Between el-Hadid & Feschn (Eocene of Egypt)

Where: Egypt (28.7° N, 30.9° E: paleocoordinates 22.9° N, 26.2° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Giushi Member (Mokattam Formation), Bartonian (41.3 - 38.0 Ma)

• Blanckenhorn's layer I-5. Equated to the Giushi Formation (now considered a member of the Mokattam Formation) by Gingerich 1992.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shallow subtidal; lithified, shelly/skeletal limestone

• The Observatory and the Gebel el Ramliya sections show lateral changes from a lagoonal lithofacies to a reef lithofacies (Tawfik et al., 2016). Abdou Soliman (1988) interpreted the Giushi Formation as representing a coral belt, open platform nummulitic sand belt, and restricted platform pelletal mud belt.
• Well-bedded nummulitic limestone, with softer yellowish-gray marl partings. Top of the unit is very hard and dolomitic. The lower part of this formation consists mainly of bioclastic limestone with relics of nummulite tests and shell hash, and is overlain by thick-bedded nummulite bryozoan marly limestone beds.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: original phosphate

Primary reference: M. Blanckenhorn. 1900. Neus zur Geologie und Paleontologie Aegyptens. II. Das Palaeogne. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft 52:403-479 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 97545: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 06.08.2010, edited by Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Cancridae
Lobocarcinus sp.
Lobocarcinus sp. Reuss 1857 crab
 Decapoda - Xanthidae
Xanthopsis sp.
Xanthopsis sp. M'Coy 1849 stone crab
Cephalopoda
 Nautilida - Nautilidae
Nautilidae indet.
Nautilidae indet. de Blainville 1825 nautiloid
gross (large)
Bivalvia
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Ostrea reili, Ostrea fraasi
Ostrea fraasi Mayer-Eymar 1888 oyster
 Ostreida - Gryphaeidae
Gryphaea gumbeli
 Ostreida - Malleidae
Vulsella sp.
Vulsella sp. Ršding 1798 oyster
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
Lucina sp.
Lucina sp. Bruguière 1797 clam
 Solenida - Solenidae
Solen sp.
Solen sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Membraniporidae
Membranipora sp.
Membranipora sp. Blainville 1834
Mammalia
 Cetacea - Basilosauridae
"Zeuglodon sp." = Basilosaurus
"Zeuglodon sp." = Basilosaurus Harlan 1834 whale
Echinoidea
 Spatangoida - Brissidae
Brissopsis angusta
Brissopsis angusta heart urchin
 Cidaroida - Cidaridae
Porocidaris schmiedeli
Foraminifera
 Nummulitacea - Nummulitidae
Dictyoconos sp. n. gen., Nummulites schweinfurthi, Nummulites subdiscorbina, Nummulites curvispira, Nummulites gizehensis
Dictyoconos sp. n. gen. Blanckenhorn 1900
Eschara
  -
Eschara sp.
Eschara sp. Linnaeus 1758