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Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

Original article

Palynofacies analysis and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Upper

Cretaceous sequence drilled by the Salam-60 well, Shushan Basin:
Implications on the regional depositional environments and hydrocarbon
exploration potential of north-western Egypt
Magdy S. Mahmoud a , Amr S. Deaf a,∗ , Mohamed A. Tamam b , Miran M. Khalaf b
a Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
b Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt

Abstract
A palynofacies analysis was carried out on thirty ditch-cuttings from the Upper Cretaceous sequences drilled by the Salam-60 well in the Shushan
Basin, north-western Egypt. Quantitative vertical distributions of palynomorphs and particulate organic matter exhibit two palynofacies (PF) types.
PF-1 suggests deposition of the clastic-carbonate section of upper Bahariya and the lowermost “G” Member of Abu Roash in a brackish, proximal
inner shelf environment of prevailing reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions that witnessed occasional local oxic-dysoxic conditions. A slight shift
from a proximal to a distal inner shelf environment that witnessed notable fluctuations resulted in deposition of the mainly carbonate section of the
uppermost “G” and “F” to “C” members, during a late Cenomanian-Turonian marine transgression, under the same suboxic-anoxic conditions. This
relative sea level rise was mostly connected to the global late Cenomanian marine transgression. PF-2 represents the rest of the carbonate section
(“B” and “A” members) of Abu Roash and Khoman formations, which was deposited in middle shelf environments of prominent suboxic-anoxic
conditions during a major regional marine transgression that was mostly connected to the global Turonian-Maastrichtian eustatic sea level rise.
Nevertheless, minor fluctuations in the local Turonian sea level may have occurred. Regional comparison indicates Bahariya and the “G” Member
of Abu Roash formations have similar marginal to inner shelf depositional settings across most of the northern Western Desert. Except at western
Matruh Basin, where they have a deeper open marine, middle shelf setting. The “F” to “C” members have an outer inner shelf setting in the coastal
basins (Shushan and Matruh basins) and a deeper, inner middle shelf setting at the central basinal area (Abu Gharadig Basin). This interbasinal
difference in their depositional settings is mostly related to the late Cretaceous tectonic differentiation of Abu Gharadig Basin. The “B” and “A”
members of Abu Roash and Khoman formations were deposited in central Abu Gharadig and at southern Matruh basins in deeper, outer shelf and
upper to middle slope settings in comparison to their suggested inner middle and outer middle shelf settings in Shushan Basin. This was due to
the progressive late Cretaceous tectonic development of Abu Gharadig and Matruh basins. Local pteridophytes on wet lowlands and conifers on
elevated hinterlands were growing near Salam-60 under a regional warm and relatively dry palaeoclimate.
© 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Palynofacies; Palaeoenvironment; Upper Cretaceous; Western Desert; Egypt

1. Introduction generated hydrocarbons were sourced from the Middle Juras-

The northern Western Desert of Egypt represents one of the
main oil producing regions of hydrocarbons, where most of the
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: amr.daif@science.au.edu.eg (A.S. Deaf).
sic Khatatba Formation, the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib
and Alamein formations, and the Upper Cretaceous Abu Roash
Formation (Meshref, 1996; Metwalli and Pigott, 2005; Shalaby
et al., 2012). More recently, national and international hydrocar-
bon exploration companies paid attention to some underexplored
areas of the northern Western Desert, which were deemed in
the late 1960’s and during much of 1970’s as non productive

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revmic.2017.06.001
0035-1598/© 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
450 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467
areas of hydrocarbons (cf. Meshref, 1996). Certain northern
basinal areas such as the Matruh and Shushan basins showed
lately good potential Upper Cretaceous source rocks. For exam-
ple, a good to excellent Kharita Formation source rock (Tahoun
et al., 2017) and a good to very good Abu Roash Formation
source rock (Tahoun and Deaf, 2016) in the Matruh Basin. In
the neighboring Shushan Basin, the Abu Roash “G” Member
also shows a very good to excellent source rock potential (El
Diasty et al., 2016). However, much information is still unknown
regarding the depositional settings of the Upper Cretaceous in
the Shushan Basin, which shows promising potential as good to
excellent source rocks. Consequently, national and international
exploration companies are now looking for detailed palaeoenvi-
ronmental investigations to understand nature of the depositional
environments that were responsible for the accumulation and
preservation of large quantities of organic matter in the Shushan
Basin. This research is therefore focused mainly on presenting a
palynologically based palaeoenvironmental investigation of the
Upper Cretaceous of the Salam-60 well to shed some light on this
subject. This work is also interested in revealing the palaeocli-
matic conditions and reconstructing the palaeovegetation covers
that thrived near/at the study area.
2. Geologic setting and lithostratigraphy
The Western Desert of Egypt covers an area of approximately
700,000 km2 , which represents about two thirds of the total area
of the country. Structurally, the northern Western Desert belongs
to the “Unstable Shelf” of Said (1962), which was tectonically
active during most of the Paleozoic to early Cenozoic, where
basin reconfigurations (subsidence to uplift and basin inversion)
occurred (Hantar, 1990). In this area, several coastal marine
basins namely the Matruh, Shushan, Dahab-Mireir (= Alamein),
and Natrun were developed (Fig. 1) during the late Cimmerian
Orogeny as pull-apart basins as a result of the rifting and sepa-
ration of the North African plate from European plate (Moussa,
1986; Meshref, 1996; Shalaby et al., 2012). However, the Matruh
and Shushan basins probably formed at their earliest stage during
the Permo-Triassic as one large, NE-SW trending, continen-
tal rift basin receiving only continental and fluvio-lacustrine
sediments (Meshref and Hammouda, 1990; Abdel Halim and
Moussad, 1992), and during the late Cretaceous, a regional
uplift separated this basin into smaller basins (Meshref, 1996).
In the central northern Western Desert, located the Abu Gharadig
Basin, which is separated from the coastal basins by the E-W
to ENE trending Sharib-Sheiba ridge because of the Hercynian
Orogeny (EGPC, 1992). The Abu Gharadig Basin was probably
developed during the late Cretaceous-early Tertiary (Metwalli
et al., 1979; Meshref, 1996).
Structurally wise, the late Jurassic Cimmerian Orogeny was
translated in the Shushan Basin into uplifting, block tilting,
and slight folding (Keeley and Wallis, 1991), where parallel,
elongated, titled fault blocks made the present-day, Shushan
half-graben (El Shazly, 1977; Hantar, 1990; Fig. 2). This basin
attains a thickness over 7.5 km and is made of Paleozoic, Juras-
sic, Cretaceous, and Paleogene rocks (Fig. 3). In the studied
area of the Shushan Basin, the Salam-60 well lies to the north
of Salam Ridge, where the later intersects the Shushan and the
neighbouring Matruh graben (Lotfy, 1994).
During much of the geological history of the Shushan Basin,
sedimentation was largely affected by tectonics, where four
major sedimentary cycles separated by regional unconformities
are recognised. These cycles resulted in deposition of the Lower-
Middle Jurassic fluvio-lacustrine to deltaic and shallow marine
sediments, the Lower-Upper Cretaceous fluviatile and shallow
marine to deltaic and shallow marine sediments, and the upper-
most Cretaceous open marine carbonates (Fig. 3). The forth
cycle resulted in deposition of the upper Paleogene-lower Neo-
gene (Eocene-Miocene) open marine shale and carbonates (e.g.
Shalaby et al., 2011). Generally, deposition of the Upper Cre-
taceous in the northern Western Desert including the Shushan
Basin reflects a remarkable development of a continuous trans-
gressive period (Hantar, 1990; Kerdany and Cherif, 1990; Said,
1990; Guiraud and Bosworth, 1999; Guiraud et al., 2001). This
is seen from sedimentation of the fluvio-deltaic to shallow
marine coarse clastics (mainly sandstones) of the Cenomanian
Bahariya Formation, which grades upward into deltaic to shal-
low marine alternating fine clastics (mainly shale) and limestone
(e.g. Hantar, 1990; Kerdany and Cherif, 1990; Guiraud et al.,
2001) of the late Cenomanian-Turonian Abu Roash Formation
(Figs. 3 and 4a). Yet, this marine transgression accentuated dur-
ing the latest Cretaceous and is represented by deposition of the
thick Coniacian-Maastrichtian chalky limestone of the Khoman
Formation in open marine environments (Figs. 3 and 4b and
c). In the Salam-60 well, the Upper Cretaceous section is rep-
resented from the base to the top by the upper Bahariya, Abu
Roash, and Khoman formations (Fig. 5).
General description of the formations in the northern Western
Desert and in the Salam-60 well (Table 1) is as follows.
2.1. Bahariya Formation
This unit was introduced by Said (1962) and was ranked
as a formation by Norton (1967). It is composed of sandstones
alternating with variegated shales and limestones in parts
(Said, 1990). In the Salam-60 well, the upper Bahariya mainly
consists of a main sandstone unit that is intercalated with thin
calcareous mudstone and argillaceous limestone units (Table 1).
The type locality of Bahariya Formation is the Gabel El Dist
at the Bahariya Oasis, and it attains a maximum thickness of
about 1143 m in the Kattaniya-1 well, situated at 29◦ 49’N
and 30◦ 10’E (Said, 1990). Bahariya Formation is conformably
overlain by Abu Roash Formation and conformably underlain
by Kharita Formation. It is Cenomanian in age based on
foraminifera (Schlumberger, 1984; Abdel-Kireem and Ibrahim,
1987) or more precisely late Cenomanian (Dominick, 1985;
Hantar, 1990). Yet, the palynological data indicate mid-late
Albian to early Cenomanian (El Beialy, 1993a, 1993b, 1993c,
1994a, 1994b), early Cenomanian (Tahoun and Mohamed,
2013; Tahoun et al., 2013), and/or early-middle Cenomanian
ages (Schrank and Ibrahim, 1995; Ibrahim, 2002; Ibrahim
et al., 2009; El Beialy et al., 2011; Tahoun, 2012; Deaf et al.,
2014; El-Soughier et al., 2014). Sedimentological characters
suggest that this formation was deposited in transitional, fluvial
 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467 451

Fig. 1. Location map showing different Mesozoic basins in northern western Egypt, including the studied Shushan Basin (Map after Shalaby et al., 2012). Stars
point to name and location of the studied Salam-60 well and the other wells used in the regional correlation of depositional environments.

Fig. 2. Simplified structural map of the Shushan Basin (after Shalaby et al., 2014), including location of the Salam-60 drilling hole.
452 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

Fig. 3. General stratigraphic column of the Shushan and Matruh basins (after Aram et al., 1988).

Table 1
Abridged lithology description of the studied formations in the Salam-60 well.
Formation Member Lithology description

Khoman Milky white, moderately hard, chalky limestone with occasional pyrite and glauconite in some parts
Abu Rosh “A” Light grey calcareous shale to grey limestone
“B” Off white to creamy white, soft to moderately hard limestone, with traces of occasional pyrite and glauconite in some parts
“C” Dark to medium grey shale with traces of free pyrite and thin intercalations of off white to greyish white, soft to moderately
hard limestone
“D” Tanish white to creamy white, moderately hard limestone with traces of free pyrite
“E” Off white to greyish white, soft to moderately hard, limestone and brownish grey to greyish white siltstones with traces of
occasional pyrite
“F” Off white to tanish white, soft to moderately hard limestone with free pyrite at the base and dark to medium grey shale with
free pyrite at the top
“G” Brownish grey to greyish white siltstone with traces of free pyrite at the base grading upward into medium to dark grey
calcareous mudstone and off white to creamy white, soft to moderately hard limestone intercalations
Upper Bahariya Brownish grey to greyish white siltstone and off white to tanish white sandstone intercalated with thin, medium dark to
brownish grey calcareous mudstone and off white to creamy white, soft to moderately hard, argillaceous limestone with
frequent free pyrite and rare glauconite in almost all parts

to shallow marine (tidal flat to estuarine) settings (Dominick,
1985; Said, 1990; Catuneanu et al., 2006). However, several
palynological studies suggest fluvio-deltaic to shallow marine
shelf setting (Schrank and Ibrahim, 1995; Mahmoud and Deaf,
2007; Ibrahim et al., 2009; El-Soughier et al., 2014).
2.2. Abu Roash Formation
This formation is subdivided into seven lithostratigraphic
members, designated from the top to the bottom as “A”, “B”,
“C”, “D”, “E”, “F”, and “G”, which extend from the Turonian
 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467 453

Fig. 4. Late Cenomanian (A), Early Campanian (B) and Late Maastrichtian (C)
regional paleogeographic and paleotectonic maps showing depositional envi-
ronments and distribution of main lithologic facies across northern Egypt (after
Guiraud et al., 2001). 1. deep basin; 2. carbonate platform; 3. mixed plat-
form (carbonate and siliciclastic facies); 4. fluviatile-lacustrine environment;
5. fluviatile-deltaic environment 6. exposed land; 7. uplifted arch (axes of anti-
clines); 8. active normal fault; 9. other faults. Fig. 5. Percentage abundances of some selected palynomorphs and particulate
organic matter of the Salam-60 well, northern Western Desert, Egypt.
454 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467
to the upper Cenomanian (Schlumberger, 1984; Wever, 2000).
It was first described by Beadnell (1902) and was ranked as a
formation by Norton (1967). This unit consists mostly of chalky
limestone interbedded with shale and sandstone horizons. More
details about the lithological description of its members in the
Salam-60 well can be found in Table 1. At its type locality at
Abu Roash-1 well, northern Western Desert, it is 217 m (712 ft)
thick (Hantar, 1990). This formation is almost conformable over
the Khoman Formation and it lies over the Bahariya forma-
tion. The latter was dated by foraminifera as Turonian-early
Santonian in age (Abdel-Kireem and Ibrahim, 1987) and late
Cenomanian-Coniacian/Santonian (Schlumberger, 1984). Paly-
nology suggests early Cenomanian-Santonian (Schrank and
Ibrahim, 1995) and late Cenomanian-Turonian age for the Abu
Roash Formation (El Beialy et al., 2010a; El-Soughier et al.,
2014). Most of the facies were deposited in neritic to open marine
conditions, except for the “G” Member that was deposited in
lagoonal to middle shelf conditions (Hantar, 1990). Palynologi-
cal work suggests “G” to “C” members of Abu Roash formation
as have been deposited in inner shelf settings (El Beialy et al.,
2010a; El Beialy et al., 2011; El-Soughier et al., 2014). How-
ever, at the extreme northern Western Desert, the “G” Member
was deposited in the deeper, middle shelf setting (Deaf, 2009;
Tahoun and Deaf, 2016).
2.3. Khoman Formation
It was described by Akkad and Issawi (1963) and was pro-
moted as a formation by Norton (1967). Lithologically, this
formation consists of two main units, a lower unit known as
Khoman “B” that is mostly made up of a limestone interbedded
with shale, and an upper unit known as Khoman “A”, which is
made up of fine-grained, white chalky limestone and dolomite
(Said, 1990). In the current well, Khoman Formation was rec-
ognized by Khalda Petroleum Company (KPC, 2010) as being
entirely made of chalky limestone (Table 1). Its type section is
located at Ain Khoman, southwest of the Bahariya Oasis, and
it rests unconformably in some areas over Abu Roash Forma-
tion, particularly in the structurally highest areas (Hantar, 1990).
Khoman “B” has a Coniacian to early Santonian age, while
Khoman “A” has a late Santonian to Campanian-Maastrichtian
age. This formation represents an open marine, shelfal to deeper
upper to middle slope settings (Kerdany and Cherif, 1990). Paly-
nological and foraminiferal data indicate open marine, upper
to middle slope depositional settings of the formation (Abdel-
Kireem et al., 1996).
3. Material and methods
For the current palynological analysis, thirty ditch-cutting
samples were collected from the upper Bahariya, Abu Roash,
and Khoman formations of the Salam-60 well, northern West-
ern Desert, Egypt (30◦ 42’ 15.762 N and 26◦ 59’ 44.089
E). This well was drilled in the Salam Oil Field by KPC in
2010. Because of the limited sample availability, where only
30 ditch-cutting samples were allowed to be taken from the
studied section, we thus selected samples at specific intervals
to cover different lithologies and formations under investiga-
tion (Fig. 5). The investigated samples cover a depth from
2880 ft to 6020 ft (698–1655 m). A standard HCl/HF palynolog-
ical processing technique (Phipps and Playford, 1984; Green,
2001) of 20 grams of each sample was followed. No oxida-
tion or ultrasonic treatments were done in order to keep the
organic matter intact for the palynofacies investigation. Three
to five slides from each sample were prepared using glycerin
jelly as a mounting medium. All slides and residues used in
the present study were stored in the Geological Museum of the
Geology Department at the Faculty of Science, Sohag Univer-
sity, Egypt. Slides were examined using the transmitted light
microscopy Axiolab Zeiss at Sohag University, while micropho-
tographing was carried out using an Olympus light microscope
BX41 equipped with an Infinity-1 digital camera at Assiut Uni-
versity. In order to obtain a good record of palynomorphs, a
count of about 150 palynomorph grains was carried out from
each sample to counter the dilution effect of AOM (Tyson, 1995).
A separate count of 200 of AOM particles and phytoclasts was
done from each sample. Counted particles and/or palynomorphs
were categorized as very abundant > 50%, abundant 36–50%,
frequent 16–35%, common 5–15%, and rare < 5%. The palyno-
facies analysis is based on the percentage frequency of different
palynological organic matter (POM) constituents categorized by
Tyson (1995). Relative abundances are known to suffer from the
data closure. However, to minimise this effect, we used relative
abundances derived from two separate subsets namely a paly-
nomorphs group and a kerogen (i.e. AOM, brown phytoclasts,
and black phytoclasts) group as suggested by Tyson (1995). Nev-
ertheless, the relative abundances used here enjoy the merit of
being widely correlatable with other vast published palaeoenvi-
ronmental investigations locally and worldwide that were based
on palynological relative abundance data and provided key infor-
mation in inner shelf palaeoenvironmental reconstructions (e.g.
Olayiwola and Bamford, 2016). Recently, similar investigations
were based on the relative abundances of palynological organic
matter (e.g. Prauss, 2001; Dybkjær, 2004; Carvalho et al., 2006)
and showed good results. Thus, the percentage of each paly-
nomorph category was derived from the total palynomorphs
counted, whereas the percentage of AOM particles and phyto-
clast types was derived from the total of the last two categories.
4. Results and discussion
As seen above in section 2, most of the Upper Cretaceous for-
mations are of marine origin, where sedimentological and micro-
and/or macro-faunal tools (e.g. Beadnell, 1902; Dominick, 1985;
Catuneanu et al., 2006) have been traditionally used to infer
their depositional environments. The use of the palynofacies
analysis that is integrated with lithologic facies and their accom-
panying minerals (e.g. pyrite and glauconite) proved to help in
adding valuable information in this sense (e.g. Deaf, 2009; El-
Soughier et al., 2014; Alaug et al., 2014; Tahoun and Deaf,
2016). The palynofacies analysis is defined as the study of par-
ticulate organic matter assemblages (Boulter and Riddick, 1986)
in terms of changes in the relative abundance of various types
of organic matter (e.g. palynomorphs, bioclasts, phytoclasts,
 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467
amorphous organic matter (AOM)). These changes represent
different palynofacies types, where each type may reflect a par-
ticular environmental setting (Tyson, 1995). The very limited
samples across most of the two major carbonate units (Abu
Roash “B” Member and Khoman Formation) hampered carrying
out a sequence stratigraphic analysis, because positioning of the
sequence stratigraphic surfaces in these carbonate units relies
mainly on the palynological parameters rather than the gamma
ray profile.
4.1. Palynofacies analysis and palaeoenvironmental
interpretations
The samples analyzed indicate that palynomorphs are highly
diluted with AOM, which occasionally attains up to 85% of
the total POM. Recovered terrestrial sporomorphs are of low
to moderate frequencies and show fair diversity (Table 2) and
fair to moderate preservation (Fig. 6). Likewise, the dinoflagel-
late cysts are of very low frequency and show the least diversity
and preservation patterns. In contrast, phytoclasts are common
constituents in most of the samples and show moderate preser-
vation (Fig. 7A) than that of the palynomorphs. Generally, the
frequency distribution of different POM is found to be suffi-
cient for the current palynofacies analysis (e.g. El Beialy et al.,
2010b). The palaeoenvironmental interpretation is mainly based
on selected palynofacies constituents of known palaeoenviron-
mental significance. Different categories of POM are illustrated
in Fig. 6. The vertical changes in the palynofacies composition in
the Upper Cretaceous of the Salam-60 well, especially the black
wood and the microforaminiferal test linings (MFTLs) indicate
two palynofacies types (Fig. 5) as follows.
4.1.1. Palynofacies PF-1: Inner Shelf
This palynofacies corresponds to the upper Bahariya and the
“G” to “C” members of Abu Roash formations (samples 1–20, at
depths 6020–4500 ft/1655–1192 m). It is characterized by very
abundant AOM (avg. 70%), frequent phytoclasts (avg. 30%),
very abundant sporomorphs (avg. 63.5%), common dinoflag-
ellate cysts (avg. 13%), and frequent MFTLs (avg. 19.6%)
occurrences (Fig. 5, Table 2).
The dinoflagellate cyst assemblage of this palynofacies shows
a slight dominance (6–23%, avg. 10%) of the restricted-inner
shelf Subtilisphaera cysts (e.g. Harding, 1986; Lister and Batten,
1988) and sporadic occurrences (2–10%, avg. 8.2%) of the open
marine (middle shelf) chorate cysts Florentinia (e.g. Davey and
Rogers, 1975; Dale, 1983). Single rare occurrences of other
middle shelf chorate cysts of Oligosphaeridium, Coronifera,
and Downiesphaeridium appear in the lower part of PF-1 in
Sample 3 (Table 2). The nature of this assemblage implies
restricted to inner shelf conditions. The common abundance
and stressed diversity (only 8 species) of the dinoflagellate
cyst and frequent MFTLs also indicate restricted marginal to
inner shelf marine settings. Because abundance and diversity
of the dinoflagellate cycts are found to be low in marginal
water conditions (e.g. Batten, 1983; Leckie and Singh, 1991)
and to increase in offshore settings of normal salinity (e.g.
Mutterlose and Harding, 1987; Lister and Batten, 1988; Habib
455
et al., 1992). These shallow conditions are also supported by
the frequent occurrence of MFTLs, which are also known to
decrease in abundance in marginal marine conditions and to
increase in normal marine conditions (Lister and Batten, 1988;
Stancliffe, 1989). The persistent occurrences of free pyrite traces
and rare glauconite accompanied with high accumulations of
AOM in shale and limestone (Fig. 5) and in body of MFTLs
(Fig. 7B) of PF-1 indicate a proximal reducing (suboxic-anoxic)
setting that was slightly removed from strong terrestrial inputs
and has a low rate of sedimentation (Einsele, 1992; Tyson,
1995). The APP ternary diagram of Tyson (1995) and TPOM
ternary diagram of Roncaglia and Kuijpers (2006) also sup-
ports these reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions (Fig. 8A and
B; Table 3). Glauconite mineral is known to be formed in
marine waters at the sediment-water interface and is associ-
ated with very low rate of sedimentation and non-deposition
(e.g. Dooley, 2006). The suggested proximal setting is also
supported by the notable terrestrial influx (i.e. frequent phy-
toclasts and very abundant sporomorphs) in general (e.g. Tyson,
1995, Al-Ameri et al., 2001), and by the frequent abundance
of Elaterosporites (7–29%, avg. 18%) and Afropollis (3–23%,
avg. 11%) pollen grains in particular. High percentages of
these genera are indicative of nearshore (coastal) conditions
(Schrank, 2001). A brackish condition is suggested to prevail
in the inner shelf setting, based on the presence of the brackish
water dinoflagellate cysts Subtilisphaera and Cyclonephelium
(e.g. Piasecki, 1984; Harding, 1986). The predominant reducing
(suboxic-anoxic) conditions may have been temporally inter-
rupted by local oxic-dysoxic conditions (Fig. 8A and B; Table 3),
which is represented here by sporadic occurrences of fungal
spores (1–8%, avg. 13%) in samples 1, 4, and 15–17 (e.g.
Tyson, 1995; Hofmann and Zetter, 2005). The alternating clastic-
carbonate sedimentation of PF-1 samples, which is also reflected
here in strong alternations of terrestrial and marine palynomorph
signals, indicates that strong fluctuations in the regional sea level
took place. The slight upward increase in the abundance of the
dinoflagellate cysts and MFTLs associated with the decrease in
terrestrial palynomorphs (pteridophytes and sphaeroidal pollen
grains) and brown woods, and increases in black woods in the
upper part (samples 11–20) of PF-1 (Fig. 7C) indicates a minor
marine transgression (e.g. Lister and Batten, 1988; Tyson, 1995;
Batten, 1999).
The frequent abundances (12–27%, avg. 16.6%) of the
large sphaeroidal pollen grains (63–72 ␮m) represented by Aru-
cariacites in the silty sandstone and siltstone of the lower PF-1
and their minor upward decline (Fig. 5) also infer a slight deep-
ening in the depositional environment. This is based on the
interaction between the changes in the sea level and the sorting
effect of the flow regime on sporomorphs (e.g. Tyson, 1995).
Hughes and Moody-Stuart (1967) and Batten (1974) found that
sporomorphs larger than 50 ␮m occur abundantly in fine sands,
while smaller sporomorphs are abundant in finer siltstone lithol-
ogy. In the same context, the upward increase in Classopollis
pollen grains (31–35 ␮m) in the siltstone and shale of the upper
PF-1 reinforces the slight marine transgression, where Hughes
and Moody-Stuart (1967) noted that these pollen grains increase
distally in siltstones and other finer sediments.
 456
Table 2
Semi-quantitative distribution chart of palynomorphs recovered from the Salam-60 well.
Sample Depth Depth Formations Spores
no. (ft) (m)
1- Deltoidospora 2- Triplanosporites 3- Cicatricosisporites 4- Deltoidospora 5- Microfoveo- 6- Deltoidospora 7- Dictyophyllidits 8- Crybelosporites
spp. sp. spp. psilostomata latisporites australis sp. pannucaus

30 2880 698.3 Khoman

29 2890 701.3 Barren
28 3790 975.7 15 3
27 3800 978.7 Abu Roash 5
“A”

M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

26 3810 981.8 20 7
25 3840 990.9 15 1
24 3900 1009.2 14
23 3920 1015.3 Abu Roash 13
“B”
22 4420 1167.7 15 2
21 4430 1170.7 Abu Roash 13
“C”
20 4500 1192.1 Barren
19 4540 1204.3
18 4550 1207.3 Abu Roash
“D”
17 4800 1283.5 24
16 4830 1292.7 9 10
15 4850 1298.8 Abu Roash 5 6 3
“E”
14 4900 1314.0 17 7
13 4910 1317.0 Barren
12 4930 1323.1 Abu Roash
“F1”
11 5050 1359.7 20 17
10 5160 1393.2 Abu Roash Barren
“F2”
9 5180 1399.3
8 5330 1445.1
7 5350 1451.2 Abu Roash
“G”
6 5450 1481.6
5 5670 1548.7 14 17 2
4 5830 1597.5 18 7
3 5850 1603.6 Upper 13 9 3
Bahariya
2 5990 1646.2 13 17
1 6020 1655.4 7 3 8 5 25
Table 2 (Continued )
Sample no. Depth (ft) Depth (m) Formations Gymnosperms
9- Araucariacites australis 10- Ephedripites sp. 11- Classopollis 12- Classopollis sp. 13- Cycadopites spp. 14- Exesipollenites sp.
classoides

30 2880 698.3 Khoman 10 8 20

29 2890 701.3 Barren

M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

28 3790 975.7 15 3 6
27 3800 978.7 Abu Roash “A” 10 10
26 3810 981.8 10 8
25 3840 990.9 7
24 3900 1009.2 10 8
23 3920 1015.3 Abu Roash “B” 13 13 7
22 4420 1167.7 10 11 9
21 4430 1170.7 Abu Roash “C” 7 10 10
20 4500 1192.1
19 4540 1204.3 Barren
18 4550 1207.3 Abu Roash “D”
17 4800 1283.5 15 5
16 4830 1292.7 20
15 4850 1298.8 Abu Roash “E” 15 10 10
14 4900 1314.0 17 15 3
13 4910 1317.0 Barren
12 4930 1323.1 Abu Roash “F1”
11 5050 1359.7 15 7
10 5160 1393.2 Abu Roash “F2” Barren
9 5180 1399.3
8 5330 1445.1
7 5350 1451.2 Abu Roash “G”
6 5450 1481.6
5 5670 1548.7 15 4
4 5830 1597.5 27 3 2 3
3 5850 1603.6 Upper Bahariya 13 3
2 5990 1646.2 12 5 3
1 6020 1655.4 17 5 10

457
 458
Table 2 (Continued )
Sample no. Depth (ft) Depth (m) Formations Angiosperms Elaterate pollen Fungal spores

15- Foveotricolpites gigantoreticulatus 16- Afropollis jardinus 17- Elaterosporites klaszii 18- Indetermin. Pollen grains

30 2880 698.3 Khoman 42

29 2890 701.3 Barren

M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

28 3790 975.7 2 15
27 3800 978.7 Abu Roash “A” 2
26 3810 981.8
25 3840 990.9 10
24 3900 1009.2 11
23 3920 1015.3 Abu Roash “B” 1
22 4420 1167.7 12 4
21 4430 1170.7 Abu Roash “C” 7
20 4500 1192.1
19 4540 1204.3 Barren
18 4550 1207.3 Abu Roash “D”
17 4800 1283.5 21 3
16 4830 1292.7 8
15 4850 1298.8 Abu Roash “E” 7
14 4900 1314.0
13 4910 1317.0 Barren
12 4930 1323.1 Abu Roash “F1”
11 5050 1359.7
10 5160 1393.2 Abu Roash “F2” Barren
9 5180 1399.3
8 5330 1445.1
7 5350 1451.2 Abu Roash “G”
6 5450 1481.6
5 5670 1548.7 9 1
4 5830 1597.5 3 7
3 5850 1603.6 Upper Bahariya 2 23
2 5990 1646.2 7 29
1 6020 1655.4 7 1
Table 2 (Continued )
SampleDepth Depth Formations Dinoflagellate 27- Micro-
no. (ft) (m) cysts foraminiferal
test linings
19- Spiniferites sp. 20- Subtilisphaera 21- Florentinia 22- Florentinia 23- Oligosphaeridium 24- Cyclonephelium 25- Downiesphaer- 26- Coronifera
scabrata berran laciniata complex sp. idium sp. albertii

30 2880 698.3 Khoman 20

29 2890 701.3 Barren
28 3790 975.7 5 3 33
27 3800 978.7 Abu Roash 30 43
“A”

M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

26 3810 981.8 15 40
25 3840 990.9 3 64
24 3900 1009.2 7 11 39
23 3920 1015.3 Abu Roash 10 43
“B”
22 4420 1167.7 1 36
21 4430 1170.7 Abu Roash 53
“C”
20 4500 1192.1
19 4540 1204.3 Barren
18 4550 1207.3 Abu Roash
“D”
17 4800 1283.5 3 29
16 4830 1292.7 23 10 20
15 4850 1298.8 Abu Roash 6 4 34
“E”
14 4900 1314.0 5 3 33
13 4910 1317.0 Barren
12 4930 1323.1 Abu Roash
“F1”
11 5050 1359.7 13 28
10 5160 1393.2 Abu Roash Barren
“F2”
9 5180 1399.3
8 5330 1445.1
7 5350 1451.2 Abu Roash
“G”
6 5450 1481.6
5 5670 1548.7 19 5 7 7
4 5830 1597.5 7 23
3 5850 1603.6 Upper 3 8 2 3 3 2 5 8
Bahariya
2 5990 1646.2 9 5
1 6020 1655.4 3 9

459
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Fig. 6. Examples of different POM recovered from the Salam-60 well, northern Western Desert, Egypt. Scale bar represents 20 ␮m. A. Deltoidospora sp., Depth:
5990A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 15/140. B. Deltoidospora sp., Depth: 5990A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 13.9/131.8. C. Deltoidospora sp., Depth: 5990 B, Sample no:
2, Indices: 11/133.5. D. Arucariacites australis Cookson ex Couper, 1953, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 5/127.5. E. Elaterosporites klaszii (Jardine and
Magloire) Jardine, 1967, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 5/139. F. Elaterosporites klaszii (Jardine and Magloire) Jardine, 1967, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2,
Indices: 10.5/142.5. G. Ephedripites sp., Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 16.7/122.5. H. Ephedripites sp., Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 21.5/138.8.
I. Fungal spore, Depth: 4850 A, Sample no: 3, Indices: 17.3/130. J. Cyclonephelium sp, Depth: 5850 A, Sample no: 7, Indices: 16/126.7. K. Elaterocolpites castelainii
Jardine and Magloire, 1965, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 5.4/127.8. L. Subtilisphaera scabrata Jain and Millepied, 1973, Depth: 5670 A, Sample no:
5, Indices: 8.4/120. M. MFTL, Depth: 4850 A, Sample no: 3, Indices: 12/134.4. N. Afropollis jardinus Doyle et al., 1982, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices:
12.5/123. O. Afropollis jardinus Doyle et al., 1982, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2, Indices: 20.2/127.5. P. Afropollis jardinus Doyle et al., 1982, Depth: 5990 A,
Sample no: 2, Indices: 8.9/126.4. Q. AOM particle, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2 Indices: 7.4/141.5. R. Black Wood, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2 Indices: 6.6/145.6.
S. Brown wood, Depth: 5990 A, Sample no: 2 Indices: 9.3/132.

The sequence upward increase in the black wood fragments
also indicates more offshore setting for the upper PF-1 and
supports the distal inner shelf environment for that part of the
palynofacies. This can be explained by the size and percentage
frequency distribution of black wood. As brittle, large black
wood particles tend to be fragmented with long distance
transport into smaller particles and to concentrate in finer
sediments of deeper depositional settings (Habib, 1982; Tyson,
1995). Furthermore, the upward change in sedimentation from
coarse clastics (sandstones and siltstones) to fine clastics (shale)
and carbonate also denotes a slight deepening in the depositional
settings (e.g. Vallejo et al., 2002; Carvalho et al., 2006; Tahoun
 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467 461

Fig. 7. Palynofacies types of the Salam-60 well, northern Western Desert, Egypt. Scale bar represents 100 ␮m. A. Lower PF-1 showing high dominance of AOM
and frequent large, biodegraded phytoclast, Sample 2a (5990 ft). B. Lower PF-1 showing high dominance of AOM and a badly preserved MFTL filled in with pyrite,
Sample 2a (5990 ft). C. Upper PF-1 showing high dominance of AOM and frequent fragmented black wood, Sample 7a (5350 ft). D. PF-2 showing overwhelming
abundance of AOM, Sample 28a (3790 ft).

Fig. 8. A. The Salam-60 well palynofacies plot in the ternary APP diagram of Tyson (1995), A: amorphous organic matter; P: phytoclasts; P: palynomorphs.
B. Percentage frequency of total sedimentary organic matter (% TPOM) of the Salam 60 well (Roncaglia and Kuijpers, 2006), PS: phytoclasts + sporomorphs; AOM:
amorphous organic matter; FDAO: microforaminiferal test linings + dinoflagellate cysts + acritarchs + other marine algae.

and Deaf, 2016). All palynological and lithologic criteria
mentioned above point to a shift in the depositional setting from
the proximal to a distal inner shelf environment. The progressive
upward sedimentation of the mainly limestone unit of upper
PF-1 with no break in sedimentation suggests this relative rise
in sea level was not due to local tectonics. This rise was mostly
connected to the global late Cenomanian marine transgression
(Fig. 9), which covered most of northern Egypt during that time
(Vail et al., 1977; Said, 1990; Guiraud and Bosworth, 1999;
Guiraud et al., 2001). As the sea level advanced during the
late Cenomanian and onward, the site of the Salam-60 became
relatively deeper, in a more distal position, where it received
little terrigenous material that carry essential nutrient supply
to the marine water. This is suggested to result in diminishing
in the dinoflagellate diversity and abundance (e.g. Uwins and
Batten, 1988), which could in part explain the remarkable
low abundance of fossil dinoflagellate in the upper part
of PF-1.
462 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467

Table 3
Key to palynofacies fields indicated in the ternary APP diagram (Simplified from Tyson, 1995).
Palynofacies field and environment Comments Spores: Bisaccate Microplankton Kerogen type

VI Proximal suboxic-anoxic High AOM preservation due to reducing Variable low to Low to common dinocysts II (oil prone)
shelf basin conditions. Absolute phytoclast moderate dominant
content may be moderate to high due to
turbiditic input and/or general proximity to
source
IX Distal suboxic-anoxic basin AOM-dominant assemblages. Low Low Generally low, prasinophyte II ≥ I (highly
abundances of palynomorphs partly due to often dominant oil prone)
masking. Frequently alginate-rich. Deep
basin or stratified shelf sea deposits,
especially sediments starved basins

mostly related to the global sea level rise resulted in deposition

Fig. 9. Global and Egyptian Cretaceous eustatic sea level cycles (after Vail et al.,
1977; Said, 1990).
Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that
the mixed clastic-carbonate section (samples 1–5) of the upper
Bahariya and the lowermost part of the “G” Member of Abu
Roash formations were deposited in a brackish proximal inner
shelf environment that witnessed strong fluctuations in the
regional sea level. Reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions were
predominant but were temporarily interrupted by local oxic-
dysoxic conditions. A minor marine transgression that was
of the mainly carbonate section (samples 6–20) of the upper “G”
and the “F” to “C” members in a distal part of the inner shelf envi-
ronment under the same reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions.
In other areas of the northern Western Desert of Egypt,
the Bahariya and the “G” Member of Abu Roash formations
were suggested by palynology to have been deposited in rather
similar settings. They were deposited in marginal (fluvio-
deltaic) to shallow marine (inner shelf) at the central (AG-18
well: Abdel-Kireem et al., 1996) and the southern margin
of the Abu Gharadig Basin under oxic-dysoxic conditions
(GPTSW-7 well: El Beialy et al., 2010a, 2010b). Similarly,
these rock units were deposited in inner shelf settings under
oxic to suboxic-anoxic conditions at the southern eastern
(Gebel Rissu-1 well: El Beialy et al., 2011) and central part
(Qattara Rim-1: El-Soughier et al., 2014) of the Dahab-Mireir
Basin (Fig. 1). At the southern Matruh Basin, the Bahariya
and the lower Abu Roash were also deposited in a shallow
inner shelf setting (KRM-1 well: Abdel-Kireem et al., 1996)
similar to that noted in the neighbouring Shushan Basin at the
Salam-60 well. However, at western Matruh Basin (Nest-1A
well: Tahoun and Deaf, 2016), the “G” Member was deposited
in deeper shelfal settings, in the middle shelf environment under
reducing suboxic-anoxic conditions. The middle part of Abu
Roash in KRM-1 and AG-18 wells, which could be tentatively
equated to the “F” to “C” members were deposited in outer
inner shelf and inner middle shelf environments in the Matruh
and Abu Gharadig basins, respectively (Abdel-Kireem et al.,
1996). This interbasinal difference in the depositional setting of
“F” to “C” members between the Abu Gharadig Basin and the
Shushan and Matruh basins is mostly related to the continued
late Cretaceous tectonic differentiation of the Abu Gharadig
Basin (Kerdany and Cherif, 1990; Guiraud and Bosworth, 1999;
Guiraud et al., 2001). This comparison clearly indicates that
deposition of the upper “G” and “F” to “C” members in slightly
deep (outer inner to middle) shelfal settings of good reducing
(suboxic-anoxic) conditions supported the preservation of good
amounts of organic matter (AOM 60–95%). This makes these
members fair to very good potential source rocks in different
areas of the northern Western Desert (e.g. “G” to “E” members
in Razzak-7 well: avg. AOM 70%, avg. TOC: 0.8%; “G” to “A”
members in GPTSW-7 well: avg. AOM 13%, avg. TOC: 0.7%;
“G” Member in Nest-1A well: avg. AOM 80%, TOC: 2.2%).
 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467
4.1.2. Palynofacies PF-2: Middle Shelf
This palynofacies corresponds to the upper Abu Roash
Formation (“B” and “A” members) and the whole Khoman For-
mation, and it covers samples from 21 to 30 that are located at
depths from 4430 to 2880 ft (1170.7–698 m). The palynological
matter is characterized by very abundant AOM (avg. 73%), fre-
quent phytoclasts (avg. 27%) and frequent sporomorphs (avg.
35.4%). The dinoflagellate cysts show frequent occurrences
(12%) similar to that noted in the underlying PF-1. Here, MFTLs
are abundant and show an increase from an average of 19.6%
in PF-1 to an average of 45.4% in PF-2, and are used here to
differentiate between PF-1 and PF-2 (Fig. 5).
In this palynofacies, the dinoflagellate cysts are character-
ized by a very high dominance and a lower species diversity
(5 species), where the open marine, middle shelf cysts of Flo-
rentinia occur (Table 2). This may point to the development
of a slightly deeper shelfal setting. The significant increase in
abundance of MFTLs that is coupled with slight decreases in
terrestrial organic matter (especially brown woods and pterido-
phyte spores) also suggests a shelf environment that is deeper
than that postulated for PF-1; probably a proximal middle shelf
environment. As has been mentioned before, the relative abun-
dances of MFTLs show an offshore increase and are used to
indicate depositional settings of normal marine conditions. This
outer marine setting is also evidenced by the occurrence of lower
terrestrial palynomorphs frequency (35.4%) in PF-2 in com-
parison to that recorded in PF-1 (63.5%), where inversely high
abundances of terrestrial palynomorphs are known to indicate a
proximal depositional setting that is close to land vegetation
(e.g. Tyson, 1993, 1995; Al-Ameri et al., 2001). The sparse
sampling across most of the Khoman Formation chalk does not
enable a proper interpretation of its depositional environment.
Probably lithology could add some information in this regard.
Deposition of chalk and chalky limestone are known to take
place in both shallow and deep shelfal settings (e.g. Einsele,
1992; Nichols, 2009). However, the occasional occurrences of
pyrite exclude outer shelf conditions and suggest middle shelf
settings. Iron is usually brought to the marine waters by the river
discharge of detrital sediments and by volcanic activity at mid-
oceanic ridges (e.g. Einsele, 1992). In the current study, iron was
confidently delivered by the nearby fluvial system that brought
most of the clastics of the studied sequence. Thus, iron must
have been transported by water currents into a deeper, reduc-
ing middle shelf environment that clearly lacks any clastic input
(Fig. 5). In the meantime, the continuous sedimentation of the
thick limestone sequence with no hiatus or missed units ends
up with a distinct fining upward sequence represented by the
chalk unit. Integration of the sedimentilogical characters with
the palynological analysis provided above indicates a regional,
upward increase in the water depth at the Shushan Basin that
was not connected to local tectonics. This notable sea level rise
was mostly related to the major global Turonian-Maastrichtian
marine transgression, which inundated much of northern Egypt
during the late Cretaceous time (Vail et al., 1977; Said, 1990;
Guiraud and Bosworth, 1999; Guiraud et al., 2001). On the other
hand, the occurrence of the pteridophytic spores mostly in the
shale samples indicates minor fluctuations in the depositional
463
system, where strong terrestrial influx reached the depositional
site during short periods of relative sea level fall (Tyson, 1993,
1995). This may be related to the Egyptian minor oscillation in
the sea level during the late Turonian time (Vail et al., 1977;
Said, 1990). These depositional fluctuations are also supported
by occurrence of the sphaeroidal pollen grains in the same shale
samples. Sphaeroidal pollen grains are known to relatively travel
more in a basinward direction due to their high buoyancy (e.g.
Tyson, 1993). This explains their slightly higher abundances in
comparison to their associated spores. As with upper PF-1, the
persistent very high percentages of AOM (Figs. 5 and 7D) sug-
gest deposition in a far shore, reducing (suboxic-anoxic) setting
(Fig. 8A and B) that was mostly suffering from weak terrigenous
influxes (Tyson, 1993, 1995).
By combining the aforementioned discussions, it is suggested
that the “B” and “A” members of Abu Roash Formation and the
Khoman Formation were deposited in open marine, inner and
outer middle shelf environments respectively, under prevailing
reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions. Deposition of these rock
units took place during a major regional marine transgression
that was mostly connected to the global Turonian-Maastrichtian
eustatic sea level rise (Fig. 9). However, minor fluctuations in
the local Turonian sea level may have occurred. In central Abu
Gharadig Basin (AG-18 well) and at southern Matruh Basin
(KRM-1 well), the “B” and “A” members and the Khoman For-
mation were deposited in outer shelf and upper to middle slope
settings, respectively (Abdel-Kireem et al., 1996). These deeper
conditions in comparison to those noted in the Shushan Basin
are also related to the progressive late Cretaceous tectonic devel-
opment of the Abu Gharadig and Matruh basins (Kerdany and
Cherif, 1990; Abdel-Kireem et al., 1996; Guiraud and Bosworth,
1999; Guiraud et al., 2001). Information on the organic matter
in terms of quality and quantity is still fragmentary regarding
the “B” and “A” members. Very low AOM (3–28%) and TOC
(0.6–1%) in the “A” Member in GPTSW-7 well, and conversely
the very high AOM in the Salam-60 (66–81%), indicates a strong
variation in its source rock potential across different parts of
the northern Western Desert. The Khoman Formation is widely
known as a thick, organic-poor carbonate unit of no hydrocarbon
potential (cf. El Ayouty, 1990; Meshref, 1996).
4.2. Palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate
The occurrence of the fern spores represented by pterido-
phytes (e.g. mainly Deltoidospora) in all studied samples of the
Salam-60 well probably reflects local pteridophyte vegetation on
wet lowlands (Playford, 1971; Schrank and Mahmoud, 1998).
However, on the relatively dry hinterlands, conifer forests are
thought to develop based on the presence of the araucariacean
pollen grains Arucariacites spp. (Schrank and Mahmoud, 1998;
Mahmoud and Moawad, 2002). A regional warm and arid to
semi-arid climate palaeoclimate is suggested to prevail based
on the constant occurrences of Classopollis pollen grains in
most of the studied section (Fig. 5, Table 3). Classopollis pollen
grains are known to be produced by xerophyte plants; their
high abundances are taken to indicate arid climatic conditions
(Watson, 1988; Doyle, 1999). Thus, their common frequency
464 M.S. Mahmoud et al. / Revue de micropaléontologie 60 (2017) 449–467
here (3–15%, avg. 8%) suggests a rather semi-arid climate
(Doyle et al., 1982; Schrank, 1990; Brenner, 1996; El-Soughier
et al., 2014). The single rare occurrence of the other xero-
phytic pollen Ephedripites (Schrank and Ibrahim, 1995; Schrank
and Mahmoud, 1998) also supports the semi-arid conditions.
In addition, the occurrence of Afropollis and Elaterosporites
pollen grains in samples of the upper Bahariya and the “G”
Member of the Abu Roash formations suggests a prevalence
of a regional subtropical palaeoclimate during the late Ceno-
manian (Herngreen et al., 1996; Schrank, 2001; Deaf, 2009).
These pollen grains belong to the Albian-Cenomanian Elat-
erate Phytogeographic Province of Herngreen et al. (1996) of
the palaeosubtropical to palaeotropical African and north South
American regions. This province is characterized by a warm,
arid to semi-arid climate (e.g. Aboul Ela et al., 1996; Herngreen
et al., 1996, Deaf, 2009). The Senonian Palmae Phytogeographic
Province of Herngreen et al. (1996) is not represented here due
to the limited Turonian samples and to the poor sporomorphs
frequency.
5. Conclusions
A detailed palynofacies analysis was carried out on a
Cenomanian-Maastrichtian sequence of the Salam-60 well to
recognize its possible depositional environments, which affect
its hydrocarbon characteristics and to identify the palaeoeco-
logical conditions prevailed during deposition of the studied
sequence. Two palynofacies types were identified. PF-1 repre-
sents the upper Baharyia and the “G” to “C” members of Abu
Roash formations (samples 1–20). The mixed clastic-carbonate
section (samples 1–5) of the upper Bahariya and the lowermost
“G” Member were deposited in a brackish, proximal inner shelf
environment of prevailing reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions
that witnessed occasional local oxic-dysoxic conditions. Yet,
a minor shift in the depositional setting from a proximal to a
distal inner shelf environment is represented by deposition of
the mainly carbonate section (samples 6–20) of the uppermost
“G” and the “F” to “C” members during a late Cenomanian-
Turonian marine transgression, which is mostly related to the
global eustatic sea level rise. The same reducing (suboxic-
anoxic) conditions were also prevailing. PF-2 represents the
upper (“B” and “A” members) Abu Roash and the Khoman for-
mations (samples 21–30). The rocks of this palynofacies were
mostly deposited during a major global Turonian-Maastrichtian
marine transgression in inner and outer middle shelf environ-
ments respectively, that may witnessed some fluctuations in the
local Turonian sea level. Reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions
were also persistent during deposition of PF-2. The develop-
ment of rather good reducing (suboxic-anoxic) conditions in the
relatively deep, outer inner shelf and middle shelf settings sup-
ported good preservation of organic matter in the upper “G” to
“A” members of Abu Roash Formation.
Comparison of our interpreted depositional environments
with those previously suggested in other palynological work
reveals that the Bahariya and the “G” member of Abu Roash
formations have rather similar marginal (fluvio-deltaic) to
shallow marine (inner shelf) depositional settings across most
(southern Matruh, Dahab-Mireir, and Abu Gharadig basins)
of the northern Western Desert. However, at western Matruh
Basin, the “G” Member has a deeper open marine (middle
shelf) setting. The “F” to “C” members have an outer inner shelf
depositional environment in the northern basinal area (Shushan
and Matruh basins) of the Western Desert. However, at the
central basinal area (Abu Gharadig Basin), these members are of
deeper, inner middle shelf settings. This interbasinal difference
in the depositional settings of the “F” to “C” is mostly related to
the late Cretaceous tectonic differentiation of the Abu Gharadig
Basin. The upper (“B” and “A” members) Abu Roash and the
Khoman formations also show different interbasinal deposi-
tional settings across different northern and central basinal areas
of the Western Desert due to the progressive late Cretaceous
tectonic development of the Abu Gharadig and Matruh basins.
The upper Abu Roash and the Khoman formations were
deposited in central Abu Gharadig and at southern Matruh
basins in deeper, outer shelf and upper to middle slope settings,
respectively, in comparison to their suggested inner middle
shelf and outer middle shelf settings in the Shushan Basin.
In conclusion, deposition of the Upper Cretaceous rocks in
the above-mentioned basinal areas reflects the development of a
major marine transgression, which undated the northern Western
Desert during the late Cenomanian-Maastrichtian as a response
to the major global eustatic sea level rise. However, effect of the
local tectonics was superimposed on the depositional settings in
some basins. Generally, this brought a shallow to relatively deep
shelf sea to northern western Egypt including the Shushan Basin,
where remarkable reducing conditions promoted the preser-
vation of substantial amounts of organic matter in the upper
Cretaceous Abu Roash Formation, but with variable organic
richness in different basins. This shows the eminent need to
carry out detailed palaeoenvironmental and organic geochemical
studies on each basin to understand its petroliferous characteris-
tics. Local pteridophyte vegetation on wet lowland habitats and
conifer vegetation on relatively dry hinterlands were growing
near the Salam-60 well under a regional warm and relatively
dry subtropical palaeoclimate.
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interest.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corpora-
tion (EGPC) for providing the samples and well log used in this
study. Special thanks are also due to the editor Prof. Dr. Taniel
Danelian, associate editor Dr. Frédérique Eynaud, and the two
reviewers Dr. Kaya Ertug and Dr. Daid Haig for the constructive
comments that helped us to improve the manuscript.
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