The Upper Cretaceous (early Cenomanian) Bahariya Formation of Egypt has an outstanding reputation for its wealth of vertebrate remains, including a variety of iconic dinosaurs, like the carnivorous Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus, as well as the herbivorous Aegyptosaurus and Paralititan. Besides these dinosaur fossils, the Bahariya Formation yielded also a wealth of invertebrate and plant remains, but even today many aspects concerning the continental palaeoenvironments reflected in these deposits (including the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires) have not been studied in detail. So far six distinct macro-charcoal bearing levels could be identified within the type section of the Bahariya Formation at Gabal El Dist profile, one of the most prolific outcrops of this formation in terms of fossil occurrence located in the north of the Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt. Most of the charcoal investigated by means of SEM originates from ferns, pointing to a considerable proportion of this plant group within the palaeo-ecosystems that experienced fires. Gymnosperms and (putative) angiosperms have less frequently been identified. The collected data present evidence that the landscapes at the northern shores of Gondwana repeatedly experienced palaeo-wildfires, adding extra proof to previous statements that the Late Cretaceous was a fiery world on a global scale.
The Middle Miocene rocks in the northern part of the Western Desert of Egypt are dominated by carbonate rocks that constitute the Marmarica Formation. To determine the depositional environments and sequence architecture of the Marmarica Formation, three sections were described and sampled in detail. These sections from west to east are; Girba, Naqb El‐Migahhiz, and Gabal Umm Hiyus. The Marmarica Formation in the Siwa area includes three members, from bottom to top: the Oasis, Siwa Escarpment, and El Diffa Plateau members. The microfacies of the Marmarica Formation comprise abundant mud‐supported microfacies with minor grain‐supported microfacies. Sedimentation during the Middle Miocene took place on a homoclinal ramp. Dolomitization is the most prevalent diagenetic process that affected carbonate sediments of the Marmarica Formation. The Marmarica Formation comprises two sequence boundaries. The first sequence boundary (SB1) is demarcated by the presence of Thalassinoides ichnofacies at the boundary between the Oasis and Siwa Escarpment members in all the studied sections. It is considered a type 1 sequence boundary. The second sequence boundary (SB2) is represented by an erosional surface, which is recorded only in Girba section. The SB2 was traced at both Naqb El‐Migahhiz and Umm Hiyus sections by the occurrence of burrows that relate to the Glossifungites ichnofacies. The latter boundary is considered type 2. Three third‐order depositional sequences have been recognized in the Middle Miocene Marmarica Formation. Therefore, the Marmarica Formation at Siwa Oasis exhibits relative sea‐level oscillation. During the Middle Miocene, the prevailing warm climate caused transgression and deposition of carbonates along the marine shelf surrounding western and northern Africa.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.