Stratigraphic Nomenclature

All the data are already published, non confidential, data.

Bab Member was first mentioned by T.H. HASSAN, G.C. MUDD & B.N. TWOMBLEY [1975]. The type-section is in the ADPC (Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company) well Bab (Murban) N° 2 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed Nov. 10, 1959), in the United Arab Emirates. It lies between drilled depths of 7,905 ft / 2,409.4 m and 8,024 ft / 2,445.7 m (119 ft / 36.3 m thick). It corresponds to the upper unit of the Shu'aiba Fm in the United Arab Emirates.

Bab Alloformation was defined by B. GRANIER [2000] as the interval comprised between drilled depths of 7,907 ft / 2,410.1 m and 8,024 ft / 2,445.8 m (117 ft / 35.7 m thick) in the same well as above. In terms of sequence stratigraphy, the lower boundary is sequence boundary corresponding to a forced regression; the upper boundary is a transgressive surface corresponding to the drowning of both the Bab (younger) and the Shu'aiba (older) carbonate platforms.

Biyadh Sandstone or Biyadh Fm was first mentioned by R.A. BRAMKAMP [1952, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]. The type-section is made of a two-part traverse near Ath Thulaymâ (lower part between lat. 24º06'38" N, long. 47º23'53" E and lat. 24º05'28" N, long. 47º38'07" E; upper part between lat. 24º00'03" N, long. 47º35'09" E and lat. 23º58'38" N, long. 47º41'37" E), in Saudi Arabia.

Burgan Fm was published by R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958]. The type-section is in the KOC (Kuwait Oil Company) well Burgan BG N° 113 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ?; completed ?), in SE Kuwait. It lies between drilled depths of 3,846 ft / 1,172.3 m and 5,025 ft / 1,531.6 m (1,179 ft / 359.4 m thick). It forms the basal unit of the Wasi'a Group.

Buwaib Fm was first mentioned by R.A. BRAMKAMP [1951, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]. The type-section is in Khashm Buwayb - Jâl Buwayb (lat. 25º15'03" N, long. 46º38'52" E), localities N of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia [Click to map 01]; a more complete sequence designated a reference locality by R.-W. POWERS, L.F. RAMIREZ, C.D. REDMOND & E.L. ELBERG Jr. [1966] is found near Khafs Daghrah (between lat. 23º53'51" N, long. 47º18'53" E and lat. 23º53'52" N, long. 47º19'53" E), a locality SSE of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia [Click to map 02].
Fossils described from this Fm include:

• Everticyclammina hensoni REDMOND 1964 {from a ditch sample covering the interval of 3,315-3,320 ft / 1,010.4-1,011.9 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) well Dammam N° 16 (lat. 26º19'55" N, long. 50º08'06" E), in Saudi Arabia},

• Everticyclammina contorta REDMOND 1964 {from a core sample from a depth of 5,263 ft / 1,604.2 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) well Abqaiq N° 62 (lat. 26º06'56" N, long. 49º46'08" E), in Saudi Arabia}.

Chrysalidina zone, first mentioned in Bahrain [1937, unpublished report], was also known as Valvulinella zone [1939, unpublished report]. It has been reported by R.-W. POWERS [1968] for a limestone layer bearing a distinctive foraminifer and providing highly reliable correlation (near the middle of the Buwaib Fm) over most of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries. The fossil marker is Paravalvulina arabica (HENSON 1948) [= Broeckinella arabica].

Habshan Fm was first mentioned by T.H. HASSAN, G.C. MUDD & B.N. TWOMBLEY [1975]. The type-section is in the ADPC (Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company) well Bab (Murban) N° 2 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed Nov. 10, 1959), in the United Arab Emirates. It lies between drilled depths of 9,525 ft / 2,903.2 m and 10,555 ft / 3,217.2 m (1,030 ft / 313.9 m thick).

Habshan Alloformation was defined by B. GRANIER [2000] as the interval comprised between drilled depths of 8,598 ft / 2,620.7 m and 9,103 ft / 2,774.6 m (505 ft / 153.9 m thick) in the ADMA (Abu Dhabi Marine Areas) well Zakum N° 1 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed Jan. 25, 1964). In the ADCO (Abu Dhabi Continental Area) well Bab N° 2, its lower boundary remains unchanged at 10,555 ft / 3,217.2 m while its upper boundary still needs to be properly defined.

Hawar Fm was first mentioned by W. SUGDEN [1953, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until W. SUGDEN & A.J. STANDRING [1975]. The type-section is in the QPC (Qatar Petroleum Company) well Kharaib N° 1 (lat. 25º27'09" N [107,839 N], long. 51º11'56" E [149,931 E]; alt. 136 ft / 41.5 m; completed Jun. 29, 1953), in central Qatar. It lies between drilled depths of 3,637 ft / 1,108.6 m and 3,689 ft / 1,124.4 m (52 ft / 15.8 m thick).

Hawar Alloformation, as defined by B. GRANIER [2000], is similar to the Hawar Fm. The type-section is to be found in the well QPC Kharaib N° 1; boundaries remain unchanged in this well.

Hith Anhydrite or Hith Fm was first mentioned by R.A. BRAMKAMP & T.C. BARGER [1938, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]; it was subsequently amended by R.-W. POWERS, L.F. RAMIREZ, C.D. REDMOND & E.L. ELBERG Jr. [1966]. The type-section is in Dahl Hìt (lat. 24º29'18" N, long. 47º00'06" E), a locality SE of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.

Kahmah Group was published by K.W. GLENNIE, M.G.A. BOEUF, M.W. HUGHES CLARKE, M. MOODY-STUART, W.F.H. PILAAR & B.M. REINHARDT [1974]. The type-area is located in Jebel Akhdar, in Oman.

Kharaib Fm was first mentioned by W. SUGDEN [1953, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until W. SUGDEN & A.J. STANDRING [1975]. The type-section is in the QPC (Qatar Petroleum Company) well Kharaib N° 1 (lat. 25º27'09" N [107,839 N], long. 51º11'56" E [149,931 E]; alt. 136 ft / 41.5 m; completed Jun. 29, 1953), in central Qatar. It lies between drilled depths of 3,689 ft / 1,124.4 m and 3,962 ft / 1,207.6 m (273 ft / 83.2 m thick) {in a joint QPC-ADPC [1963, unpublished report], it was found that the base was coined at 4,050 ft / 1,234.4 m (361 ft / 110.0 m thick)}. 
Fossils described from this interval include: 

• Cylindroporella sugdeni ELLIOTT 1957 {from a Fahud well (lat. ? 22º20' N, long. ? 56º30' E), in W Oman}.

Kharaib Alloformation, as defined by B. GRANIER [2000], is similar to the Kharaib Fm. The type-section is to be found in the well QPC Kharaib N° 1; boundaries remain unchanged in this well.

Lekhwair Fm was first mentioned by F. SCHERER [1969, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M.W. HUGHES CLARKE [1988]. According by T.H. HASSAN, G.C. MUDD & B.N. TWOMBLEY [1975], the type-section is in the PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) well Lekhwair N° 6 (lat. 2,528,064 N, long. 333,094 E; alt. 362 ft / 110.3 m; completed Jan. 11, 1969), in W Oman; it lies between drilled depths of 4,512 ft / 1,375.3 m and 5,616 ft / 1,711.8 m (1,104 ft / 336.5 m thick). Though, according to M.W. HUGHES CLARKE [1988], the type-section is in the PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) well Lekhwair N° 7 (lat. 22º45'47" N, long. 55º17'30" E), in W Oman; it lies between drilled depths of ? ft / ? m and ? ft / ? m (1,047 ft / 319.1 m thick)  [Click to log ]..

Lekhwair Alloformation, as defined by B. GRANIER [2000], is similar to the Lekhwair Fm. The type-section is to be found in the PDO well Lekhwair N° 7; boundaries remain unchanged in this well.

Nahr Umr Shale or Nahr Umr Fm was first mentioned by D. GLYNN JONES [1948, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958]. The type-section is in the BPC (Basrah Petroleum Company) well Nahr Umr N° 2 (lat. 30º44'15" N, long. 47º41'45" E; alt. 21.7 ft / 6.6 m; completed Mar. 4, 1950), in S Iraq. It lies between drilled depths of 8,688 ft / 2,648.1 m and 9,321 ft / 2,841.0 m (633 ft / 192.9 m thick). It forms the basal unit of the Wasi'a Group.

Nasr Fm was first mentioned in unpublished reports; this unvalid name was later quoted by M.D. SIMMONS [1994]. It corresponds to the upper unit of the Lekhwair Fm in the United Arab Emirates.

Rayda Fm was first mentioned by F. SCHERER [1969, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M.W. HUGHES CLARKE [1988]. The type-section is located in Jebel Akhdar (lat. 23º02'00" N, long. 57º41'30" E), in Oman. The stratotype as measured in E.A. HAAN, S.G. CORBIN, M.W. HUGHES CLARKE & J.E. MABILLARD [1990: Fig. 6-7] is 500 ± 50 ft / 150 ± 15 m thick.

Ratawi Fm was published by R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958]. The type-section is in the BPC (Basrah Petroleum Company) well Ratawi N° 1 wildcat (lat. 30º33'22" N, long. 47º05'45" E; alt. 107.9 ft / 32.9 m; completed Mar. 18, 1950), in S Iraq. It lies between drilled depths of 10,870 ft / 3,313.2 m and 11,585 ft / 3,531.1 m (715 ft / 217.9 m thick).

Sabsab Fm was first mentioned W. SUGDEN & A.J. STANDRING [1975]. The type-section is in the QPC (Qatar Petroleum Company) well Dukhan N° 27 (lat. 90,681 N, long. 101,367 E; alt. 52 ft / 15.9 m; completed Jan. 24, 1952), in W Qatar. It lies between drilled depths of 3,763 ft / 1,147.2 m and 3,902 ft / 1,189.5 m (139 ft / 42.4 m thick).

Salil Fm was first mentioned by F. SCHERER [1969, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M.W. HUGHES CLARKE [1988]. The type-section is located in Jebel Akhdar (lat. 23º02'00" N, long. 57º41'30" E), in Oman. The stratotype as measured in E.A. HAAN, S.G. CORBIN, M.W. HUGHES CLARKE & J.E. MABILLARD [1990: Fig. 6] is 630 ± 65 ft / 192 ± 20 m thick.

Shu'aiba Fm was first mentioned by P.M.V. RABANIT [1951, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958]; it was subsequently amended by H.V. DUNNINGTON, R. WETZEL & D.M. MORTON [1959]. The type-section is in the BPC (Basrah Petroleum Company) well Zubair N° 3 (lat. 30º23'01" N, long. 47º43'29" E; alt. 51.9 ft / 15.8 m; completed Feb. 21, 1951), in S Iraq. It lies between drilled depths of 9,962 ft / 3,036.4 m and 10,132 ft / 3,088.2 m (170 ft / 51.8 m thick) {in the original version [1958], it was found that the top was coined at 9,870 ft / 3,008.4 m (262 ft / 79.9 m thick)}.

Sulaiy Fm was first mentioned by R.A. BRAMKAMP & T.C. BARGER [1938, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]; it was subsequently amended by R.-W. POWERS, L.F. RAMIREZ, C.D. REDMOND & E.L. ELBERG Jr. [1966]. The type-section is in Dahl Hìt (lat. 24º29'18" N, long. 47º00'06" E), a locality SE of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.
Fossils described from this Fm include:

• Bramkampella arabica REDMOND 1964 {from an outcrop sample next to Khashm Buwayb (lat. 25º16'07" N, long. 46º37'37" E), in Saudi Arabia},

• Pseudocyclammina sulaiyana REDMOND 1964 {from a sample covering the interval of 10-15 ft / 3.0-4.6 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) drill hole T N° 35 (lat. 23º55'08" N, long. 47º15'42" E), in Saudi Arabia}.

Thamama Group was published by M. STEINEKE & R.A. BRAMKAMP [1952]; it was subsequently amended by R.-W. POWERS, L.F. RAMIREZ, C.D. REDMOND & E.L. ELBERG Jr. [1966]. The type-section is in Khashm ath Thamâmah (" lat. 25º15'03" N, " long. 46º38'52" E), a locality N of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, the Thamama Group is bracketed by the Hith Anhydrite below and the Wasi'a Group above. On outcrop, it comprises from base to top of the Sulaiy Fm, the Yamama Fm, the Buwaib Fm, and the Biyadh Sandstone; in terms of the subsurface sequence, beds not represented on outcrop include the upper part of the Biyadh Fm and the Shu'aiba Fm.

Wasi'a Fm was first mentioned by M. STEINEKE [1937, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]. The type-section is near Wasì' / Wasia (between lat. 24º23'04" N, long. 47º45'12" E and lat. 24º22'38" N, long. 47º45'49" E), in Saudi Arabia.
See: Wasi'a Group.

Wasi'a Group was first mentioned by M. STEINEKE [1937, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]. It was raised to group rank by R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958].
See: Wasi'a Fm.

Yamama Fm was first mentioned by M. STEINEKE [1937, unpublished report], but it was not validly published until M. STEINEKE, R.A. BRAMKAMP & N.J. SANDER [1958]; it was subsequently amended by R.-W. POWERS, L.F. RAMIREZ, C.D. REDMOND & E.L. ELBERG Jr. [1966]. The type-section is made of a number of pieced together short exposures on the Al Qusay'â' upland (lower part between lat. 24º00'37" N, long. 47º15'40" E and lat. 24º00'13" N, long. 47º16'54" E; next part between lat. 24º01'04" N, long. 47º19'01" E and lat. 24º00'48" N, long. 47º19'08" E; upper part between lat. 24º02'47" N, long. 47º20'20" E and lat. 24º02'42" N, long. 47º20'27" E), localities SE of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.
Fossils described from this Fm include:

• Pseudocyclammina cylindrica REDMOND 1964 {from a sample covering the interval of 30-35 ft / 9.1-12.2 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) drill hole T N° 32 (lat. 23º54'56" N, long. 47º19'11" E), in Saudi Arabia},

• Everticyclammina eccentrica REDMOND 1964 {from a ditch sample covering the interval of 3,485-3,490 ft / 1,062.2-1,063.8 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) well Dammam N° 16 (lat. 26º19'55" N, long. 50º08'06" E), in Saudi Arabia},

• Everticyclammina elegans REDMOND 1964 {from a junk basket core from a depth interval of 4,980-4,982 ft / 1,517.9-1,518.5 m in the AAOC (Arabian American Oil Company) well Ain Dar N° 60 (lat. 25º37'35" N, long. 49º14'40" E), in Saudi Arabia}.

Zakum Member was first mentioned by T.H. HASSAN, G.C. MUDD & B.N. TWOMBLEY [1975]. The type-section is in the ADMA (Abu Dhabi Marine Areas) well Zakum N° 1 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed Jan. 25, 1964), in the United Arab Emirates. It lies between drilled depths of 8,001 ft / 2,438.7 m and 8,243 ft / 2,512.5 m (242 ft / 73.8 m thick). It corresponds to the lower unit of the Lekhwair Fm in the United Arab Emirates.
Fossils described from this interval include: 

• Cylindroporella cruciformis GRANIER et BRUN 1991 {from a core sample from a depth of 6,726.5 ft / 2,050.25 m in the TOTAL well Abu Al Bu Khoosk N° 41 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed ?), in the United Arab Emirates}, 

• Holosporella arabica GRANIER et BRUN 1991 {from a core sample from a depth of 6,726.5 ft / 2,050.25 m in the TOTAL well Abu Al Bu Khoosk N° 41 (lat. ? N, long. ? E; alt. ? m; completed ?), in the United Arab Emirates}.

Zakum Alloformation, as defined by B. GRANIER [2000], is almost similar to the Zakum Member. The type-section is to be found in the ADMA well Zakum N° 1.  There it lies between drilled depths of 8,002 ft / 2,439.0 m and 8,241 ft / 2,511.9 m (239 ft / 72.9 m thick) in the same well as above. In terms of sequence stratigraphy, the lower boundary is a transgressive surface (and a sequence boundary) corresponding to the drowning of the Belbazem platform; the upper boundary is also a transgressive surface (and a sequence boundary).

Zubair Fm was published by R.M.S. OWEN & S.N. NASR [1958]. The type-section is in the BPC (Basrah Petroleum Company) well Zubair N° 24 (lat. 30º22'00" N, long. 47º36'46" E; alt. 42.5 ft / 13.0 m; completed Aug. 22, 1953), in S Iraq. It lies between drilled depths of 10,368 ft / 3,160.2 m and 11,645 ft / 3,549.4 m (1277 ft / 389.2 m thick).