Growth folds developed at rift margin transfer zones are mostly studied for their structural styl... more Growth folds developed at rift margin transfer zones are mostly studied for their structural style and stratal architecture. The influence of the growth of these folds on the syn-rift sedimentary facies development, however, remains less documented. To address this, we investigated the syn-rift facies of the Lower Miocene Rudeis Formation in relation to the growth of structures within the North Baba transfer zone at the eastern margin of the Suez rift. Sedimentological analysis defined seven facies associations in three successive depositional systems: (i) gravel-rich submarine fans with up-dip thinning geometry, comprising upper, middle and lower fan facies associations, (ii) a gravitationally modified Gilbert-type fan delta, with tangential foreset and bottomset. Both fan systems pass gradationally into basinalmarl-dominated facies, and (iii) shoreface-to-offshore. Paleocurrent measurements and the spatial facies variability indicate that the North Baba transfer zonewas acting as the main sediment fairway conveying the sediments southwards from the adjacent rift shoulder to the Baba hangingwall syncline.Mapping of key stratal surfaces and growth structures helped in distinguishing four lower Rudeis stratal units, which provide a framework for studying the spatial and vertical relationships among the recognized facies. Deposition of these stratal units was influenced by progressive steepening and localized faulting of a fault-tip growth monocline above the North Baba transfer zone and a submerged intrabasinal high. These structures controlled the hangingwall gradient, bathymetry, flow pathways and facies relations, triggered multiple gravity flows and slumps, and created terraces on which patch reefs and localized shoreface deposits intermittently developed. This study reveals that the transfer zone was still acting as growth monocline even during the riftclimax. The coeval depositsweremainly sourced froma hinterland drainage catchment rather than local footwall scarps. They form progressively tilted clastic wedges that onlap and pinch out up-dip toward the growth monocline, unlike those observed at faulted margins where the facies commonly thicken toward the fault.
<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. ( Fig. 2)<i> Cynelos</i> sp. nov. – Morlo&... more <i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. ( Fig. 2)<i> Cynelos</i> sp. nov. – Morlo<i> et al.</i> 2007: fig. 4G, H. cf.<i> Ysengrinia ginsburgi</i> – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: 48.<i> Afrocyon burolleti</i> – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 3.<i> Amphicyon</i> sp. – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 4.<i> Cynelos</i> sp. – Werdelin &amp; Peigné 2010: 604.<i> Afrocyon</i> n. sp. – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2016: 143. HOLOTYPE. — CUWM 55, left mandible with alveolus of c, single root of p1, single root of p2, roots of p3, p4-m2, and alveolus of m3. PARATYPE. — DPC 14532 /2 L-7, isolated left m1 from Moghra, Egypt ( Morlo<i> et al.</i> 2007: fig. 4G, H). REFERRED MATERIAL. — MNCN 79042 right mandible fragment with alveolus of p1, single-rooted p2, fragment of p3, and p4 from Gebel Zelten, Libya (= BIZ.2A. 15 in Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 4). NHM M 82374, an isolated left m2 from Gebel Zelten, Libya ( Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 3).[table omitted] TYPE LOCALITY. — Wadi Moghra, Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. — North Africa: Egypt and Libya. AGE AND HORIZON. — Late Early Miocene, contemporaneous with European biozone MN4. ETYMOLOGY. — "<i> anubisi</i> " after "Anubis", the Greek name for the Ancient Egyptian jackal-headed god, who watched over the dead. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. —<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. differs from<i> Amphicyon</i> and<i> Afrocyon</i> in having a single-rooted p1 and p2, a long diastema between p2 and p3, and a short diastema between p3 and p4. The m1 metaconid of<i> C. anubisi</i> n. sp. is more reduced, the hypoconid is smaller, and the m1 and m2 talonids are narrower. The m2 protoconid and hy- poconid are low but massive.<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. further differs from<i> Amphicyon</i> in having a narrower m2, as a result of an elongated talonid. All molars lack cingulids. Further differs from<i> Afrocyon</i> in having a single-rooted m3, and a coronoid process that rises at a shallower angle.<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. is about the same size as, or is slightly smaller than<i> C. macrodon</i>, but<i> [...]
FIG. 3. — KNM-MY 89, isolated left m2 from the Muruyur Formation, Kenya, Middle Miocene, Cynelos ... more FIG. 3. — KNM-MY 89, isolated left m2 from the Muruyur Formation, Kenya, Middle Miocene, Cynelos cf. macrodon: A, labial view; B, occlusal view. Scale bar: 20 mm.
An unusually well-preserved 45-meter-diameter crater provides ground truth for small-scale meteor... more An unusually well-preserved 45-meter-diameter crater provides ground truth for small-scale meteorite impacts on Earth.
This chapter provides an account of the present Egyptian impact cratering record as well as an ov... more This chapter provides an account of the present Egyptian impact cratering record as well as an overview of the Egyptian meteorite collection. The 45-m-diameter Kamil crater in the East Uweinat District in southwestern Egypt is so far the only confirmed impact crater in Egypt. Due to its exceptional state of preservation Kamil can be considered a type-structure for small-scale impacts on Earth. Enigmatic types of natural glasses including the Libyan Desert glass found in the Great Sand Sea and the Dakhleh glass found near Dakhla Oasis (note that Dakhla, Dakhleh and Dakhlah are transliterations) may be products of low-altitude airbursts of large and fragile cometary or asteroidal impactors. A number of circular, crater-shaped geological structures superficially resembling impact craters are discussed. To date the Egyptian meteorite collection totals 2 falls, including the ~10 kg Martian meteorite Nakhla that has served as a keystone for the understanding of magmatic differentiation processes on Mars, and 76 finds. With the exception of a minority of incidental findings, most Egyptian meteorite finds (~75%) were recovered over the last ~30 years from three dense meteorite collection areas, namely the El-Shaik Fedl, Great Sand Sea and Marsa Alam fields. The exceptional exposures of the Precambrian basement and Paleozoic to Cenozoic sedimentary covers in Egypt offer a good opportunity for the identification of new impact structures. Likewise, Egypt’s vast rocky desert surfaces are of great potential for the collection of meteorites through systematic searches. These prospects are fundamental ingredients for fostering the ongoing development of meteoritics and planetary science in Egypt as disciplines for future scientific endeavor in Africa.
Lizard and snake remains from the early Miocene (Burdigalian) of the Moghra Formation, Egypt, are... more Lizard and snake remains from the early Miocene (Burdigalian) of the Moghra Formation, Egypt, are described herein. This material comprises the first fossil remains of squamates recovered from the otherwise rich and well known vertebrate assemblage of Moghra. The material pertains to two different genera, the varanid lizard Varanus and the pythonid snake Python and adds to the so far rather poorly known squamate fossil record from Africa. On the basis of the new remains, Moghra marks the oldest so far described co-occurrence of Varanus and Python in the African continent. The close sympatry of these two genera in the African fossil record is thoroughly analyzed and discussed, a co-existence, which is still widespread in the extant herpetofauna of the continent. Situated rather close to the so called “Levantine Corridor” and dated at the Burdigalian, practically when Afro-Arabia collided with Eurasia, the Moghra squamate assemblage offers the potential of important insights in the bi...
Growth folds developed at rift margin transfer zones are mostly studied for their structural styl... more Growth folds developed at rift margin transfer zones are mostly studied for their structural style and stratal architecture. The influence of the growth of these folds on the syn-rift sedimentary facies development, however, remains less documented. To address this, we investigated the syn-rift facies of the Lower Miocene Rudeis Formation in relation to the growth of structures within the North Baba transfer zone at the eastern margin of the Suez rift. Sedimentological analysis defined seven facies associations in three successive depositional systems: (i) gravel-rich submarine fans with up-dip thinning geometry, comprising upper, middle and lower fan facies associations, (ii) a gravitationally modified Gilbert-type fan delta, with tangential foreset and bottomset. Both fan systems pass gradationally into basinalmarl-dominated facies, and (iii) shoreface-to-offshore. Paleocurrent measurements and the spatial facies variability indicate that the North Baba transfer zonewas acting as the main sediment fairway conveying the sediments southwards from the adjacent rift shoulder to the Baba hangingwall syncline.Mapping of key stratal surfaces and growth structures helped in distinguishing four lower Rudeis stratal units, which provide a framework for studying the spatial and vertical relationships among the recognized facies. Deposition of these stratal units was influenced by progressive steepening and localized faulting of a fault-tip growth monocline above the North Baba transfer zone and a submerged intrabasinal high. These structures controlled the hangingwall gradient, bathymetry, flow pathways and facies relations, triggered multiple gravity flows and slumps, and created terraces on which patch reefs and localized shoreface deposits intermittently developed. This study reveals that the transfer zone was still acting as growth monocline even during the riftclimax. The coeval depositsweremainly sourced froma hinterland drainage catchment rather than local footwall scarps. They form progressively tilted clastic wedges that onlap and pinch out up-dip toward the growth monocline, unlike those observed at faulted margins where the facies commonly thicken toward the fault.
<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. ( Fig. 2)<i> Cynelos</i> sp. nov. – Morlo&... more <i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. ( Fig. 2)<i> Cynelos</i> sp. nov. – Morlo<i> et al.</i> 2007: fig. 4G, H. cf.<i> Ysengrinia ginsburgi</i> – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: 48.<i> Afrocyon burolleti</i> – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 3.<i> Amphicyon</i> sp. – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 4.<i> Cynelos</i> sp. – Werdelin &amp; Peigné 2010: 604.<i> Afrocyon</i> n. sp. – Morales<i> et al.</i> 2016: 143. HOLOTYPE. — CUWM 55, left mandible with alveolus of c, single root of p1, single root of p2, roots of p3, p4-m2, and alveolus of m3. PARATYPE. — DPC 14532 /2 L-7, isolated left m1 from Moghra, Egypt ( Morlo<i> et al.</i> 2007: fig. 4G, H). REFERRED MATERIAL. — MNCN 79042 right mandible fragment with alveolus of p1, single-rooted p2, fragment of p3, and p4 from Gebel Zelten, Libya (= BIZ.2A. 15 in Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 4). NHM M 82374, an isolated left m2 from Gebel Zelten, Libya ( Morales<i> et al.</i> 2010: fig. 3).[table omitted] TYPE LOCALITY. — Wadi Moghra, Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. — North Africa: Egypt and Libya. AGE AND HORIZON. — Late Early Miocene, contemporaneous with European biozone MN4. ETYMOLOGY. — "<i> anubisi</i> " after "Anubis", the Greek name for the Ancient Egyptian jackal-headed god, who watched over the dead. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. —<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. differs from<i> Amphicyon</i> and<i> Afrocyon</i> in having a single-rooted p1 and p2, a long diastema between p2 and p3, and a short diastema between p3 and p4. The m1 metaconid of<i> C. anubisi</i> n. sp. is more reduced, the hypoconid is smaller, and the m1 and m2 talonids are narrower. The m2 protoconid and hy- poconid are low but massive.<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. further differs from<i> Amphicyon</i> in having a narrower m2, as a result of an elongated talonid. All molars lack cingulids. Further differs from<i> Afrocyon</i> in having a single-rooted m3, and a coronoid process that rises at a shallower angle.<i> Cynelos anubisi</i> n. sp. is about the same size as, or is slightly smaller than<i> C. macrodon</i>, but<i> [...]
FIG. 3. — KNM-MY 89, isolated left m2 from the Muruyur Formation, Kenya, Middle Miocene, Cynelos ... more FIG. 3. — KNM-MY 89, isolated left m2 from the Muruyur Formation, Kenya, Middle Miocene, Cynelos cf. macrodon: A, labial view; B, occlusal view. Scale bar: 20 mm.
An unusually well-preserved 45-meter-diameter crater provides ground truth for small-scale meteor... more An unusually well-preserved 45-meter-diameter crater provides ground truth for small-scale meteorite impacts on Earth.
This chapter provides an account of the present Egyptian impact cratering record as well as an ov... more This chapter provides an account of the present Egyptian impact cratering record as well as an overview of the Egyptian meteorite collection. The 45-m-diameter Kamil crater in the East Uweinat District in southwestern Egypt is so far the only confirmed impact crater in Egypt. Due to its exceptional state of preservation Kamil can be considered a type-structure for small-scale impacts on Earth. Enigmatic types of natural glasses including the Libyan Desert glass found in the Great Sand Sea and the Dakhleh glass found near Dakhla Oasis (note that Dakhla, Dakhleh and Dakhlah are transliterations) may be products of low-altitude airbursts of large and fragile cometary or asteroidal impactors. A number of circular, crater-shaped geological structures superficially resembling impact craters are discussed. To date the Egyptian meteorite collection totals 2 falls, including the ~10 kg Martian meteorite Nakhla that has served as a keystone for the understanding of magmatic differentiation processes on Mars, and 76 finds. With the exception of a minority of incidental findings, most Egyptian meteorite finds (~75%) were recovered over the last ~30 years from three dense meteorite collection areas, namely the El-Shaik Fedl, Great Sand Sea and Marsa Alam fields. The exceptional exposures of the Precambrian basement and Paleozoic to Cenozoic sedimentary covers in Egypt offer a good opportunity for the identification of new impact structures. Likewise, Egypt’s vast rocky desert surfaces are of great potential for the collection of meteorites through systematic searches. These prospects are fundamental ingredients for fostering the ongoing development of meteoritics and planetary science in Egypt as disciplines for future scientific endeavor in Africa.
Lizard and snake remains from the early Miocene (Burdigalian) of the Moghra Formation, Egypt, are... more Lizard and snake remains from the early Miocene (Burdigalian) of the Moghra Formation, Egypt, are described herein. This material comprises the first fossil remains of squamates recovered from the otherwise rich and well known vertebrate assemblage of Moghra. The material pertains to two different genera, the varanid lizard Varanus and the pythonid snake Python and adds to the so far rather poorly known squamate fossil record from Africa. On the basis of the new remains, Moghra marks the oldest so far described co-occurrence of Varanus and Python in the African continent. The close sympatry of these two genera in the African fossil record is thoroughly analyzed and discussed, a co-existence, which is still widespread in the extant herpetofauna of the continent. Situated rather close to the so called “Levantine Corridor” and dated at the Burdigalian, practically when Afro-Arabia collided with Eurasia, the Moghra squamate assemblage offers the potential of important insights in the bi...
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