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Calcareous algae from Cretaceous carbonates of Egypt, Sinai, and southern Jordan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2016

J. Kuss
Affiliation:
Universität Bremen, FB 5, Bibliothekstrasse, 2800 Bremen 33, Germany
M.-A. Conrad
Affiliation:
Petroconsultants S.A., 8–10 rue muzy, 1211 Geneva 6, Switzerland

Abstract

Calcareous algae are frequent constituents in the shallow-marine limestone intercalations of late Aptian–Maastrichtian strata of the Eastern Desert of Egypt, the Sinai, and southern Jordan. A total of 18 species of green algae (among them 16 dasycladaceans with Praturlonella hammudai n. comb. and Praturlonella jordanica n. sp., two udoteaceans) and eight species of red algae (among them two gymnocodiaceans, three solenoporaceans, and one squamariacean) are described and compared with algae from several Tethyan occurrences. The stratigraphic distribution is calibrated by 10 assemblage-zones based on the associated foraminiferids and compared with 10 ammonite assemblage-zones.

The algal contents vary within the different strata: their total contents and diversities increase from the late Aptian–Albian carbonates to the Cenomanian and decrease to the Turonian–Coniacian; no algae were proved in the Santonian–Campanian. The Maastrichtian occurrences are limited to one outcrop.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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