--> ABSTRACT: Miocene Platform-Margin Reefs, Gulf of Suez, Egypt, by Noel P. James, Brian Rosen, and Mario Coniglio; #91030 (2010)

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Miocene Platform-Margin Reefs, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Noel P. James, Brian Rosen, Mario Coniglio

Jebel Abu Shaar is a completely dolomitized carbonate platform atop a crystalline basement horst on the western side of the Gulf of Suez. Margins of the platform, where not removed by synsedimentary faulting, are formed by well-developed coral reefs.

The massive reef carbonates consistently illustrate two stages of growth: a basal paucispecific unit of branching coral bafflestone, mostly Stylophora and a thicker upper unit of diverse coral framestone, dominated by faviids. In the upper unit, the reef crest is massive columnar Porites and less common Caulastrea framestone. The back-reef is a framestone of diverse faviids, mainly Montastrea, Favites, and Tarbellastrea, and interbedded reef-flat rhodolite rudstones. The back-reef and reef-flat facies grade onshelf into Stylophora bafflestone biostromes and faviid bioherms. The reef front is a shallow to intermediate depth zone of numerous and diverse faviids, dominated by Montastrea and Acanthastrea framestones, bioclastic sands, and hardgrounds. Deeper zones are mostly small Acantha trea mounds or rhodolite/bivalve rudstones with scattered faviids and Acanthastrea. Synsedimentary lithification, internal sedimentation, and bioerosion prevail throughout.

A deep-water, slope-parallel biostrome of ahermatypic corals, dominated by Dendrophyllia and containing numerous Balanophyllia and Madracis, is present 10 km north of Abu Shaar. Corals are well cemented by numerous rinds of marine cement which is overlain by geopetal internal sediment containing planktonic foraminifers and pteropods.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.