Sedimentology and Lithostratigraphy of the Pila Spi Formation in Koi Sanjaq area, NE Iraq; New insight for depositional Environment and Basin Configuration

Zeki A. Kader Al-Mashaikie, Ad; Mohammed A. Latif, Rusul

	Sedimentology and Lithostratigraphy of the Pila Spi Formation in Koi Sanjaq area, NE Iraq; New insight for depositional Environment and Basin Configuration
Iraqi Journal of Science
Article 1, Volume 58, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 669-686
Authors
ad Zeki A. Kader Al-Mashaikie; Rusul Mohammed A. Latif
Abstract
The Pila Spi formation composed of seven lithotypes; carbonates (dolomite and dolomitic limestone), marl, shale/claystone, red argillaceous mudstone, sandstone, carbonate breccias and debris flow, which are arranged in repeated cycles of mixed siliciclastic-calciturbidites in a range of gravity-flow regime in the Koi Sanjaq area. Sedimentologic and facies evidences suggest developed marine environment for the Pila Spi Formation. Facies analysis and associated sedimentary structures including graded beddings decide turbidity and gravity flow regime origin of the rocks. Marine environment is supported by the identifying glauconite and fossils types, which is reported here for the first time rather than lagoon environment. The Pila Spi sequences are grouped into four facies associations confirming developed marine depositional systems, these are (from bottom to top) channeled-slumped fine and mega carbonate breccias, calciturbidites, faulted and slump carbonate mega-breccias, slump/slide carbonate mega-breccias facies associations respectively. Petrographic analysis of carbonate units of the Pila Spi rocks in Koi Sanjaq area indicated that they are composed of skeletal grains with subordinate non-skeletal grains of tuffaceous fragments, chert, chalcedony, volcanic ash, metamorphic and detrital iron oxides grains, with noticeable grains of glauconite. Varieties of marine fossils are identified includes planktonic bivalves and benthic forams of cool water, which support the deeper marine environment. Microfacies analysis reveals (15) types, these are; green algal boundstone, algal wackestone dolomudstone, algal dolostone/mudstone, framestone-mudstone, small benthic foraminiferal wackestone, algal packstone-mudstone, foraminiferal packstone-mudstone, algal dolostone, fossiliferous grainstone, foraminiferal packstone, stromatolite framestone, algal boundstone, calci-microbial grainstone-packstone, and large benthic Foraminiferal bioclasts floatstone. These microfacies types are grouped in four facies associations representing the depositional environments of the formation, these are; outer shelf, reef, forereef, reef, backreef.
Keywords
Pila Spi; turbidites; gravity flow; Late Eocene; NE Iraq

Statistics Article View: 99 PDF Download: 23