Upper Cretaceous high-resolution multiple stratigraphy, northern margin of the Arabian platform, central Israel

Gdaliahu Gvirtzman, Ahuva Almogi-Labin, Shimon Moshkovitz, Zeev Lewy, Avraham Honigstein, Zeev Reiss

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nineteen columnar sections of pelagic sediments, from outcrops and boreholes across central Israel, deposited at relatively moderate rates on the outer shelf and the continental slope of the Arabian margin, were correlated using lithological and electric-log markers, calcareous nannofossils, planktic and benthic foraminifera, ostracods and ammonites. Thirty-seven local correlatable datum levels, from Upper Coniacian to the end of the Cretaceous, were recognized, of which 30 are based on diagnostic fossils of Tethyan significance. These datum levels include first (FA) and/or last (LA) appearances of 13 nannofossils, 14 planktic and 9 benthic foraminifera, 5 ostracod zones and 4 ammonites, as well as 10 lithological markers of chalks, marls, cherts, phosphorites and dark bituminous shales. The biostratigraphic planes do not cross lithological boundaries and therefore both are considered synchronous events. The datum levels are used for a biostratigraphic zonation, a lithostratigraphic subdivision and a chronostratigraphic interpretation. The multi-disciplinary correlations provide a powerful high-resolution stratigraphic tool for further quantitative basin analysis and for the study of global events.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-135
Number of pages29
JournalCretaceous Research
Volume10
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1989
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank C. Benjamini and G. M. Martinotti for their helpful comments; Bevie Katz for editing the manuscript; Shlomo Ashkenazi and Moshe Arnon for their help in the field work and Arie Pe’er for drafting the figures. About 40m of the middle part of the Tarqumiya section were also sampled by C. Benjamini, who kindly provided the samples to the authors for additional examination. The results presented here are part of projects 21014, 21040, 28779 and 28977 of the Geological Survey of Israel. Grants 037.7009 from the Israel-USA Binational Science Foundation, 037.7032 from the Israel Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and 032.7100 from the Belfer centre for Energy Research are gratefully acknowledged.

Keywords

  • Arabian platform
  • Campanian
  • Coniacian
  • Israel
  • Maastrichtian
  • Santonian
  • ammonites
  • biostratigraphic events
  • chalk
  • chert
  • continental margin
  • continental slope
  • correlations
  • electric-logs
  • foraminifera
  • kerogen
  • marl
  • nannofossils
  • ostracods
  • phosphorite
  • sea level drop
  • shelf edge

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