The overlying Acacus Formation consists of interbedded shale and sandstone. The rock unit ranges up
to 800 meters thick, and is often divided into members A, B and C. Graptolite faunas yield a date of
Ludlovian to Pridolian age. The Acacus sandstone functions as an oil reservoir at several small fields in
Libya as well as at Oued Zar and Hamouda fields in far southern Tunisia.

The transition from Tannezuft upwards into the Acacus is often gradual, slowly grading upwards into
sandstone. In the Chott area, only the Upper Silurian is present. This sequence, called the Fegaguira 29
Formation, consists of a shale succession with siltstone and rare sandstone. The Fegaguira is interpret-
 Fig. 12a : Geographic location of Fig. 12b West Libyia Silurian sequences can be defined
along an 800 km line, from south Tunisia in the north, to Chât in the south

Fig. 12b : Schema of Silurian sequences showing their diachronism and south to north progradation.
Graptolite zones are indicated. Mainly shaly facies are left blank. Mainly sandy facies are figured by cir-
30 cles. The geographic location of the section is shown in Fig. 12a (MASSA 1980)
ed as a shaley equivalent to the Acacus. It has been suggested that the Fegaguira nomenclature be
dropped as unnecessary.

Few wells have penetrated the complete section. Maximum thickness of the Silurian is 1100 meters,
as described in the OZ-1 well. This thick rock unit is preserved in the Jeffara area at LG-1, but is erod-
ed near the south flank of Telemzane Arch. In summary, the Tannezuft shales are interpreted as low
energy marine sediments. The overlying Acacus sequence ranges from sublittoral marine to deltaic.

Devonian
Devonian age sediments have been penetrated in wells in the most southerly part of Tunisia. Total thick-
ness may extend to 1245 meters in the MG-1 well, one of only two wells to penetrate the complete
series, (the other being SB-1). The Devonian can be subdivided into Lower, Middle and Upper, as fol-
lows.

The Lower Devonian consists of two formations, the Tadrart below and Ouan Kasa above. The Tadrart
Formation unconformably overlies the Acacus Formation, and consists primarily of sandstone intercalat-
ed with shales and claystones. The overlying Ouan Kasa Formation consists of sandstone, silty dolomite
and limestone. In Libya, the Lower Devonian is dated as Siegenian to Emsian, where a complete sec-
tion exists. Rocks of lowermost Devonian, (Gedinian in age), are missing in Tunisia.

The Middle Devonian is represented by the lower portion of the Aouinet Ouenine Formation. This unit
is mainly comprised of shales interbedded with minor sandstone beds. The shales contain a rich fauna
of brachiopods, trilobites and bryozoa, and are dated as Couvinian to Givetian in age.

The Upper Devonian is represented by the upper portion of the Aouinet Ouenine Formation, overlain by
the Tahara Formation. This uppermost sequence is comprised of shaley and silts facies containing
species of tentaculites characteristic of Frasnian age sediments. Grading upwards, the unit becomes
carbonate-rich. The upper part of the Aouinet Ouenine Formation is shaley and often dolomitic, and is
usually characterized as source-rock, it have been proven in the Frasnian shale. Oil production is known
in Algeria in relation with these series.The uppermost portion of the Upper Devonian is represented by
alternating sandstones and silty, pyritic shales of the Tahara Formation. This unit is less than 70 meters
thick where defined, and is dated as Strunian in age from palynological data.

As previously noted, the Devonian attains maximum thickness to the south. The Lower Devonian
sequence is predominantly sandstone and shale with quartzose claystone. The sandstones are consid-
ered to be fluvial to deltaic, with interval thicknesses varying from 100 meters in ZEN-1 to more than
650 meters.The Middle Devonian is characterized by marine shales and occasional sandy lime-
stone.The thin-bedded character of these sediments suggests shallow marine sedimentation. Thickness
varies from 200 meters at OZ-1 to some 580 meters at MG-1. In the Upper Devonian, sandstone per-
centage decreases from east to west, and is interpreted as a lagoonal deposit. Thickness varies from
64 meters in RR-1 up to 530 meters at EC-4.

Carboniferous
The Carboniferous sequence is represented by late Paleozoic marine cycles.These sediments have been
penetrated by several wells in the Jeffara basin and in southernmost Tunisia. The most representative sec-
tion was encountered in the Kirchaou-1 well, (KR-1). Over large areas the sequence has been eroded 31
or is missing beneath the Hercynian unconformity, due to the major uplift of Telemzane Arch.
32
Fig. 13 : Hercynian Unconformity Subcrop Map (After Burollet and busson, 1983 ; Memmi and Viterbo, 1986 modifed by Mejri 2002).
The Carboniferous type section is located in Libya, based on surface and subsurface descriptions;
Weyant and Massa (1985) distinguished four formations, from base to top: M’rar, Assedjefar,
Dembaba and Tiguentourine Formations.

The M’rar Formation is comprised of shale, siltstone and sandstone, and has been dated as Tournaisian
to Visean in age. In the Ghadames Basin of southern Tunisia, the M’rar conformably overlies the Tahara
Formation. In the Jeffara Basin, Carboniferous-age sediments unconformably overlie older Paleozoic
units, as for example in the KR-1 well the M’rar equivalent overlies Cambrian. In this area the rock unit
is named the Assedjafar Formation, and is comprised of oolitic to grainstone, bioclastic limestone with
foraminifera and bryozoa. The Assedjefar is also well developed in the BMT-1 well, where the fossil-
iferous dolomitic and limestone section dates as Upper Visean to Lower Bashkirian.

Overlying the M’Rar is the Dembaba Formation, which is less calcareous and grades to dolomitic anhy-
drite, shale and sandstone in the KR-1 well. The limestones are very fossiliferous, containing bryozoa,
foraminifera, algae and ostracods. This interval has been dated as Upper Bashkirian to Moskovian in
age.

The uppermost Carboniferous sequence is named the Tiguentourine Formation, it comprises generally
argillaceous limestone with dolomite interbeds. Age is determined as Upper Kasimovian, and towards
the west the sequence reaches a thickness of 900 meters in the MA-1 well.
In Algeria, Massa and Vachard in 1979 describe the Tiguentourine which is made up of shale, sand-
stone and gypsum of continental to lagoonish environment .

Thickness of Carboniferous sediments ranges up to 700 meters in southern Tunisia. In the Jeffara basin,
the average thickness of the lower carbonate unit ranges from 100 to 200 meters, overlain by some
360 meters of middle and upper Carboniferous in KR-1, LG-1 ENE of Foum Tataouine.
South of the Telemzane Arch, Carboniferous sediments are primarily siliclastics deposited in a shallow
marine environment. Towards the northeast, Moscovian-age sediments represent the last episode of
marine limestone deposition. In Upper Carboniferous time, the Tiguentourine sediments represent depo-
sition of shale and limestone in a transitional to lagoonal environment.

Permian
Permian sediments represent the only Paleozoic system which outcrops in southern Tunisia. Permian
marine rocks crop out at Djebel Tebaga, near Medenine, and contain fusulinids, gastropods and algae
which date them Upper Permian.
Memmi, Burollet and Viterbo (1986) distinguish a Tebaga group the upper part of which is représent-
ed by the Cheguimi sand.Thickness of Permian sediments of more than 4,000 meters has been docu-
mented at TB-1, and the facies shows a deep sea domaine. The following description divides the
Permian into Lower, Middle and Upper rock units.

The type section for Lower Permian sediments is found at KR-1, located 20 kilometers ENE of Foum
Tatouine. The sequence is comprised of fossiliferous limestone alternating with thin gray shale and
sandy shale. The presence of fusulinids Pseudoschwagerina sp. and Quasifusulina date the section as
Asselian in age. Sakmarian and Murghabian age sediments appear to be absent. It is 200m thick.

Middle Permian age sediments have been encountered in wells LG-1, 2, 3 and Sidi Toui-1.These sed-
iments lie unconformably on Lower Permian, and consist of interbedded dolomite, marl, anhydrite and 33
sandstone. A Murghabian date has been assigned to this interval. The thickness of Middle Permian is
34
PI. I : Correlation of Triassic - Early Jurassic Lithostratigraphic Units
220m at Kasba Leguine 2 (LG2) , it can reach 850m at Kirchaou1 (KR1).

Upper Permian sediments conformably overlie the Middle Permian, and appear to represent the com-
plete succession. The section is comprised of two main sequences. The lowermost sequence consists
of interbedded limestone, marly limestone, sandstone and overlying limestone breccia and reefal lime-
stone with alternating marls and shales. The presence of ostracods, gastropods, fusulinids, echinoderms
and lamellibranches indicate a Middle to Upper Murghabian age.
The upper sequence consists of sandstone with some sandy shale and small, isolated reefal limestones. This
unit is called the Cheguimi Formation and is dated as Djulfian age from sediments at KJD-1 and DSS-1.

MESOZOIC

Triassic
In Tunisia there are many Triassic outcrops, however quite “in situ” Triassic is known only in the Jeffara
plain between Medenine , Foum Tataouine and the Libya border.
In Northern Tunisia two large anticlinal domes show slightly metamorphic Triassic rocks: Jebel Hairech
and Jebel Ichkeul. Their tectonic and structural nature is not well understood. They are probably allochto-
nous, due to a sort of blind thrust ; it may be interpreted on seismic profils near Utique .The well Utique
1 has found a thick series of Triassic carbonates, recristallized, bearing abundant CO2.
Everywhere else in the Atlasic Tunisia, Triassic series outcrop as diapiric extrusions: they consist of mixed
gypsum, clay, silt and dolomite which correspond to the unsoluble part of the thick evaporitic Rheouis
Formation. Ophites are associated with some of the extrusions.
Generally, the mixture is so chaotic and contorted that it is impossible to establish any stratigraphic suc-
cession. However, in two diapirs it is possible to describe a succession: In Jebel Cheid, SE of
Teboursouk (Perthuisot 1972 and Burollet 1973) and especially in the Rheouis extrusion, where a cor-
relation could be proposed between the diapiric facies and platform outcrops of Southern Tunisia and
Tripolitania (Burollet and Dumestre 1952, Burollet 1956 and 1973) see figure N°14 (Soussi et al
2001).The extrusive facies is named Rheouis Formation . The black limestone series include some source
beds (Soussi et al 2001).
In Jeffara, Triassic series overlie conformably the Permian sequence. Farther south, in the holes of the
Saharan platform there is a major unconformity at the base of the Triassic,overlying various Paleozoic
Formations (see Fig.13) .

Lower Triassic or Scythian

The Lower Triassic is represented by interbedded red sandstone and claystone of Bir Mastoura
Formation (Lower Scythian palynomorphs) overlain by the Upper Scythian Bir El Jaja Formation, dated
by foraminifera as Meandrospira pusilla, defined in Libya in the B1-23 well. This unit exists only in
Jeffara and is absent in the South.

Middle Triassic: Anisian and Ladinian.

The Middle Triassic series have a wide extension, outcropping in Jeffara and found by the wells below
the Saharan Platform where they represent the main reservoir for hydrocarbons; for example, the oil of
El Borma field, and the gas well A 1-23 in Libya. They are made up of fluvial deltaic sand with minor
clay, known in surface as Kirchaou sandstones. In the middle part a marine level has been named
“Myophoria Limestone” in Libyan Jeffara.It separates the Ouled Chebbi Sandstones below, and the Ras
Hamia Formation above, (Mennig et al 1963, Burollet 1963) or Kirchaou Sandstones. 35
Upper Triassic : Carnian, Norian and Rhetian
36
Fig. 14 : Lithostragraphic column of the Triassic series in Central Tunisia and its equivalent in Southern
Tunisia and Libya (Soussi and al. 2001)
The Upper Triassic includes carbonate units and clastic or evaporitic series. The succession is, from
base to top:

Lower Carnian ( Mekraneb Dolomite)

he Kirchaou sandstone is overlain by an 8 to 10m thick dolomite horizon, called Mekraneb Dolomite:
thin bedded fossiliferous yellowish dolomite with interbedded thin levels of clay and marl.This level
named “ Lower Dolomite” by Busson (1967a and b) contains an abundant fauna which was reported
as indicating a Middle Triassic age: Lamellibranchs: Pecten discites Schlt., P. tenuistriatus Goldf.,
Enantriostreon difforme Schlot., E.spondylodes Schlot., Mytilus eduliformis Schlot., M. gibbus Alberti,
Modiola raibliana Bittner, M. minuta, Leda nagaensis Awad, Anoplophora munsteri Wissm, Myophoria
laevigata Alberti, M. laevigata var.elongata Phil, M. cardissoides Alberti, M. vulgaris Gein.,
Myophopriopsis subundata Schauroth, M. incrassata Munst., Unicardium schmidi Gein, Pleuromya
elongata Schlot., Thracia mactroides Philippi,Gastropods: Worthenia superba Assm., Omphaloptica
sp, Loxonoma sp, Cephalopods: Nautilus klipsteini Mojs. N. cassianus Mojs, Ptychites flexuosus Mojs,
P.eusomus Beyrich, marine reptiles (Notosaurians and armoured Placodonts) and a scale of
Coelacanthid.
According to Rudolf (1984) the age could be Lower Carnian: Thelia tuberculata, Th. guembeli, Th.
zanki. In Libya a similar level, sometimes described at Lower Azizia Member was reported as
Uppermost Ladinian.

Middle Carnian ( Touareg Sandstone)

The top of Mekraneb dolomite is a ferrugineous hard ground overlain by a conglomerate and cross-
bedded sandstone, 15 to 20m thick . Named Touareg sandstone, this unit could have a Middle
Carnian age due to its position.

Carnian ( Rehach Dolomite)

This is a mass of dolomite and dolomitic limestone, pink or yellowish, well bedded with some intered-
ded yellow-greenish marl. The base is very clear, the top is less clear in surface. Its thickeness is about
80m. It forms the hills of Jebel Rehach and Jebel Sidi Toui.
The fauna of ostracods, brachiopods, coelenterates and echinoderma may be compared to fossils
described near Azizia in Libya and dated Carnian by Desio et al.(1960) and Adloff et al.(1981).

Upper Carnian to Lower Norian (Clay and gypsum of Mhira)

This formation is made up of red and green clay interbedded with brown sandstone which is argilla-
ceous in places, and fibrous gypsum beds which are thin first, then massive in the upper part. The thick-
ness is between 120 and 150m.
Palynomorphs indicate a Late Carnian to Early Norian age with Precirculina granifer , Ganmiosporites
secatus, Vallosporites ignacin, Patinosporites densus.
In Tripolitania, similar beds were described as Bu Sceba Formation.

Norian – Raethian (Messaoudi Dolomite).

This unit begins with a polygenic conglomerate 3m thick and by sandstone beds overlain by a large
body of grayish dolomite including breccia-like beds, thinly laminated horizons and oolitic levels. The
thickness may be about 50m. In Libya, Abou Ghaylan limestone of the Garian area may be equivalent
of the Messaoudi Dolomite. As in Tripolitana, the Abou Ghaylan limestone is partially a lateral equiva-
lent of Bir Al Ghanem evaporites, it is possible that the Messaoudi Dolomite is also partially due to a
lateral change of the evaporites. 37
Lower Raethian - Sinemurian ( Bhir evaporites)
38
Fig. 15 : Jurassic Isopach map (Nara Formation & its equivalents) (After H. Ben Jemia & al. 1998)
The uppermost part of Triassic and the Liassic are mainly gypsum and anhydrite in surface with thin
interbedded varicolored clay and very thin layers of dolomite. It is the equivalent of the Bir Al Ghanem
Formation in Libya. Both are overlain by a marker horizon, made up of carbonates with some interbed-
ded marl, named niveau B, or Bu En Niran Horizon of Libya or Zmilet Haber Limestone in Tunisia
(Busson 1967a and b, Magnier 1963, etc.). Its age is Pleinsbachian.

The formations described in surface in Tunisia and in Libya Jeffara were identified in the Saharan wells of
southern Tunisia, of Libya (Hammada el Homra), and of eastern Algerian Sahara. The percentage of evap-
orites, including halite, increases towards the Southern Basin, coming from the high zones where series are
reduced and richer in carbonates as in the north of Tataouine in Tunisia, and Garian area in Libya.
Going north, down the steps of Jeffara, the Triassic series thicken largely and grade to evaporitic series
including abundant halite. The Ben Gardane well is in a transitional position. In the Gulf of Gabès,
there is a strong salt tectonic with domes and walls, some of them reaching the sea bottom. As men-
tioned above, the main part of the Atlasic and Eastern Tunisia present extrusions or underground domes
due to salt migrations The diapiric extrusions are frequent in tectonic crossings and are larger and more
frequent in the northwestern part of Tunisia.
In some areas, evaporites are thin or absent. This is the case in the external part of the Pelagian plateau
and on a resistant zone trending from Medenine to Jerba and Mahares through the central Gulf of Gabès.
In these areas, due to the lack of lubricant, there is no “decollement” between the sedimentary cover
and the basement and the “pli de couverture” style is replaced by a “horst and graben” structural orga-
nization.

Jurassic
The Jurassic outcrops in the North ( J.Ichkeul, J.Hairech, Thuburnic, J.Amar etc), along the NS Axis from
Hammamlif to Sidi Bou Zid and in the South ( Jeffara-Dahar ) .It has been encountered in several wells
across the country, eastern offshore included.
Various studies have been made since 1873. The most important descriptions are due to Pervinquière
in the South (1912), Solignac (1927) on northern Tunisia, Castany between 1945 and 1955 on cen-
tral Tunisia – Other results have been published by oil geologist: Bonnefous (1972), Khessibi (1967),
Burollet (1956) .After Mathieu (1940) Busson studied the Saharan outcrops (1967) and the boreholes
in Tunisia and Algeria (1970 and 1972).
Researches were conducted by the Geological Survey of Tunisia , and by the Universities and INRST :
S.Arnould Saget (1951,1952 and 1956), Ben Ismail (1982), Biely(1969) ,Bolze (1954) , Bouaziz
and Mello (1987), Busnardo et al.(1980, 1985) , Combemorel et al.(1985) , Floridia et al.(1969) ,
Kamoun (1988) , Lapparent (1954) ,Macoin (1963) , Memmi (1967), Rakus (1973 and 1971 with
Biely), Rouvier (1977-1985) , Tlig(1978), Walley (1985),etc
In 1993 ETAP published a catalog of Triassic and Jurassic type sections in Tunisia. Chandoul et al. Mem
ETAP 4.
Recent publications clarified the Jurassic stratigraphy and have been utilised for this chapter and the cor-
relation chart: Alouani (1988), Alouani and Tlig (1991) , Ben Jemia (2001.Rep ETAP), Peybernès
(1992), Peybernès et al.(1990, 1994, 1995 and 1996), Rais (1990), Soussi(1990 and 2003),
Soussi et al.(2002).
In Central Tunisia , the Jurassic is represented by Nara Formation ( Burollet 1956) with two carbonate
members separated by an irregular marly and oolitic middle member.
The outcrops are along the North South Axis. Farther North, near Jebels Zaress and Zaghouan there
are different facies as the Oust, Zaghouan, Chaabet el Attaris, Kef EL Orma,Bent Saidane, Zaress, 39
Ressas Formations.(Pl.I and Pl. II).
40
PI.II : Correlation of Jarassic Lithostratigraphic Units
Jurassic series have been explored by several wells in Central and Eastern Tunisia :Kharrouba 1, Souinia
1, Nasr Allah 101, SMS 1, ABK 1, close of East of the N.S.Axis. Other wells were in Cap Bon , CB
1, CB101, and offshore : Bou Ficha 1, Chems 1, Rime1, West Gabès 1, Degla 1.
In Saharan Tunisia , outcrops along the cliff and boreholes show different facies , rich in clastics and
evaporites..
Chott Fedjedj wells with CF 1, CF 2, ZB1, Zoomit 1,and Limaguess 1 and 2 are in an intermediate
position between Saharan and Atlassic facies. So are also the boreholes in Jerba, the maritime Jeffara
and offshore East of Jerba. There the Jurassic produces oil at Ezzaouia .

Early Liassic - Rhetian to Pliensbachian.

Evaporite deposition in southern Tunisia and carbonate sedimentation towards the north dominated early
Liassic sedimentation as a continuation of Triassic patterns.

Sahara Platform: (Bhir or Ajaj Formations, Zmilet Haber, Messaoudi horizons).

Overlying shale and subsidiary evaporite of the Late Triassic Mhira Formation, the Rhetian to Sinemurian
Bhir (Bouaziz et al., 85) or Ajaj Formations consist of a thick, evaporite-bearing sequence (salt and
anhydrite), containing gypsiferous shale and oolitic and stromatolitic dolomite interbeds. The uppermost
dolomitic marker bed is known as Zmilet Haber (Busson, 1967) or B-horizon and Carixian in age. This
marker, 50 to 15 meters thick, is widespread and indicates minor marine incursion within dominantly
supratidal sabkha environment.
The Bhir Formation ranges in thickness from 100 to over 700 meters in the South.
The Messaoudi dolomite Formation, beginning with polygenic sandy breccias and stromatolitic
dolomite, is considered as a partial equivalent of the Triassic portion of the Bhir Formation.

Central and Northern Tunisia (Lower Chotts Member, Lower Nara Member, Oust and Zaghouan Formations)
The Lower unit of the Jurassic Chotts section is an alternation of partially dolomitized oolitic limestone and
dolomite stringers associated with anhydrite. Algal remains, Textularidae have been found at several lev-
els.
The Lower Nara Member, outcropping in the N-S Axis, consists of microcrystalline dolomites having
locally relics of peloids, ooids, echinids and algal nodules and capped by a major hard-ground (break
in sedimentation) seen all over central Tunisia.
In the north (J.Zaress to Bou Kornine ),Liassic rocks include a pseudo-oolitic limy dolomite grading into
foraminifera and Dasycladacae-rich limestone; this sequence is known as Oust Formation of Rhetian to
Sinemurian in age. It is crown by flint limestone, Carixian in age
Northern more, in the Atlas thrust-fold belt, the early Liassic rocks are composed of dolomitic limestone
with radiolarian-rich levels and cavernous dolomite. Metamorphism and mineralization are prevalent in
the basal unit, related to fault contact and fluid movement.
The various members are all in carbonate facies and lateral equivalents, they are characterized by
interfingering biofacies with related diagenetic features. Thickness exceeds 300 meters.

Remark: The lack of the Early Jurassic sediments in the Jeffara plain could be due to the later erosion.
Both in outcrop and subsurface from the Chotts trough to the north, the Early Liassic deposits exhibit com-
parable lithology and fauna contents. It has a thickness of more than 300 meters over the north and
about 500 meters thick on the Saharan Platform. The depositional environment occurred in smooth 41
ramp, is thought to have been supratidal sabkha to intertidal lagoon and grades into shallow marine
42
P I.III : Jurassic lithostratigraphic chart (After H. Ben Jemia 2001)
through time.
Pliensbachian to Callovian
Saharan Platform- Domerian to Bajocian pro parte, (Mestaoua Formation)
The Mestaoua Formation was defined in the Jeffara escarpment; it’s dominated by a thick sequence of
evaporite with minor dolomite beds of Domerian to Aalenian or Bajocian p.p. age. Upward, the
dolomite increases with minor claystone and limestone interbeds, containing subsidiary ooids, mollusks,
and echinoids.
Thickness ranges from 200 to 400 meters. This formation overlies the B Horizon and grades upward
into Bajocian limestone accompanied by decreasing of anhydrite. The Mestaoua evaporite is wide-
spread through Saharan Platform, grading northward into brecciated, algal-laminated and peloidal
dolomite known as ‘Dolomie informe’.

Bajocian, (Krachoua Formation)

The base of the formation begins distinctly at the appearance of thick, bioclastic limestone and locally
porous algal-bearing dolomite. The type section is composed primary of bioclastic limestone and
dolomite with thin interbeds of shale and gypsum throughout. The basal contact is often gradual. The
uppermost gypsiferous limestone is capped by a hard ground, which was rapidly covered by the basal
Bathonian shaley unit.
The Krachoua Formation represents a major transgressive-regressive sequence starting with intertidal to
lagoonal sequence at the base, followed by a shallowing sabkha sequence. Reported thickness ranges
from 100 to around 150 meters. Moving toward the Jeffara offshore and the Chotts, the Krachoua Formation
becomes entirely dolomitic with common claystone interbeds, suggesting a shoal to lagoon environment.

Bathonian, (Techout Formation)

Bathonian time records the early clastic influx. The Techout Formation is dated as Bathonian in age, and
consists of three units. The basal unit is made of alternating claystone, bioclastic limestone, and gypsif-
erous dolomitic levels. The basal contact with the underlying Krachoua Formation is sharp.
The Middle unit consists of sandy to gypsiferous shale, bioclastic limestone, and soft sandstone. The
uppermost Techout unit is composed mostly of sand and shaley sandstone with minor gypsiferous beds.
Ferruginous dolomite provides cement for the sand and the silicified wood fragments. Thickness of the
Techout ranges from 100 to 200 meters.
From a depositional perspective, the Jeffara offshore is characterized by more shale and less sand dur-
ing Techout deposition in Bathonian . It is assumed that the Techout Formation pinches out on the Melab
and Medenine high and mergs with the Krachoua Formation in the offshore.

Latest Bathonian to Oxfordian p.p., (Foum Tataouine Formation p.p.)

Foum Tataouine was introduced by Busson (1967) in the stratigraphic section in southeastern Tunisia to
describe the Callovian to Malm-age rocks. The sequence consists of mixed siliciclastic and carbonates,
measuring between 90 and 170 meters in outcrop and more than 200 meters in subsurface.
The Dogger aged segment of the Foum Tataouine Formation is subdivided into three members, from
base to top:
- Latest Bathonian Brourmet or Beni Ousid I Member is alternating oolitic limestone and gypsiferous to
sandy marls. Algal-laminated dolomites and local mud-cracks structures are distinguished.
- Earliest Callovian Beni Ousid II Member is represented by a succession of cross-laminated sandstones
and Brachiopods-bearing limestones.
- The Middle to Upper Callovian Khechem El Miit Member consists of interbeded marl and bioclastic 43
limestone. In some place, it contains cross-stratified sandstone and algal-laminated limestone, with sha-
 ley intervals more common upward. These shale intervals are considered potential source rock.
Where the upper two members, (Beni Ousid II and Khechem El Miit), include higher sand content, the
unit is informally designated as the Smida Member. Occasional ammonites provide a Callovian age.

Chotts trough
The Late Liassic and the Dogger deposits, in the Chotts area, were classified in two informal members.
The Lower member was in continuity of sedimentation with the Chotts Lower limestone; a Toarcian to
Bajocian p.p. age has been assigned to this member based on its stratigraphic position. It is dark lime-
stone slightly dolomitized. This member is time-equivalent to the Mestaoua and the basal part of
Krachoua formations; it’s deposited in an intertidal to lagoonal environment.
The upper member is marly and informally called the ‘Chotts alternating marl and limestone’, and dated
as of Bathonian to Oxfordian p.p. age. Sandstone lenses or bars are scattered near the base.
The Chotts area acted as depocenter throughout Jurassic and Cretaceous time. Subsidence could be
related to an early stage of rifting, with flexing and subsidence of the continental margin. Thickness of
the sequence is more than 1000 meters.

N.S.Axis
- Domerian to Mid-Callovian, (Middle Nara Member)
The Middle member of the Nara Formation can be divided into two parts. The lower part, dated early
to Middle Toarcian in age, consists of predominantly black marl interbeded with finely laminated lime-
stone. This facies is the characteristic ‘black shale’, an acknowledged source rock in Tunisian Atlas
(Guemgouma F.P.).
The upper part is a microfilaments-rich and ferruginous oolitic limestone and sparse dolomitic limestone.
Carbonate increases in thickness upward and contain interbeded marl. Meter-thick, ferruginous oolitic
limestone described as ironstone are common. These facies occur as lenses and associated condensed
sections. They are dated as Bajocian to early Bathonian by Soussi, (1991).
Several stratigraphic gaps characterize the Dogger in Central Tunisia and are prominent between the
numerous ferruginous and oolitic levels. Thickness variation between 10 and 100 meters is interpreted
as series hiatus. The gap age is reported as early to middle Aalenian or middle Bathonian ,related to
distensive tilted blocks.
The deposits formed into a series of syndepositional fault blocks that were variously raised, lowered and
tilted along a predominately east-west trend. Indeed, Toarcian shale appear to be concentrated in intra-
shelf basins under anoxic condition, whereas oolitic and ammonites-bearing condensed sections are
developed over tilted blocks truncated by erosional surfaces.

Zaress, Zaghouan and Bou Kornine

- Late Carixian to Late Toarcian, (Staa Member)
Introduced by Faure and Peybernes (1986), the Staa Member is interpreted as time-equivalent of the
‘Black shales’ described above. Ranging in thickness from 10 to 50 meters, the sequence consists of
alternating fossiliferous marl, limestone and claystone capped by nodular and micro-laminated marly
limestone. Pelecypods , brachiopods, ammonites and belemnites are the main faunal elements present.
This unit was named Chaabet el Attaris Formation by Soussi ( 2003).

- Aalenian to Early Bajocian, (Kef El Orma Member)

Kef El Orma Member was defined by Peybernes, (1986). It consists of ammonite-bearing, hard lime-
44 stone containing cherty lenses and laminae in the upper part .The Aalenian-age segment of the Kef El
Orma is distinguished by nodular to brecciaed limestone and muddy limestone rich in radiolarian and
filament remains. Thickness ranges from 10 to 50 meters.
- Early Bajocian to Early Callovian, (Bent Saidane and Bou Kornine Members)
Lithology as well as age determination of the Bent Saidane Member support correlation with the Bou
Kornine Member. Defined by Peybernes (1992), the two members are composed of monotonous alter-
nations of pelagic marl and nodular limestone capped by minor discontinuity. The Bou Kornine Member
contains two micro-brecciaed layers interpreted as a debris-flows/turbidites. These units consist of mud-
supported carbonate olistolite and breccia derived from the erosion of tilted and rotated Liassic blocks.
Northward, several meters of microfilament-rich limestone, containing dark chert and belemnites are
intercalated between the Staa Member and the so-called ‘radiolarites’. This sequence could be a time-
equivalent of the Bent Saidane Member. Thickness varies from 50 to 250 meters. Formation age deter-
mination is supported by the ammonites (Peybernes et al.,1986).

Callovian p.p. to Tithonian

Saharan Platform
- Callovian p.p. to Early Oxfordian, (Tlalett and Ghomrassen Members)
The carbonate sequences are grouped informally into the Foum Tataouine Group. Well exposed in outcrop,
these units provide an excellent morphologic marker throughout the Dahar ridge. Contact with the underly-
ing Khechem El Miit or Smida units are marked by a sharp transition from shale to muddy dolomite. The tran-
sition zone is generally underlined by a discontinuous and thin silty micritic horizon interpreted as calcrete.
The calcrete, interpreted as a soil horizon, could be representing a hiatus in Late Callovian deposition.
Two units are distinguished in the Ghomrassen Member. The lower unit, abruptly overlying the K. El Miit
shale, is composed of ooid and gravel-bearing limestone followed by laminated limestone with pellets,
algae and foraminifers. The upper unit contains sponge and algal build-ups. These bioherms occur as
plano-convex lenses grading into well-stratified limestone and shale interbeds.

- Oxfordian to Kimmeridgian p.p., (Ksar Haddada Member )

The Ksar Haddada unit, around 20 meters thick, consists mainly of coquina-rich carbonates and shal-
low marine shale. The carbonate, containing echinoids and nautiloids, are interbedded with organic-
rich shale, sandy dolomites and green sandstone. This formation is time-equivalent with the lower part
of the Mrabtine Formation.
Deposition in the Saharan Platform was characterized by a shallow, inner shelf setting associated with
lagoonal to open marine influence and minor clastic influx from the south as at sea level rise, influenced
locally by rejuvenated fault blocks. Coastal to fluvial-deltaic sedimentation prevailed and was restricted
to the southern side, (Upper Sbeia Formation).

- Kimmeridgian to Early Cretaceous, (Merbah El Asfer Formation or Purbecko-wealdian Facies)

Classically, Busson (1967) reports the dolomite and continental sandstones of Merbah El Asfer, to the
Purbecko-wealdian facies. The rock unit is around 400 meters thick and ranges in age from Late
Kimmeridgian to questionable Early Creatceous. The lithology consists of yellowish marls, cross-stratified
sandstones often associated with silicified wood remains. Dolomitic levels containing silicified polyps
and bioclasts are scattered near the base, the uppermost of which is named Bir Miteur providing an
early Kimmerdgian age.
The name has been simplifed in Asfer formation ( Chandoul et al.1993).In coastal Jeffara and neigh-
bouring offshore this unit is named M’rabtine Formation with thicknesses reaching 500m.

Chotts trough 45
Dated Oxfordian to Tithonian , the so-called Chotts lituolids limestone, (M’zoughi, 1991), consists of
 three units. The basal unit is made of reefal and coarse dolomite, commonly named the ‘J’ limestone in
the Sabria-Franig area. The middle unit consists of brownish limestone with shaley interbeds and minor
evaporite levels. The upper unit is composed primarily of gravel to oolitic limestone and limy mudstone
thinly interbedded with shale. These upper unit grades upward into a thick sequence of interdedded
dolomite, sandstone and varicolored shale termed the ‘passage zone’ between the Jurassic and Early
Cretaceous sediments.

Tunisian Atlas and thrust belt

N.S.Axis
- Callovian p.p. to Tithonian, (Upper Nara Member)
This carbonate sequence is well exposed in the NOSA and penetrated by a few exploration wells in
the Pelagian Platform (Sahel). The type section is comprised of bedded and laminated dolomite and
limestone; ammonites-rich nodular limestone occurs mainly near the base of the unit. Many dolomite lev-
els have relic radiolarian remains. Oolitic limestone with micro-gravels is present in the southernmost sub-
surface, associated with dark shaley interbeds and secondary anhydrite intercalated near the base of
the section. This facies is characterized by interfingering of the upper Nara Member and the Tlalett and
Mrabtine formations.
Progradation of the Upper Nara sequence northward resulted in diachronism of both base and top of
the unit with bounding facies. Northward along the NOSA, the base of the Upper Nara ranges from
mid-Callovian up into mid-Oxfordian, transitioning into nodular limestone attributed to the northern
facies. The Tithonian to earliest Cretaceous Sidi Khalif Formation consisting of alternating marl and marly
limestone abruptly caps the Upper Nara.
By Late Jurassic time, an outer shelf setting in close proximity to deep-marine influences characterized
the Upper Nara sequence of central Tunisia, albeit later modified by secondary dolomitization of the
interval.

Zaress to Bou Kornine

- Mid-Callovian to Early Kimmerdgian (Zaress Formation)
Known as ‘Ammonitic Rosso’, this formation is made of reddish nodular limestone rich in ammonites,
Protoglobigerinids and radiolarian, overlying and sealing the previously rejuvenated fault blocks. The
upper part of the Zaress Formation consists of well-bedded dolomite containing numerous stratiform lam-
inae.
In general, an alternating of radiolarian and saccocoma-rich marl and limestone with chert lenses rep-
resents typical Malm deposits of western and northern Tunisia. Red argillaceous limestone and shale
containing condensed zones with Protoglobigerinids characterize lateral transition into typical Upper
Nara lithologies.
Widespread in northern Tunisia, the Zaress formation grades laterally into marl and limestone alternating
with shale and finally to radiolarian-bearing shale and silicified radiolarites enriched with jasper (Jedidi F.).

- Earliest Kimmeridgian to Tithonian, (Beni Klab Member)

Named by Peybernes, (1991), the Beni Klab Member is comprised of alternating radiolarian and
Calpionellid-rich limestone and marl. Brecciated levels are scattered in mid-section and are represent
an equivalent of the Ressas unit. The sequence grades into reddish marl rich in saccocoma remains
northward.
46
- Kimmeridgian p.p. to Late Berriasian, (Ressas Formation)
At the type section of the Ressas Formation (Rakus, 1973), the sequence is composed primarily of dark
limestone overlying para-reefal to bioclastic limestone containing subordinate algae. The uppermost
oolitic limestone is sharply overlain by rudist and algal-bearing limestone. Up to 500 meters in thick-
ness, the Ressas limestone was deposited in an open marine environment over a shelf margin grading
laterally into distal shelf to slope facies as attested by the presence of deeper-marine limestone, marl
and calcarenitic turbidites bearing a rich assemblage of Calpionellids. These deposits are considered
as reworked by a slope failure that transported shallow shelf sediments into deeper water.
In the Jurassic hills and Jedidi , there are special facies. Such are the red shales and radiolarites of Jedidi
Formation ( near Hammam Jedidi) , Dogger to Oxfordian in age , overlain by Beni Klab limestone
(Alouani et al.1990, Soussi 2003).
So is the Fahs Formation ( Soussi 2003) made of reddish shale , siliceous marl and thin laminated lime-
stone rich in radiolariae : Late Callovian-Oxfordian. It is known in Jebel Bou Kornine of Fahs and
Hammam Lif, Beni Klab , Azziz, and Oust.
Farther North, this series becomes turbiditic, it has been schistozed and shighthy metamorphosed. It cor-
responds to a slope of a deeper basin; near Jedeida three Formations have been described in Khessibi
1967.

Maiana Formation
Pelagic limestone with coarse calciturbidites, Aptycus, Saccocoma and Calpionellids of zone A (Late
Tithonian). It ressembles the Maiolica series of Italia.Thick of 120m at Jedeida it is reduced to 20m at
Thuburnic, overlying the Jedidi radiolarites.(Pl.II and III).

Hamada Formation
It has also a Maiolica facies with finer turbidites, Calpionellids characterize zones B and C: Berriasian.
Known at Jedeida, Jebel Amar, Jebel Oust this unit is very thick in the upper part of the Thuburnic Section
(Burollet 1975, Chandoul et al .1993, Peybernès et al.1996).

Serouala Formation
It is made of shale with sandy turbidites. Known at Jebel Oust , it is Valanginian and an equivalent of
the Lower M’Cherga Formation.

Remark: Alouani 1991 and Alouani and Tlig 1991 proposed an other interpretation where Seroula
Formation is Dogger, Hamada and Maiana Formations Late Jurassic . We do not adopt this classifica-
tion, due to the Calpionellids faunas.
On an other hand, Alouani and Tlig 1991 have underlined the mineralogical influence of the deep
Tethys furrow on these units of Northern Tunisia.It is specially neat at Jebel Ichkeul where Mid-Jurassic
recrystallized carbonate and calcschists are rich in amphibole, hornblend chlorite and feldspars.
The Late Jurassic radiolarite and siliceous limestone, with breccia and microconglomerate, described by
Alouani et al.1990 at J.Ichkeul, suggest also a proximity of the Ligurian Tethys. These northern-more
facies would have been translated southwards by Ichkeul and Utique blind- thrusts.

Cretaceous
Cretaceous series outcrop largely in Atlassic and Saharan Tunisia .
It has been described by the main regional studies for more than a century: Aubert 1882, Thomas
1908, Pervinquière 1903 and 1912, Solignac 1927, Arnould-Saget 1952, Castany 1951, Burollet
1956, Busson 1967 and 1970, Sainfeld 1952, Jauzein 1967, Turki 1975 et 1985, Khessibi 1978, 47
Fournié 1978, Sedjil 1981, Bellier 1982, Gargouri-Razgallah 1983, Tlatli 1983, Marie et al. 1984,
 Fig. 16 : Stratigraphic sketch of Tunisian Cretaceous

48
Boltenhagen 1985a and b, M’Rabet 1987, Bismuth et al. 1989, Memmi 1989, Negra 1994.
The Cretaceous System in Tunisia can be divided into two parts in relation to a major unconformity near
the base of Upper Albian beds. For this reason, we describe the Albian stage with the Upper
Cretaceous serie (Fig.16).
There is a general gradation from the neritic, lagoonal and continental facies of the Saharan Platform
south to the open marine and often deep sea facies of the "Sillon Tunisien" on the northern side. Irregular
subsidence, blocks tilting, and salt movements have given complex patterns of thicknesses and facies
since the Aptian times .

Early Cretaceous
As stated in the preceeding chapter, the limit between Jurassic and Cretaceous systems is not obvious
in the field in Tunisia : generally, it is located in the open marine shaly Sidi Khalif Formation or in the
sou-thern continental to transitional Asfer Formation (ChandouI1988, Busnardo et al. 1985,
Combemorel et al. 1985, M'Rabet 1984 and 1987). ln Central Tunisia the Neocomian series con-
sist of three formations representing a deltaic progradation towards the north : Sidi Khalif, Meloussi,
and Boudinar Formations (megasequence no1 of M'Rabet 1987).
The Meloussi and Boudinar Formations are a deltaic regressive detritic body, gathered in a "Sened
Group". They are overlain by the transgressive Gafsa Group (Late Hauterivian to Late Aptian or rarely
Early Albian), subdivided into three formations: Bou Hedma, Sidi Aich, and Orbata
Sened and Gafsa groups are the two parts of the Maknassy super-group (cf. Burollet 1956, M’rabet
et al. 1995).
In Northern Tunisia the Early Cretaceous is entirely made up of open marine shale with minor sandy or
limy associated levels. Formerly the name Sidi Khalif was extended to this thick series of open marine
sedi-ments; it was a source of confusion. That is why Ben Ferjani et al.(1990) proposed to confine the
term Sidi Khalif to the Tithonian and Berriasian shale and use the name of M'Cherga Formation for the
dark shales of the "Sillon Tunisien" including the Valanginian to Aptian stages (Fig.18)

Sidi Khalif Formation.

This was described first by Burollet et al (1952 - 1954) and by Burollet (1956), and its age was revised
by Busnardo et al. (1976 and 1985) and by M'Rabet (1987). Both its two limits are diachronous; the
base, overlying limestones of the Nara Formation, is dated as Early Tithonian in the south and as Late
Tithonian in the northern part of the N.S. Axis (Fig. 16).
It is formed by gray shale with greenish weathering, which is interbedded with grey argillaceous lime-
stone or fine grained limestone, especially in the lower part, and some silstone or sandstone, buff to
rusty, more abundant in the upper part and forming in some places a transition to the overlying Meloussi
Formation. ln some. sections, limestone beds are dolomitized.
The fauna is very rich in Ammonites, Brachiopods, Belemnites, Crinoids, Foraminifera, Tintinnids,
Ostracods and Coccoliths.
The Tithonian part has given fossils of the Micracanthum zone (J. Bou Hedma for example) with Parau-
lacosphinctes senex (Oppel), Micracanthoceras sp. and Calpionellids of the Crassicollaria A zone.
Above, the uppermost Tithonian is characterized by fossils of the Jacobi zone (Arnould-Saget 1951,
M'Rabet 1987) : Tirnovella allobrogensis (Mazenot), T. suprajurensis (Maz.) Dalmasiceras sp. gr. sublo-
evis (Maz). D. sp., Berriasella (D.) jacobi Maz; B. sp., Himalayites sp. and Tintinnids of the B Zone:
Calpio-nella alpina Lor., Crassicollaria parvula Rem., and Tintinnopsella carpathica Mur. and Ph.
The Lower Berriasian is characterized by Pseudosubplanites grandis (Maz.), Ps. lorioli (Zittel); Tintinnids
of zone B as below and the primitive form of the ostracod : Pontocyprella hodnensis Donze.
Mid Berriasian fossils correspond to the Ammonite Zone with Occitania and the Tintinnid Zone C: Pro- 49
tancyloceras punicum Arnould-Saget, P. depressum A.S., Tirnovella occitanica, Berriasella (B.
50
Fig. 17 : Composite section of the Cretaceous series of Central and Southern Tunisia
(After M’rabet & al. 1995)
subcaIlisto, B. privasensis (Pict.), Neocosmoceras aff. sayni. (Sim.), N. breistofferi Maz., Calpionella
elliptica Cadish, C. alpina, Tintinnopsella carpathica, Crassicollaria parvula, Remaniella cadishiana
Colom, and the ostra-cods : Pontocyprella hodnaensis (normal form Protocytheridea tuberculata, and
Protocythere aff. mazanoti Donze (Morpht. A).
The Upper Berriasian beds have given Ammonites of the Boissieri zone: Fauriella boissieri (Pict), F. sp.,
Mazenoticeras breveti (Pomel), Dalmasiceras sp., Picteticeras gr. ovulata Le Heg. and Neocosmoceras
gr.flabelliforme Le Heg., Tintinnids of D Zone with Calpionellopsis sp., C. oblonga C., Tintinnopsella
carpa-thica, and T. longa C.
The ostracods are represented by an evolved form of Oligocythereis tarhitensis and the B. Morphotype
of Protocythere aff. mazenoti (M'Rabet 1987, Busnardo et al. 1976 and 1985).
The Sidi Khalif Formation is not considered as a source bed. However, the analyses are rare for the
time being and further studies are recommended. ln Central and northern Tunisia this unit represents an
excellent seal for Jurassic carbonates.

Asfer Formation
This unit was named first by Burollet and Dumestre (1952) then by G. Busson as Merbah El Asfer
(1967). Recently. Kamoun et al. (1987) presented another subdivision.
The Asfer Formation may be used for fresh water, transitional or lagoonal series lying between the
Jurassic Foum Tataouine or Nara Formations and marine transgressive units of Upper Hauterivian to
Aptian age, often belonging to Bou Hedma formation or its lateral equivalents. The Asfer Formation is
made up of interbedded varicolored clay or shale, sand stone and a small quantity of limestone,
dolomite and evaporite.
It has been described often as "Wealdian" or "Continental Intercalaire". The type section is at Merbah
El Asfer near Tataouine. Its age ranges from Uppermost Jurassic to basal Cretaceous.

The Sened Group

In the Chott Fedjedj area, geologists of the "Projet Sud" of the Geological Survey (south project) have
proposed several names for units outcropping in the core of Fedjedj anticline, possible equivalent of the
Sened Group. These names have only a local interest for mapping near the Chott Fedjedj.Wemay refer
also to the names given by SEREPT geologists; Bernard et al. 1971.
The Sened Group is a regressive megasequence with progradation of sand northwards overlying the
open marine shales of Sidi Khalif. The lower limit is diachronous from Upper Tithonian in the south up
to Lower Valanginian in Central Tunisia. The limit between Meloussi and Boudinar Formations is also
diachronous as the massive sand body were carried earlier to the southern part .

The Meloussi Formation (type locality in the Jebel Meloussi) :

Burollet et al. 1954, Burollet 1956). It is made up of white sand, fine to coarse grained, with interbed-
ded levels of green shale, brown dolomite or dolomitic lime stone (See Fig. 16 , 17 and 20).
Detailed descriptions may be found in M'Rabet 1987, a reference book on the Lower Cretaceous in
Central Tunisia.
The Meloussi Formation has been deposited on a shallow marine shelf, with an irregular subsidence.
The large sand supply may be due both to renewed erosion in the Saharan source zone and to the
eustatic lowering of the mean sea level. Marine invasion corresponding to the carbonate levels may
have been associated with subsidence pulses.

The Boudinar Formation: 51

It is a thick accumulation of crossbedded sand, fine to coarse grained, with layers of gravel; silicified
52
Fig. 18 : Composite section of the Northern Tunisia Cretaceous series (After M’rabet & al. 1995)
wood remains are also common. It is a fluvial deposit, with braided streams.
Northwards, it grades laterally to Meloussi facies, as several shallow marine horizons are interbedded.
At Jebel Chambi or Jebel M'rhila, there is no Boudinar left between Meloussi and the overlying trans-
gressive Bou Hedma (Fig. 24).
The two formations of Sened Group are replaced by open marine series in the Northeast of Tunisia.
These series are part of the M'Cherga Formation which is described below. The transition is rarely
observed as the outcrops are rare in Western Tunisia and there are very few wells drilled through the
Neocomian in the Eastern Tunisia. However, in Jebel Chambi and in Jebel M'rhila there is an increas-
ing percentage of carbo-nates and clays.
A little farther north, in the deep well Douleb 101 a massive unit of dolomite, named "Douleb 101 dolo-
mite", is probably the equivalent of the Upper Meloussi of Jebel M'Rhila and Chambi, and overlies a
very thick clastic Neocomian series corresponding to a marine external shelf environment.
Along the North-South Axis, and east of it, sub-deltaic facies are more common to the north than in the
Western Tunisia or below the eastern offshore.
Thicknesses are irregular along the NOSA, in contrast with the large East-West trending depocenters
known on both sides. (Fig. 21).

Gafsa Group (Late Hauterivian to Albian pro-parte).

It was defined by Burollet (1956) as a formation and was changed to a group by M'Rabet (1987). It
is the upper half of the Maknassy Super-Group.
It is a sedimentary megacycle, corresponding to the megasequences II, and III of M'Rabet, the latter
being subdivided into two sequences: Koudiat El Maaza of SEREPT, and Hameima of Burollet.
ln the Gafsa mountains and in the south of the Kasserine Island, the Gafsa group is made up of three
formations, from base to top: Bou Hedma, Sidi Aich, and Orbata. It begins with a large transgression
and ends with a major unconformity, underlined by a sedimentary gap in many places.

Bou Hedma Formation

Its composite lithology is made up of interbedded elements : oolitic, fine grained, or bioclastic lime-
stone,laminated dolomite; varicolored clay; gypsum and anhydrite; and fine grained sandstone (Fig.17
and 20).
The type locality is in Jebel Bou Hedma (East of Gafsa), on the northern flank, south of Maknassy
(Burollet & al. 1954, Burollet 1956, M’Rabet 1987, M’Rabet et al.1995). The Bou Hedma Formation
overlies the Boudinar or Meloussi Forma-tions; it is overlain by the Sidi Aich sandstone .
Fossils are common but neritic or lagoonish : Ostracods, Molluscans, Echinids, Serpulids, Bryozoa, and
Algae. Thinlaminated limestones correspond to blue-green algal stromatolites and to sun-cracks.
Foramini-fera are abundant (M'Rabet 1987) : Choffatella decipiens, Ammobaculites whitneyi Ikim, GI.,
A. aff. obs-curus Loeblich, Daxia cenomana Cuvillier and Szakall, Campanellula capuensis de Castro,
Lenticulina aff. roemeri Reuss, Lingulina sp., Discorbis aff. minima Vieux, Spirillina minima Shacko, etc.
Few undeter-mined Orbitolinidae have been found in the upper part. At Jebel Hallouf M' Rabet and
Dufaure (1975) gave Cuneolina aff. laurentii Sartoni-Cresenti and Debarina sp.
Formerly dated as Lower Aptian, the Bou Hedma Formation was described by M'Rabet as Barremian
and Bedoulian; in fact as explained below it is Barremian and Late Hauterivian (Damotte et al. 1987).
ln comparison with the underlying units, the Bou Hedma Formation has a trangressive character, pro-
bably in relation to a general eustatic elevation in the Late Hauterivian. Marine waters arrived on a very
flat surface and kept continuously a shallow depth, subsidence and sedimentation being in equilibrium.
The facies are mainly internal shelf, tidal flat and sebkhas.
ln the Saharan Tunisia, the Bou Hedma Formation is missing, probably due to non deposition. 53
ln the units described around the Chott Fedjej, the equivalents of Bou Hedma are lagoonal : after the
54
Fig. 19 : Lower Cretaceous in Central Tunisia (Troudi H., 2003)
 55
Fig. 20 : Log of Lower Cretaceous at Jebel Meloussi (After M’rabet 1987)
56
Fig. 21 : Schematic Isopach map of Valanginian - Hauterivian : Meloussi, Boudinar, Douleb 101 Low &
Middle M’Cherga Formations (After Mejri F. 1990)
fauna of Ostracods a unit made up of clay, dolomite, and gypsum is a lateral facies of the Bou Hedma,
overlain by the Sidi Aich sands; it is named Limaguess or Berada. At its base, a massive level of gyp-
sum, called Klikr, is probably the equivalent of Bou Hedma (Lower part).
Going northwards it grades to more marine facies with increasing amounts of shale and carbonate.
M'Rabet created special terms such as "Bou Hedma Carbonate", as at Jebel Chambi, and M'rhila
Forma-tion at Jebel M'rhila where clay is dominant : Pervinquière (1903 and 1912) named those lev-
els "marnes à Spatangues» and described their rich fauna, especially made up of Echinids, giving an
Hauterivian age. After resampling by A. Lazaar and by I. Zghal, determinations by M.L. Remack-Petitot,
J. Rey, and S. Calzada gave several other species corresponding to an Upper Hauterivian age.
(Damotte & al. 1987). The most significant forms are: Nucula planata Deshayes, Neithea atava
(Roemer), Exogyra latissima (Lmk.) E. boussingaulti d'Orb., Corbula neocomiensis d'Orb., Toxaster
retusus Lmk., Heteraster cf. couloni Agassiz, Holectypus neocomiensis Gras, Pseudodiadema rotulare
Ag.; Trochotiara bourgueti Desor, etc.
Foraminifera and Ostracods are abundant and diverse: Haplophragmoides neocomianus Chapman,
Ammobaculites agglutinans (d'Orb.), Triplasia emsladensis acuta Bartenstein, Dorothia zedlerae
Moullade, D.ouachensis (Sigal), Choffatella decipiens Schlumberger, Neotrocholina cavernosa
(Khalilov), Lenticu-lina ouachensis.(Sigal), Cytherella sp" Cyterelloidea ghabounensis Bischoff,
Schulerida bullata Rosenfeld and Raab, S. aff. bilobata (Triebel), Antepaijenborchella menarica Ros.
and Raab, Veeniacythereis gha-bounensis ghabounensis (Bischoff), etc.
This fauna collected in the lower part of the formation indicates a Late Hauterivian to Earliest Barremian
age.
At Jebel M'rhila, the M'rhila Formation is 290m. thick. The thickness of the Bou Hedma Formation is
between 60m. (Jebel Boudinar, along the N.S. Axis) and 840 m. in the ZBl well with an average of
400 to 500m. The formation is absent at several places along the N.S. Axis due either to lack of sed-
imentation or to subsequent erosion.

Sidi Aich Formation

This is a sandy unit widely spread in Central, Eastern, and Southern Tunisia. It overlies the Bou Hedma or
M'rhila Formations or their lateral equivalents, in continuity of sedimentation; it is overlain by Orbata or
Serdj Formations. The Barremian (pro parte) age is deduced from its stratigraphic position (Fig 17 and 23).
The sand is fine to medium grained, generally coarsening up, with interbedded silts and some clay. It's
a soft unit with a recessive morphology between the dolomitic beds of the Bou Hedma and Orbata
forma-tions.
The type locality is on the SE flank of Jebel Sidi Aich, north of Gafsa. The Sidi Aich Formation has been
sedimented on a shallow unstable shelf with offshore bars and sheets. Scarce thin carbonate beds pre-
sent fragments of Pelecypods and Gasteropods and fish teeth (Fig. 23 ).
ln Northern and Northeastern Tunisia it grades to finer grained sediments and finally, to dark gray shale
with few interbedded carbonate beds (Middle member of the M'Cherga Formation). The thickness is
between 50 and 250m. The Sidi Aich Formation is not characterized on the Saharan platform and is
missing in some places along the N.S. Axis and SW of Kairouan.

Orbata Formation
ln Central Tunisia, the Sidi Aich Sandstone is overlain by a thick series of carbonates named Orbata
Formation, capped with an other dolomitic cliff constituting the base of the Zebbag Formation, with a
major unconformity. Consequently, if the base of Orbata is approximately synchronous, the top is com-
ple-tely diachronous depending on the sedimentation of the upper members, the subsequent erosion and
the onlaps of the following series. 57
The age is approximately Aptian but the unit includes the upper part of the Barremian stage and, in
58
Fig. 22 : Late Hauterivian - Albian Isopach map (Gafsa group & its equivalents) (F. Mejri 1987)
some places, a minor part of the Albian stage (see the correlation charts Fig 16).
The Orbata Formation was subdivided into three members by M'Rabet who included in the upper mem-
ber the lower cliff of Zebbag of Burollet 1956. New research give facts in favour of an interpretation
closer to the former classification (Ben Youssef et al. 1985 b) (Fig 17).
Near Kasserine SEREPT geologists identified two members in the Orbata, separated by a disconformi-
ty and a hard ground; a lower unit named Bou Laaba dolomite (deriving its name from a marabout on
the lower flank of Jebel Semmama) and a series of carbonates, clay and sand called Koudiat el Maaza,
ending also with a hard ground and a gap before the Upper Albian transgression. (Bismuth 1973).
At the type locality, the southern cliff of Jebel Orbata, north of Bou Hamran, the section may be briefly
described as follows (Burollet 1956, M'Rabet 1987, Tlatli and Lehman 1975).

Lower Member :
It is a massive dolomite, forming a cliff, silty or phosphatic in places, with ghosts of Choffatella,
Orbitolinids (Paleorbitolina lenticularis) and Pelecypod fragments.
It overlies the Sidi Aich Sandstone and is the equivalent of the Berrani Member described around Chott
Fedjedj and probably of the Bou Laaba dolomite of Kasserine area. This lower cliff is 50m thick at Jebel
Orbata.

Middle Member :
It is less hard and massive. Bioclastic limestone or dolosparites, rarely oolitic, interbedded with some
marl in the middle and with gypsum in the upper part.
Foraminifera are frequent with Choffatella decipiens, Cuneolina sp., Nautiloculina sp., Quinqueloculina
gr. antiqua Franke, Patellina subcretacea, Textulariidae, etc. They are associated with ostracods, ser-
pulids, green algae as Pianella dinarica Radoicic, and fragments of Echinids, Crinoids, Pelecypods,
Gasteropods, and rare Bryozoa.
Comparison with the more fossiliferous sections around Chott Fedjedj (see hereafter) would indicate
Bedoulian age (Ben Youssef et al. 1985 and 1986).

Upper Member :
As the limit with the overlying Zebbag Formation is not obvious in outcrops, several definitions have
been suggested for the upper member (Burollet 1956, M'Rabet 1981 and 1987, Ben Youssef et al.
1985, etc).
Using the very detailed log surveyed by Tlatli (1975), we propose a sort of compromise.
We will name here "Upper Member" the sequence made by the Middle Member of M'Rabet plus the
lower banks of its Upper Member; its thickness is about 85 to 90 meters. From base to top one finds
the succession of four units :
- Interbedded bioclastic limestone (wackestone and packstone) and marl with oysters.
Fragments of Pelecypods, Echinoids, Crinoids, Algae (Permocalculus sp., Marinella lugeoni), Bryozoa,
and Fora-minifera: Cuneolina sp., Arenaceous, Choffatella, Marssonella, Textulariidae, Orbitolinidae,
etc.; some levels are oolitic.
- Argillaceous limestone and marl with oysters, ostracods, Algae, and fragments of rudistids.
- Dolomitic sandstone with few phosphatic and glauconitic oolites, fragments of Rudistids and Algae.
- Bioclastic limestone with oysters, Rudistids, Algae, Bryozoa, Serpulids, Ostracods and Foraminifera
with Mesorbitolina texana.
These beds are overlain by interbedded coquinoid limestone and marl where Memmi has identified
ammonites as Knemiceras gracile; with the overlying massive dolomitic cliff, this horizon corresponds to
the lower Member of Zebbag Formation (Upper Albian). 59
Burollet (1956) and M'Rabet (1981) interpreted the Upper Member as a continuously sedimented unit
 Fig. 23a : Log of Gafsa Group at Jebel Kebar Fig. 23b : Log of Gafsa Group at Jebel Sidi Aich
(After M’Rabet 1987)
60
pas-sing from the Upper Gargasian to Lower and Middle Albian. Ben Youssef and al. (1985) give a
Bedoulian age to the major part of the Orbata Formation with a small part of the upper member being
Gargasian pro-parte. Around Chott Fedjedj, Ben Youssef et al. (1986) enlarge the Gargasian part. In
fact it is difficult to compare in detail the sequence of two different Jebels, the lithology depending main-
ly on a local situation in the facies zones and not necessarily on the age.
ln Southern Tunisia, the Lower Cretaceous outcrops largely around Chott Fedjedj and along the Dahar
cliff from Medenine to Dehibet. These areas were studied during the fifties by Geologists from SEREPT
(Berthe, Quoix, Des Ligneris, 1971 etc) and of SNAP (Burollet and Dardel); their fossils were studied
by S. Arnould Saget (1956). These sections were compared in 1962-63 with the series described
along Jebel Nefusa (Burollet 1963, Magnier 1963, etc). Busson found the Lower Cretaceous age of
the transgression west of Medenine and made a detailed study of the Dahar Cliff comparing it with the
boreholes informations (1960, 1967. Busson et al. 1966 etc.). More recently the Foum El Argoub sec-
tion was described by M'Rabet (1981 and 1987) and sections were studied again by several geolo-
gists acting for the South- Tunisia Geologic Car-tographic project (Ben Youssef et al. 1985 a and b,
and 1986, etc.).
North of Chott Fedjedj, outcrops of Jebel Berrani and Bir Oum Ali, provide a composite section with
an Orbata Formation showing 3 members :
A Lower Member, the Berrani dolomite with a middle horizon of limestone and marl, a rich fauna of
Echinids, Rudistids, and foraminifera indicates a Late Barremian and Bedoulian age.
A thick middle member is made up of interbedded limestone often dolomitic, and marl, grading later-
ally to evaporites in the Upper part; Choffatella decipiens, Orbitolina parva, Cylindroporella sugdeni,
etc. suggest a Bedoulian to Gargasian age.
The Upper Member is made up of marl, sand and calca-renites, capped with a bank of limestone with
Rudistids, Nerinea, and Forams including Orbitolina parva, O. minuta; and possibly Mesorbitolina tex-
ana, etc. ln the sand shale member Ammonites were found with Deshayesites callidiscus, D. cf. planus,
D. weissi, D. furcata, Valdorsella sp. and fragments of Chelonicera-tidae. This fauna is Middle
Bedoulian and only the upper bank belongs to the Gargasian unless it is of Albian age. The top of this
upper member is eroded and there are sand and gravel in the base of the hollows, with 1.5m of sandy
clay overlying them. They probably represent the base of the Zebbag Formation dated as Upper Albian
by Ammonites (Knemiceras-Arnould Saget 1956, Domergue et al. 1952, Ben Youssef et al. 1985 b).
South of the Chott Fedjedj, at Foum El Argoub the section is not very different, a little thinner, the upper
member is reduced, being eroded by a coarse grained gravel unit sand, with fossit wood remains. This
unit, Foum El Argoub sand, may be compared with the Chenini sandstone of Tataouine (Burollet et al.
1953, Busson 1967), dated as Albian by its flora and vertebrate fauna and with the Kikla Formation
of Libya (Burollet 1963, Magnier 1963) also dated Upper Albian. So the Foum El Argoub sand rep-
resents the base of the Zebbag sequence and is younger than the Oum El Ali upper sandy member of
the Orbata Formation.
Near Medenine, 3 or 4 meters of sandy limestone and 10 to 15m. of dolomitic limestone form a thin
equi-valent of the Berrani Lower Member of the Orbata Formation. Foraminifera and Algae date it as
Late Bar-remian to Early Bedoulian. These beds generally overlie the Neocomian to Late Jurassic Asfer
Formation. Their top is a major unconformity with a hard ground.
Above, one may find, depending on the spots a few meters of greenish clay, or a bed of conglomer-
ate and gravel overlying the clay in some areas, or marl and coquina with Knemiceras syriacum and
K. gracile of Upper Albian age, passing upwards into dolomites with cherts of the Zebbag Formation.
Near Tataouine, between the Zebbag and Asfer Formations, the coarse grained sandstone and con-
glome-rate is thicker; its flora and vertebrate remains indicate an Albian age for this "Chenini sandstone".
It over-lies, in places, Douiret green clay, with fern remains . 61
Near Dehibat , as near Nalut in Libya and in several wells of the Saharan platform, between Asfer and
62
Fig. 24 : Logs of Lower Cretaceous at J. Mrhila and J. Chambi and J. Chambi
(After M’Rabet 1987)
the unconformable Kikla Formation, equivalent of the Chenini horizon, a few meters of dolomitic lime-
stone and marl are the equivalent of the Berrani Member and represent a wide trangression of Lower
Aptian seas on the Saharan regions (Burollet and Busson 1981 a and b, Burollet 1983, Busson 1967,
Masse 1986.a, etc.).
ln the northern part of Central Tunisia and below Eastern Tunisia, including the offshore, the Orbata
Formation grades laterally to the Serdj Formation (Burollet 1956). Tlatli (1980) gave a detailed study
of Serdj Formation and of the underlying Hammada Formation at the type locality and nearby. M'Rabet
(1981 and 1987) described the transition zone between Orbata and Serdj facies; Bismuth provided
valuable information on the Douleb and Semmama area including the boreholes.

Kebar Formation
In a relatively high area, which will become late the Kasserine Island the middle and upper part of
Orbata Formation is replaced by continental facies described by Khessibi 1978. They are interbedded
clay and sand, reddish, with levels of microbreccia and lacustrine limestone.They are 178m. thick at
Jebel Kebar and exist also at Jebel Koumine (BenYoussef 1980). The age is reported as Gargasian to
Early Albian. See also M’Rabet 1981-1987 and M’Rabet et al. 1995 pp 50-51 (Fig 23a).

Serdj Formation
This is a thick series of bioclastic limestone, rich in Oysters, Algae, Rudistids, Corals, and Foraminifera
with interbedded argillaceous limestone, marl, and some silty beds.
It overlies the Sidi Aich sands in some places or the Hammada Formation forming a transition between
the Lower Orbata and the marine shales of the M'Cherga Formation of Northern Tunisia. The Hammada
unit, named after a small village on the western flank of Jebel Serdj is made up of dark gray marl with
interbedded coquina of oysters or of Orbitolinas. It is dated as Early Bedoulian (Tlatli) (Fig 25).
As for the Orbata Formation, the upper limit of the Serdj Formation is variable depending on the tec-
tonic movement, erosion and the onlap of the overlying Hameima or Fahdene Formations (Burollet
1956).
We shall see that the combination of erosion and of the alteration of the Serdj Formation and the pro-
gressive onlaps of the Fahdene source beds is an excellent process for oil accumulation.
In fact at Jebel Serdj, the latest cycles in the Serdj Formation with biostromal facies correspond to the
Late Gargasian including the Clansayesian. At Jebel Hamra, SW of Thala, M'Rabet described four
sequences separated by discontinuities as erosional surfaces or karstic dissolution. These sequences will
cover an interval from Bedoulian at the very base to Upper Gargasian at the top. Batik & al (1987)
described a similar section at Jebel Trozza.
At Jebel Semmama there is a lower member or Bou Laaba dolomite and an upper carbonate named Kou-
diat El Maaza unit, overlain directly with a hard ground, by Vraconian shales of Fahdene Formation.
In Douleb and Semmama wells, the Serdj Formation is more complete, with an upper member of bio-
clastic limestone, oolitic in some beds and dated as Gargasian by Algae, Orbitolinids, Miliolids,
Ovalveolina reicheli and Paracoskinolina tunesiana (Bismuth 1973).
Eastward, approaching the North-South Axis, the irregularity in facies and thickness increases. (Burollet
1956, M'Rabet 1987, Gourmelen, etc); there is no scope here to describe all the sections and the
reader should consult the main references. The isopach map of the "Aptian Carbonates" established by
Ziljstra & al, based on the subsurface data and the published surface information (Fig. 26) gives a good
illustration of the variations of the series. See also the regional section (Fig.29), hereafter.
In that NW zone, as in the northern part of the Eastern offshore, the Serdj limestone is overlain by a
Late Gargasian Unit named Hameima Formation, where dark gray shale and marl, sandstone, and bio-
clastic limestone are interbedded and where the sedimentation is continuous such as near Tadjerouine. 63
The Hameima Formation is overlain by the basal marl and shale of the Fahdene Formation with
64
Fig. 25 : Composite section of hte Serdj Formation at the type locality (Tlatli 1980)
Clansayesian fauna. (Fig.27)
M’Cherga Formation
In Northern Tunisia the deltaic Sened and Gafsa Groups grade laterally to open marine shaly series
named M’Cherga Formation (Ben Ferjani et al.1990) (Fig.28).
These beds, dated Valanginian to Aptian, were previously named Sidi Khalif, extending upwards the
term which was created for the shaly unit between Nara and Meloussi Formations (Upper Tithonian to
Berrasian; Burollet & al. 1952, Burollet 1956). This nomenclature is a source of confusion, so the
authors proposed to substitute the name of M'Cherga Formation, derived from the village located near
Djebel Oust where we find the most conspi-cuous and fossiliferous outcrops of these series (Solignac
1927, Jauzein, Busnardo and Memmi 1972, Memmi 1970 and 1981, Burollet & al. 1983, etc.).
The section overlies interbedded marl and fine grained limestone with Berriasian Calpionellids and
Ammonites of the Sidi Khalif Formation proper. It may be subdivided into three members, from base to
top, as defined on the eastern flank of Djebel Oust (Busnardo and Memmi 1972) :

A/- The Lower Member; dark shales with interbedded limestone and sandstone.
1.- At base, sublithographic limestone and marl with basal Valanginian fauna (Thurmanniceras),190m.
In some places Tintinnids such as Calpionellites darderi are frequent.
2. - Dark green shale with fine grained sandstone often quartzitic, irregular beds; burrows and tracks
are common and some turbiditic features may be observed. Ammonites as Neocomites are rare. This
flyschoid unit is more than 400 m thick.
3. - Transition unit where quartzitic levels are rare and where some gray limestone banks exist; shale is
dark gray, light weathering. Rare Valanginian Ammonites occur such as Neocomites, Olcostephanus
and Neolissoceras.
4. - Limestone and argillaceous limestone, blue-gray, light weathering with some interbedded gray marl.
At the upper part gray to yellowish shale with sandstone bed. The thickness of the submember is 100m.
Late Valanginian age was given by Phylloceras thetys, Bochianites sp., Neolissoceras grasi, Olcoste-
phanus sayni, and Teschenites cf. paraplesius.
In the northermost areas, where the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous beds are schistozed and slightly meta-
morphic some authers use the name Seroula Formation for the turbiditic lower Member of the M’Cherga
Formation ( Khessibi 1975, Soussi 1991, Peybernes et al 1991).

B/ - The Middle Member: Shale, marl, and a few argillaceous limestone.

5. - Limestone banks with some interbedded marl, thickening up, form a crest, which is conspicuous in
the landscape. They are dated as the base of Hauterivian by Distoloceras sp., Oosterella vidali, Oo.
gr. gaudryi, and Olcostephanus hispanicus; thickness : 80m.
6. - Gray marl, yellowish weathering, splintery, with some argillaceous limestone: 60m; Phylloceras
thetys, Himantoceras sp. (?), and Apthychus didayi.
7. - Gray shale and marl with rare beds of shaly limestone - / + 80m. Rare fauna with Neolissoceras
grasi, Spitidiscus gr. incertus, Aptychus didayi, etc.
8. - Gray marl with rare thin beds of argillaceous limestone 90m.
9. - 170 metres of dark gray shale and marl with some banks of limestone. Pyritic Ammonites indicate
the Late Hauterivian : Phylloceras rouyi, Spitidiscus deleaui, Reboulites (?) loryi, Subsaynella sayni, etc.
10. - 180 m. of gray marl with few beds of sandstone.
11. - Dark gray marl with four banks of dark gray limestone with bluish weathering, forming a promi-
nent crest; it is the top of Hauterivian as indicated by Pseudothurmania mortilleti, Ps. sp., Ps. angulicos-
tata, Crioceratites gr. duvali, Balearites aff. nolani, etc.
12. - 300 m of shale with rare beds of shaly limestone. 65
13. - Rubbly nodular limestone with interbedded light gray to whitish marl. It forms a reference bed on
66
Fig. 26 : Aptian Isopach map. (Serj & Orbata Formation) (After H. Ziljstra & al. 1998)
 67
Fig. 27 : Type section of the Hameima Formation at Jebel Hameima & la Gara (Burollet & Dardel 1952)
 Fig. 28 : Section of the M’Charga Formation East of Jebel Oust
68 (After busnardo and Memmin 1972, Memmi, 1998)
the field. Thickness : 100m. Rare Ammonites as Silesites vulpes and Dissimilites gr. trinodosus.
14. - 290 m of gray shale, yellowish weathering with interbedded thin beds of fine grained sandstone;
in the middle there is a bank of dark gray limestone and the top is marked by a rusty quartzite bed.
Upper Bar-remian pyritized Ammonites are frequent : Phyllopachyceras baborense, Hemitetragonites
strangulatum, Barremites difficile, B. strettostoma, etc.
15. - Greenish shale with interbedded sandstone in the lower part and blue limestone in the upper part:
185 m. Barremites as below, plus B. gouxi and at top Silesites seranonis.
16.- 105 m of shale with thin sandy beds. Rare Barremites strettostoma. On the eastern flank of Jebel
Oust, this horizon marks the end of the Barremian age. On the western flank and in numerous localities
of Northern Tunisia, it ends in a 5 to 25m thick level of black thinlaminated limestone, white weather-
ing with Barremites sp. and Leptoceras sp . It is the upper limit of the Middle Member of M'Cherga
Formation.

C/ - The Upper Member is mainly made up of dark shale and marl;

At Jebel Oust, it is relatively thin with a rich Aptian fauna of pyritized Ammonites: 500m thick. Dark gray
limestone or argillaceous limestone are interbedded in the lower part and there are flyschoid sandstone
beds in the middle and upper zones. Other sections would give a better description of this upper mem-
ber in Northern Tunisia, such as west of Jebel Zaress, west of Zaghouan, near Oued Zarga or near
Teboursouk. The fauna there is rare but three zones can be defined : Deshayesites deshayesi
(Bedoulian), Aconoceras nisum, and Diadochoceras subnodocostatum (Gargasian), and the upper one
which corresponds to the flyschoid zone where it exists.

Microfauna is of unequal importance in the three members of M'Cherga Formation (Mamouri and Salaj
1973, Bismuth and Dufaure, Chitta 1979, and Ben Hadj Ali - Chitta1987) ln the lower member above
the Calpionellites zone there are only benthic foraminifera indicating the Neocomian. It is a zone with
Lenticu-lina (L) ouachensis and Epistomina (Brotzenia) djaffaensis.
The Middle Member shows the apparition of the planktonic forms. The Early Hauterivian (Horizons V to
VIII of the Jebel Oust section) has benthic forms : a zone with Lenticulina (Marginulinopsis, djaf-faensis.
With the Upper Hauterivian appear Hedbergella hoterivica, and in the upper part H. aff. infracre-tacea.
The Barremian series correspond to the Hedbergella sigali zone which was subdivided by Mamouri
and Salaj (1973) in a H. sigali sub-zone in the lower part and a Clavihedbergella subcretacea sub-
zone in the upper part.
The Upper Member corresponds to the following zones from base to top: Hebergella similis, Globigeri-
nelloides blowi, Schackoina cabri, and Globigerinelloides algeriana.
Generally the M'Cherga Formation contains deep basinal facies, especially during Valanginian to Bar-
remian members. The thicknesses are often large but there are only few good surface sections exposed
and deep bore holes are very rare. However near the North-South Axis there are reduced thicknesses,
gaps, and condensed series (Biely & al. 1973). .
The sandy and flyschoid zones may be correlated with the main sandy fluxes of the shelf zones: the
Lower Member is supplied from Meloussi sands : low sea level would have helped remobilization of
the shelf sands.

ln the Middle Member, sand is rare as high sea level and the barrier of Douleb 101 Dolomite restrict-
ed the reworking of the Boudinar sandstone. None the less, in the upper part, the Barremian series are
rich in sandstone corresponding to the spreading of Sidi Aich sandstone.
With the Upper Member, thickness, facies and sand shale ratio are more variable.
This is due both to an increasing activity of distension in Eastern Tunisia (underlined by volcanic intru- 69
sions), of tectonics along the North-South Axis, and to the beginning of diapirism (Bolze 1954, Bolze
70
Fig. 29 : Corralation chart of Aptian and Albian Units in Central Tunisia
et.al. 1952, Burollet 1973, Perthuizot 1978, Snoke et al. 1988, Laatar 1989).
Reworking of formerly deposited sand in the Kairouan Island was the source of their spreading and
transport to the basin during the Upper Gargasian, helped by a short episode of low level of the sea;
it is the origin of the sandstones in the Hameima Formation or in the upper-most levels of the M'Cherga
Formation. However, for the time being, we have no clear explanation for the important sandy accu-
mulations in the Aptian series of several areas in the Northern Tunisia : Khanguet el Hadjadj, Jebel
Rhazouane, and spe-cially Zeflana section, near the Medjerda Valley (Rouvier 1977 and 1987); a
northern origin cannot be excluded for these latter sections.
Near the diapirs, for example in Jebel Kebbouch, Debadid, or Fedj El Adoum, the Aptian shale grades
laterally to dolomite and breccia, with reworked Triassic elements, and to reefal limestone, a few meters
or dozens of meters thick (Burollet and Sainfeld 1956, Ghanmi 1980, Laatar 1980, Snoke & al. 1988).

THE ALBIAN CRISIS

In continuity with the Upper Aptian regressions, a clear low sea level stand at the beginning of Albian,
and tectonic factors, caused a general lack of sedimentation in Central and Southern Tunisia. (M'Rabet
1981 and 1987, Burollet & al. 1983, Bismuth 1973, Mejri 1988, Marie & al. 1980).
Early and Middle Albian deposits are rare in Tunisia, except in the north and the northeast, and in a
tran-sition zone.
In some places, the carbonate sedimentation continued after the Aptian, in the upper members of
Orbata and Serdj Formations; this sedimentation was possible in the most subsiding zone of the Gafsa
Trough (south of Jebel Sidi Aich for example) and in depressions between the highs or the domes near
Rohia or Jebel Trozza. The most characteristic zone is on the offshore, eastern platform, where the Serdj
Formation is overlain by a dolomitic unit including levels rich in Radiolarians which can be correlated
with Lower Middle Albian part of the Fahdene Formation (Barani Formation).

On the northern fringe of the Serdj Formation platform or domes area, the diachronous upper surface
of the carbonates was progressively invaded with onlaps by the various levels of the Fahdene
Formation.
In Northern Tunisia, specially in the "Sillon Tunisien" and in the Gulf of Hammamet thick marine shale
and limestone of Fahdene overlie the Hameima or M'Cherga Formations in a continous sedimentation
(Burollet 1956).
As the progressive transgression on the emerged blocks of Southern and Central Tunisia and of the
North-South Axis, reached its maximum in the Cenomanian time, we will describe the Fahdene
Formation and its southern equivalents with the Upper Cretaceous series.
However, we have to discuss the continental facies of Albian age. ln some places, during the large
gap, continental deposits were sedimented on eroded older sediments:
ln Southern Tunisia, rivers supplied coarse grained sandstone with gravel, flora and remains of verte-
brates. They overlie the Late Jurassic to basal Neocomian Asfer Formation near Tataouine, where they
are named Chenini sandstone; south of Chott Fedjedj, they are unconformable with the Aptian shallow
marine series and are called Foum El Argoub sandstone; both are overlain by the Upper Albian marine
clay and carbonate of the Lower Zebbag Formation.
We have seen that in the Kairouan island, a local depocenter, south of Sidi Bouzid, is filled with red-
dish clay, conglome-rates, and lacustrine carbonates of the Kebar Formation which is overlain also by
the Lower Zebbag of Vraconian age (Khessibi 1976 and 1978, M'Rabet 1981 and 1987).

LATE CRETACEOUS
Albian to Maastrichtian 71
The Late Cretaceous, including Albian and in some places Clansayesian beds, is represented by the
72
Fig. 30 : Type section of Zebbag Formation at Khanguet Zebbag, Northern flank of Jebel Melloussi
Sidi Mansour Group, made up of three formations:
On the platform areas, they are: the Zebbag Formation (Upper Albian to Cenomanian), the Aleg For-
mation (Turonian to Lower Campanian), and the Abiod Formation (Lower Campanian to Upper Maas-
trichtian pro-parte) (Fig.17).
ln the basinal areas, where the sedimentation was continuous, the units of the Group are: Fahdene
Formation (Clansayesian to Cenomanian, including the terminal horizon Bahloul), Kef Formation (Turo-
nian to Lower Campanian), and Abiod Formation (Fig.18).
Several names were created for the Saharan part of Tunisia; they have only a local interest.

Zebbag Formation
This unit was described in Khanguet Zebbag; on the northern flank of Jebel Meloussi (Burollet & al.
1952, Burollet 1956). The original section includes two carbonate members separated by a clay and
gypsum middle member. They were reported to be of Cenomanian to Turonian or even Coniacian age.
In fact, this section had a facies of internal platform, poorly fossiliferous and difficult to date.
However, as it is a widely used name for the surface and subsurface, we have to maintain that term. It
was revised by SEREPT geologists; Bismuth and Fournié 1976, Boltenhagen 1975, and Boltenhagen
and Mahjoub 1974, Bramaud & al. 1976, Khessibi 1976 and 1978. Fournié (1978) proposed an
improved nomenclature. M'Rabet (1981) clarified the Vraconian problem and new information was pro-
vided by Ben Youssef & al. (1985 A and B).
Following these authors suggestions, we propose to confine the term Zebbag to the Upper Albian to
Cenomanian section (+ / - the terms b to g of the type locality in Burollet 1956 or Fournié 1978).
When complete, the formation will consist of three members, as in Jebel Orbata or Ben Younes near
Gafsa. From base to top (Fig.31) :

The lower member

a) - Interbedded limestone and marl with upper Albian Fauna (Knemiceras)
b) - Dolomitic cliff
c) - Interbedded clay and limestone, or marl, rich in Oysters and Echinids
d) - Coquinoid limestone forming a hard level.
The middle member
e) - Clay and marl, with interbedded bioclastic limestone. Lower Cenomanian fauna
f) - Gypsum and white limestone or dolomitic limestone
g) - Argillaceous limestone, coquina of oysters, some dolomitic beds with Rudistids, and marl. A level
of fine grained, well bedded limestone is rich in planktonic foraminifera dated Upper Cenomanian.

The upper member

h) - Massive cliff ( + / - 50m. in Jebel Ben Younes) of dolomite and dolomitic limestone, with Rudis-tids,
Pelecypods, and Gastropods. Named Gattar, this cliff represents the Uppermost Cenomanian
(Boltenhagen & al. 1974, Boltenhagen 1975, Gargouri - Razgallah 1983).
We recommend avoiding the name of Zebbag for post-Gattar beds and abandoning the upper part of
Zebbag in Burollet (1956). We recommend also avoiding the term "carbonate du Zebbag supérieur"
in Khessibi (1978) and Fournié (1978). For these carbonates we suggest the term of Bou Douaou as
a lower member of the Aleg Formation. (See the Aleg chapter, hereafter) (Fig.30).
Mrs Razgallah-Gargouri (1983) gave a detailed analysis of the middle and upper members of the
Zebbag Formation, and an excellent palaeogeographic review. It is impossible to reproduce even the
main points here.
The isopach and lithofacies maps (Mejri 1988, Marie & al. 1980, Burollet 1956, etc.) show the evo- 73
lution of the platform with internal troughs such as near Gafsa, and the progressive grading to the open
74
Fig. 31 : Section of Zebbag Formation, North of Jebel Orbata (After Burollet et Dumestre, 1951)
 75
Fig. 32 : Isopach and facies map of the Cenomanian (After Mejri 1990)
76
Fig. 33 : Parastratotype section of the Fahdene Formation, East of La Gara, Tajerouine
marine Fah-dene facies to the north (Fig.32).
ln the external zone, either on the shelf, in the eastern offshore, or on local highs near the NOSA, rudistid
and coral reefs may develop : Jebel El Mokta near Bordj Cedria (Maurin and Tlatli 1975) and Isis where
the reef is the reservoir of a small oil field (Razgallah-Gargouri 1983, Bishop 1988, Marie & al. 1983) .
Near Kasserine and Sbeitla, Jebel Semmama and M'Rhila present good sections of transition from
Zebbag to Fahdene zones. In Jebel M'Rhila the Cenomanian series, very fossiliferous, rich in
Thomasinella punica, ends with thinly laminated organic rich Bahloul limestone.

The Fahdene Formation

This shaly unit was originally defined in the core of Oued Bahloul anticline, in outcrops and in the wells
OBL 1 and OBL 101.
For a better description, an excellent reference section may be found west of Tadjerouine especially east
of the Gara (Burollet 1956, Burollet and Sainfeld 1956, Bismuth 1973) (Fig.33).
a) - At the base, the massive Serdj limestone of Jebel Hameima.
b) - Hameima Formation: interbedded gray shale, yellow or brown sandstone, black limestone and
dolomitic limestone : 310m thick.
c) - Dark gray green shale, with thin beds of marly sandstone and three banks of limestone in the upper
part with Acanthoplites nolani, A. cf aschiltaensis and Douvilleiceras bigoureti
var. seunesi - 105m thick. It is the Clansayesian or the upper part of the Upper Aptian.
d) - Dark gray or black shale, marly in places with few beds of fine grained limestone with
prints of fos-sils:Desmoceras revoili, Prionotropis radenaci, Puzosia getulina, Plicatula radiola, Nucula
sp., small corals, etc. - 195m thick. .
The horizons c and d form the lower shale member of the Fahdene Formation.
e) - Very fine grained, black limestone, hard, light gray weathering, with Belemnites, poorly preserved
Ammonites prints, Puzosia sp. and Plicatula sp.; interbedded with gray marl : 180m. thick.
This horizon is named Allam limestone, from the name of a marabout: Sidi Bou Allam, SE of the Gara
plateau. It is the upper part of the Middle Albian and the end of a sequence including the lower shales
c and d called Allam sequence.
As shown on Fig.29, this unit exists only in the basins where the sedimentation was continuous.
Southwards to,"Kasserine Island" or eastwards to the NS Axis it pinches out and disappears. .
f) - Dark gray or black clay and marl with thin beds of limestone, white to light gray
weathering 268m. Belemnites, Ammonites, Neithea, and Echinids. Microfauna of the end of the
Ticinella primula zone and of the Rotalipora breggiensis zone, characterizing the Upper Albian.
g) - Thinbedded black limestone, interbedded with some marI. Same microfauna as below; it is the hori-
zon named Mouelha limestone from the name of a hill, east of the Gara plateau - 40m thick.Horizon f
and g form the Mouelha sequence. They are good source beds.
H)- Dark gray and black shales marly in places, yellowish weathering - 410m thick. Rich microfauna of
the Planomalina buxtorfi and Rotalipora appenninica zones. Vraconian and base of the Cenomanian.
i)- Interbedded gray marl, splintery and fine grained limestone, gray to buff or greenish : 61m. Brachio-
pods with Terebratula subrotunda.
j) - Dark gray or dark brown shale, marly in places with some streaks of "beef" calcite: 218 m.
Pycno-donta vesiculosa and poorly preserved Echinids; however, Mrs Arnould-Saget has identified
Douvil-leaster vatonnei and Hemiaster ameliae.
k)- Dark gray and black shale; veins of "beef" calcite : 396m.
l) - Dark gray shale with marly beds. Fragments of Ammonites, Echinids and small Oysters : 178m.
Horizons i, j, k and 1 have a very rich microfauna of the Rotalipora brotzeni, R. reicheli, and R. cush-
mani zones. 77
m)- Thinly laminated black limestone, argillaceous in places, white weathering; bituminous odor. Oli-
78
Fig. 34 : The well log of ls is Member in Isis-2 well.
gospecific microfauna with Whiteinella archeocretacea : this is the Bahloul limestone, an excellent
source rock, forming the top of the Cenomanian stage - (18m. at the Tadjerouine section).
This unit was defined in the Oued Bahloul anticline, ESE of Maktar. It is both a source bed and an excel-
lent marker of mapping.
As seen on Fig.29 and on the isopach maps, the progressive invasion of the highs during the Albian
and Cenomanian trangression is associated with pinching out of different horizons belonging to the
lower and middle parts of the Fahdene Formation, the uppermost part (Cenomanian) reaching the max-
imum trans-gression.
The best conditions for oil accumulation are realized when a source rock horizon is in contact with an
underlying reservoir like in the Semmama or Douleb wells. Source beds are the base of the lower
Fahdene (in some places), the Mouelha limestone, the base of upper member of Fahdene (Pl. buxtorfi
zone), and the Bahloul limestone.
In some places, Rudistid and Coral reefs develop in the Upper Fahdene series; it is the case at Jebel
Mokta, near Bordj Cedria, or in the oil field of Isis on the eastern offshore plateau (Fig.32).
We have also to bear in mind that reefoid facies may develop in the lower or middle members of the
Fah-dene Formation. ln some places, the Lower Albian has a biostromal facies, in continuity with the Serdj
Formation; on the western flank of the large dome of Jebel Bargou, made up mainly of Serdj Formation,
there are mud mounds corresponding to the Allam limestone and forming the hills of Seba Koudiat.
At Jebel Trozza, the upper part of the carbonate is of Vraconian age. The Gargasian dolomite of the
Upper Serdj Formation is directly overlain by fossiliferous calcareous shale of Upper Albian age :
Hystero-ceras carinatum, Hedbergella sp., Radiolarians and a rich association of Ostracods. The upper
carbonate member is made up of limestone and dolomitic limestone with cherts in the upper part. A rich
fauna of Ostracods, Echinids and Ammonites indicates the Vraconian age (Batik & al. 1987). Above
the carbonates, interbedded marl and limestone have still a Vraconian microfauna of the Planomalina
buxtorfi zone; they are overlain by more than 200m of Cenomanian Fahdene shale.
We have to emphasize the tectonic instability during Albian and Cenomanian times. Transverse faults,
roughly E. W. oriented, were the seat of differential subsidence in the Gafsa trough, in the southern Gulf
of Gabes, in Kasserine-Sbeitla area, near Thala-Maktar and in several zones of the NOSA. (Bismuth & al.
1981; Boltenhagen 1981, Burollet 1956, Castany 1951, Ellouze 1984, Gargouri-Razgallah 1983,
Gourmelen 1984, Jauzein & al. 1981, M'Rabet 1981 and 1987, Ouali 1985, Richert 1971, etc.).
Along the N.S. Axis and in several places of Eastern Tunisia, block tilting occured during the Late Aptian
to the Cenomonian times due to the decollements on Triassic evaporites or on shales belonging to
M'Cherga or Fahdene Formations (Gourmelen, Ouali 1985, Touati 1985, etc.). Between El Jem and
Sousse on land, in the southern Gulf of Hammamet, NS or NW-SE oriented faults, or roughly E-W
grabens induced tilting of blocks and local depocenters with sharp anomalies in thickness and facies
of the Mid-Cretaceous series (Coffinières 1986, Bedir 1988 and 1986).

The Bahloul Horizon

It is characteried by an euxinic facies with oligospecific planktonic fauna.It is formed by thinly laminat-
ed limestone, argillaceous in numerous beds .A few shale is interbedded (Burollet 1956), Ammonites
and microfauna have been studied by Bismuth, Robaszynski et al 1991a and b: Euonphaloceras cf
septemstriatum,Vascoceras sp., Pseudoaspidoceras sp. and Ps.pseudonodosoides characterize the Late
Cenomanian. Just the uppermost beds of the Formation with Pseudoaspidoceras flexuosum indicate the
base of Turonian.
A part from some Rotalipora in the basal microbioclastic bed, the microfauna exclusively includes planc-
tonic globular forms as Whiteinella gigantea, Wh. paradubia , Wh. aprica and Heterohelix with fre-
quent calcispherulidea. 79
If we refer to the relation between evolution and eustacy in Cretaceous planktonic faunas as described
80
Fig. 35 : The Bahloul Horizon and Lower Aleg at the Oued Bahloul section.
(After Robaszynski, Caron & Dupuy, 1990)
by Caron (1985), we may complete the schema with organic matter rich horizon (Fig.28). As medium
depth waters were asphyxiated by abundant organic matter (probable decomposition of phytoplankton)
only the shallow globular forms could survive. Keeled forms which need vertical seasonal migration dis-
appeared and were replaced later by other species in Turonian water when normal conditions were
restaured: Helvetotrucana helvetica for example

Aleg and Kef Formations: Turonian to Early Campanian

It is a thick series of gray marl and shale interbedded between the top of Zebbag or Fahdene Formations
and the Abiod, the latter limit not being isochronous even if it is somewhere in the Early Campanian.
The type locality is at Jebel Oum El Aleg north of Jebel Orbata - (Burollet & al. 1954). Fournié (1978)
underlined that the type locality is on an interior shelf zone where it is not representative of the open
marine facies of the interval in the major part of the Atlasic Tunisia. He proposed to replace the name
by Kef For-mation, from the outcrops SW of the town of Le Kef. Burollet 1956, on the other hand, dis-
tinguished an Aleg sensu lato including Annaba and Bireno members and an Aleg sensu stricto begin-
ning at the top of Turonian dolomites and limestone.
We propose here a clarification of these points; Kef and Aleg Formations will be units beginning above
Gattar limestone (upper member of Zebbag Formation) or Bahloul horizon and ending at the base of
Abiod Formation somewhere in the Lower Campanian.
With these strict definitions one may avoid any confusion, or any different interpretation : the Kef and
Aleg should begin at the base of Turonian, include Coniacian and Santonian series and finish in the
Lower Campanian.
As the Aleg type section at Jebel Oum el Aleg was not complete (Burollet 1956, Fournié 1978), a good
parastratotype may be found NW of Thala: it is a little transition zone between Aleg and Kef facies;
however it is the type locality of the Lower Members: Annaba and Bireno in the Early Turonian part of
the Formation (Fig.37).
Aleg could be used preferably on internal shelf areas where it contains numerous levels of coquina, ner-
itic carbonates and evaporites. Kef would be characteristic of the open marine shaly facies, with rare
inter-bedded limestone or argillaceous limestone, with Inoceramus prints and Ammonites.
Evaporites Beida and carbonate Bou Douaou facies units will be lower members of Aleg Formation in
the internal shelf zone, as Annaba and Bireno in the transition zone. (Fournié 1978). See Fig.39.
One may refer also to the sequence succession established by SEREPT geologists (Bismuth & al. 1981
and 1982, Boltenhagen 1981, etc.).
After the Cenomanian Ben Younes sequence, ending with Gattar or Bahloul horizons, the Aleg Forma-
tion includes two sequences in the Lower part: the Semmama sequence with Annaba and Bireno
Members, more or less Lower and Middle Turonian; the Douleb sequence including Upper Turonian and
Lower Coniacian series.
The Aleg Formation shows thick depocenters in the northern basins (Sillon Tunisien) and in the south of
central Tunisia : Gafsa trough and the Gulf of Gabes.
On the Kasserine Island, the Aleg Formation is missing or reduced to its lower part with carbonate facies
(Fig.38).
The Bireno limestone, well characterized to the northwest of the Kasserine Island and in Eastern Tunisia,
is generally a coarse calcarenite. ln some places there are reefs of Rudistids, with tongues of debris
interfin-gering in the Upper Annaba shales on the flanks. Near Sfax it is the reservoir of three oil fields,
with either packstone, wackestone or oolitic facies. Bishop (1988) gave a good evaluation of the
Annaba-Bireno interval in Tunisia, and specially around Sfax, both on land and offshore.
The Upper parts of the Aleg Formation may also form good reservoirs at the fringe of the carbonate
platform or NOSA highs. A good example is the Coniacian Rudistid reef and the Oyster coquinas devel- 81
oped at Jebel Bou Zer, south of Faid in the NOSA. (Bismuth & al. 1985). Other examples are the grain-
 Fig. 36 : Bahloul biology (After M. Caron 1985)
82
stones and oolitic limestones being an oil reservoir in the well Jawhara (Coniacian), or various gas reser-
voirs in the Aleg Formation of Miskar wells .
During Aleg deposition, Tunisia was relatively unstable due to discrete tectonic movements and differ-
en-tial subsidence related to salt migration. Unconformities are known in the Aleg Formation and at base
of Abiod limestone; the main unconformity is at the base of Santonian shales : North-South Axis, Eastern
Tunisia, etc. (Bramaud & al. 1976 and 1983, Khessibi 1978, and Fournié 1978). Strong submarine
erosion cut the previous series, often tilted by salt uprising. Salt collapse resulted in thick Upper Aleg
shale sedi-mentation in local depocenters (Chorbane-Ktitir area, for example, in Eastern Tunisia).

Kef Formation
As suggested by Fournié 1978, the Kef Formation is defined at the type locality, west of Le Kef , in the
section AG of Burollet 1956. The larger part outcrops on the 1/50 000 geologic map of Ouargha
(Fig.40).
Mainly made of dark gray shale with a rich planktic microfauna, the unit includes several beds of argilla-
ceous limestone with inoceramus. In the lower part some of these limy levels are probable equivalents
of Bireno and Douleb members of the Aleg Formation; in the middle a triple bank with Inoceramus is a
good reference bed on the maps near the Coniacian-Santonian limit.
The rich fauna of Ammonites, Inoceramus and foraminifera indicates an Early Turonian to Early
Campanian age .
In 1993 Ouahchi et al. proposed for the calcareous facies of Upper Kef Formation between the
Coniacian marls and the Abiod Formation, El Mekki member at Jebel El Mekki near Grombalia.

Abiod Formation Campanian-Maastrichtian.

The Abiod Formation of Campanian- Maastrichtian age is essentially made up of carbonates, general-
ly chalky limestones. It is well represented in Tunisia and derives its name from Oued El Abiod, east of
Mak-nassi.
The type section was described by P.F. Burollet in 1956 at Oued El Abiod, between Maknassy and
Mez-zouna; the formation is subdivided into three members :

a) Lower carbonate member

The lower member is made up of chalky mudstone, rich in foraminifera (Globigerinidae, Globotrun-
canidae and Orbitoides). Fragments of Pelecypods and Echinids are frequent.Thickness = 20m.

b) Middle member : marl and clay

The green clay contains interbedded argillaceous limestone in the lower part, rich in benthic foramini-
fera as Pseudotextularia, Neoflabellina etc... Thickness = 31m.

c) Upper.carbonate member
This member shows three submembers from the base to the top:
- chalky limestone with rare argillaceous levels; it begins with a calcareous glauconitic sandstone.
Thickness = 35m.
- Interbedded chalky limestone, white and light gray marI. Thickness = 34m.
- Massive chalky limestone with very rare green marl horizons; irregularly stratified with slumps,
Inoceramus prints, and frequent Echinids in the upper part.
In the middle, turbidites made of calcarenite and nodular fragments of coral are dolomitized with a
brown color.Thickness = 74m. -
Total thickness of Abiod = 194m. 83
It is usefull to complete the section by the description, near Le Kef of the section AG of Burollet (1956)
84
Fig. 37 : Parastratotype section of the Aleg Formation, North of Sif El Kohol, West of Thala.
(After Burollet, 1956 & Dali Ressot, 1987).
 85
Fig. 38 : Coniacian paleogeography and facies map (Aleg and Douleb Units).
(After Troudi H. & Lazreg J. 1998)
 Fig. 39 : Type section of the Beida Member at Jebel Ben Younes.
(After Boltenhagen and Mahjoub 1974 in Fournié 1978)

86
 87
Fig. 40 : Type section of Kef Formation.
88
Fig. 41 : Type section of the Abiod Formation.
(After Burollet, 1956 ; Negra & M’Rabet, 1992 and Negra, 1994).
in an open marine environment.Robaszynski and Mzoughi (2004) gave precision on the Campanian-
Maastrichtian limit in Abiod Formation in accord with the recommendations of the international sub-com-
mission on Cretaceous stratigraphy: above Pseudokossmaticeras brandti and below P.neubergicus. This
limit is set at the lower third of the upper member.
Outcrops and subsurface data allowed us to draw the isopach map of Abiod Formation corresponding
to the interval Campanian-Maastrichtian proparte( Burollet 1956, Ellouz 1984, Mejri 1989, Ben Jemia
& al.1998).
A large area of non deposition in Central Tunisia, called Kasserine Island is connected to the SE to anoth-
er large zone devoid of Abiod: Gulf of Gabès, Jerba and Jeffara. It may be due partially to later erosion.
Other bald areas appear on the map: in Central Tunisia Jebel Zaouia, Zeramdine, West of Mokta,
Lafaya, Henchir Keskassa . Offshore, in the Hammamet Gulf: Begonia, Mimosa-Kentia, etc.
The thickest deposits are localised:
- In the Northwest with +500m: Le Kef, Beja, Nefza.
- In Dekhila –Jebel Bou Dabbous and Sousse with an average thickness of 520m. In other areas the
Formation is less thick , never exceeding 300m.
The Abiod Formation as described above, extends over Northern and Central Tunisia and is known in
the boreholes below Eastern Tunisia and below the Pelagian Sea. Locally, this formation shows lateral
variations.
a) Along the N-S Axis, on Jebel Hallouf and at Khanget El Hadjaj, the Abiod Formation is sandy, at
least partially , due to reworking of Lower Cretaceous sandstones.
b) At Jebel Merfeg, on the southwest flank of Jebel Kebar, a reefal facies was described by Khessibi in
1975; there are organic reefs, with Rudistid and Coral calcareous mud mounds, talus, grading to brec-
cia and chalky mudstone, rich in Calcisphaeridae : it is called the Merfeg Formation (Negra 1994).
In Jebel Serraguia, SW of Feriana, a large reef of Rudistids corresponds to the lower and middle mem-
bers of the Abiod .
c) In numerous places the sedimentation of the Abiod Formation indicates instability or tectonic activity.
There is often an unconformity at the base. It overlies various older series as Neocomian in Bou
Gobrine, Jurassic at Hammam Zriba, Aptian M’Cherga Formation at Khanguet el Hajaj, etc. These
unconformities are specially frequent along the NOSA.
Turbidites, mud flows are frequent in the unstables areas (Jebel Cherahil for example). Shallow water
calcarenites were deposited in deeper depocenters where they interfer in the pelagic calcareous mud
. Slumps are frequent. The most conspicuous example is in Jebel Bou Dabbous, eastern flank or at Jebel
Faid with thick pseudo-conglomerates in the Lower Member (M’Rabet et al. 1991, Sedjil 1981 and
Negra 1994).
From a paleogeographic point of vue, one may distinguish from North to South:
- An open sea, rather deep domain which covers the north of Tunisia, the Sahel and the Pelagian sea
. In the Tellian nappes there was a deep and thick sedimentation. In the Adissa internal unit there are
microbreccias interbedded in the chalky facies (Rouvier 1977-1985).
- An outer platform where the sediments are of large horizontal and vertical extent in Central Tunisia ,
around the Kasserine Island.
- An inner platform , in Southern Tunisia, around the Chotts and on the Dahar plateau.
There the Formation is essentially constituted of bioclastic limestone with some marl, marly limestone and
gypsum, often rich in Orbitoides even in the upper Member, this facies has been named Berda
Formation (Fournié 1977).
Abiod Formation may be a reservoir for oil and gas. It produces in several places , the best beeing Sidi
El Kilani in Eastern Tunisia and Miskar offshore. Fracturing may enhance the characteristics as also local 89
alteration as in East Chorbane1 well (Amiri-Garoussi and Beck 1998).
90
Fig. 42 : Section of Abiod Formation West of the Kef
 91
Fig. 43 : Campanian - Maastrichtian Isopach map.
(Abiod Formation & its equivalents). (After H. Zijlstra & al. 1998).
92
PI IV : Correlation of Coenozoic Lithostratigraphic Units
Late Maastrichtian
As shown on the correlation charts, the Abiod limestone is overlain by a shaly unit named the El Haria
Formation, including Maastrichtian and Paleocene beds. This unit is described in the next chapter with
the Cenozoic series.

COENOZOIC
The Coenozoic series of Tunisia may be subdivided into three parts (see chart Pl.IV)
I - Paleocene and Eocene: Two shale units separated by the Metlaoui Carbonate Formation.
II - Oligocene and Early Miocene with various facies such as the Fortuna sandstone, Numidian Flysch,
Ketatna Carbonates, and Salammbô Shale.
III- Middle Miocene to Pleistocene: Synorogenic facies with molasses.
If the series I have roughly the same palaeogeography as the Late Cretaceous, the group II shows a dis-
tribution announcing the present geography : emersion of Western and Southern Tunisia and active subsi-
dence east of the North-South Axis. The series III have an irregular palaeogeography : ingressions in gulfs
or around archipelagoes, molasse infilling of the foredeeps with deltaic, restricted, or continental facies.

I. - PALEOCENE AND EOCENE

This time interval corresponds to a lithostratigraphic trilogy with, from base to top: El Haria shale, Met-
laoui limestone, and Souar shale or its various lateral equivalents.

Ia. - El Haria Formation (Maastrichtian – Paleocene)

This formation has been defined near Le Kef, along the track to Hammam Mellegue (Burollet 1956). Its
rich microfauna was studied by Dalbiez (1956) and Cuvillier & al. (1955). Salaj (1970 and 1974)
proposed this section as an hypostratotype of the Danian stage. A revision has been made for the inter-
national subcom-mission on the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary of IUGS (Donze & al 1985).
Everywhere in Tunisia and Eastern Algeria the El Haria Formation is made up of dark gray or black
shale which is fissile with dark green weathering. It is easily identified in the field by its special colour
and by its recessive morphology between the massive Abiod and Metlaoui carbonates.
In the North of Tunisia, there is often a thin carbonate member with Brachiopods and some small corals
in the middle part corresponding to the Danian zone.
Farther north, in the Tellian zone, there are large concretionary boulders of black and yellow weathered
limestone.
Rich microfauna (planktonic and benthic forams and ostracods) and nannoflora allow the subdivision
into several biozones. This biozonation shows that the sedimentation is continuous in the basinal zones
of Northern Tunisia. ln other places, various parts of the formation are missing due to non -deposition
or rarely to ablation or emersion.
The isopach map is not very different from the map of the Abiod limestone ; in some places El Haria shale
may overlap the Abiod limestone where this unit is missing (Bou Gobrine, Khanguet El Hadjadj, etc.).
In the Gulf of Gafsa, the El Haria shale is restricted to the Danian zone overlying the Abiod limestone,
and overlain by the Tseldja Member of the Metlaoui Formation of Thanetian age.
In Eastern Tunisia, depending on the locality, all the micropaleontological zones may be present; but
some of them may be missing, often in the Lower Paleocene. ln that case Upper Paleocene shales over-
lie directly the Maastrichtian ones. In some areas of the Gulf of Hammamet, or of the Kerkennah - Isis
high, the El Haria Formation may disappear entirely.
Near the NOSA the thicknesses vary rapidly and in several places the formation is absent. Somewhere
the Lower Eocene Metlaoui limestone had a wider extension than El Haria and overlies directly the Abiod 93
limestone, at Oued Bahloul for example (Burollet 1956) or near the Nebhana Dam (Turki 1985), and may
94
Fig. 44 : Early Eocene isopach map.
(El Garia Formation & its equivalents). (After H. Ben Jemia & al. 1998).
transgress directly the Fahdene Formation as in Jebel Haddous, south of Khanget El Hadjadj (Turki 1985).
South of the Nebhana Dam a thin bed made by the Late Paleocene El Haria shale seals a N 140 °
fault that separates Abiod limestone on a side from Lower El Haria shale, on the other side (Turki 1985).
The same author has observed sandy levels in the El Haria Formation of the area around Zaghouan.
A few analyses concluded that the El HariaFormation was not a source bed in Eastern Tunisia: as in
some places offshore there is a radioactive marker in this unit, we suggest new studies on this forma-
tion, with geochemecal tests in the various regions of Tunisia.

Ib – Metlaoui Formation: Late Palaeocene to Early Lutetian

The Metlaoui Formation was defined in the Oued Selja canyon, west of Metlaoui at the famous section
where Philippe Thomas discovered the phosphates, (Burollet 1956). Various facies characterize this
Lower Eocene limestone and they have been named formations by Fournié in 1978. Since the facies
with Nummulites is a good reservoir for oil, several stratigraphic and sedimentologic studies have been
completed and some of them published such as Blondeau 1980, Burollet and Oudin 1980, Comte
and Dufaure 1973, Comte and Lehman 1974, Fournié 1975, Salehi and Siavochani 1978,
Winnock 1980, Bishop 1988, Fakhfakh Ben Jemia 1993, Erraoui 1994.
The average thickness is around 50 to 100 meters, but it may exceed 200meters in local depocenters
especially along the NOSA or East of it . One has to notice that the facies have no clear relationship
with the thickness, the facies boundaries cutting independently the isopach curves (Fig.44 and 45).
Concerning the isopach map we have to remark that some areas are poorly known, due to the lack of
bore holes as in the El Jem – Sousse region or in the eastern offshore.
In the northeast of Tunisia, the Bou Dabbous facies is a mudstone rich in planktonic forams, especially
Globigerinids. Small corals and Brachiopods are present. This unit is rich in organic matter and is report-
ed as one of the best source rocks in Tunisia. As it has a very poor porosity and no permeability there
is just a few production in it, as at Belli or El Manzah. However in Northern Algeria the little oil field
of Oued Gueterini produced from this limestone and near Bizerte some wells had given good oil and
gas shows: Kebir and El Haroun.
In the Tellian zones, the Bou Dabbous may be thick (O.Kasseb, Nefza), and in the northernmost units it
may contain abundant cherts. Some thin phosphate layers are interbedded, corresponding to turbitites
coming from Central Tunisia (Salehi –Siavochani 1978).
In the north, Bou Dabbous limestone overlies directly the El Haria shale; in the southeast ther is a unit
made of argillaceous limestone, phosphate, and glauconitic marl interbedded between El Haria and
Bou Dabbous or El Garia limestone: The Chouabine Member.
This unit was defined by Fournié, west of Metlaoui, 4km. SE of the phosphate mine of Redeyef. Its thick-
ness can vary large ly, but generally it is present in all the places where the Metlaoui Formation exists
in Western Central Tunisia and where it contains internal or neritic facies.
West or Southwest of the Bou Dabbous facies there is a shallow marine high energy facies very rich in
larger Foraminifera, specially Nummulites: it has been named El Garia by Fournié (1978) from the sec-
tion near the tunnel on the road from Hafouz to Maktar.
At this type locality, the Metlaoui Formation is made up of:
- Phosphate and glauconitic marl overlying the El Haria shale: Chouabine Member, 8m. thick.
- Fine grained gray micritic limestone with bioclasts, small Nummulites, Discocyclina, few small corals,
4m. thick.It is the lower level of the El Garia Member.
- Micritic to microsparitic limestone with abundant Nummulites and Discocyclina, and frequent frag-
ments of Scaphopods and Pelecypods: 17m. thick.
- Medium to coarse crystalline limestone rich with Nummulites, Operculinoides, and Echinoderma frag-
ments: 18m. It is the upper part and the most typical of El Garia Member. 95
It is overlain by Lutetian Souar shales.
96
Fig. 45 : Early Eocene paleogeography and facies map (El Garia and Boudabbous Formations and their
lateral equivalents). (After H. BEN JEMIA, 1998)
Generally, the contact between Bou Dabbous and EI Garia Facies is very sharp; there is a narrow tran-
si-tional zone where debris of Nummulites and some Discocyclina are scattered in the Globigerina
micrite; there are some tongues of turbiditic type. Often there is a northward progradation of the
Nummulite facies present in the upper part of the section above Bou Dabbous facies. These transition
zones are few hundred meters wide only. In Central and Eastern Tunisia including a large part of the
continental shelf, the limit is straight in a line trending roughly NW-SE and turning W-E near the Libyan
border. Some channels cut the
Nummulite banks and are infilled by biomicritic lime. External Nummulite packstones are the best reser-
voirs and the more internal wackestone with Nummulite fragments has less favourable characteristics.
The internal shelf facies located between the El Garia zone and the limit of the former coast are of two
kinds depending on the level of restriction:
Ain Merhotta was the name of a littoral carbonate facies where one can find coquina of Gastropods,
brown dolomite with ghosts of Pelecypods and with cherts, lagoonal supratidal limestone or dolomite
mudstone with thinly laminated levels.This name is replaced now by Kef Ed Dour, from the North of
Metlaoui area.
The name Faid has been given to internal lagoonal facies found in Central Tunisia along the North-
South Axis and in Eastern Tunisia between the Ain Merhotta zone and the Early Eocene shore. Very often
the development of evaporites is associated with local highly subsident depocenters : El Ahzem near
the Rheouis, Meheri Zeb-beus, Oued El Abiod (Burollet and Dumestre 1952, Burollet 1956, Sassi
1974, Fournié 1978, etc.) .
Except for the relatively sharp limit between Bou Dabbous and El Garia facies we have to underline
that there is a high degree of interpenetration between the various facies.
In the Rheouis area for example, in the places on the diapir where the Metlaoui Formation is thin, it is
made up only of a thin Chouabine phosphatic horizon overlain by a marine dark brown dolomite with
cherts and molds of Molluscans. In the El Ahzem syncline corresponding to an Eocene collapse
depocenter, the Metlaoui Formation is 470m. thick and presents successively from base to top the three
main facies:
* Top of El Haria shale
a - Chouabine Member (130m)
- Interbedded phosphates, phosphatic limestone and marl, and green clay: 67m.
- Brown phosphates with limy beds: 15m.
- White and yellow phosphatic limestone with bituminous odor when freshly broken; interbedded phos-
phates: 48m.
b - Faid Member. (160m)
- White coquinoid limestone, soft, chalky, argillaceous in the lower part: 20m.
- White gypsum: 48m.
- 2 beds of white limestone with molds of gastropods, cherts in the lower bed. Some gypsum interbed-
ded : 10m.
- Massive gypsum: 82m.
c – Kef Ed Dour Member: (180m).
- Fine crystalline, grey limestone with cherts: 50m.
- Fine crystalline, massive limestone of dolomitic limestone, grey, brown to rusty weathering.
* Base of the Lutetian Djebs Formation.
Bishop (1988) described a cross section between wells near Sfax where there is a superposition of all
the facies including Bou Dabbous at the northern part and an underlying Paleocene Tseldja Member.
In the Gulf of Gafsa and in southern part of Eastern Tunisia, the upper part of the El Haria shale may 97
be replaced by a unit made up of coquina, dolomite and limestone, clay, and gypsum; it is the Tseldja
 Fig. 46 : The Ypresian facies evolution in Central Tunisia (after Comte and Lehman).

98
Member defined by Fournié (1978) from the Tseldja Canyon and corresponding to the levels b, c, d,
and e of Burollet's section (1956). In the Gulf of Gabes, the Tseldja Member was found in many wells,
without any gypsum; its microfauna including Globorotalia velascoensis and Gl. (P.) pseudomenardii
gives an Upper Palaeocene age.
In Central Tunisia, and in a large part of South Tunisia, the Metlaoui Formation is absent; this is due to
emersion or to subsequent erosion. However, in some places it is replaced by lacustrine or continental
units:
The Tanit Formation is made up of varicolored clay with an Eocene palynoflora; it has been found in
several wells in the south of the Gulf of Gabes and it is a lateral equivalent of Metlaoui and Cherahil
For-mations.
The Bou Loufa Formation is a continental unit formed by conglomerates, red clay, lacustrine limestone,
and caliche. It is dated as Eocene by continental molluscans.
It is known West of Gabes and on the northern flanks of Cretaceous anticlines located north of Chott
Fedjedj. Several outcrops were also described near the Kasserine Island, like at Jebel Chambi where
Eocene continental beds have given a rich fauna of mammals (Elsass et. al.1984, Hartenberger et.
al.1985 and 1992).

Ic. - Souar Formation and equivalents : Middle and late Eocene.

The Metlaoui limestone is overlain by Middle and Upper Eocene formations. Depending on the main
facies these formations are: Souar Shale; Halk El Menzel open marine shelf limestone; Cherahil inter-
nal shelf coquina limestone and clay; and Djebs massive evaporate (Fig.47).

Souar Shale
This formation consists of dark gray shale with a rich microfauna; in surface the weathering gives a
beige to orange colour which is a good means of identification. Rare thin beds of argillaceous lime-
stone or of glauconite may be found in the shales. In the Northeast and the East of Tunisia, at the lower
third part of the formation there is a level of fine grained limestone, white weathering, with a microfau-
na indicating the base of Upper Lutetian. It can include Nummulites and Discocyclines and is named
Reineche limestone.
In the large Sidi Abderrahmane anticline in the Cap-Bon peninsula, the Souar Shale shows an increas-
ing rate of carbonate to the north, with various levels rich in Nummulites (Arnould 1950, Burollet 1956).
In Northwestern Tunisia, in the Tellian nappes, the Souar Formation can be thick and includes large con-
cretionary boulders of black limestone with yellow or rusty weathering.
Towards the NE and the east the Souar Formation is replaced by a marine bioclastic limestone corres-
ponding to a very wide stable platform extending from Eastern Cap Bon and Eastern Gulf of Hammamet
to Lampione Island and probably to Malta: it is the Halk El Menzel Limestone defined by Bismuth and
Bon-nefous (1981), see also Bonnefous and Bismuth (1982), on the basis of the section found in the
offshore wells Halk-El Menzel 1 and 2. It has also been found in Zembra Island (Bismuth & al. 1972).
The microfauna indicates Lutetian to Priabonian age; the algae and the high percentage of porcella-
neous foraminifera indi-cates a semi-restricted environment which suggests the existence of a kind of bar-
rier between the deep facies of Souar Formation and the Eastern Platform: bald domes or anticlines in
NE of Cap Bon (Korba and Kelibia wells) and in the Gulf of Hammamet could be elements of that dis-
continuous barrier. In the wells of Akouda, Halk El Menzel limestone overlies the Lower Souar Shale; in
other places it generally lies on Cre-taceous limestones with a major gap between them .
In Central Tunisia and the northeastern Gulf of Gabes, between the Souar shale and the areas devoid
of marine Eocene, there are different facies located in stripes trending roughly NW-SE : Progressively, 99
going to the southwest, the Souar shale is mixed with coquina, specially of oysters, and with bioclastic
100
Fig. 47 : Middle to Late Eocene paleogeography and facies map
(Souar Formation and its lateral equivalents) (After H. BEN JEMIA (2000)).
limestone, this is the case, for example, in the area near Maktar, in several wells such as Ketatna,
Kerkennah, or Miskar (Fig.35).
When the percentage of limestone and coquina exceeds 50 % , the Lutetian and Priabonian series has
been given another name: it is the Cherahil Formation, defined by Bramaud (1971, SEREPT internal
report) and Comte and Dufaure (1973) from the Jebel Cherahil, west of Nasrallah. At the type locali-
ty, this unit is divided into two members by a reference bed, at the base of the Upper Lutetian, coquinoid
limestone rich in small Echinids and named Siouf limestone, approximate equivalent of the Reineche
limestone.
Farther Southwest, the Cherahil Formation has an increasing percentage of gypsum.
On the NE Border of the Kasserine Island and in the Gafsa Gulf, the percentage of gypsum is domi-
nant and the series is called the Djebs Formation (Burollet 1956) from the outcrops east of the Djebs
mountain, between Maknassy and R'Gueb. This type locality is a depocenter where more than 900m
of gypsum and anhydrite with very thin interbedded shale or dolomite layers were sedimented; some
thin joints present the aspect of disso-lution breccia, which may correspond to former halite banks. Near
Lessouda, and in the Rheouis area, at Jebel El Ahzem there is a very rapide change of lithology from
Cherahil facies to Djebs Formation.
In some dead end gulfs, the evaporites are replaced by white fine grained limestone which is homo-
geneous, poorly bedded and corresponds to a biochemical lacustine precipitation; it is the case at
Seugdal, southwest of the Rheouis, or near the phosphate mine of Redeyef:
The facies map show three main features (Fig.47 and Bismuth et al. 1981) :
- There was a great change in paleogeography during the Eocene times. East-West limits were replaced
by NW-SE zones.
- The role of the North-South Axis is changing also and the lower side is now located in the east.
- Slight tectonic movements were frequent, both before and after the deposition of the Souar Forma-tion.
In many places Souar or Cherahil Formations overlay older series with unconformity; it is the case
around the Kasserine Island where Mid-Eocene sea transgressed farther than Palaeocene or Early
Eocene units; it is the case also offshore, east of the Kerkennah High, where Lower Eocene beds are
pinching out.
- In general, the wider extension and the deeper facies give a trangressive aspect to the Souar
Formation in Northern and Eastern Tunisia. However, the tectonic activity may be a more important
cause than any eustatic variation; subsidence was more active than before.

II- OLIGOCENE AND EARLY MIOCENE

This interval is represented in Central, Eastern, and Northern Tunisia by various facies, from deep sea
flysch to continental beds. A large part of Tunisia stood devoid of any sedimentation., on the Saharan
Plat-form, in Southwestern Atlas, and on the Kasserine Island.

IIa - Fortuna Formation.

In Central and NE Tunisia, the best known unit corresponding to this time interval, is the Fortuna For-
mation, defined from the Eastern flank of the Sidi Abderrahmane anticline in the Cap Bon Peninsula
(Burollet 1956).
This unit is often very thick and may be divided into two parts: a lower part with interbedded shale and
sandstone, fossiliferous, calcareous in places. It is named Cherichira sandstone in Central Tunisia where
it is deltaic, and the Korbous Member in the Cap Bon where, it is shallow marine. The base of the for-
mation and its equivalents is a bed rich in Nummulites vascus (Fig.48 and 49).
The upper part is made of massive sandstone, often crossbedded, with channels; the grains are medi-
um to coarse, with gravel and round pebbles of quartz (diameters up to 3 or 4 cm.). The fossils are 101
102
Fig. 48 : Oligocène - Aquitanian paleogeography & facies map
(Slammbolketatna & Fortuna Formation). (After S. Jeddi 1998).
continental, either silicified wood or vertebrate remains .
The lower member is reported to be Oligocene and the upper member to be Aquitanian and possibly
Early Burdigalian.
Depending on the places, Fortuna Formation may be overlain by various units.
- Along the NOSA, there are often red beds, fine grained sandy clay, named Messiouta from a hill in
the El Ala Syncline, between Kairouan and Maktar.
- Near the Cap Bon, a Oued El Hammam unit was described by Hooyberghs as corresponding to a
marine episode of Lower Langhian age, underlying the Ain Grab Limestone.
- In the Sahel and Sfax Plain, the Fortuna Formation is overlain by a shaly unit named Behara by Touati
(1985), from the well Sidi Behara drilled near Agareb, west of Sfax.
- In numerous places, there is no intermediate unit and the Fortuna sandstones are directly overlain by
the Ain Grab beds, sometimes with an angular unconformity.
- The main development of the Fortuna Formation took place in an elongated depocenter, on both
sides of the NOSA, trending SW-NE, from Labeied and El Ala to the Cap Bon. There was the suc-
cession of two main deltas, as described by C.Yaich (1986).
The sedimentary features, such as crossbedding, channels, and flow marks would indicate a transporta-
tion from SW to NE. However we have to notice that other outcrops near Testour, west of Tunis, with
coarse pebbles, suggest a second river mouth, different from the main one near El Ala.
Going eastward the formation grades to more marine and finer grained facies as if the clastic were
gently scattered on a shallow marine shelf. This evolution reaches a point near the present coast where
sand and shale are replaced by carbonates: it is the Ketatna limestone.
To the northwest in the Beja-Jendouba area, the Fortuna Formation disappears; in some places there is
a thin unit of shale and glauconitic sand, with larger Foraminifera, giving an Oligocene to Early
Miocene age, and often grading to an other marl level with Mid-Miocene fauna. These horizons have
been named Bejaoua Group by Biely et al. (1972). See chapter 3 below.

IIb- Numidian Flysch

In the nappe zones, the upper-most thrusted unit is a very thick series of sandstone and shale with
rare microfauna. Many banks, specially in the upper part, are very coarse grained with coarse peb-
bles. Sedimentary features as large slumps, turbidites, fluxoturbites, mudflows, clastic dykes and sills
indicate a deep sea sedimentation at the base of a steep slope. There has been a lot of contro-
versies concerning the origin of the material, whether they come from the South, the East or the
North. Reconnaissances by Beaudoin, Parize, Fries, Ben Salem, Burollet and El Maherssi have
proven the northern origin. Parize et al.1986, Beaudoin et al.1987 confirmed the hypotheses of
Burollet, Passega, Caire and Coiffait.( Coiffait 1972, Ben Ferjani et al. 1990 , El Maherssi 1992)
(Fig.50).
In 1953-54, after sections surveyed by Burollet and Dardel (SNAP files), F.Dalbiez identified microfau-
na of Oligocene and Aquitanian age (Burollet 1975). These datations have been confirmed later by
Bismuth (oral communication).
An exellent palynological study has been conducted by AGIP geologists and has proven the ages from
Early Oligocene to Aquitanian, due mainly to the dinoflagellate cyst zonation.
An overal thickness of 3100m is proposed, without taking in consideration the overlying Babouch shale
(Tornicelli 2000).
In the upper most levels, named Babouchite, molds of planktonic microfauna, give a Burdigalian age.
The Numidian Flysch is overthrusted on the other Tellian nappes. Some source rocks have been identi-
fied in places. 103
IIc - Ketatna and Salammbô Formations
 Fig. 49 : Section fo Fortuna Sandstone of Hennchir Souar (After Burollet 1956).

104
These units are open marine equivalents of the Fortuna Formation. They are only known in subsurface
mainly offshore (Fournié 1978).
The Ketatna Limestone, was first defined by Bismuth (1973, SEREPT internal report) from an exploration
well Ketatna, drilled near the coast, a few kilometres north of Sfax. Fournié (1978) published a section
and described 3 members, from base to top:
- The Lower Member: bioclastic limestone, reefoid in places, dolomitic at base, 24m
thick. Abundant Asterigerina and Nummulites, specially N. vascus at base.
- The Middle Member: Biomicrite with some wackestone horizons with Algae, Corals,
Lepidocyclinae as Eulepidina dilatata and Nephrolepidina tournoueri, Spiroclypeus, Rotalia gr. viennoti,
Ostracods, etc. It indicates Late Oligocene to Aquitanian age. Thickness: 125m.
- The Upper Member: white limestone, sometimes sandy or glauconitic, with Bryozoa, Algae
Echino-derma, Pelecypods, Amphistegina in upper part, Operculinids in the lower horizons,
interbedded with green shale, sandy in places, and some beds of fine grained sand. In the medi-
um shale Praeorbulina cf glomerosa indicates the Lower Miocene. It is directly overlain by the
Mahmoud shale (Langhian to Serravallian). The Upper Member, Burdigalian and Langhian pro
parte is an equivalent of Behara and Ain Grab units. It would be better to restrict the term of Ketatna
to the lower and middle members.
In some places the name Remla Member is used for this upper member.
The Salammbô Formation is a shaly equivalent of the Ketatna limestone facies. It was defined by
Fournié (1978) after the well Salammbo drilled in 1972 in the Gulf of Gabes; 671m thick at the local-
ity. This unit may be divided in two members. The section is from base to top:
a : The Lower Member:
- Biomicritic limestone with Nummulites, specially N. vascus. 3m thick.
- Fauna grading upward from Globigerina tripartita to Globorotalia kugleri, Globigerina cf. amplia-per-
tura, and at top Globorotalia opima opima.
- White micrite with some brown or gray shale, rich in Globigerinae : Gl. ciperoensis and Gl. angulisu-turalis.
This lower Member is Oligocene.
b : The Upper Member:
- Interbedded argillaceous micrite, biomicrite, and shale with Globigerinids. 57m thick.
- Silty shale , 33m thick , Globoquadrina dehiscens.
- Argillaceous and glauconitic sand: 50m.
- Interbedded sandy clay, gray greenish shale, marly glauconitic sandstone, white micrite: 162m;
Globigerinita dissimilis indicates an Aquitanian age.
- Interbedded argillaceous sandstone, silty marl, and sandy micrite: 58m.
The Oligocene and Early Miocene times are a period of change in the paleogeography of Tunisia.
Tectonic instability is proven by angular unconformities at the base and at the top of the Fortuna
Formation , and in the Formation itself in some places.

III- MIDDLE MIOCENE TO PLEISTOCENE

a / The end of Early Miocene and the Mid-Miocene correspond to a transgressive period reaching the
maximum inundation at the Early Serravallian. It is the first Miocene division: Behara, Oued El Hajel,
Oued El Hammam, Ain Grab and Mahmoud Formations.
b / The Late Serravallian and Tortonian are relatively regressive but are characterized by two active
tectonic phases: Beglia, Kef Er Rend, Byrsa, Saouaf and Somaa Formations.
c / The Messinian shows successively a marine transgression, then a lagoonish episode ending with a
new tectonic pulsation. 105
d / Early Pliocene is transgressive with a following rather regressive episode, ending with the main Early
106
Fig. 50 : Numidian series of Tunisia (After Cottis 1953 and Rouvier 1977 in Beaudoin & al. 1987.
Pleistocene tectonic activity: Post-Villafranchian orogeny.
e / Pleistocene and present events are just reajustements, seismicity and climatic oscillations.

IIIa / The Transgressive Miocene

After the late Aquitanian regression, the new transgression began during Burdigalian times. A discrete
Alpine tectonic phase, named Styrian, with N 120 trending compressive stress, shaped a lot of struc-
tural features in Central Tunisia and along the NS Axis. In the Sfax plains and neighbouring Gulf of
Gabes, the Behara Formation is marine shale with a few sands and a rich Burdigalian microfauna. It
has been described by M.A. Touati (1978). Thickness 100 to 200 m. Farther East in the Gulf, the upper
part of Salammbô shale is also Burdigalian. Locally, in Central Tunisia, marine beds with clay, con-
glomerate and limestone have been named Oued El Hajel.
The transgression continued during Langhian: Oued El Hammam Shale in several places, like East of
Korbous, and the more widespread Ain Grab Formation: conglomerate, limestone, calcarenite, with
some clay, very fossiliferous, generally Late Langhian. In Eastern Tunisia and off-shore it is a conspicu-
ous seismic marker. In Atlassic Tunisia the Ain Grab Formation has a repartition of straits, gulfs and arch-
ipelagos between the anticlines gently shaped by the Attic 1 and 2 tectonic phases. It overlies often
various preceding rocks with unconformity: Oligo-Aquitanian, Eocene, Cretaceous or Triassic.
It is overlain by Mahmoud marine Shale with planktic fauna, representing the maximum inundation level:
Early Serravallian. Biely et al. 1972 proposed to gather Ain Grab and Mahmoud Formations in a Cap Bon
Group. It must include also Oued El Hajel and Oued El Hammam Formation. The Attic 3 tectonic phases,
is a major event. North of Tunisia the arrival of the Alkapeca terranes and the collision resulted in the expul-
sion of the Tellian nappes and of the Numidian Flysch and their thrusting on the foreland. Atlassic Tunisia has
been folded and locally uplifted. It is the end of the Alpine Tectonic sensu stricto (Tlig et al. 1991).

IIIb / Middle to Late Miocene

After the Attic 3 crisis, followed by the Rhodanian phase, the orogeny resulted in the sedimentation of
two widespread sand sheets.
After the Early Serravallian maximum of transgression, the Mid-Miocene and the first part of Tortonian
are relatively low stand times. Deposits are paralic, lagoonish or brackish in Eastern Tunisia and in the
troughs or straits of Central Tunisia.
The first sand sheet, overlying Mahmoud Shale, has been named Beglia Formation (Biely et al. 1972)
after a local name created by Burollet (1956) near the NS Axis. The sand is coarse to medium grained,
with some gravel layers, generally white. Crossbedding and channel features show a fluvial origin, con-
firmed by silicified wood and vertebrate remains. It may grade laterally to shallow marine sandstone.
In Cap Bon, several authors named this first Serravallian sand body: Kef er Rend Formation.
In the Gulf of Hammamet, there is a marine lateral equivalent, the Birsa Formation, from the name of
an off-shore oil field: sand beds associated with gray shale and some limestone.
The sand material came from the erosion of Oligo-Miocene series, possibly some Cretaceous outcrops.
A possible north-west origin has been suggested, including basement elements. In Gafsa and Tozeur
area, south-western Saharan sources are probable as suggested by Sghari (1991).
The Beglia Formation and its lateral equivalents has been followed by a period of relaxation and sub-
sidence corresponding to paralic sedimentation even off-shore; it is the Saouaf Formation: Serravallian
and Early Tortonian: gray shale, coquina (mainly oysters) some sandy beds, gypsum in places, brown
coal layers. It grades to shalier and more marine facies eastwards. In Sfax area, there is no actual
Beglia Sand; there the Saouaf Formation overlies directly the Mahmoud shale. The lower part of the for-
mation has an open marine facies, fossiliferous, with interhedded layers of limestone: it may represent
a lateral equivalent of the Birsa Formation. 107
Saouaf Formation is generally a few hundred meters thick but it may be very thick in grabens or active-
108
Fig. 51 : Coenozoic correlations in the Gulf of Gabès
ly subsiding depocenters: 1200m at Saouaf, more than 2500 m at Zeramedine, more than 1120 m
outcropping at Monastir ( De Raaf 1952, Burollet 1956, Ellouz 1984).
In Northern Tunisia, in front of the nappes or of thrusts the fore-deeps subsided actively, infilled by
molasses. The first unit is Serravallian: the Hakima Formation, varicoloured clay and sandstone (Burollet
1951 and 1975).
Near the core of Kechabta depocenter, South of the lake of Bizerte, and in a part of the Gulf of Tunis,
Hakima Formation is replaced by an evaporitic facies: the Mellaha Formation, including Halite: Jebel
Mellaha, J. Messefetine, Sidi Hassoun well, etc. See Fig.53.
The Hakima and Mellaha Formations are overlain by Oued Melah shale: gray clay with scattered crys-
tals of gypsum, Early Tortonian in age.
With the Mid-Tortonian a new tectonic phase, named Rhodanian, affected Tunisia. A new northward
motion of Africa crushed Northern Tunisia against the Corsica-Sardinia block. It was the first Atlassic
folding (Tlig et al. 1991, Ben Ferjani et al. 1990). It folded the Atlassic Tunisia and also the Eastern
Plains as Sahel or Sfax area.
In the North, the tellian and numidian nappes were sharply folded. An active erosion followed supply-
ing sands and conglomerates in the mollassic fore deeps (Kechabta Formation) and in Eastern Tunisia,
off-shore included. They are named Somaa Sandstone in Cap Bon and off-shore and are described as
Zeramedine Sand in the Sahel.
They have been supplied by erosion of ranges in Atlassic Tunisia, including the Abderrhamane anticline
of Cap Bon.
West of Gafsa a second sheet of sand with vertebrates overlies the Beglia sands. It has been named
Upper Beglia. There is an uncertainty on its age and its possible equivalence with Somaa Sandstone.
The Late Miocene finishes by marine transgressive beds, with shale and limestone, rich in Oysters,
Bryozoa, Ostracods and locally Foraminifera. Near Nabeul, in Cap Bon, these levels have been
described as Beni Khiar Formation (clay and limestone) and Oued Bhir Formation (lagoonish limestone)
by Colleuil (1976). Off-shore and in Eastern plains near Sfax or Mahdia the shale and limestone unit
is named Melqart Formation after the name of a well in the Gulf of Gabes. The Early Messinian Melqart
beds are overlain by an evaporitic unit named Oued Bel Khedim (Burollet 1951). Biely et al. (1972)
named Oum Douil Group the association of Beglia, Saouaf, Somaa, Beni Khiar, Melqart Formation
and their lateral equivalent, after a name given by Burollet 1956.
In the fore deeps in front of nappes and thrusts of Northern Tunisia, the Tortonian tectonic phases which
has strongly folded the nappes resulted in a new detritic supply: some conglomerate and a thick unit of
interhedded clay and sandstone: the Kechabta Formation.
Above there is the Oued Bel Khedim Formation with marine fossiliferous beds at base (equivalent of
Melqart), then evaporitic black shale with gypsum and lacustrine limestone beds. In some places, they
are overlain by continental conglomerate, sand and red shale, in the deep parts of the depocenters:
Chaabet Et Tebbala Formation.
The Miocene Molasse series , (Hakima to Oued Bel Khedim and Chaabet Et Tebbala) have been gath-
ered in a Medjerda Group by Biely et al. (1972).
There were a lot of controversies about the age of the Molasses. In fact it was due to mistakes in data-
tion of the “ante-nappes” series and so, of the emplacement of the nappes. New surveys by SEREPT
geologists and microfauna revision by Mrs G. Bizon and R. Benzarti have proven that “ante-nappes”
units never were younger than Langhian or basal Serravallian. So, the first post-tectonic molasses, as
Hakima, are Serravallian, as the Beglia Sandstone in Central Tunisia. 109
Segui Formation
110
Fig. 52 : Upper Langhian paleogeography & facies map (Ain Grab Formation). (After S. Jeddi 1998).
 Fig. 53 : Correlations of Coenozoic series in Sfax area and Eastern Offshore

111
112
Fig. 54 : Paleogeography map of Saouaf Formation and equivalents.
In Central and Eastern Tunisia, Late Miocene and Pliocene are represented by a diachronic continental
unit: the Segui Formation. Interbedded yellow sand and brown reddish clay, with local conglomerates,
specially in the upper part. The name is given after the plain north of Jebel Cherb, N. of Chott Fedjedj
(Bernard et al. SEREPT 1951).
It is widespread in Atlassic and Eastern Tunisia and has been sedimented in inundation plains. Sand-
shale ratio is very variable. Near Gafsa and along the N.S.Axis, conglomerates are abundant, spe-
cially in the upper part Pliocene in age. Near Gafsa, gypsum is frequent in the upper Segui, corre-
sponding to a Messinian episode: Chott Gharsa, Chemsi, etc.
Thicknesses are variable: maximum 1800 m East of Jebel Boudinar, between 0 and 500 m in Eastern
Tunisia, except in depocenters, like South of Zeramedine, at Chaab Maal with 800 m and 80% sand.
Near the N.S. Axis, the Segui Formation is Tortonian to Pliocene; the upper part is conglomeratic, often
unconformable. At Zeramedine, overlying the Melqart Formation and overlain by Fortuna Sandstone,
Segui Formation is Late Messinian and Early Pliocene. Below the Kerkennah Islands it is Early Pliocene.
Farther East, off shore, it disappears and is replaced by Late Miocene and Pliocene marine beds.

IIIc/ Marine Pliocene series

In the coastal areas of Tunisia, after the Miocene deposits (Melqart, Oued Bel Khedim, Oum Douil,
Chaabet et Tebbala or Segui proparte) there was an invasion by the Pliocene seas. The main Pliocene
units have been defined east of Bizerte, near Raf-Raf and Ghar el Melah: Burollet 1951.

Raf-Raf Shale
It is a thick unit of gray shale rich in microfaune and especially planktonic foraminifera indicating a
Zanclean and Early Piacenzian age.
Locally there is a conglomerate at the base. Some sand may be interbedded as lenses and the shale
is a little sandier at the top, often very rich in fossils which have been studied by Arnould (1952-1954):
Pelecypods, Gasteropods and Scaphopods. There is a major unconformity at base and the Formation
may overlay various Miocene Formations.
Porto Farina Sandstone
It is a bioclastic calcareous sand, yellow, with a rich fauna of Pelecypods (Oysters, Pectens, etc.),
Gasteropods, Scaphopods and Bryozoa.
It has been defined at Jebel Sidi Ali el Mekki, between Raf-Raf and Porto Farina (Previous name of Ghar
el Melah) (Burollet 1951). The age is Piacenzian. In the upper part, the sandstone grades to a very
shallow facies and then to a brackish or fresh water facies, richer in quartz. Vertebrates have been found
in this upper part corresponding to the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene; it finishes with the Upper
Villafranchian red beds.
In many places Porto Farina Sandstone transgressed further than Raf-Raf Shale. It is the case in Cap
Bon, east of the jebel Sidi Abderrhamane or North of Sousse.
South of the Cap Bon, onshore, or below the Gulf of Hammamet, offshore, Porto Farina is more marine,
shalier than near Bizerte , Colleuil (1979) described four units in the Pliocene near Nabeul and
Hammamet: Argiles des Potiers (equivalent of Raf-Raf Shale), Sables de Nabeul, Argiles de Sidi Barka
and Sables de Hammamet, these three units corresponding to the Porto Farina Sandstone.

IIId/ Pleistocene and Holocene

Traditionally the continental or lacustine beds between Porto Farina sandstone and the red beds were
described as Villafranchian and as the beginning of the Quaternary. Discussions on the age of the
Pliocene-Pleistocene limit were due to various criteria: finally the international commission of stratigraphy 113
fixed the limit after the magnetic anomalies, near 2,5Ma. So the Villafranchian and the Calabrian are
114
Fig. 55 : Correlation of Molasses in North of Tunisia.
included in the Quaternary. In Tunisia the Villafranchian series were strongly folded by the last Atlassic
crisis which shaped the relief.
A tremendous erosional process destroyed the newly created mountains and transported sediments from
the uplifted Western Tunisia to the eastern low lands. The wide syncline areas were infilled by hundreds
of meters of alluvium as in the plain of Kairouan.
There were oscillations between cold and warm temperatures and between dry and wet climates as
recorded by paleosoils and palynology.
Compressional stresses continued until present and neotectonic events caused some of the anticlines to
be slightly uplifted and the synclinal zones to subside continuously. These movements associated with
the semi-arid climate were the origin of many endoreic depressions, generally occupied now by playas
or salt pans where the sediments coming from Central and Southern Atlas are trapped. As a con-
squence, on the shallow continental shelf the recent sediments are mainly carbonates, bioclastic, or bio-
micritic.
In the Saharan Tunisia, winnowing of the great accumulation of alluvium in the chotts area and the
Algerian low land created the dunes of the "Erg Oriental" sand sea and the loesses of the Matmata
mountains.
At a more local scale, in the southern Atlas mountains the winnowing of the alluvium sorted the sedi-
ments with alluvial plains near the southern flanks of mountains, sand accumulation near the northern
flanks of the anticlines, and loess deposits in the internal valleys.

115
 Fig. 56 : Hercynian unconformity subcrop map.

116
Fig. 57 : Tectonic sketch across Jeffara and Hammada El Hamra.,
IV- Structure and Tectonics
Since the publication of the main regional studies, many detailed surveys and thematic syntheses have
been published during the last 35 years.
They have proposed new interpretations for the tectonic history of Tunisia. We may just quote some of
the authors as:
- for the regional analysis: Abbes 1983, Abdeljaouad 1983, Ben Ayed 1977, Chihi 1984 and
1995, Gourmelen 1984, Kammoun 1981, Ouali 1985, Perthuisot V. 1978, Rouvier 1987, Turki
1985, Yaich 1984, Zargouni 1986, Ben Ferjani et al. 1990, Boukadi 1995, etc.
- for the interpretation of geophysics and subsurface: Bedir 1988 and 1995 , Ellouz 1984, Haller
1983, Midassi 1982, Touati 1985, Winnock and Bea 1979, Catalano et al. 1992, Tricart et al.
1990 and 1992, Rekhiss et al. 1992, Dlala et al. 1994, etc.
- for the thematic interpretations: Biely et al. 1994, Boccaletti et al. 1988, Burollet 1973 and 1981,
Kammoun and Hfaied 1985, Peybernes 1987, Snoke et al. 1988, Richert 1971, Edel et al. 2001,
Michard et al. 2002, Zapaterra 1994, Tlig et al. 1991, Burollet et al 2004 etc.

A – TECTONIC HISTORY
If we except the poorly known Precambrian history, the tectonic history of Tunisia may be devided in
eight main sections.
1) Caledonian to Hercynian events:Ordovician to Carboniferous.
2) Palaeotethys events: Late Carboniferous to Triassic.
3) Tethysian distension: Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.
4) Regional evolutions; general stresses of the African block: fragmentation, halokinesis: Aptian to Early
Eocene.
5) Alpine evolution, inversion of the NOSA, reoriented distensions, transversal grabens: Mid-Eocene to
Langhian.
6) First Atlassic phases, collision of Alkapeca terranes, overthrusts, folding of Atlassic Tunisia: Mid
Miocene.
7) Second Atlassic phases: folding of the nappes and the molasses. Late Miocene to Villafranchian.
8) Pleistocene erosion, readjustment and neotectonics.

A1/ Caledonian and Hercynian events

In Tunisia, they are known only from geophysical and subsurface data.
Discreet movements are supposed after the thickness and facies variations in Ordovician to Devonian
series of the Saharan Tunisia. The transversal, EW trending Telemzane or Dahar Arch has been proba-
bly shaped at that time (Fig.56).
Near the end of the Early Carboniferous, the Dahar Arch was uplifted in the North of Ghadames Basin.
It is known also in Eastern Algeria and Western Libya. Subsequent erosions resulted in a major uncon-
formity: various Carboniferous to Triassic horizons overlay Paleozoic forma-tions of Cambrian to
Carboniferous ages. It is a wide radius uplift; there is no true orogeny known in Tunisia at that time, as
in Morocco or even in the Ougarta ranges of Western Algeria. Besides there is no information about
the basement below Atlasic Tunisia .

A2/ Palaeotethys events

North of the Dahar Arch faulted blocks have been covered by unconformable Carboniferous Formations 117
including Late Visean Limestone overlying Cambrian Sands in the well Kirchaou-1.
118
Fig. 58 : Tentative paleogeographic section across Tunisia (After Snoke & al. 1988 modified).
There was irregular subsidence depending on the blocks in Jeffara and West of it: The Middle car-
boniferous is 440m thick at KR-1. The late Carboniferous is thin at KR-1. The Late Carboniferous is thin
at KR-1. On the contrary it is 900m thick in the Melah well (Ma-1), North of the Dahar Arch.
A complex pattern of EW and NW-SE faults cuts the Jeffara and Northern Dahar area and resulted in
thick Triassic sedimentation below the Eastern Gulf of Gabes and below the Chotts Trough. A large thick-
ness of evaporites was sedimented except on a central high trending roughly SN from Tataouine to
Mednine and continuing probably northwards to the Sfax area (Fig.57).

A3/ Tethysian distension

During Jurassic and Neocomian, tethysian distension continued in chott basins.
A main set of faults caused the strong subsidence of the chott basins; East West faults created steps in
the Gulf of Gabes with less important thickness than on the western side.
Outcrops along the NS Axis and subsurface informations on both sides show a set of blocks, less subsi-
dent than in the chott area, but indicating a deeper palaeobathymetry to the north. These blocks were
limited by EW faults in the studied zone.
One has to remember that, in the fragmentation of blocks, the NOSA North South trending faults played
an active role and that, generally speaking, the Eastern area was more stable and presented shallow-
er facies than the Western side. We have very little information about the Jurassic in Western Tunisia;
however the Souinia1 well, NNE of Gafsa, indicates deeper facies than along the NOSA at the same
latitude.
During Neocomian and Barremian time, the same process continued, with a migration of the maximum
thickness a little northwards. Tilted blocks resulted in local thickening, specially N of the EW fault near
Kasserine. Along the NS Axis, thicknesses were irregular due to local NS distension and to tilting of
small blocks of the couverture on the Triassic salt. (Gourmelen 1984, Ouali 1985, Peybernes 1987,
etc). In Eastern Tunisia, there is very little information; only few wells were drilled below the Aptian Serdj
Formation and the seismic reflectors are very poor below the Cenomanian and Aptian markers.

A4/ Aptian to Lower Eocene evolution

After the main Tethysian distension mechanisms, more complex events were recorded in Tunisia. Various
successive stresses acted on the existing palaeogeographic landscape. East-West trending hinge lines
and steps, and North-South faults along the NS Axis reflect the main basement features.
However new events changed the sedimentary and structural pattern :
- With the overburden of Jurassic and Neocomian series, diapiric movements of the Triassic salt began.
In several places, Aptian shallow marine facies including reef development overlay directly the breccia
cap rock of the diapirs (Cheid, Kebbouch, Debadib, Slata, El Ouenza, etc. (cf Perthuisot 1978, Snoke
et al. 1988, etc).
- In their microtectonic analysis, Letouzey and Tremolières (1980) suggested the possibility of NW-SE
compression stress near the end of Aptian and a possible N 20° stress in Mid-Cretaceous. These ten-
dencies were discrete but they correspond to perpendicular distension features, mainly NW -SE, replac-
ing partially the previous EW lineaments. In the Pelagian Sea and the Gulf of Gabes, along the Gafsa
Fault, these fea-tures are very obvious (Soyer and Tricart 1987). It was also near Mid-Cretaceous that
the horst and graben early Syrte Basin was initiated in Eastern Tripolitania and Western Cyrenaica. In
many places of Central Africa grabens were subsiding at that time with NW-SE and SSW-NNE orien-
tations.
Many local blocks tilted along the NOSA and in Eastern Tunisia both Westwards, or Eastwards, with
lis-tric faults and decollement levels as the Triassic evaporites, or the Sidi Khalif, or M'Chergua Shales. 119
(Ouali 1985, Gourmelen 1984, Touati 1985, B. Coffinières oral communication 1986, etc.).
120
Fig. 59 : Seismic profile in lsis area : North East of Gulf of Gabès. (After H. Ben Kilani 2004).
Tectonic subsidence was very active and resulted in thick Barremian and Aptian deposits, except on the
Saharan platform and along the NOSA. A large area in Central Tunisia, on both sides of the NOSA,
has thin sedimentation, emersion and erosion; it was M'Rabet's Kairouan Island (1981 and 1987).
During Upper Aptian and Lower and Mid Albian the subsidence was slow, nil in some places, except
in the Northern zones as the "Sillon Tunisien" or the Gulf of Hammamet (Burollet 1956, Marie et al.
1984, Burollet and Memmi 1983, Ellouz 1984, etc).
In the Upper Cretaceous a clear difference between western and eastern parts of Tunisia may be
observed.
In the West, progressively, many anticlinal and synclinal axes are sketched and result in large anom-
alies of thickness and, in other areas, of facies. Salt movements are still active in some places. As the
Eastern side of the North-South Axis acts as a high stable zone, forming a buffer, the general SW-NE
trend of the early Atlasic folds cannot develop near the margins of Western Tunisia: along the NOSA,
folds and depocenters are trending roughly NS; along the Chott and Gafsa range hinge lines, the first
gentle appearance of the folds is oriented W-E. However, a major fault,trending NW-SE, cuts Gafsa
area and it had a frequent paleogeographic role.South-Eastward this fault becomes a faulted system “
en relais” joining the jeffara faults.
In Eastern Tunisia, the distensive behaviour continues as during Lower Cretaceous, with the addition of
NW-SE grabens. Volcanism was active at various moments of the Cretaceous till the end .
However the compressive stress began to be recorded in Eastern Tunisia since the base of Santonian, under-
lined often by an angular unconformity. Along the NOSA, or just East of it, the Campanian Abiod limestone
is transgressive on various older formations, even on the Jurassic Nara limestone at Hammam Zriba.
Touati (1985) observed on seismic lines West of Sfax Early or Mid Cretaceous normal faults, rejuve-
nated as reverse faults during Late Senonian.
The NW-SE compressive stress had important effects along the basement discontinuities, giving strike-
slip movements in depths, resulting in "en echelon" folds or in "flower structures" in the shallow couver-
ture: Gafsa ranges, Gulf of Gabes, Chorbane, Sidi EI Hani zone, Northern NOSA, etc. (Touati 1980,
Touati et al 1986, Boccaletti et al 1988). Evidently, during Upper Cretaceous, the main basement frac-
tures acted as right lateral for the W-E oriented, and as left lateral for the NS trending faults.
Letouzey and Tremolières (1980) have observed a change in the orientation of the compressive stress after
the Cretaceous: during Paleocene and Lower Eocene it was N 160° instead of +/- N 140° before.
A good example is given by the Ksar Tlili anticline: The Turonian core was folded during the Upper Cre-
taceous, perpendicular to the N 140° stress; after that the Senonian series were folded in Eocene times,
per-pendicular to the N 160° stress.
In Central Tunisia, from Turonian to Eocene, a large area emerged and was devoid of marine sedi-
ments: it is the Kasserine Island (Burollet 1956).
In Eastern Tunisia, large radius highs, often trending E-W, were devoid of Lower Eocene and some were
bald of Late Senonian sediments: it is the case in the limited zones of the Sahel, and of a large stripe
offs-hore, North of Isis submarine peninsula. Fig.59 In Northern Tunisia in the Hedil area, Batik (1971)
suggested the formation of a SW-NE trending submarine crest between Globigerina basinal facies NW
and Nummulite platform SE.
Evidently, far north in the Tellian zones, the first orogenic pulses caused the formation of micro-breccia
in the Senonian and Early Eocene series.

A5/ Mid-Eocene to Langhian revolution: Inversion of the NOSA role

North of Tunisia, close the Tethyan basin, there was a continuous unstability, probably in association
with south deeping subduction. In the stretched crust zone of the “Sillon Tunisian” and of the Tellian zones
there were transversal ridges with thinned series or gaps: for example an Eocene high from Hairech to 121
Ichkeul and Tunis area.
122
Fig. 61a : South of North - South Axis & associated atlassic ranges.
 123
Fig. 61b : South of North-South Axis & associated atlassic ranges (interprétation)
124
Fig. 60 : North-South Axis and Tectonic Sketch.
This zone was undulated and in some places the Lower Eocene limestone slid from the high areas to
the lower ones, the thick EI Haria shale acting as a "decollement" level. As it is the case very often, not
far from the subduction zone, the uplifted areas were locally in distension and the carbonate formations,
interbedded in thick shale series were fragmented by normal faults in a sort of mosaic.
In Central Tunisia and along the NOSA, the Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene series, being mainly
shaly, did not give any good record for microtectonic studies
What is known, is that after these phases, in the Upper Oligocene and Early Miocene times, the stress-
es rotated considerably and were oriented N 65° or N 70° (Letouzey and Tremolières 1980).
As an effect of relaxation between the different stress orientations, the North-South Axis changed its role:
until Lower Eocene, Western Tunisia was more unstable and more subsident than the East of the coun-
try.
During the Upper Eocene, strong subsidence was observed East of the Axis. This was accentuated in
Oli-gocene times with the Fortuna Sandstone depocenter (Burollet 1981). Distensive tendency caused
opening of transversal grabens, the Jurassic to Early Eocene pile of sediments slipping on the Triassic
evaporites and rafting apart.
Epirogenic movements, accentuation of salt migration and local folding caused erosion and unconfor-
mi-ties at different levels specially at the base of Upper Oligocene: the plain south of Kairouan (Bramaud
et al. 1983), Zeramedine anticline, Jebel Cherahil (oral communication of Md. Dridi), Cheid diapir
(Perthuisot 1978), etc.
In Eastern Tunisia, NS or NNW-SSE distension resulted from the relaxation after N 70 compressional
stress; E-W transversal grabens were formed at that time, as those near Moknine or Ksour Essaf (Burollet
1981, Bedir 1988).
In the Gulf of Gabes, this episode caused a remobilisation of the salt, and a new evolution of the earlier formed
flower structures; from negative flower structures of the Late Cretaceous, they changed to positive structures.
New undulations everywhere resulted in some erosion and unconformities at the base of Mid-Miocene
Ain Grab formation. For example, near the Rheouis, the Ain Grab Formation overlies the Triassic and
reworks fragments of dark gray and yellow dolomitic limestone.
In Northern Tunisia, the transversal highs devoid of Upper Eocene to Lower Oligocene (Beja-Mateur)
were invaded by the sea in the Upper Oligocene and specially during Early Miocene.
The various discreet movements are the end of the Alpine activity in Tunisia as it has been suggested by
Tlig et al. 1991.The include a Savic phase at the beginning of Aquitanian, a Styrian phase at base of
Burdigalian, Attic 1 and 2 phases at base and middle of Langhian: unconformities of Oued El Hammam
and Ain Grab formations (Burollet et al.2004).

A6/ First Atlasic phases - Serravallian to Tortonian

After the wide spread marine transgression of the Mahmoud shale or the Bejaoua Formation two events
show an increasing tectonic activity:
- The collision of Alkapeca terranes againts the northern border of North Africa expelled the Tellian and
Numidian nappes from their sedimentary furrows and they advanced Southwards to the gently subsid-
ing foreland. Which was an open marine causeway.
- As a consequence, a part of the Atlassic Tunisia was folded and uplifted, resulting in an active ero-
sion which supplied the coarse fluvial sands of Beglia all around Central Tunisia.
Definitively, the Eastern Tunisia was collapsing, and was covered by large sheets of marine or deltaic sed-
iments (Saouaf and equivalents). In many depocenters their thickness may be very large, up to 2000m.
The compression stress is reoriented to N 140°, corresponding to the Upper Cretaceous direction. So,
many features, created during Cretaceous, were reactivated.
However, the eastern side of the NOSA belt being definitely negative, did not play any more the role 125
of a buffer; consequently the couverture folds were not trapped along the NOSA and they advanced
 Fig. 62 : Evolution of sedimentation along seismic profile KN 25 (After N. Ellouz 1984).

126
eastwards, with N 70° to N 90° right lateral shear faults. In some places, rigid oriental blocks had to
be by-passed by folds. Some of these blocks are: Bled Er Rgueb, between Mezzouna mountains to
the south and Artsouma Goubrar range, to the north; or the high dome of Nasr Allah 101 between
Jebel Cherahil SW and Draa Affane and Cherichera-Batene North (Fig.60 and 61a & b).
NW -SE trending grabens were reactived in Central Tunisia, and offshore.
The erosion of Western Tunisia probably began at that time, in the uplifted zones such as Kasserine
Island; along the Gafsa ranges and the NOSA, material derived from local erosion was sedimented
in the basins, troughs, and straits. SEREPT geologists have found some basement pebbles in the Beglia
sand in the western Cap Bon. This could indicate a northwestern origin for a part of the material.
In front of the nappes and of the main thrusts, foredeep basins have been infilled by very thick" deltaic sed-
iments, due to a continous subsidence caused, first by tectonic activity and, later, largely by the load of
sediments. They were medium or small size depocenters with very sharp variations of facies and thick-
nesses.
Coarse conglomerates or breccia formed torrential fans intertonguing with deltaic or lagoonish fine
sedi-ments. Internal unconformities are known in that molasse series.
The Serravallian collision with Alkapeca terranes corresponds to Attic 3 phases.At same time, the rota-
tion of Sardinia-Corsica block was stopped by collision with the northern Tunisia margin.
During the Tortonian age, there was a compressive stress oriented N 140° which rejuvenated previ-
ously created folds.

A7/ Second Atlasic phases: Late Miocene to Villafranchian

In Tortonian an active orogenic episode was due to the North-West ward movement of Africa push-
ing against the Sardinia block. It resulted in folding every where in Atlassic Tunisia associated with
strike-slip movements along the main basement lineaments as for example the Ghardimaou – Cap
Serrat fault.It is the Rhodanian phase.
East of Cap Bon, the new sandy supply forms the Somaa Sandstone which are widespread offshore,
both in Hammamet and Gabès Gulfs . In the Sahel these sands are named Zeramdine Formation. In
Gafsa area a second sheet of fluvial sand invaded largely the basins, named Upper Beglia or Upper
Bled Ed Douara.
At the end of Tortonian there was a relaxation and distension episode associatedwith marine trans-
gression (Melqart Formation) and evaporitic concentrations (Oued Bel Khedim Formation). It was a sort
of inversion in the structural and sedimentary processes.
A new tectonic crise happened at the end of Messinian resulting in local erosions and angular uncon-
formities at the base of Pliocene. It is the Valachian or Post Messinian phase.
Along the North- South Axis and locally in Atlassic Tunisia, this crisis produced coarse conglomerates
forming the Upper Member of Segui Formation, Pliocene in age.
A new relaxation allowed the deposition of marine Pliocene series in the coastal zones. A new impor-
tant orogenic phase happened in Tunisia, everywhere in the Early Pleistocene: it has shaped the pre-
sent relief of Tunisia and was active also in Algeria: Post Villafranchian or Neo-Atlassic phase.
The nappes were folded again and overturned at many places along the northern coast (Fig.64).
The Upper Villafranchian red beds, and sometimes the overlying caliche, were folded with the older
for-mations. In the Molasse Kechabta fold, on the Northern flank, the red beds were overturned below
the marine Porto Farina sandstone; it can be easly observed along the Tunis- Bizerte road; a few kilo-
meters east there is now an actual overthrust of the Pliocene on vertical Villafranchian red beds. An
identical situation may be observed north of the Chorbane anticline, where the Upper Segui is over-
thrusted above the roughy vertical red beds (Burollet 1951, 1948 SEREPT internal report, 1956).
Along the North South Axis, left lateral strike-slip movements during the Late Miocene and the post-
Villafranchian phases resulted in positive flower structures with surficial eastward overthrust wedges.
Such flower structures may be identified on seismic sections below the plains and they are a good 127
lead for oil prospecting. They have given good oil and gas indication, both along NS lineaments such
 Fig. 63 : Interpretation of profile 120 / Sfax area (After N. Ellouz 1984).

128
as in the Magroun and Sidi EI Kilani wells or along E-W lineaments in the Gulf of Gabes .
A8/ Pleistocene erosion and neotectonics
After the Post-Villafranchian orogenic crisis, the Pleistocene history was mainly constitued by erosion,
geomorphologic carving and landscaping.
A large amount of material has been transported from Western and Central Tunisia to the Gulf of Tunis by the
Medjerda hydrographic complex and to endoreic or semi-endoreic low-lands in Eastern and Southern Tunisia.
South of the Cap-Bon Peninsula, there was a little supply of sediments to the sea. Late Miocene and
Plio-cene grabens of the Pelagian Sea, such as the Pantellaria, Linosa or Malta troughs, have not been
infilled and are still in a starving status with large water depths.
The Tunisian Platform is still in compression with the continental block of Sardinia and Corsica, pushing
the Ligurian Alps northwards. The stress is oriented N 150° or 160° and the strike-slip movements are
recorded in quaternary sediments (Kamoun et al. 1985) or in the recent seismicity (Hfaiedh et al 1985).
Ver-tical movements have continued through the Pleistocene until the present day: uprising of anticlinal
zones, rejuvenation of the relief; negative motions give subsidence of endoreic depressions or of vari-
ous areas offshores such near Kerkennah where the Roman town of Circina is now covered by the sea
(Burollet et al. 1979).
In conclusion, we have to underline the young age of the orogeny in Atlasic Tunisia. For the oil explo-
ra-tion, this fact is relatively unfavorable, as it may be a source of hydrodynamic perturbation and of
dismi-gration. On the other hand, the presence of thick sealing series is a good element for the preser-
vation of hydrocarbons. It is evident that the best areas for prospections are the less tectonized ones
and that early formed traps will be the most interesting.

B - BASIN EVOLUTION
The evolution of the various parts of the Tunisian basins may be deduced from the preceeding chapters.
There are two main basins:
a) The Paleozoic and Triassic Saharan basin south of the Dahar Arch and a little northwest of the Arch.
b) The Atlasic and Pelagian complex basin, with various depocenters having different evolutions in
space and time.

a - The Saharan basin

Its history is simple, with a regular subsidence during Paleozoic times, followed by the uplifting and ero-
sion of the arch.
Everything has been covered after that, by the Mesozoic Platform series.

The source rocks, specially the Silurian Tannezuft shale, reached the maturation depth, in a relatively
cold area, during the Cretaceous sedimentation; and the migration was favored by the general tilting
of the plat-form down to the southwest.

Uplifting and erosion of the Jeffara Dome resulted in hydrodynamic invasion of the Triassic, Jurassic and
Cretaceous sandstones. Therefore the Triassic objectives have to be explored further south and they
need a good structural or stratigraphic closure.

The Paleozoic reservoirs are better protected. Structural anomalies are leads for Ordovician , Silurian
and Devonian sandstones.

The latter may represent also stratigraphic objectives by pinching out or by truncation below the Hercy- 129
nian unconformity
 b - The Atlasic and Pelagian Basin
For the analysis of this basin, the reader should consult the isopach maps attached to the chapters of
stratigraphy and petroleum geology.
Near the north of the Saharan Platform (or of the Dahar Arch), we have seen a set of faults bordering
the highly subsident basins of the Palaeotethys: N. of Jeffara, thick marine series of Late Carboniferous
and Permian represent potential source beds which may be associated with reservoirs such as reefs,
dolomitized platform carbonates, and turbidites. The northward migration of the faults resulted in thick
sedimentation during the Triassic and Jurassic; so, in the south of the Gulf of Gabes, pre-Mesozoic series
are too deep to be explored. In the western part of south Tunisia, south of Chott Jerid, the wells near
Franig and Sabria show hydrocarbons in Ordovician and Triassic reservoirs. Very large displacement
faults are the southern limit of very thick depocenters of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous sediments.
Nothing is known about older series in the lower parts of the basin.

The Jurassic sedimentation is guided by E-W faults, down northward, and by the less subsiding NOSA
belt with the platform east of it. Some source beds have been identified along NS Axis. In the Gulf of
Gabes, better source beds are known and oil has been discovered. Similar prospects may be present
along the faults south of Chott Jerid.

In Western Tunisia and to the North, Jurassic series correspond to well oxidized open marine or deep
marine facies, mainly shaly. East of the N-S Axis, we have only very little information. Near the Gulf of
Gabes there are gas indications (Bir Ali Ben Khalifa wells). In northeastern areas the rare wells having
explored the Jurassic were devoid of hydrocarbon show.
In the Gulf of Gabes, in the lower part of the tilted blocks, the Jurassic organic matter reached a good
maturation level during the Upper Cretaceous or Early Eocene; as it was the times of the right lateral
strike--slip movements and of the formation of the first flower-structures, ways have been open for migra-
tions and had been sealed by the Tertiary shales.
South of Jerid Chott, Paleozoic source rocks were mature at the end of the Senonian, as could be the
Jurassic series in intermediate steps. In the lowest blocks, at the end of Cretaceous, the Jurassic was
deep enough for gas generation. This explains the shows encountered in Chott Fedjedj wells and the
gas found in Bir Ali Ben Khalifa Jurassic reservoirs.

During the Lower Cretaceous, maximum subsidence migrated northward: Barremian and Aptian at
Gafsa latitude or Neocomian to Aptian north of Kasserine are good examples.
In the Sillon Tunisien, basin facies are thick but less than on the external shelf or along the slope.
In Eastern Tunisia, and especially offshore, there is very little information on the Neocomian. However,
we know that thick Barremian and Aptian series were sedimented offshore with a high amount of plat-
form carbonates like the Serdj Formation.
Along the NOSA belt and east of it like on the Kairouan Island, the Lower
Cretaceous had irregular thicknesses, either with emersion and erosion or with condensed marine hori-
zons and hard-grounds.
We have seen in the chapter on stratigraphy that there have been unconformities and local gaps in the
Barremian and Aptian series. Gentle uplifting in Central Tunisia and local salt doming resulted in emer-
sion, vadose alteration, and in other places in erosion of the Serdj Formation.
The Fig.29, shows the progressive transgression of Albian and Cenomanian shales or thin laminat-
ed limestones, on the upper surface of the Lower Cretaceous units. It is evident that the close contact
130 between source beds, such as the Mouelha limestone or the Vraconian Fahdene shale with porous
altered Serdj For-mation forms excellent condition for oil accumulation; this is the case in the Douleb
oil field.
With the Upper Cretaceous, the evolution is more complex, with a fragmentation in various depocen-
ters separated often by highs where the series are thin or absent (cf. Isopach Map of Abiod Formation).
Some features stayed more or less similar to the Lower Cretaceous ones, such as the Gafsa Trough or
the Southern Gulf of Gabes.
On the contrary, other areas differ entirely: it is the begining of the subsdidence inversions which char-
acte-rize the Tunisian basin. In northwest Tunisia, the largest accumulation of sediments is in the
Tadjerouine-Le Kef area, north of the anterior depocenters. In eastern Tunisia there were many inversions.
The Pelagian Sea around Barani or Isis wells had large thickness of Barremian and Aptian deposits and
then the Upper Cretaceous was relatively thin. Below several regions of the Sahel, there are thick
depocenters of Upper Cretaceous sediments, often in relation with listric faults rooted in Neocomian or
Sidi Khalif shales (Fig.65).
We have shown in the chapter IV / a that there were various kinds of tectonic activities during the Upper
Cretaceous: Salt migration and diapirism, block tilting, strike-slip movements, flower structures, internal
unconformities etc..
Depending on the periods, the limit between the shallow platform, with clastics, evaporites and carbo-
nates and the shaly basins in the north had various geographic positions. The maximum progradation
of the carbonate platforms was reached near the Upper Aptian.
Albian and Cenomanian transgressions invaded the former platforms and the transition zone migrated
clearly southwards.
During those trangressive episodes, three short phases saw great accumulation of organic matter, pro-
bably due to a proliferation of phytoplankton and specially monocell or oligocell green algae. The first
one is limited at the base of a few slopes, in the Lower Albian. The second phase, which is more impor-
tant, may be associated with an influx of oceanic waters as indicated by radiolarians and calcareous
nannoplankton: it is the Mouelha thin laminated limestone (Upper Albian sensu stricto) or the overlying
foliated marl of Vraconian age (Base of Upper Fahdene).
The third phase corresponds to the top of Cenomanian: Thinly laminated euxinic limestone of the Bah-
loul horizon, with the oligospecific microfauna of globular planktonic forams. After deposition of the shal-
low shelf facies in Turonian and Coniacian times, the association of eustatic high sea level and of reg-
ular subsidence resulted in a wide ingression by pelagic seas. The main part of the Atlasic zones have
been invaded by open marine facies during the Senonian, ending with the chalky facies in Late
Campanian and Maastrichtian times. Strike-slip faults and flower structures in the Southern Gulf of
Gabes were sealed by the Upper Senonian transgressions. Many of high points, east of the NOSA,
were submerged by the Abiod transgression such as in Jebel Hallouf, at Hammam-Zriba or near
Khanguet EI Hadjadj
Paleocene and Lower Eocene sedimentation was a continuation of the Late Cretaceous evolution, with
El Haria shale and Metlaoui carbonates. In fact there was an accentuation of the Senonian character-
istics: a wider emersion area in Kasserine Island, sharper contrasts of thickness, a wider bald zone on
the Kerkennah High, north of Isis, etc...
The sedimentation of El Haria shale is remarkable: even where part of the formation is missing, the lithol-
ogy is similar: dark gray or black fissile shale, green weathering, rich in forams, specially planktonic
ones. It is worth noting that a major world-wide event is recorded by the microfauna in such an homoge-
neous unit. This is not restricted to Tunisia, as similar shale is known in Algeria, in part of the Syrte
embayment of Libya and in Egypt where the Esna shale has exactly the same lithology as that of the EI
Haria.
The Mid and Upper Eocene was a transition period from the Cretaceous pattern to the Miocene paleo-
geography. Inversions of subsidence are frequent, on a regional scale, such as for the NOSA, or in 131
many local areas, such as near Sainte Juliette (Ellouz 1984) or Sidi EI Hayem (Touati 1985), (Fig.63).
132
Fig. 64 : Summarized structural cross-section of Northern Tunisia (Offshore & Onshore). After El Euchi 1999).

Fig. 65 : Geoseismic correlation illustrating Horst & Graben succession in the West Gulf of Gabès (After H. Ben Kilani et Al 2002).
An isopach map of the Souar Formation indicates the maximum thickness in Eastern Tunisia along the
NOSA belt and in the Northern Gulf of Gabes (Ashtart Basin). The areas, where the Souar For-mation
or its lateral equivalents are missing, are larger than before : to the Saharan Platform and the Kas-ser-
ine Island, one has to add the Jendouba-Beja-Mateur stripe, and the bald zones in the Gulf of Ham-
mamet and the Pelagian Sea which separate the Souar basin from the shallow carbonate Platform of
the Pelagian Sea
The Oligocene and Early Miocene periods are marked by the return of a coarse clastic sedimentation
and by an irregular tendency to distension and subsidence. Often, below the eastern plains, a new
inversion begins at that time, with rejuvenation of Cretaceous faults. Several Eocene bald areas were
invaded by marine or deltaic deposits like the Jendouba--Mateur stripe, the NE part of Kasserine Island,
the Zeramedine anticline, etc. There are unconformities and thick sedimentation near the NOSA and
east of it. In the eastern offshore area the beginning of the Miocene inversion occured. Open marine
equivalents of For-tuna, such as Ketatna limestone or Salammbo Formation are very thick near Isis or
Jarrafa places where Upper Cretaceous and Lower Eocene series were thin or absent (Fig.59).
In the Gulf of Gabes the N 70° stress caused an inversion of the EW faults with a NS distension. There
was a new mobilisation of the salt with local ascension such as at Ras Zira. Some listric faults were,
like the Echmoun Fault, reactivated. (Touati and Andrawes 1985).

Numerous discussions have been held on the sedimentation of the Numidian Flysch. The works of Parize
et al.(1987) and Ch. El Mahersi (1992) have shown that the material came from the North in a deep
basin at the base of a steep slope.
As it is rich in coarse quartz pebbles, we suppose that the source was a wandering terrane of a Kabilie
or Sardinia type.
Wezel et al.(1981) have described the present margins of the Tyrrhenian sea. These basins and sub-
marine terranes around an expanding deep sea, are remarquable models for the Alpine type basin of
the past. The eastern margin of Sardinia represents a convenient model for the Oligocene and Early
Miocene flysches.
The Middle Miocene time was characterized by a general transgression, first by the Ain Grab lime-
stone, then by the Mahmoud Shale. As many of epirogenic or discrete orogenic movements occurred
before, there is an angular unconformity at the base of Mid Miocene series in numerous places of
Tunisia. We have to imagine that the Mid Miocene seas of Central and Western Tunisia had a paleo-
geography of straits and gulfs, surrounding many islands and archipelagoes, a sort of landscape which
may be compared to the pre-sent Indonesia, although of smaller magnitude (Fig.65).
As the collision with Northern Terranes increased, there were regional emersions, and an opposite col-
lap-sing of local depocenters. In fact, it was a sort of regional tilting with progressively higher reliefs
and erosion, to the west, and subsidence and thick sedimentation, to the east.
After the sand supply of the Beglia Formation, the Upper Miocene was deltaic or paralic everywhere,
more lagoonish in restricted molasse depocenters and in Messinian times. It was a synchronous play of
oro-geny, erosion and sedimentation with several internal unconformities.
Presently, the only region where Miocene sediments produce hydrocarbons is the Gulf of Hammamet
where all the units were marine, with sand interbedded in thick pelagic shale units. Source rocks have
not been clearly proven in this Miocene succession; their presence is, however a strong possibility.
In the Sillon Tunisien, three important surface oil seeps are associated with Oligocene or Miocene series:
Zag et Tir near Le Kef, Slouguia, 60 km west of Tunis, and Ain Rhelal south of Bizerte. The three cases
are close to main faults with Triassic injection and older source beds are probable.
The Pelagian Sea has been in a distension status since the Upper Miocene and the main grabens as
those of Pantellaria, Linosa, and Malta, could not be infilled due to a shortage of sediment supply. Near 133
the coast, on the contrary, deep Plio-Pleistocene furrows were infilled like in Jeriba-1 well in the western
134
Fig. 66 : Seismic profile in Eastern Kairouan plain. (Example of living anticline and flower structure).
Gulf of Hammamet. Presently, the subsidence is still active and maintains endoreic low lands, helped in
that by the semi-arid climate of Central and Eastern Tunisia.
To sum up the evolution of the Tunisian basin, we may emphasize the following points:
- During the geologic history a heterogenous basement, with NS discontinuities and EW hinge lines,
was submitted to various stresses.
- In a large part of the country, this basement is disconnected from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic cover
by a thick series of evaporites.
- The changes of direction of thes tresses caused many inversions in the subsidence and in the
role of the faults, including the main lineament system of Tunisia: the North-South Axis.
- Consequently, the anticlinal features are of three types:

a) Isopach anticlines which are due to folding of a quietly sedimented series. They are generally late
fea-tures, which were folded during Upper Miocene or younger phases.

b) Living anticlines, which were regularly uplifted during a large part of the history, and are often asso-
ciated with a salt cushion. For these features, series are thinner on the crest than on the flanks or in the
sur-rounding synclines. In some cases, one or several beds may be absent on the top and pinches out
on the flanks. The geometric closure is larger in depth than in the shallow horizons. However, there is
often a dissymetry in depth with displacement of the top with regard to the shallow closure. It is evident,
that this type of anticline is the most favorable for hydrocarbon accumulation, both for reservoir and for
migration. The Sidi El Itayem or Ashtart oil fields are of this type (Fig.63).
Some of these anticlines may be flower structures which evolve in relation with deep strike slip move-
ment (Fig.65). Other may evolve to salt domes and piercement structures.

c) Another family is the group of "antiforms". During the sedimentation, the area was a local depocen-
ter with active subsidence; the sediments are very thick during the life of the depocenter and they may
present slope features as slumps, turbidites, and reworking.
In the compression phases, these depocenters have been shortened as the other features in Tunisia, but
the excess of sediments caused them to be extruded with anticlinal shape and often with very steep
flanks.
The anticline of Zeramedine is a good example of a Miocene antiform; as the series is plastic it has
just given a mushroom shape.
The large Sidi Abderrahman anticline in Cap Bon is also a Cenozoic antiform and the thick Oligocene
and Miocene series on the flanks thin laterally in the direction of the synclines. (Fig.67).
In Jebel Ousselat, the marine thick Metlaoui Limestone could not be easily folded and it overthrusts its
own thinner flanks, subvertical in places.
It is evident that the prospector has to be very careful when studying these kind of features. They are
young, their central part has been in low position during a part of the history; and the closures dimin-
ish with increasing depths. However, turbiditic sands may have been sedimented in the former deeper
zone and may be bent into gentle anticlinal position by later folding.

In these various kinds of features, one may observe a great independance of the facies in regard to the
thickness and to the subsidence. It seems that in a large number of cases there was a continous adjust-
ment between supply and subsidence. For example, the lithologic aspect of the Meloussi formation is
exactly the same in the thick and the thin zones. More conspicuous is the Metlaoui formation. Its vari-
ous facies such as Bou Dabbous, EI Garia, and Kef Ed Dour, are separated by linear boundaries which
cross highs and lows without any modification. The interpretations of the limit between Nummulite and 135
Globigerina facies based on sharp difference of depth cannot be accepted; in fact it was probably a
 Fig. 67 : Interpretation of seismic profile CBK 10 (Antiform structure). (After C. Cramez).

136
difference in hydrology and in temperature, which gave the selection of organisms, the accumulation of
Nummulites making only a slight difference of depth as a result and not as a cause of the change of
facies.

On the living anticlines or often on diapiric extrusions, there are drastic reductions of thickness. However,
each unit of the series is often present in the regular order of succession.
On the great diapir of Rheouis, for example, the entire Mio-Pliocene series is represented, in a sort of
miniature section, as described on the comparison between two localities separated only by
3 kilometers (Burollet 1956, p.210).

Diapir inlet Eastern Flank (in direction of Rgueb)

Villafranchian red beds 3m 15m

Segui F. 13m 800m
Saouaf F. 0.70m 250m
Beglia SS. 1m to 2m 70m
Mahmoud Sh 0.20m 40m
Ain Grab 0.15m 10m

On the diapir the Ain Grab overlies directly the Triassic series and it reworks pebbles of gray dolomite
with Pholade perforations.
On the Eastern Flank there are Cretaceous and Eocene units between the Triassic and the Ain Grab
Mid- Miocene.
A frequent type of structural feature is the graben, often oriented in transversal position in regard to the
general Atlasic trend of the folds.
Some of the grabens are associated with strike-slip faults. They are symetric, such as the Rohia graben,
or dissymetric in shape of half-graben, such as the Grombalia plain. In several cases, there is evidence
of doming before the rifting, with reduction of thickness and change of facies of the ante-rift series near
the borders. The distension faults are often curved and listric and the syn-rift series present anomalies of
thick-nesses. In this case the faults may act as growth faults and roll-over features may be observed at
the lower side: such examples may be seen on seismic sections in La Henncha and Sidi Ech-Cherif
zones in the Sahel, Bou-Merdes and Moknine grabens, or near Halk El Menzel wells offshore
(Coffinieres oral commu-nication 1986, Bedir 1988 etc.).
Just a few wells have been drilled in the Tunisian grabens: Rohia-1, O.Es Saraia-1, Chorbane East -1.
At Rohia and O.Es Saraia, due to the distensive rafting, the infilling series has roughly no interest.
At Chorbane East, on the border, the uplifting resulted in alteration, source of a reservoir.In Sahel, where
the graben shoulders are correctly covered by later sediments, the borders are good kind of objective
as the turtle back features in the grabens proper.

137
138
Fig. 68 : Régional correlation complied form seismic cross section in Gulf of Tunis - Cap Bon and Gulf of Hammamet (After S. Jeddi 1999)
V - Petroleum Geology

A. - SOURCE ROCKS
Geological study and geochemical analyses conducted from outcrops and wells data demonstrate
that the Tunisian stratigraphic column presents many levels with a good potential. From the Paleozoic to
Cenozoic , we distinguish the following main proven source rocks:
- The Silurian Tannezuft shale and its lateral equivalent, the Feguiguira Formation (dated Upper Silurian
to Lower Devonian), well known in the whole Sahara.
- The Devonian Aouinet Ouenine Formation,
- The Albian Fahdene Formation,
- The Cenomanian to Turonian Bahloul Formation,
- The Ypresian Bou Dabbous Formation and
- The Miocene Numidian Formation.

1/ PROVEN SOURCE ROCKS

1-1/ The Silurian – Early Devonian
1-1.a / Early Silurian (The Tannezuft Shale)
The Tannezuft organic rich shale constitues the lower part of the Silurian. It represents a major trans-gres-
sive unit of a shallow sea after a glacial regression in the late Ordovician.
The lower part of these shales is very radioactive and is known as the "radioactive marker" by the petro-
leum geologists (150 API unit); its thickness varies between 10 m to 70 metres with an average of 30
metres. It constitues a good to excellent source rock and has in average a TOC content of 18% ( 15%<
TOC<20%) and a pyrolysis potential (PP) of 10 Kg of Hydrocarbon / Ton ( HC/T) of rock,(
4.71<PP<28.63Kg of HC/T of rock) (Fig.69, 71a and b).
The maturation level of the organic matter vary from the oil window in the North of Ghadames bassin
to the gas window in the Central part of the bassin ( Ghenima 1995).
The Silurian organic matter is composed essentially by Graptolithes and Tasmanacae algae.
All macerals are well preserved indicating a good preservation condition during organic matter depo-
sition.The extracted hydrocarbons displayed a Pr/pH ratios ranging from 1 to 3 with an average of
1.09 .
All closed and sealed Paleozoic structures or pinch-out with beds of reservoir quality in close proximity or
in contact with the Silurian shale, should be hydrocarbon bearing. Such conditions are met on the north-
ern flank of the Talemzane arch (Chott basin) where tilted fault-blocks and pinch-outs have developed.

1-1.b / Late Silurian – Early Devonian (The Fegaguira Formation)

The Fegaguira Formation is only known North of Telemzane Arch in the Chott basin.It represents the
lateral equivalent of the Tannezuft shale.
The hot shale member of the Fegaguira Formation appears to be a good to excellent source rock and has
the TOC value exceeding 16.02 % and a petroleum potential (S2) values reaching 55.64 Kg of HC/T .
The organic- rich series is well preserved and seems to be dominated by algae material.

1-2/ The Middle – Late Devonian (Aouinet Aouenine Formation)

The Aouinet Aouenine formation is known in the South of Tunisia mainly in Ghadames basin. It is com-
posed mainly by clay in the base and shale with intercalations of limestone at the top.
Thickness varies from 250m to 600m, it contents an average of 5 to 6% of TOC , and the total petro-
leum potential is generally in excess of 20 Kg HC/T of rock ( it can reach 30 Kg HC/T).
139
The organic matter is made exclusively of Tasmanacae Algae (Fig.70, 72a and b).
 Fig. 69 : Synthetic lithologic log of the Silurian
Tannezuft Source Rock.

Fig. 70 : Synthetic lithologic log of the Devonian

Aouinet Ouenine Source Rock.

140
Fig. 71a : Silurian Source Rock. Ditribution and Geochemical Characteristics (M. Saidi & al. 1998).

141
Fig. 71b : Diagram S2 vs TOC showing the Silurian Tannezuft Source rock assessement
(M. Saidi & al. 1998).
 Fig. 72a : Devonian source rock (Aouinet Aouinine Formation). Distribution and Geochemical
Characteristics (M. Saidi & al. 1998).

142
Fig. 72b : Diagram S2 vs TOC showing the Devonian Aouinet Ouenine Source rock assessement
(M. Saidi & al. 1998).
 143
Fig. 73 : Albian Source Rock (Fahdene Formation) Distribution and Geochemical Characteristics
(M. Saidi & al. 1998).
144
Fig. 74 : Cenomanian - Turonian Source Rock (Bahloul Formation)
Distribution and Geochemical Characteristics. (M. Saidi & al. 1998).
 Fig. 75a : Diagram S2 vs TOC showing the Lower Fahdene
Source rock assessement (M. Saidi & al. 1998).

145
Fig. 75b : Diagram S2 vs TOC showing the Late Cenomanian-Early Turonian Bahloul
Source rock assessement (M. Saidi & al. 1998).
146
Fig. 76 : Ypresian Source Rock (Bou Dabbous Formation) Distribution and Geochemical Characteristics
(M. Saidi & al. 1998).
1-3/ The Albian – Vraconian: (Lower Fahdene formation)
The Albian- Vraconian dark shales and platy limestones covers the northern and eastern area of Tunisia.
Its thickness is large and variable which exceeds 1000m in some depocenters (NW Tunisia, North flank
of Jebel M’rhila / Koudiat El Beida)(Fig.73).
The geochemical analyses shows that the Lower Fahdene Formation is found to be organic rich mainly
in NW Tunisia and Eastern part of the Pelagian sea .It has good values of TOC which varies bet-ween
0.65 % to 4 % (Koudiat EI Beida outcrops 3.6 %, Mimosa well 0.82 %, BGH 1 well 0.85, and ISIS
1 well 0.81 %) and a good hydrocarbon potential varying between 9 Kg/T of rock to 17.1 Kg/T
(Oued Bou Lamada 10.3 mg/g, Koudiat El Beida 12 Kg/T)with exceptional value of 74 Kg of HC/T
of rock at Ain Selim outcrop. In Jebel Zebbas, SW of Tunis Talbi and Belayouni (1987) reported a TOC
value up to 14 % and petroleum potential reaching 14 kg/t of rock.(Fig.73).
The Mouelha Member of Albo-Vraconian age is considered to be the source rock for the Aptian reser-
voirs.

1-4/ The Late –Upper Cenomanian : (Bahloul Formation)

The Bahloul Horizon is one of the main source rocks that is well known in Tunisia, and it consists of thin
dark-colored commonly laminated and marly limestone with large Globigerinids of Late Cenomanian
age (Robaszynsky et al. 1990a and 1990b).
This Horizon is not very thick; it varies between 10 to 50 metres in surface (Fig.74).
Many geochemical analyses have been done on surface sections and well samples. The Bahloul
Formation is a good potential source rock .It have given TOC values between 1.1 % to 3.6 % (Thala -
Maktar area: 3.6 %, Gulf of Gabes : Jawhara well 1.58 %, Morjane well 1.55 %); TOC content from
well cuttings in the organic rich part of the Bahloul Horizon ranges from 0.84 to 6.42 %. A thin lami-
nated black limestone at Oued Bahloul outcrops contains 8 % TOC, the average being approximatively
3.9 %. The hydrocarbon potential of this horizon can reach 33g/kg (Oued Bahloul), 28.7g/kg (Oued
Mechmech).
The Bahloul Horizon is considered as the main source rock for the Upper Cretaceous reservoirs (Ceno-
manian, Turonian, Maastrichtian) and for the Ypresian reservoir as in El Hajeb field where tectonic
allows the migration of Bahloul oil into the Ypresian reservoir.

1-5/ The Ypresian :( Bou Dabbous Formation)

The Bou Dabbous Formation contains micrite and marl with abundant planktonic foraminifers; it cons-
titutes an open marine deep-water facies and is made up of a well bedded mudstone, as in the Bou
Dabbous outcrop(Fig.76).
This formation covers all the North and the Northeast of Tunisia including the Gulf of Hammamet and
parts of the Pelagian Sea. Its thickness varies between 50m to 350m.
According to Salehi-Siavochani (1978), Fournié (1980), and Burollet and Oudin (1980), TOC content
in the Bou Dabbous formation ranges from 0.5 to 2.5 %. The organic matter is of amorphous marine
type. It is the oil source of its lateral equivalent the Nummulite packstone at the Sidi EI Itayem and Ashtart
oil fields because of its proximity to these fields (Fig.77a).

1-6/ The Late Oligocene – Early Miocene: (Numidian Flysh)

The source rock of the Numidian Flysh outcropping in Northern Tunisia is represented by shaly matrix
of the sand bars, with moderate characteristics as indicated by the fair TOC values ( up to 1.1%)
and fair petroleum potential ( up to 3.62Kg of HC/T of rock) (Saidi M. 2002).Numidian organic
matter is dominated by spores, pollen and ligno-cellulosis tissue associated with some amorphous
material. 147
 Fig. 77a : Diagram S2 vs TOC showing the Ypresian Bou Dabbous
Source rock assessement (M. Saidi & al. 1998).

Fig. 77c : Qualitative & quantitative assessement of the

Middle-Late Jurassic series. South Gulf & Jeffara area
(After Saidi M. 2004).

148 Fig. 77b : Main source rock levels

within Middle-Late Jurassic series.
South Gulf & Jeffare area (After Saidi
M. 2004).
2/ POTENTIAL SOURCE ROCKS
In addition to these main known source rocks in Tunisia, other possible source rocks exist in the
Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic.They may exhibit , locally, a good Hydrocarbon
generation potential.

2-1/ Ordovician
In Chott Jerid Basin, the Azel Shale, of Ordovician age, has moderate to good, occasionally excellent
potential for sourcing oil; it contains amorphous kerogen with TOC content varying from 0.64 to 6.82
% (Average 3.33%), P2 values of 1.7 to 15.8 Kg/T rock. Lower in the Ordovician, the EI Gassi shale
(Hadj Brahim 1) has only moderate oil source rock potential with TOC content of 1.28 to 1.72% (aver-
age 1.47%) PP values of 2.2 to 3.1 Kg/T.

2-2/ Permian
The shallow water marine facies of the Permian (Zemlet Khaled-1 and Hadj Brahim-1 wells) contain
struc-tured and amorphous organic matter.
Some geochemical analyses of samples from wells of the Douz-Medenine area show good source rock
potential. At Zoumit -1 well , this level is rich in oil and gas prone organic matter ( 221<IH<372) with
high TOC contents varing between 0.38 and 9.18%, and fair to excellent petroleum potential ranging
from 0.98 and 31.19 Kg of HC/T of rock.
At Ksar Jedidi-1 (KJD-1) :TOC value: 0.1-2.07% and PP. value: 0.7-5.50Kg/T, Zemlet Khaled-1 (ZKH-1):
TOC: 0.02-0.72 %, PP.0.3-0.6 Kg/T and Hadj Brahim-1 (HBR-1): TOC: 0.22-1.52%, PP.0.8-1.8 Kg/T.

2-3/ Triassic:Rheouis Formation and equivalents

The Triassic series, which were deposited in so-called “micro-basins” durind the rifting systems, may pre-
serve some organic matter and may constitude a good source rock for oil and gas.Soussi and
al.,(1995) reported the presence of good source rock levels within the Triassic series, outcropping in
Jebel Reouis (Central Tunisia) with TOC value varing between 0.5 to 5 % and a good petroleum poten-
tial up to 7 Kg/T of rock.
Some geochemical analyses of samples from wells of South Eastern Tunisia show levels with moderate
organic matter richness. At Degla-1 and Jerba Mellita-1 wells respectively, the TOC is up to 1.34 %
and 0.89 %, their PP. are low to fair ,up to 2.4 and 2.1 Kg/T of rock.

2-4/ Jurassic: Nara, Kchem El Mit, M’Rabtine and Smida Formation

• The Middle – Late Jurassic is made up of intercalation of marl and argillaceous limestone (Fig77b);
some analyses of well samples (Zarzis area) and outcrops samples (Chaabet el Attaris, J .Nara) show
a good source rock poten-tial with a TOC content varying between 0.53 to 3.37 % (El Biban well:
1.08 to 1.75 %,). Souissi and al. 1993, describe along the NOSA, a 17 meter thick Toarcian marl
and limestone having a TOC ranging from at 0.2 to 3.37 % and can reach 11 % , and a total hydro-
carbon compounds (SI + S2) may reach 39 Kg/T of rock.
• Some levels of Smida Formation shows good TOC values up to 2.6 % and good PP.up to 10 Kg/T
of rock at West Gabes-1 well, and fair to good TOC contents of 1.6 % ( with exceptional value of
63.16 % at 1700-1720m) and good PP OF 4.29 Kg/T of rock (Fig77b et 77c).
• The geochemical analyses of late Jurassic M’Rabtine samples from wells (DJM-1, ELY-2, EZZ-1, CHS-1,
DE-1,ROB-1..) have given an average TOC value varing from 0.5 and 1.50 % and PP of 7 Kg/T of rock.

2-5/ Late Barremian: Upper M’Cherga Formation and equivalents

The Upper M’Cherga Formation have been studied in several outcrops sections in Northern Tunisia at 149
Beja, Tebourba and Ghardimaou areas. This Formation shows fair to good TOC value ranging from
150
Fig. 78 : Producing reservois distribution map.
0.24 to 4.05% and a PP varing between 0.57 and 14.41Kg/T of rock. At Degla-1 well this interval
presents a very high geochemical characteristics (TOC of 12.6-58.3 % and PP: 27 to 152 Kg/T of
rock).

2-6/ Middle – Late Cretaceous

Complete geochemical analyses were done in various Cretaceous levels mainly on cutting samples from
wells. They have revealed fair to good source rocks characteristics:
The Orbata Formation , at EZZ-1 well have 2.34 % of TOC and PP up to 6.51 Kg/T of rock,
The Albian-Cenomanian sediments shows at EBB-2 well some organic rich levels with 1.42 % of TOC
and a PP:7.5 Kg/T of rock and the Douleb Member at SLK-1 well revealed high TOC contents of
0.27- 2.34% and PP reaching 6.1 Kg/T of rock.

2-7/ Miocene :Lower Salammbô Formation

In some localities, mainly in the Gulf of Gabès , the Lower Salammbô Formation holds a source rock
levels with good characteristics .The well samples anlyses show a TOC values of 1.91% and PP: 8
Kg/T in Zohra-1 well, 3.06 % and 11 Kg/T in Remal-1 well, 2.58 % and 9.8 Kg/T in Selim-1 well,
2.52 % and 11.3 Kg/T in Zarat-1 well.

B. – RESERVOIRS AND SEALS

Several sedimentary basins in Tunisia may be recognized ; they are caracterized by different structural
styles and a distinct geological histories. They were proved hydrocarbon provinces with numerous oil
and gas discoveries wich are produced from reservoirs known in the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and
Cenozoic sediments (Fig.78).
The main production areas are :
• In the south : El Borma ; the largest one , Makrerouga , Laarich ,Sanhar , in the Triassic Kirchaou
formation ; Ech Chouech , in Devonian Ouan Kasa formation ; Oued Zar , Hamouda , Laarich, Adam,
Nessime, Warda, in the Silurian Acacus formation and Sabria Franig Laarich, in the Ordovician.
• Eastern zone : In the Gulf of Gabes and Sfax basin , the main production comes from Eocene El
Garia nummulitic limestones (Ashtart, Sidi El Itayem, Hasdrubal, Didon , Zarrat ) , the Mid-Eocene
Reineche limestones (Cercina ,Chargui ) , the Campanian-Maastrichtian Abiod fractured limestones (Sidi
El Kilani, Miskar ) ,the Cenomanian Zebbag dolomite (Ezzaouia , El Biban ) or reefal (Isis ) and the
Turonian Bireno carbonates (El Ain , Rhamoura , Mahares , Guebiba ) .
• In Gulf of Hammamet and Cap Bon Peninsula , oil and gas are produced from Neocomian -
Barremian (Cap Bon ), Campanian-Maastrichtian Abiod fractured chalky limestone (Zinia, Maamoura,
Tiref.. ), Lower Eocene Bou Dabbous limestone (Belli , El Menzah ), and Mid - Miocene , Ain Grab
limestone and Birsa sands, ( Tazerka , Birsa , Zelfa , Baraka ).
• Western zone , in Central Tunisia, the main oil fields are Douleb , Semmama and Tamesmida witch
produce from the Aptian Orbata dolomite or Serj limestones .

a/ Paleozoic reservoirs and seals

Within the Tunisian segment of the Saharan Platform, small fields such as Larich, Debbech, Chouech Es
Saida and Oued Zar-Hamouda produce oil and gas. Towards the north, and south of Chotts Djerid
and Fedjej, gas/condensate is being produced at Franig in addition to Baguel and Tarfa, and oil pro-
duction at Sabria. These hydrocarbon discoveries produce from Paleozoic sediments. Primary explo-
ration targets are Ordovician, Devonian Ouan Kasa Formation, and Upper Silurian Acacus Formation.
Reefs and sandstones of the Permian may add promising potential reservoir due to known reservoir
quality 151
152
Fig. 79 : Ordovician Reservoir log (El Franig Field). (After L. Ayadi 2000).
a-1/ Proven reservoirs –
a-1-1/ Ordovician
Weak shows were encountered in wells of the Jeffara area at ST-1 and LG-3. In 1979 hydrocarbons
were discovered in the Chott Jerid area with the Sabria West-1, which later tested 900 BOPD of 40
gravity oil. El Franig-1, on a long term test, flowed an average rate of 980 BCPD and 6.4 MMSCFG-
PD. In the Ghadames basin on the south flank of Telemzane Arch, Ordovician reservoirs tested gas/con-
densate in Larich-2 and OZ-1, at rates up to 64,500 m3 of gas/day and 680 BOPD (Fig.79).
Facies distribution of Ordovician reservoirs is complex. The series contains a sandy shaley facies and
ferruginous sandstones separated by a shaley interval. In the Chott area, the reservoir is composed
mainly by quartzitic sandstones of the El Hamra Formation. Average thickness ranges from 20 to 50
meters, and the interval can expand up to 150 meters, as at LG-1. Petrophysical properties are mod-
erate with porosity varying from 5 to 14 percent with an average of 9.5 percent. Permeabilities range
from 0.01 to 70 md. These properties can be improved by fractures.
To the South, in the El Borma-Oued Zar area, the reservoir consists primarily of the Bir Ben Tartar
Formation.Porosity varies from 7 to 10 percent in wells LA-1 and OZ-1. Permeabilities range from 0.2 to
5.2 md. Petrophysical properties could be improved by fractures, which are common throughout the area.

Regarding Ordovician seals, in the Chott area where the Silurian shale is eroded, the reservoir is sealed
by overlying Ordovician Azel shale, or volcanic beds of the Triassic.Toward the South, in the Ghadames
Basin, interbedded shales of Ordovician age or, locally, Silurian shales could be an effective seal for
Bir Ben Tartar reservoirs.

a-1-2/ Silurian : Acacus Formation

Prior to 1996, the Silurian Acacus Formation could only be considered a potential reservoir. With the
oil discovery proven by re-entry of Oued Zar-1, Silurian reservoirs became a primary target following
Triassic and Ordovician prospects in the South of Tunisia.
At least two Libyan fields are capable of production from these sandstones (Tigi and Hamra).
The Upper part of the Silurian interval, the Acacus Formation, contains sandy levels which possesses
good petrophysical properties with proven hydrocarbon shows. Prospectiveness is primarily limited to
the Southern and Eastern part of the Telemzane Arch. The Acacus is comprised of interbedded dark
shale and quartz sandstones.Three zones have been documented and informally called A1, A2 and
A3. Two of these zones, (A1 and A2), were tested at a rate of 2500 BOPD with 42 gravity oil at OZ-
1. Later in 1997 following the seismic acquired, a new structure Hamouda was identified and the
Hamouda N-1 was successfully drilled and tested in 2001, 4148 BOPD. Reservoir porosity varies
between 10 and 25% with permeabilities between 40 and 125 md in the A1 zone. Thickness of the
Acacus varies up to 700 meters, but to the north, towards the Telemzane Arch, the interval thins due to
erosion below the Hercynian Unconformity. Environment of deposition is interpreted as a coastal, shal-
low marine to shelf environment (Fig.80, 81 and 82).
Seals are provided by intraformational shales within the sequence.

a-1-3/ Devonian: Tadrat and Ouan Kasa Formations

The total Devonian sequence may reach 1250 meters and contains three potential reservoir-bearing
zones: Tahara of Upper Devonian, Tadrart and Ouan Kasa of Lower Devonian. The principal proven
reservoir is the Ouan Kasa sandstone which is producing oil in many fields in Algeria ( Alrar and
Zarzaitine).
The Ouan Kasa sequence tested oil in Ech Chouech-1 and 4 wells. The fine-grained sandstones with
carbonate beds range from 200 to 250 meters thick. Average porosity is 15 percent with permeabil- 153
ities ranging from 20 to 135 md.( from core analysis of EC-1 and EC-4).
154
Fig. 80 : Correlation of Acacus reservoirs in S-E Tunisia (After M. Dridi & al 1993).
Fig. 81 : Silurian Acacus Reservoir. (Acacus A, B, & C levels. Oued Zar - Hamouda Fields.
(A. Rahmani 2000). 155
156
Fig. 82 : Type well log of Acacus «A» Reservoir. (Oued Zar - Hamouda Fields) (After A. Rahmani 2000).
The Tadrart reservoir ranges up to 200 meters thick with porosity varying between 13 and 18 percent
with permeabilities between 100 and 500 md. Depositional environment is tidal flat to fluvial.

Devonian seal is provided by the Aouinet Aounine shale of Middle to Upper Devonian age as well as
by the Carboniferous M’rar shale.

a-2/ Potential Paleozoic reservoirs

Within the Paleozoic sequence, additional potential reservoirs have been identified. These include the
Cambrian Sidi Toui sandstones, Carboniferous and Permian zones.
* The Cambrian Sidi Toui sandstone has been penetrated by few wells in the Jeffara Basin. South of
Ben Gardane, in the D-1, OS-1, and ST-1 wells, the Sidi Toui sequence is comprised of conglomerate
and sandstone. This interval tested salt water with gas shows from a zone with poor reservoir qualities,
cited as 6 percent porosity and a few millidarcies of permeability. Thickness of the total interval ranges
between 300 and 1000 meters. The main seal for the Sidi Toui reservoir might be Triassic evaporites.
* The Upper Devonian Tahara Formation is regarded as a good reservoir with porosity up to 24 per-
cent. To date shows have been encountered in the ZTE-2 well. The zone is 100 to 200 meters thick,
composed mainly of sandstone.
* The Lower Carboniferous M’Rar Formation has been penetrated by few wells. Ghadames Basin
sandstones ranges from 100 to 200 meters thick, with porosity up to 14 percent. In the Jeffara Basin,
lithology of the Carboniferous is predominantly carbonates; both dolomite, and limestones, with some
sandstone intervals. The sandstone has porosity estimated at 17 percent in the LG-1 well, and the car-
bonate levels might have fracture-enhanced porosity and permeability. Environment of deposition is
described as shallow marine. The effective seal is most likely Permian shale.
* The Permian : Numerous oil shows have been reported on the Jeffara platform south of Ben Gardane
in wells LG-1, LG-3, KR-1, ZMT-1 and KLF-1. Potential reservoirs include Lower Permian sandstone and
Upper Permian dolomitized reefal limestone. These potential reservoirs have good reservoir properties
in the LG-1 and –2 wells. Porosity of the sandstone varies between 7 and 10 percent and permeabil-
ity less than 1 md. Toward the west at DSS-1 and ZMT-1 wells, the reefal limestones have primary
porosity estimated to 10 percent; again potentially larger if enhanced by fracturing. The permeability
is less than 0.1 md.

For wells in the Jeffara area, (LG, KR-1), a reservoir might be sealed by intraformational shale. The pri-
mary seal is most likely thick Triassic evaporites.

b/ Mesozoic reservoirs and seals

b-1/ Proven reservoirs
b-1-1/ Triassic
The Middle Triassic Kirchaou sandstone provides the best reservoir in Saharan Tunisia. Triassic sands
constitute the main producing reservoir in the giant El Borma field, discovered in 1962 ( since 1980
the production was over 25 MMBO). Triassic reservoirs also produced oil at Makherouga (production
reaches 1MBO by the end of 2002), Larich and Chaouech Essaida, and they are productive in sev-
eral major oil and gas fields in Algeria and Libya .
The reservoir is comprised of five sandstone units, informally called A through E, separated by shale, thin
dolomites and dolomitic marls. Depositional environment is cited as fluvial to shallow marine (Fig.84).
Many exploration wells drilled in the South have proven excellent reservoir characteristics. Porosity is
excellent, ranging from 15 to 25 percent with permeabilities up to more than 1 Darcy. Thickness of the
unit varies between 50 and 200 meters, and has been shown to expand up to 1000 meters thick in 157
MER-1 and LG-1. To the north in the Chotts Basin, the Triassic reservoir is called the TAGI, (Trias argileux
158
Fig. 84 : Kirchaou Formation in El Borma 135 well. (After SITEP 1991).
greseux inferieur), sandstone. Gas and condensate have been tested at BGL-1 and Tarfa-1, where the
reservoir is comprised of sandstone levels separated by silty clay or shale beds. In the western Chott
area, the TAGI passes laterally into volcanic sediments. In the Tarfa-1 well, the reservoir has 14 per-
cent porosity and 10 to 50 md of permeability. Thickness varies between 50 and 100 meters.
Reservoirs are capped by shale overlain by Triassic dolomitic claystone or Triassic evaporite.

In Eastern Tunisia, the Triassic is a potential objective, but no shows have been found in the few wells
having penetrated that stratigraphic level. Toward the east, in Malta, oil and gas shows have been
reported from a deep well. Southeast of Sicily there is oil production from the Triassic series.
In Northern Tunisia, the Utique-1 well illustrates a thick Triassic carbonate zone capable of producing
CO2, and therefore a potential reservoir. Porosity ranges from 13 to 23 percent with high permeabilities
due to fractures and karstification. At the Utique well, seal is provided by Miocene evaporites.

b-1-2/ The Jurassic

The Jurassic reservoirs are represented by the Upper and Lower Nara carbonates of Malm and Liassic
age. They consist of limestone which is affected by a secondary dolomitization, interbedded with minor
levels of shale and anhydrite.

* The Liassic reservoir deposits from the Chotts area to the Northern Tunisia. Oolitic and stromatolitic
dolomite interbeds, partially dolomitized. Reservoir quality in dolomite encountered in the few well
drilled in the Central Northern Tunisia is relatively poor; porosities do not exceed 10% (4 to 7% in the
CB-101 well) and a permeability of 98 millidarcies but they can be enhanced by fracturation (ABK-1
porosity:30%).
These dolomites have given oil and gas at the EI Biban -1 well in the Gulf of Gabes, and at the Ali Ben
Khalifa well in Central Tunisia, and revealed shows at chott Fedjedj wells and in the Gulf of Gabes
(Rime-1 well).

* The Upper Jurassic M'rabtine member

In the Jeffara area, the Upper Jurassic M'rabtine member is constituted by platform carbonates inter-
bedded with sand and shale. The sand levels form a good reservoir with a porosity of 17 % and a per-
meabi-lity of 130 md (EZZ 2). Ezzaouia discovery (Zarzis area) has been made in these sandy levels
(Ezzaouia- 4 well : 2 drill strem tests had a rate flow of 2660 BOPD of oil).
These series may be a good target in other places of the Gulf of Gabes as El Biban field ( test result:
667 BOPD and 9 MMSCGPD ) or South of Chott Jerid.

The seals are provided by the Late Jurassic Sidi Khalif Shale for the Upper Nara carbonates and by the
Middle Nara marl for the Lower Nara reservoir, and by the interbedded shale for the sandy levels of
the M'rabtine Formation.

b-1-3/ The Cretaceous

During the Cretaceous times, very important facies variations took place across the country and were
marked by the development of reefoid facies on the external limit of the carbonate shelf. From this paleo-
geography, many reservoirs have been formed in the Cretaceous.

b-1-3a/ The Lower Cretaceous

Several reservoirs have been described in Lower Cretaceous sediments. For the time being, the thick
sand bodies such as Meloussi or Boudinar Formations do not contain hydrocarbons, being washed by 159
fresh water. The main reservoirs are represented by the sandstone of Hauterivian - Valanginian age wich
160
Fig. 83 : Tunisian Paleozoic Triassic and Jurassic reservoirs distribution map.
pro-duces gas at Jebel Abderrhaman field in Cap-Bon, and the Aptian carbonates producing oil in the
Douleb, Semmama and Tamesmida fields.

* The Hauterivian-Valanginian reservoir is made of sandy levels interbedded with shale of the
M'Cherga Formation. In these levels was made the first discovery of hydrocarbon in Tunisia in 1948 in
Cap-Bon wells (CB) which have been producing gas since the fifties. The porosity varies from 8 to 16%
and the permability is 20 md.
In the Gulf of Gabès the sandstone and dolomite bodies of the Meloussi Formation are proven reser-
voir, they tested oil in Robbana-1 ( 817 BOPD of oil and 83.5 MCFPD of gas) and Bou Grara-1 wells
.The average porosity is about 17%.
The M’Cherga and Meloussi reservoirs are locally well sealed by intraformational shales and / or the
overlying shaly beds of Upper Hauterivian-Barremian.

* The Aptian carbonates (Serdj and Orbata Formation)

The carbonates with reefal facies of the Aptian Serdj Formation constitute an important target in a trend
from the Douleb area in Central Tunisia to the Eastern part of the offshore (Mahdia).
It is made up of a reefoid limestone and dolomite.Total reservoir thickness is 330m on average . Its
petrophysical proprieties are moderate; the porosity is varing from 5 % to 25% and the permeability is
a few md but they can be enhanced by fracturation and by the alteration (porosity: 20 % and perma-
bility: 1000 mD).
This reservoir is producing in Douleb (at 500BOPD) , Tamesmida and Semmama fields in Central
Tunisia. Oil and gas shows are common in these carbonates (Lotus, Mahdia, and Ksour Essaf wells,
etc.).
Towards the South, the lateral equivalent of these carbonates is represented by the Orbata formation
which is constituted of dolomite and which can be a reservoir as in the southern part of the Gulf of
Gabes. In the El Biban well, oil and gas flowed from this formation.

The seal for these reservoirs is provided by the overlying Albian shales.

b-1-3b/ The Upper Cretaceous reservoirs

The Upper Cretaceous in Tunisia contains many proven and potential reservoirs constituted in general
by carbonates , often with reefoid facies (Fig.85).

* The Cenomanian reservoirs (Zebbag Formation)

The Cenomanian reservoirs are made up of dolomite of the Zebbag Formation which gave oil and gas
in the Biban (it tested 13 MMSCFGPD and 4417BOPD) and Ezzaouia wells (Ezzaouia-2 well tested
3860BOPD) south of the Gulf of Gabes. These dolomites are fractured and present good petrophysi-
cal characteristics (Fig.87). North of the carbonate trend, reefal buildups are developed in the open
marine facies. When they are sufficiently sealed they constitute good reservoirs such as in Isis in the Gulf
of Gabes; their porosity varies between 10 to 22 % and the permeability can reach 530 md.
The seal of these reservoirs is assured by the middle Zebbag anhydrite shales of Fahdene, Annaba or
Aleg units of Cenomanian to Turonian.

* The Turonian reservoirs (Bireno member)

The Turonian with its reef to para-reef carbonates facies (the Bireno formation) represents an important
reservoir in Central Tunisia, the Sahel area, and the Pelagian Shelf. It is made up of reef limestone with
Rudistids interbedded with argillaceous limestone, oolitic and gravel limestone, and with thin levels of 161
marl.The carbonate member can reach 100m thick.
162
Fig. 85 : Tunisia Cretaceous reservoirs distribution map.
 163
Fig. 86 : Aptian Serdj reservoir : type well log of Douleb (A. Ouhachi & al., 1998).
164
Fig. 87 : Reservoir interpretation at Ezzaouia 6 well. (After - Marathon 1991).
Fig. 88 : Turonian Biréno reservoir characteristic, Rhemoura 1 well (REH-1).

165
166
Fig. 89 : Synthetic section of Lower & Middle Turonian in Central Tunisia, (Jebel Es-Sif). (H. Troudi. 1999).
The petrophysical parameters of this reservoir are variable related to the facies association .The poros-
ity varies between 10 to 15%, the permeability ranges from 40 to 350 md (porosity: 8 to 12 % in
Miskar Wells, 15 to 16 % for wells drilled in Sfax area).
This reservoir is producing oil in the Guebiba, Gremda and Mahres fields in Sfax area, and flowed
gas and condensate at Miskar in the Gulf of Gabes.It tested 3 770BOPD in Selloum-1 well, 3.7MMCF-
PD of gas in El Jem-1 well and recently 1500BOPD in Guebiba-3 well (Fig.88).

The seal could be assured by the Aleg Shale, or eventually by later shale such as that of the El Haria
For-mation (Fig.89).

* The Coniacian reservoir (Douleb)

This reservoir is made up of the Douleb limestone within the Aleg Formation. Its petrophysical proper-
ties are moderate, the porosity varies from 10 to 20 % and the permeability is generally less than 10
mD , but it locally exceed 1000 mD (favoured by diagenesis and/ or fracturing). At Miskar, Elyssa and
Jugurtha wells in the Gulf of Gabès, gas and condensate flowed from these carbonates.
This reservoir is sealed by the overlying El Haria shales of Maastrichtian - Paleocene age.

* The Campanian - Maastrichtian (Abiod Formation)

The Abiod Formation is constituted by a chalky limestone and locally it can develop into reef buildups
as in the Jebel Kebar and Jebel Serraguia in Central Tunisia.
These chalky limestones can be fractured under tectonic influence and their petrophysical characteris-
tics may be enhanced, giving a good reservoir. Interesting accumulations of oil were discovered in this
reservoir such as Maamoura in the Gulf of Hammamet (3500BOPD) and Sidi El Kilani field in the
Souassi area (SLK-1 well tested 3360BOPD) and gas at Zinnia in the Cap Bon area (1260BOPD) and
at Miskar field in the Gulf of Gabès(Miskar-3 :8MMCFGD) .
Oil and gas shows are common in this limestone (Sidi El Itayem Est, Elyssa, Salammbo, and Tarzerka
wells).The Abiod reservoir reached by exploration wells has given a porosity values varing between 6%
and 12% .In the case of fracturing of these carbonates or reefal limestones the porosity may reach 27%
( Sidi El Kilani). The permeability is generally low (<1.1md) it could reach up to 3000md in presence
of fracturations.

This reservoir is sealed by the overlying El Haria shales of Maastrichtian - Paleocene age.

c/ The Coenozoic reservoirs and seals (Fig.91)

c-1/ The Eocene reservoirs (El Garia / Bou Dabbous Formations and Reineche) :
The Early Eocene reservoir is represented by the El Garia member of the Metlaoui Formation. It is made
up of nummulitic wackestone, packstone, and grainstone, which were deposited on shoals of the shelf.
This reservoir presents a good porosity varying between 15% to 20% and the permeability from 40 to
100md.-
These calcarenites are situated in a trend oriented Northwest/Southeast from Maktar, NW, to the offs-
hore of the Gulf of Gabes and toward the Libyan waters.
They are commercial reservoirs at the Asthart field located in the Gulf of Gabes, the second major oil
field in Tunisia (20000 BOPD), at the Sidi El Itayem field in the Sfax area, and at El Bouri field in Libyan
waters, the major producer in the Mediterranean Sea (Fig.92).
In addition to these main fields,.the El Garia reservoir is producing at El Hajeb, near Sfax. A few gas
dis-coveries (Salammbô, Hasdrubal) and one oil discovery (Didon-1 well with an average rate of 6000
BOPD) have been reported southeast of Ashtart field and the production flowed at 8000 BOPD rate. 167
Locally in Cap Bon area , Belli field was tested in 1991 oil (up to 17.000 BOPD) in the Lower Eocene
168
Fig. 90 : Abiod limestone reservoir at Sidi El Kilani-1 well (After KUFPEC 1991).
 169
Fig. 91 : Tunisian Tertiary reservoirs distribution map.
170
Fig. 92 : Log of El Garia reservoir at ashtart Field. (After SEREPT 1991).
 171
Fig. 93 : Middle Eocene Reineche reservoir (Cercina - 11 well). (After S. Rassas 1998).
 Fig. 94 : Middle Eocene Reineche reservoir (Chergui - 5 well). (After S. Rassas 1998).

172
Bou Dabbous globigerine-rich limestone which constitute the lateral equivalent of the El Garia Formation
.This reservoir is a chalky lime mudstone which has been fractured .On electric log the Bou Dabbous
exhibits 5 to 7% matrix porosity, the permeability is generally less than 20 md and its thickness is about
100m .

In the Gulf of Gabès, 25 km offshore Sfax city , oil is produced from the Lutetian Reineche Formation
at Cercina field (2 300 BOPD) and gas bearing in the Chergui field (Chergui 5 well flowed at 13.6
MMSCFGPD and 57 BCPD).This reservoir is about 10 to 30m thick, it is made of friable nummulitic
carbonate with generally good to excellent petrophysical parameters , with 23% of total porosity and
a permeability ranging from 50 to 400md (Fig.93 and 94).
The El Garia limestone is capped by a compact micrite (Carapace), the thickness of which does not
exceed 15 meters, and by the Lutetian shale (Cherahil or Souar formations).The seal of the Bou Dabbous
reservoir is provided by the Middle Eocene Souar shale and the Lutetian Reineche limestone is ensured
by the overlaying Upper Eocene Souar shales.

c-2/ The Oligo-Miocene reservoirs

Three types of reservoirs have been met in this interval .We recognize the Oligocene Ketatna limestone,
the Middle Miocene Ain Grab limestone and the Middle Miocene Birsa sandstone.These proven reser-
voirs are known in the Gulf of Hammamet.

* The Oligo-Miocene limestone (Ketatna Formation)

The Ketatna Formation is made up of three members represented by bioclastic limestone, which is reefal
in places. This limestone is 10 to 180m thick and it has good reservoir characteristics with porosity
varying from15 to 30% and good permeability associated with a fracture. It flowed oil and gas at Halk
EI Menzel well (564 BOPD and 148,5 m3/d of gas).

The shale in the Lower part of the Burdigalian constitues a good seal for the Ketatna reservoir.

* The Miocene limestone (Ain Grab Formation)

The reservoir is constitued by the sandy bioclastic carbonates of the Ain Grab Formation ( Langhian). It
has moderate petrophysicals characteristics (porosity varies from 8 to 12 %).
These carbonates gave oil and gas at the wells of Maamoura (3000 BOPD) and Yasmin (2390 BOPD)
in the Gulf of Hammamet. Oil shows were reported from this reservoir at other wells, as those of
Tazerka, Oudna and Dougga.

The Ain Grab limestone is sealed by the overlying Mahmoud claystone (Fig.95).

* The Miocene sandstones (Birsa Formation)

The Birsa sandstone provides the main reservoir sections in the Gulf of Hammamet with an average
thickness up to 400m. These sands are poorly sorted and very poorly cemented and consequently they
have very high porosity (average 25 %).The permeability ranges from 0.2 to 100 md in the carbonate
member and higher in the sandy levels.
This reservoir is divided in three members:
- The Lower Birsa constituted by siltstone, shale, and fine grained sand with thickness ranges from 1 to
65m, and porosity varying between 28 % and 30%.
- The intra Birsa carbonate is made of bioclastic packstone to mudstone, it have thickness varying from
10 to 40m (Oudna area) and porosity around 20%. 173
- The Upper Birsa made of sand bodies interbedded whith shale, having good porosity values of 25 to
174
Fig. 95 Ain Grab type section (Cap Bon, Jebel Abderrahmane, Eastern Flank). (After S. Jeddi 2004).
32% (Fig.96).
The sealing of the Birsa reservoir is provided by the Intra-formational shales and the Saouaf formation.
Several discoveries of oil were related to this reservoir in the Gulf of Hammamet; the most important is
the Tazerka field which has been producing since 1982. It also flowed oil in Birsa (Birsa 2b well test-
ed 2 568 BOPD) , Cosmos, Oudna, and Yasmin.

The sealing is provided by the Miocene shales.

Addition to these proven reservoirs other possible potentiel reservoirs exist in the Oligocene- Miocene
Numidian Flysch whitch is mainly interesting the Northern Tunisia as well as the Northern Offshore .The
Numidian series as described by Rouvier (1985), is composed mainly of quartz rich sandstones, grav-
elly sandstones ,silstones and shales with a total thickness up to 3000m.
The Middle part of the Numidian with porosity over 9% and up to 18%, permeability of up to 250 md
and an average thickness varying from 150 to 300 m could be a good potential target in Northern
Offshore Tunisia.

This reservoir which is proven in Sicily where some oil and gas fields have been discovered is well
sealed by the intraformational shales of Early Miocene age.

C. - OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL

In conclusion for this chapter on petroleum geology, we intend to gather the main facts in order to clar-
ify the oil potential of Tunisia.
As we shall see in the next chapter, the Saharan Platform is a relatively simple case as it is part of a
sag basin, bending after an hercynian epirogeny, source of the major unconformities. The main source
rock is thick enough and has a good oil potential; it reached the appropriate maturation during the Late
Creta-ceous; posterior tilting was a last factor of migration. Source rocks are able to supply larger quan-
tities of oil than the presently known accumulations.
Atlasic Tunisia and the Pelagian Sea, on the whole, are a front basin, between the platform to the south,
and the alpine front to the north. It has the classical disposition of a front basin with many reservoirs on
the platform side and very good seals in the basinal series with rare reservoirs. That south-north segre-
gation is partly modified in the eastern zones where open marine shelf facies existed during Mesozoic
and Coenozoic. In detail, the large front basin is fragmented in local depocenters which have their own
characteristics as grabens, composite basins, reef barriers,... etc.
As we have seen, source beds are widely present in Tunisia, except perhaps in the middle of the
Kasserine Island, around Souinia 1 well. Generally these source rocks have a good level of maturation,
corresponding to the oil window.
In the Chott zone (Jurassic source bed), the "Sillon Tunisien" and some places of the eastern. Tunisia,
mainly offshore (Vraconian and Late Cenomanian s.b.) the maturation has been obtained during the Late
Cretaceous or the Early Paleogene times, when compression stress caused strike-slip movements, flower
structure, first shaping of anticlines,... etc, all features being ways for migrations. South of the Gulf of
Gabes, in the eastern Pelagian Sea, in the Gulf of Hammamet, in Sahel grabens, or below the plain
of Sfax, sufficient loading has been completed during the Late Miocene (Middle Miocene in some
places) and the reactivation of Cretaceous faults caused migration, often sealed by Eocene shale, or
Miocene marine argillaceous units.
In the east and the northeast part of the Pelagian Sea, reservoirs are Rudistid reefs as Isis or biostromal
Serdj Formation. At the present level of exploration we have no evidence of very large Rudistid devel- 175
op-ments as in the Middle East. However, many small size features. have been identified.
176
Fig. 96 : Lithostratigraphic correlation Tasarka ; Birsa and Oudna fields showing N-S facies and thicknesse change of the Birsa formation over
the Hammamet Basin (After A. Ben Brahim 1991).
In the northern part of the high zone, a dense set of ESE-WNW trending faults, reactivated during the
Miocene may be a way for migrations but also for dismigration. The success depend on the thickness
and the lithology of the Coenozoic cover. In Alfil 1 or Riccio 1, the Cretaceous was bald or covered
by per-meable carbonates. More to the West, and going to the Gulf of Hammamet, Eocene to Miocene
series are thicker and richer in shales and they will represent appropriate seals
A problem with oil exploration in Tunisia has been the small size of many discoveries, out of the three
large accumulations of EI Borma and Ashtart for oil, and Miskar for gas. This is due often to relatively
thin source beds, to recent tectonics and inversions of subsidence. However several places are unex-
plored for the time being, or poorly explored, and these areas are known containing thick source beds:
Chott Djerid, Sousse Sahel, NE Pelagian Sea, Sedjenane. In those areas large accumulations are prob-
able. In other areas many small to medium size traps deserve drilling, including some parts of the "Sillon
Tunisien" as near Le Kef or Teboursouk and the northern offshore of Tunisia

Fig. 97 : National crude Oil Production (1966-2005).

177
178
Fig. 98 : Location of Basins in Tunisia (After P. F. Burollet et F. Mejri).
VI - Regional Evaluation

An extensive seismic coverage, including 3D surveys and new geological field and subsurface data
allow interpretations on basin fill and subsidence in Tunisia.
Four main zones may be recognized (Fig.98):
• The Southern zone gathers Paleozoic Basins: Saharan Platform, Permian-Jeffara and Chotts Basins,
• The Western zone includes the ranges of Gafsa, Kasserine Island, Hajeb el Aioun area and the Reef
Feriana-Douled zone,
• The Eastern Zone includes the South Gabes Gulf, Sfax –Kerkennah Island area and the Hammamet
Basin .
• The North-West zone comprises Medjerda Valley, imbrications and nappe area and the North–West
Offshore .

A/ SOUTH
A-1/ Saharan Platform
It is a productive area with oil development in Palaeozoic and Triassic reservoirs. The exploration
was dense in the central zone near the fields of Borma and Makherouga (II). It has been extend-
ed southward, specially the last years for the Silurian Acacus objective (Aissaoui et al. 1996).
(Fig.98).
Approching the Dahar Arch, in the North it is less attractive but it is worth further exploration. In the
South (I) very few wells have been drilled and they were not deep enough. All the known objectives of
the Ghadames basin may be interesting, the structural closure being enhanced by diagenetic barriers.
West of this area, in Algeria, neat progresses have been obtained for the seismic prospection in the
erg.

A-2/ Permian-Jeffara
The Jeffara Arch and the steps north of it, with a complicate set of faults, have given a lot of oil indi-
cations as at Sidi Toui and Kasbah Leguine wells (III). Main targets are in Ordovician, Carboniferous,
Permian and Triassic series. The border of the Permian platform is rich in reefal developments. The prob-
lem is to find convenient seals for them. It remains a rather promising area. Northward it grades to the
Jerba and South Gabes Gulf area VI.

A-3/ Chott area

North of a hinge line, the chott area corresponds to a thick depocenter for Triassic, Jurassic, and Early
Cretaceous series. The faulted steps between the Platform and the Chott zone may be of a nature com-
parable to the South of the Gulf of Gabes. Numerous anomalies have been detected by seismic. At the
time being, few of them have been drilled, due to technological difficulties to operate in the salt pans.
It is certainly a promising undrilled area.
Between the bald high of Melab and the Chott Fedjedj, these steps present good possibilities (IV).
West, some structures deserve new drilling in the Baguel-Franig area (V). North of them, in Chott Jerid
Cretaceous features may be interesting if one may find a process for drilling in the chott (V bis).

B/ WESTERN TUNISIA
It is the area limited by the Chotts on the southern edge, the Algerian border to the West, the latitude
of Tajerouine to the North and the NS Axis on the eastern side. (Fig. 64).
179
 B-1/ The ranges of Gafsa
This area corresponds to a thick accumulation of Cretaceous sediments asso-ciated with large E- W
basement features, cut by a NW-SE fault named the Gafsa Fault. They were strongly folded during
Miocene to Pleistocene orogenic phases.
A few wells were drilled such as Bliji I and Gantas I, west ; Ben Kheir and Mansour, on the eastern
side. A possible objective may be the Jurassic, as it has given gas shows in chott Fedjedj wells and
source beds were described in the North South Axis at the Sidi Khalif mountain.
Eastern more, near the NS faults, oil shows were net in the well BHS I, on the hanging wall side; it is
evident that the down fault side of the anomaly is an excellent prospect (VIII).
In Tozeur and Nefza area, on the western zone, there are several EW trending anticlines: the largest
is in the south of Chott Rharsa (VIII bis). The problem would be finding source rocks, except old ones
which risk to be very deep.
Northern more, along the algerian border there are surface anticlines, folded in outcropping Late
Cretaceous rocks, between Mides, Moulares and Jebel Zrega. This area was not explored because the
boundary is roughly on the axes of the anticlines. It would need an association with algerian compa-
nies to operate exploration works. The proximity of algerian oil and gas fields is encouraging (IX). This
zone of interest extends to the north, near Majen Bel Abbes where rich oil shows have been found.
Several structural features are worth drilling (IX).

B-2/ Kasserine Island

The Central zone (X) was uplifted during the main part of the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene times.
Two wells were drilled in the central zones, which resulted in dry holes: Souinia-1 well, in the center
and Kharouba-1 well , south of Jebel Meloussi.
The sedimentary history depends on Triassic salt migration and on irregular subsidences in relation with
NS, EW and N 120 strike-slip faults (Bedir 1995). Objectives may be found in Jurassic or Triassic,
often very deep (Bedir et al. 1996).

B-3/ Hajeb el Aioun area

North East of Kasserine Island, at proximity of the NS Axis (XI) some structural anomalies would be inter-
esting for exploration of Jurassic or Triassic targets, less deep than in the Central part. The best feature
is the Zaouia anticline which has been drilled in 1942 down to the Sidi Aich Sandstone. The Jurassic
is inexplored, sealed by the Sidi Khalif Formation. A gaz show is known, just north of it, at Hammam
Sahline. In case of success, other anomalies exist north of it, south of the main Trozza Cherichera fault.

B-4/ Reef Feriana - Douleb zone

It is the stripe W-E between the Kasserine Island and the limit of the "Sillon Tunisien" to the north (XII). It
is characterized by differencial and locally pronounced subsidence.Thick marine Cretaceous series
include two main source rocks: the Albian Fahdene limestones and shales and the uppermost
Cenomanian – basinal Turonian Bahloul thin laminated limestones and marls .The main reservoirs are
the Aptian Orbata dolomites or Serdj limestones, the Cenomanian Gattar limestones, the Turonian
Bireno limestones and the Jurassic Nara carbonates.
The oil fields of Douleb, Semmama and Tamesmida producing from Aptian Serdj formation prove the
prospectivity of this zone.
Numerous oil and gas shows were found by holes drilled in the most conspicuous surface anticlines.
ln that area several interesting prospects are known; the most interesting places are early high zones,
able to have trapped the hydrocarbons before the Miocene orogenic crises. Jebel Serraguia is a good
180 example of a paleo-high during Cretaceous on which a rudistid reef has been built in Campanian times.
South of Oued Bahloul anticline a surface feature with the Souar shale, overlying directly the Abiod lime-
stone corresponds to a former high zone and is a very encouraging objective.
North of Douleb oil field, some structures have been drilled and have not been conveniently tested,
Zelga for example. Other small features are still inexplored. With an existing pipe-line at proximity, these
little traps deserve further studies.

C/ EASTERN TUNISIA (VI, VII AND XIII)

This is one of the most promising zone of Tunisia. Several oil fields were discovered and numerous oil
and gas shows are known. It is limited by the Jeffara coast, to the south, the NOSA belt to the west,
Cap Bon Peninsula to the north, and the official limits of the Tunisian Economic Interest to the east.
It has been explored intensively in some zones such as along the limit between Bou Dabbous and El
Garia facies of the Ypresian Metlaoui Formation (Ashtart and Sidi El Itayem , Sidi Behara, Didon, Zarat
and Hasdrubal oil fields) and to the north, in Hammamet basin, hydrocarbon accumulations were dis-
covered in Mid-Miocene Ain Grab limestones and Birsa-Zelfa sands (Tazerka, Birsa, Zelfa and Baraka
oil fields).

C-1/ South Gabes Gulf Basin

The South Gabes Gulf (VI-VIbis) evolved as a distensive margin during Triassic and Jurassic, thick Triassic
evaporites form salt domes and walls in the eastern part. The role of the strike slip faults is fundamental
in intiating salt mouvements and in creating flower structures. They are E-W and ESE-WNW faults.
Cretaceous distension faults are oriented NW-SE in the western part.
A good exploration level is attained in the south of the Gulf of Gabes and resulted in oil discoveries of
Ezzaouia, Zarzis and El Biban, with Jurassic and Mid Cretaceous objectives.
This basin extends west to the Chott Fedjedj where shows have been reported in the Jurassic M’rabtine
sands and Nara dolomites (gas in CF-1).
A good potential of undrilled traps exist in this area, pinch outs, tilted blocks and the flanks of the salt
structures would be the best targets (VIbis)

C-2/ Sfax – Kerkennah Basin

ln the Sfax area and in the central Gulf of Gabes thick marine Mesozoic and Cenozoic series were
deposited. The Mid Cretaceous or Upper Cretaceous reservoirs gave many good tests. So did the wells
of Isis in a Cenomanian reef limestones, Gremda, Guebiba, Mahres oil fields, Jawhara and El Jem dis-
coveries in Turonian to Coniacian Bireno and Douleb calcarenite and oolitic limestone (VII), and the
potential large oil field of Sidi El Kilani (Campanian-Maastrichtian Abiod fractured limestones) and the
gas field of Miskar at various levels of the Upper Cretaceous .
The best reservoir is the Early Eocene Garia Limestone, producing oil and gas, depending on the
places: Ashtart, Sidi El Iayem, Behara, Salammbô, Hasdrubal, etc. Palaeogene reservoirs include also
the Reineche Limestone: oil at Circina and gas at Chergui. Recently some oil was proven also in a high-
er horizon of the Cherahil Formation (Bartonian) (Aissaoui-Adjali 1996).
We should also note the gas flowing from Jurassic in Bir Ali Ben Khalifa in the southwest.
The area has been covered by a dense net of seismic lines and the structural elements are weIl known,
with various types of anticlines, of salt plugs, of grabens, and depocenters.
Numerous objectives are interesting in Eastern Tunisia, some anticlines have not been drilled, or a deep
dissymetry causes the wells to have missed the top in lower horizons. Some anomalies were not drilled
deep enough such as features drilled for Eocene objectives in the plain of Kairouan (XIII).
Off-shore north of Kerhennah Islands and on land around Jebeniana the platform present no prominent
structural features. However, between the fields of Kerkennah and the important shows of El Jem and 181
 Jebeniana it should be interesting to search for stratigraphic traps.

Long time ago the Sousse-El Jem-Souassi Sahel has been explored by a few wells. The Zeramedine
well, on a very prominent antiform has been bottomed 100 m above the Aptian Reservoir. Later, oil
shows and important variations of thicknesses have been found at Ktitir 1 and 2, then at Chorbane 1
and 2.
The great move is due to the discovery of Sidi Kilani: production of oil in the Abiod limestone by Kufpec.
Oil has been found also at El Jem in the Turonian limestone and later at Chorbane East in a palaeo-
weathering zone of the Abiod limestone, on the tilted border of a graben.
So, this area (XIII) became very attractive. It is one of the most interesting basin in Tunisia. A lot of first
choice objectives exist there: the borders of Mahdia and Moknine grabens, the Bou Merdas feature in
the graben proper, reevaluation of Ktifa, reevaluation of Ktitir, exploration of El Guessaat north of Ktitir,
deeper drilling of wells which have been bottomed above the Cretaceous objectives as Rad-1well or
Mat-1 well, exploration for stratigraphic traps between Ktitir and Chorbane, etc.

C-3/ Hammamet Basin

The Hammamet Basin , North Eastern Tunisia extends in the Gulf of Hammamet and the Cap Bon
Peninsula. The NOSA belt is displaced Eastward and is close the shore line.
Northward the Gulf of Tunis is a complex sub-basin with prolongation of the NOSA and of the struc-
tures of Tunis area, associated with deep Upper Miocene depocenters. The Miocene salt may be thick.
Few wells have been drilled on highs which correspond to present bathymetric shallower zones.
Important gas shows were encountered in the Upper part of Cretaceous but the wells have been aban-
doned due to technical difficulties and the non-combustible nature of the gas (XX)

* The Cap Bon Peninsula is well known by the Sidi Abderrhaman Gas field which produced from Lower
Cretaceous sands.
Another culmination, a little higher, exists north of the field at Kef er Rend; it has not been drilled deep
enough (XIX) (Fig.98).
Mid-Cretaceous reefs have been detected by seismic and one of them was drilled at El Oudiane N° 1
well. There is a general increasing content of carbonate in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic series in NE
direction (Fig.99).
Along the Eastern Coast there is an elongated flower anticline with reverse faults on both sides. In Korba
and Kelibia wells the series is entirely carbonate and there is no seal. It is possible that the southwest-
ern part of this anticline zone might have less carbonate and present sufficient seals. The nearby off-
shore oil indica-tions at Neapolis encourage further exploration of this anomaly on land, as proven by
the discoveries of gas in the Abiod fractured limestone at Zinnia , and oil in the Lower Eocene Bou
Dabbous limestones at Belli .

We have to underline that onshore grabens has been partially explored. Near Bordj Cedria, south of
the Tunis Gulf, fragments of poor quality seismic sections suggest steps which may be collapsed blocks
of Cretaceous, below a thick Paleogene and Miocene cover. As the closest outcrop is the Cenomanian
and Turonian El Mokta reef, and is in association with good source rocks (both Vraconian and Late
Cenomanian) this pros-pect justifies some more seismic surveys across the shore line.

* Offshore Gulf of Hammamet

The Gulf of Hammamet proper is a complex zone with salt structures, living anticlines, deep Mio--
182 Pliocene depocenters, and grabens.
Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene objectives are interesting with the presence of the main Mesozoic
and Cenozoic source beds of Tunisia. Several discoveries have been made during the last twenty years
as Tazerka, Birsa, Zelfa and Baraka oil fields( producing from Mid-Miocene Ain Grab limestones and
Birsa sands) and Maamoura (tested oil from the Campanian-Maastrichtian Abiod fractured chalky lime-
stones).
East of this zone, on the Tunisian part of the Pelagian Sea, there are numerous WNW-ESE trending
faults as the Triassic salt is thin or absent and the tectonics are more in relation to the basement. It is an
area where the Upper Albian source beds are thick and where is the northern limit of the porous Serdj
reservoir. Stratigraphic traps may be explored with a semistructural horst and graben closure (XIV).
Eastern more there are numerous structural features and leads, unless the possible lack of cover.

D/ NORTHWEST TUNISIA
It is the quadrant limited by the latitude of Tadjerouine on the southern side by the North-South Axis to
the eastern side, by the coast, to the north, and by the Algerian boundary, to the west.
The southern part has been explored by few wells. Some surface anticlines have been drilled in the SE
corner (Bargou, Mansour and Siliana).
This exploration period followed the discovery of Douleb field, south of the quadrant. ln this area the
objective was the Serdj Limestone or Dolomite, with onlaps of Late Albian source rocks. To the north,
the Serdj reservoir has poor petrophysical characteristics and it grades laterally to the Upper M'cherga
shale.
ln the Sillon Tunisien, only two wells bave been drilled : the very old Kef Bou Dabbous well and the
Aksabe N° 1. Neither of them found reservoir.
A few wells have been drilled during the last ten years : unfortunately they were located on sismic anom-
alies with high velocities and they found thick Triassic series. In Utique 1 the Triassic was made of mas-
sive limestone resembling Jebel Ichkeul and flowing abundant CO2. It is possibly an allochtonous slab
located by blind thrust (Rigo et al. 1996).
ETAP conducted field works in North Tunisia: nappes and imbrication zones mainly. A joint survey with
AGIP allowed correct dating of the Numidian Flysch and finding source rocks in this Formation .
Seismic surveys covered a part of the Medjerda valley, the areas of Le Kef and Tehoursouk, a part of
the imbrication zones, the Mogods between Sedjenane and Bizerte, a part of the molasses basins E
and S of Bizerte and a part of the continental shelf.
Northwestern Tunisia is not devoid of interest, for the following reasons :
Important oil seeps are known along the main fault zone from le Kef to the east of Bizerte: the main
seepages are in Zag Et Tir, SW of le Kef, in Kef Bou Dabbous NE of Teboursouk, near Slouguia, and
at Ain Rhelal, south of Bizerte
Source beds are known, as the Late Albian Mouelha limestone or the Vraconian thin laminated marl as
well as the Late Cenomanian Bahloul limestone.
In the northern zone, the Bou Dabbous Ypresian limestone is very rich in organic matter and presents
bitumen and heavy oil in numerous outcrops as Oued Kasseb Dam, Bizerte quarries , Nefza ,etc...
Lower Cretaceous M'Chergua shale is locally interbedded with sandstone, which may be abundant as
in Zeflana, near Bou Salem, near Jebel Fkirine, SE of Tunis, or in Jebel Rhazouane SW of Tebour-souk
At the top of some Triassic extrusions, breccia and shallow water carbonate may be observed, as in
Jebel Debadib near Le Kef (Snoke et al. 1988), or Jebel Cheid (Perthuizot 1978), Jebel Slata or Bou
Jabeur (Sain-feld).
Only few parts of the NW Tunisia are presently covered by exploration contracts. This is the case of
the nice anticlinal feature of Maiza, probably seated on a salt cushion.
South of Le Kef, a surface area made up of Abiod limestone was an Eocene high zone since the El
Haria Shale and Metlaoui Limestone are missing and a reduced Souar Formation overlies directly the 183
184
Fig. 99 : Regional SW-NE Geoseimic (After F. Adouani 2003).
Abiod. This anomaly is not far from the seepage of Zag Et Tir.
We have very little information on the Medjerda valley, south and west of Jendouba.It is a neat posi-
tive anomaly on the Bouger gravity map.
The molassic basin of Bizerte - Raf-Raf - Mabtouha has not been studied enough with any seismic. Gas
indications at El Haroun wells and the oil seep of Ain Rhelal would encourage an inquiry on this area.
In the north, the Eocene Bou Dahbous Limestone is often thick and very rich in organic matter. It has
given an active show of oil in the Well Kebir 1 of Bizerte and gas in EH 1 and 3, south of the Bizerte
lake. So it is a first order objective. The Well Kebir 1 deserve to be drilled deeper in order to find the
autochtonous Bou Dabhous Limestone (XVIII). In the Mogod hills, between Sedjenane and Bizerte, the
Bou Dabbous Limestone is sealed by thick Souar Shale and is covered by the thick Numidian nappe;
the tectonic stresses may have enhanced the porosity by fracturing. So it is a first choice area, and one
of the best possibilities to find medium to large size accumulation of oil in Tunisia (XVII).
The Messefetine, Kechabta, Raf-Raf molassic basin is an other area of interest with the oil show of Ain
Rhelal and the gas shows of El Haroun. Several structural culminations exist where Bou Dahbous or
Abiod Formations would be the reservoirs: Menzel Bourguiba, Messefetine; Kechabta, etc. A shallow
well drilled near Sfaia was not significative as too close the outcrops (XVIII).
The problems discussed onland in Mogods or around Bizerte continue off-shore, specially SE of the Cap
Serrat fault and NE of Bizerte (XVIIbis).

185
CONCLUSIONS

The authors have attempted to rejuvenate the 1990 synthesis in order to help new exploration efforts
(Ben Ferjani et al. 1990).

A/ New progresses have been made possible by several current circumstances:

* A renewal of the knowledge on Tunisia petroleum geology due to many recent works of ETAP teams
as the “Projet Hydrocarbures”, the “Projet Nord” and the preparation of Stratigraphic catalogs:
Cretaceous in 1993 and Coenozoic (in course of redaction).
* Progresses in seismic coverage, processing and interpretation by ETAP, contracting companies,
SEREPT and the universities.
* New wells brought a lot of informations allowing better modelling and basin analysis. On an other
hand, large zones remain underdrilled.
* Detailed stratigraphic work and collective studies allowed clarification of the Miocene stratigraphy
and as a consequence, of the tectonic history (Burollet et al. 2004)

B/ ln the chapter on the regional studies and on the attached maps it is evident that many of the Tunisia
sedimentary basins were proved prolific hydrocarbon provinces as demonstrated by numerous oil and
gas discoveries but significant hydrocarbons remain indiscovered in Tunisia and various regions are still
under-explored , although they have promizing petroleum potential.
The source rocks are at optimal maturity for oil generation. On the synthetic sections and the subsidence
curves this has been well proved. We have to add that the deepest parts of the Chott trough and of the
Gulf of Gabes have reached the gas level of evolution for Jurassic and even Cretaceous source beds.
ln the deep Gulf of Gabes, Cretaceous volcanism is a possible origin for non combustible gases, as
CO2 or nitrogen associated with the natural gas.
ln the Northern Sillon Tunisien, Jurassic and Neocomian series were so deeply buried that they passed
through the gas prone zone and they are slightly metamorphosed. However the younger series are at
the appropriate stage of evolution such as the Vraconian and Cenomanian source beds or the Lower
Eocene Bou Dabbous Limestone.
Large areas are still less or not explored. It is the case of the northwest due to tectonic complexity, and
of the southwest due to technical difficulties in the Chott Jerid. This is also the case of the far south, in
the Bordj El Khadra block in relation with the Great Sand Sea.

It is difficult to understand why the Sahel, south of Sousse, has not been drilled more since the fifties. In
1990 the authors insisted on the Sahel, undrilled at that time. Since the parution of the book (Ben Ferjani
et al. 1990) the Sidi Kilani discovery and the oil evidences at El Jem and Chorbane East have con-
firmed the interest of this area. It is one of the best in Tunisia and a lot of objectives and traps have to
be drilled.
We have seen in the preceding chapter that a lot of encouraging possibilities exist in Tunisia with a con-
venient success ratio. Many of them have a little size as the Acacus objective in the South. Other may
be larger as the anomalies south of Le Kef or near Teboursouk. Some may be major, as the Bou Dabhous
objective between Sedjenane and Bizerte. Some traps for gas in Central Tunisia may be large also but
they are relatively deep.
In addition to proved provinces, other targets are still attactive and new plays are emerging
The authors hope to have made an useful contribution to the exploration in Tunisia.

187
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