PALEOCENE BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND SEA-LEVEL CHANGES OF THE NORTHERN EASTERN DESERT OF EGYPT

Five foraminiferal biozones are established for the Paleocene sequence exposed in the northern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The biostratigraphic zonation proposed consists of (from bottom to top): the Morozovella trinidadensis, M. uncinata, M. angulata, Planorotalites pseudomenardii, and M. velascoensis Zones. Considerable quantities of reworked fossils have been discovered in certain horizons. The Paleocene Esna, Tarawan, and Dakhla Formations in Wadi Hawashiya section unconformably overly a succession of Early Maastrichtian age. In the Wadi Tarfa section the Paleocene Esna and Tarawan Formations unconformably overly a unit of Late Campanian age, announcing for the complete absence of the Dakhla Formation. Five disconformity surfaces are detected, two intra-Thanetian, a Thanetian-Danian, an intra-Danian, and a Danian-Cretaceous. Such gaps are due to later destruction rather than non-deposition. The eustatic nature of the Danian sea level changes is probably an echo of the Syrian Arc System. It is believed that local tectonic pulses caused the high oscillation of the sea level during the Thanetian time.