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New insights on sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Apollonia and Darnah

formations in the area from Ras Al Hilal to Al Athrun, Cyrenaica Basin, NE Libya

Conference Paper · May 2020

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2nd International Symposium on Research in Science (ISRS2020)
April 29-30, 2020
Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Proceeding Book
 NEW INSIGHTS ON SEDIMENTOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE APOLLONIA
AND DARNAH FORMATIONS IN THE AREA FROM RAS AL HILAL TO AL ATHRUN,
CYRENAICA BASIN, NE LIBYA
Farag M. El Oshebi1, Osama R. Shaltami1, Fares F. Fares1, Hwedi Errishi2, Mohamed S. Mohamed3 and Paolina Santos4
1Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Benghazi, Libya
2Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Benghazi, Libya
3Department of General Authority for the Water Utilization Project, Man Made River, Benghazi, Libya
4Institute of Geosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Abstract
The Eocene outcrops in the area from Ras Al Hilal to Al Athrun offer an excellent opportunity to study facies. Ten high resolution
stratigraphic sections and 75 thin sections were used to study the Eocene deposits in this area. Sections were measured at five
wadies (Wadi Hussein, Wadi Al Mahbol, Wadi Al Qalah, Wadi Murqus and Wadi Al Athrun). The biofacies characteristics of the
studied sediments show that the Apollonia Formation is a deeper marine environment, whereas the Darnah Formation is shallower
marine environment. New lithostratigraphic correlation between the measured sections has been constructed and showed
thickness variation in response to paleostructural instability. This stratigraphic association might explicate some paleostructural
instability or basin reactivation resulted in relief variability.
Keywords: Apollonia Formation, Darnah Formation, Lithostratigraphy, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Cyrenaica Basin, Libya.

1. Introduction because the Middle Lutetian is missing (Shaltami et al., 2018).

The Al Jabal Al Akhdar is located in the northeast of Libya.
It is the largest part of the Cyrenaica Basin. In this work, we
studied five wadies (Wadi Hussein, Wadi Al Mahbol, Wadi Al
Qalah, Wadi Murqus and Wadi Al Athrun) in the area from Ras
Al Hilal to Al Athrun (Fig. 1). The study area is about 8 km East
Susah, and about 30 km west of Darnah that branched from
the coastal road. The area is one of the last Mesozoic (Late
Cretaceous) inliers in the Al Jabal Al Akhdar (e.g., El Hawat
and Shelmani, 1993; El Hawat and Abdulsamad, 2004;
Shaltami et al., 2018).
The present work is done to achieve the following aims:
1) Study facies changes within the Lutetian deposits in the
study area.
2) Provide new lithostratigraphic correlation of the Lutetian
rocks in the area.
The stratigraphy of the study area is represented by a
sequence of marine carbonate rocks. The target in this study is
the Lutetian deposits (i.e. Apollonia Formation and Darnah
Formation). The 87Sr/86Sr ratios gave an age of Early-Middle
Eocene (Late Ypresian-Early Lutetian, 46.00-49.94 Ma) for the
Apollonia Formation and Middle-Late Eocene (Late Lutetian-
Early Priabonian, 36.98-42.50 Ma) for the Darnah Formation
(Shaltami et al., 2018). Obviously, the Apollonia and Darnah
formations are unquestionably separated by an unconformity,
The stratigraphic chart of the exposed rocks in the Cyrenaica
Basin is shown in Fig. 2. Moreover, Fig. 3 shows the composite
columnar section of the studied formations in the study area.
2. Methodology
Ten stratigraphic sections and more than 145 surface
samples were used to study the Middle Eocene deposits in the
study area (Fig. 1). A total of 75 surface samples have been
processed for microfacies analysis. Samples were collected
depending on facies changes, but in critical intervals the
spacing was much closer. Petrographic analysis involves
fixing the samples to a glass slides, grinding the sample to
0.003 mm thick (thin section) and observing to petrographic
optical microscope with an attached digital camera was used to
record photomicrographs.
3. Results
The observed facies in the studied formations are mainly
limestone (Fig. 1). However, the following is a detailed
description of these facies:
3.1. Apollonia Formation
3.1.1. Facies One
Limestone (mudstone), creamy white, slightly chalky, hard,
thickly to massive bedded, with varying sized brown to grayish
chert nodules (Fig. 4a). Microscopically, this unit is rare in

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fossil. It contains benthic foraminifera "Operculina sp." and
worm tube. It is composed of lime mud with a micritic matrix
and no observed cement (Figs. 4a, b).
3.2. Darnah Formation
3.2.1. Facies One
Limestone (mudstone), white to grey, hard. Microscopically,
this unit contains Nummulites sp. The cement is not clearly
seen or distinguished, while micrite matrix is much easier to
distinguish as dark brown (Fig. 4c).
3.2.2. Facies Two
Limestone (packstone), light gray, hard, porous, well
sorted, with Nummulites sp. (A and B forms) and sparite.
Microscopically, this unit contains Nummulites sp. The cement
is not clearly visible, while the texture is prevailed by micritic
matrix, with intergranular porosity. The Nummulites fragments
indicate a deposited in high energy environment (Fig. 4d).
3.2.3. Facies Three
Fossiliferous limestone (grainstone), light gray, hard,
porous, laminated, with Nummulites sp. (A and B forms) and
other small Nummulite sp. Microscopically, the cement is not
clearly visible while the texture has some micrite matrix, with
some sparry cement at some parts resulted from diagenesis of
micrite due to the neomorphism, which is a kind of the
diagenetic processes by recrystallization of micrite to calcite
and show a gradational boundary between a micrite and
sparite. Just one type of porosity is notable which is
intergranular (Fig. 4e).
3.2.4. Facies Four
Limestone (packstone), light gray, hard, with abundance of
Nummulites sp. (A and B forms). Microscopically, this unit
contains Nummulites sp., Rotalia sp., and shell fragments
embedded in a micritic matrix, with some sparite cement at
some parts resulted from diagenesis of micrite. The porosity is
intragranular (Fig. 4f).
3.2.5. Facies Five
Limestone (grainstone), white, hard, with abundance of
Nummulites sp. (A and B forms). Microscopically, this unit
contains Nummulites sp., and bivalve fragments. The texture
ISRS2020
has some sparite cement resulted from diagenesis of micrite
matrix, and the porosity is intragranular (Fig. 4g).
3.2.6. Facies Six
Limestone (floatstone), yellow, hard, cross bedded,
Nummulites gizehensis (Figs. 5b, c). Microscopically, this unit
contains skeletal particles of Nummulites gizehensis, (A and B
forms), and shell fragments. The cement is not clear around
the grains, while is more visible as intragranular cement
wrapping the pores of nummulitic skeleton that is result from
the diagenetic processes to micrite. The texture is embedded
in some micritic matrix. The porosity is of intragranular type.
4. Discussion
The lithology and faunal assemblage of the Apollonia
Formation indicate a deeper marine environment, probably
deep neritic to bathyal (Barr and Weegar, 1972; El Hawat et
al., 2008). Rohlich (1974) suggested that the depositional
environment of the Apollonia Formation is a turbidite
environment based on contorted bed feature, erosional
channel and repeated cycle of fining upward carbonate
sequence. The Darnah Formation is rich in fossils, in particular
large benthic foraminifera, especially Nummulites which
sometimes from the dominant constituent of the rocks, which
are locally forming typical Nummulitic bioherms (Klen, 1974;
Abdulsamad et al., 2009). Shallow neritic assemblages with
important fossils have been designated in the Darnah
Formation like Nummulites gizehensis Nummulites
incrassatus, Nummulites chavanesi, Nummulites fabianii and
pelecypoda (Zert, 1974 and Rohlich, 1980). The undoubtedly
benthic nature of the faunas, lithology and thinning out of the
Darnah Formation are features indicative of the neritic to littoral
character (i.e. shallow marine environment, Rohlich, 1980; El
Hawat, 1985) (Fig. 6).
In this study, the absence of Nummulites fabianii in the
upper part of the Darnah Formation and presence of
Nummulites gizehensis are indicating Middle Eocene age
(Lutetian). Moreover, the interfingering between the Apollonia
and Darnah formations and also supported by observing
another confirmation of the presence of Operculina sp in the
Apollonia Formation which also confirmed the Lutetian age.
The lower part of the Eocene does not appear in this study.
73
 The lithostratigraphic correlation was constructed using ten
stratigraphic sections in the study area (Fig. 7). The
lithostratigraphic correlation shows that the maximum
thickness of the Darnah Formation increases towards the East
direction, whereas the Apollonia Formation thickness increases
in opposite direction probably due to the following:
1) The paleotopography changes from east (high relief) to west
(low relief), where the rate of deposition was different.
2) The effect of tectonic events that induced uplifting of the
north-eastern parts, as evidenced from dip of strata that
reaches up to 18o. This uplift is followed later on by long
period of erosion and then, the relationship between the
Apollonia and Darnah formations are interfingering.
3) The Apollonia Formation decreases rapidly in thickness
possibly due to the later transgression of the Eocene sea and
to the partial lateral grading into the Darnah Formation.
Conclusions
The use of an integrated approach based on high
resolution sedimentology and lithostratigraphy, supported by
facies analysis is important in facies investigations and
correlation that would lead to establishment of a rational
understanding of the paleoenvironment and lithostratigraphic
constructions of the Lutetian deposits in the area from Ras Al
Hilal to Al Athrun, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE Libya. The facies
investigation of the Lutetian rocks based on biofacies analysis
indicates that the Apollonia Formation deposited in a deeper
marine environment, while the Darnah Formation is deposited
in neritic to littoral character (shallower marine environment).
Lithostratigraphic correlation between wadies (Wadi Hussein,
Wadi Al Mahbol, Wadi Al Qalah, Wadi Murqus and Wadi Al
Athrun) have been constructed and revealed a low relief of the
western part of the study area, compared to the eastern part
which deposited on a relatively high relief. This stratigraphic
relationship may attributed to a degree of paleostructural
instability or basin reactivation as resulted in relief variability.
Acknowledgements
We are deeply grateful to Professor "Ahmed M. Muftah"
(Department of Earth Sciences, Benghazi University, Libya) for
his critical reading and useful suggestions for improving the
manuscript and to Mary Sweetman (Adelaide, Australia) for
reading and improving the English style of the text. Our thanks
go to Mr. Hani Garbou (Jowfe Oil Company, Benghazi, Libya)
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for his support and assistance during the fieldwork. We also
thank Mr. Rajab Al Aogali and Mr. Naje El Maghrabe (Arabian
Gulf Oil Company, Benghazi, Libya) for their help in preparing
the thin sections and taking the photomicrographs. This work
is dedicated to the soul of our colleague "Mohamed Zio", Zio
graduated from the Department of Earth Sciences, University
of Benghazi in 2007.
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H., and Caline B. (2007): The Eocene Ramp Complex of Al
Jabal al Akhdar, Cyrenaica, NE Libya: A Surface Analogue for
Nummulite Reservoirs. EAGE Meeting, Tripoli.
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NE Libya. Interprint Limited Malta, 70p.
Klen, L. (1974): Geological Map of Libya, 1:250000, Sheet:
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Benghazi, NI 34-14, Explanatory Booklet, Industrial Research NE Libya. 20th International Sedimentological Congress (ISC)
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Shaltami, O.R, Fares, F.F, EL Oshebi, F.M, Errishi, H, and
Bustany, I (2018): High-Resolution Strontium Isotope
Stratigraphy of the Eocene Deposits in the Al Jabal Al Akhdar,
Shaltami, O.R., Fares, F.F., EL Oshebi, F.M., Errishi, H.,
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 Fig. 1: Geological map showing the location of the study area (modified after Rohlich, 1974).

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 Fig. 2: Stratigraphic chart of the exposed rocks in the Cyrenaica Basin, NE Libya (after Shaltami et al., 2018).

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 Fig. 3: Composite columnar section of the Apollonia and Darnah formations in the study area.

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 Fig. 4: Photomicrographs of the Apollonia Formation, facies one (A) and (B) ((A) mudstone showing Operculina sp (a), micrite (b),
pinpoint porosity (c) and (B) mudstone showing serpulid worm tube (a), micrite (b), concentric laminated calcite (c)). Photomicrographs
of the Darnah Formation, facies one (C) (mudstone showing two differentiated section along Bulimina sp (a), micrite (b)), facies two (D)
( packstone showing undifferentiated foraminifera (a), rotaliids fragments (b), micrite (c), intergranular porosity (d)), facies three (E)
(grainstone showing an axial section of Rotalia sp (a), with intergranular porosity (b), micrite (c), sparite resulted from diagenesis of
micrite (d)), facies four (F) (packstone showing an axial section of Rotalia sp (a), with intergranular porosity (b), shell fragments (c),
micrite (d)) and facies five (G) (floatstone showing fragment of Opercolina (a), Bivalve (b), intragranular porosity (c), bryozoa (d), matrix
(e)).

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Fig. 5: Field images showing (A) Planar lamination in the Apollonia Formation, (B) Nummulites gizehensis in facies six of the Darnah
Formation, and (C) Cross bedding in the Darnah Formation.

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Fig. 6: Block diagram showing miscellaneous depositional models in the north of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar (after El Hawat et al., 2007).

Fig. 7: Lithostratigraphic correlation of the Apollonia and Darnah formations in the study area.

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