Ifal Fm

Period:

Neogene

Age Interval:

Pliocene, Sa3

Province:
Red Sea (Saudi Arabia)

Type Locality and Naming

The Ifal Formation refers to the siliciclastic sediments of the lower Lisan Gr . The name of the Ifal Formation is taken from the Ifal Plain in the Midyan area. It was originally used as the Ifal Fm of Bokhari (1981). The Ifal Formation is defined in the Auxerap/Tenneco exploration well Yuba-1 (YUBA-1: 27°46′00.39″N, 38°08′42.93″E) between 2,541–4,011 ft (1,470 ft, 448.2 m thick), offshore coastal Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Column: Red Sea Saudi Arabia. Lowermost formation in Lisan Gr

Synonym: lower Ifal Fm

Lithology and Thickness

he Ifal Formation refers to the siliciclastic sediments of the Lisan Group, and consists of fine- and coarse-grained sandstones and siltstones.

Lithology Pattern:

Fine-grained sandstone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

The formation is disconformable on the Ghawwas Fm. The disconformable contact at the base of the Ghawwas is considered to probably be nonconformable as it is related to the tectonic event that preceded the opening of the Gulf of Aqaba at the Pliocene/Miocene boundary." (Hughes and Johnson, 2005)

Upper contact

Disconformably overlain by carbonates of the Badr Formation

Regional extent

The Ifal Formation is widely distributed along the margins of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea in both the surface and sub-surface. The Ifal Formation is equivalent to the Wardan Fm of the Gulf of Suez and Red Sea (Hughes and Beydoun, 1992).

GeoJSON

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Fossils

"Planktonic Zone N21 (Late Pliocene) based on the first downhole occurrence of Globigerinoides extremus; Nannofossil Zone NN17 (Late Pliocene) based on the first downhole occurrence of Dicoaster pentaradiatus; Nannofossil Zone ?NN16–15 (Late to Early Pliocene) based on the first downhole occurrence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilica and of Sphenolithus moriformis. It has yielded sparse dinocyst assemblages typified by Tuberculodinium vancampoae." (Hughes et al., 1999)

Age

The Ifal Formation is Pliocene in age based on correlation with the Wardan Fm in the Gulf of Suez, that is dated on planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils evidence recovered from the Wardan Formation in the Gulf of Suez. Based on the cited micro-paleo and the implied breakup unconformity for the opening of the Gulf of Aqaba at the Pliocene/Miocene boundary, then its base is put as mid-Zanclean; similar to the Mideast timescale 2008 chart.

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Zanclean

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.5

Beginning date (Ma):

4.47

Ending stage:

Piacenzian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

1.0

Ending date (Ma):

2.58

Depositional setting

" The depositional environment of the Ifal Formation is shallow to marginal marine. The shallow-marine paleoenvironmental interpretation is based on the presence of distinctive benthonic foraminifera such as Elphidium and Ammonia species. In the Gulf of Suez, the Wardan Fm contains moderately deep-marine benthonic foraminiferal assemblages." (Hugest and Johnson, 2005)

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

Hughes, G.W., Johnson, R.S., 2005. Lithostratigraphy of the Red Sea Region. GeoArabia, 10: 49-126. And Middle East Geological Timescale 2008 Al-Husseini, Journal of Middle East Petroleum Geosciences v 13. no. 4. Plus Hughes, G.W., Grainger, D.J., Abu-Bshait, A-J., and Jarad, A-R. M., 1999. Lithostratigraphy and depositional history of part of the Midyan Region, northwest Saudi Arabia. GeoArabia, 4: 503-542..