Cenozoic

Mesozoic

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Belayim Formation

Belayim Fm

Period:

Neogene

Age Interval:

Langhian-Serravallian

Province:
Sudan E

Type Locality and Naming

Red Sea coastal area of Sudan. It is encountered only in two wells, Durwara-2 and Digna-1 wells with different facies (Eltayib, 2022).

Reference section: Eltayib, 2016; Eltayib et al., 2019; Eltayib, 2022; Elkareem et al., 2022

[Figure 1. Index map of the Red Sea showing extent of the Red Sea Basin total petroleum system (from Lindquist, 1998).]

[Figure 2. Syn- and Post-Rift Red Sea Stratigraphy - Oligocene to Recent (from Lindquist, 1998)]

[Figure 3. Pre-Rift Red Sea Stratigraphy - Precambrian to Oligocene (from Lindquist, 1998).]

[Figure 4. Index map of the Red Sea region showing generalized geology and discussed locations (after Mitchell and others, 1992, extracted from Lindquist, 1998).]

[Figure 5. Lithostratigraphic Column of the Study Area (Modified After Eltayib, 2016, from Eltayib et al., 2019).]

[Figure 6. Stratigraphic column for the Sudanese Red Sea, based on surface geology and limited coastal exploration wells (after Bunter, 1989). Extracted from]

Lithology and Thickness

The Belayim Formation is represented by sandstone and shale at the top and two main anhydrite beds at the bottom separated by shale interbeds. It is encountered in two wells in the area, Durwara-2 and Digna-1 with different facies. In the Durwara-2 well, the Belayim Formation is represented by sandstone and shale at the top and two main anhydrite beds at the bottom separated by shale inter-beds (thickness of 527m). The lithology changes in form of intercalation carbonate facies, thin anhydrite and shale beds. In Digna-1 well the thickness is about thickness of 429m (Eltayib, 2016; Eltayib et al., 2019).

Lithology Pattern:

Gypsiferous claystone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Kareem Fm, conformably

Upper contact

Dunganab Fm, conformably

Regional extent

Red Sea coastal area of Sudan.

GeoJSON

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Fossils

Age

Middle Miocene -- Langhian- lower Serravallian

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Langhian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.0

Beginning date (Ma):

15.99

Ending stage:

Serravallian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

0.33

Ending date (Ma):

13.10

Depositional setting

The depositional environment indicates alternating conditions of normal salinity and hypersalinity (Yagoub, 2007), shallow marine (Elkareem et al., 2022)

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

Enam O. Obiosio, Solomon Joshua Avong and Henry Nasir Suleiman (2024) - Stratigraphic Lexicon compiled from the following publications:

Bunter, M.A.G. and Abdel Magid, A.E.M. (1989): The Sudanese Red Sea: New Development in Stratigraphy and Petroleum Geological Evolution. Jour. Petroleum Geology, 12: 145-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-5457.1989.tb00230.x

Elkareem, E.M.I.A., Osman, W.R., Ferguson, A.J., Warren, J.K. and Mohamed, N.E. (2022): New Evidence of the Holokinetic Sequences around Suakin-1 and -2 in the Sudanese Red Sea Area Using Integrated Geophysical Interpretation. International Journal of Geosciences, 13: 483-497. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2022.136026

Eltayib, S.H.M.A., Abdelrahman, E.S.M., Ibrahim, A.S.M., Al-Imam, O.A.O.. (2019): Sedimentary petro graphic characteristics of Zeit Formation (Suakin-1 Well) in Sudanese Red Sea Basin. Int Jour Advanced Geosciences. 7: 10-17.

Yagoub, A.M. (2007): Preliminary sequence stratigraphy and tectonic evolution of the Tokar Delta, (Southern Sudanese Red Sea). Qatar Univ. Sci . J. 27: 85- 98.