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Esari Formation
Click to display on map of the Ancient World at:
Esari Fm base reconstruction

Esari Fm

Period: 
Cretaceous

Age Interval: 
Coniacian-Campanian


Province: 
Sudan E

Type Locality and Naming

Khartoum Basin, central Sudan.

Synonym: Es Sari Fm (used by Gibreel (Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, 2015)), Essari Fm

Reference: Awad (1994), A. Gibreel (2015)

[Fig. 1: Khartoum Basin is #8 on map (Fig.3 in Awad, 1994)]

[Fig. 2: Khartoum Basin stratigraphy and depositional sequences (pg. 17 in A. Gibreel, 2015)]


Lithology and Thickness

" The formation is composed mainly of claystone, sandstone and minor siltstone. The sandstone is fairly consolidated, fine- to medium-grained, occasionally coarse-grained with pyrite and coal fragments in places. The claystone is silty, predominantly reddish brown in the lower part and varicoloured with greenish grey and brownish colour dominating in the lower part." (Awad, 1994) Its thickness varies from 180 m (type well AAF-1) to 341 m (well AAF-2).


Lithology Pattern: 
Clayey sandstone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Overlies the Mansur Fm

Upper contact

Major unconformity (entire Maastrichtian-Danian) to the overlying Wad Medani Fm

Regional extent

Khartoum Basin, central Sudan.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

Spores (Ariadnaesporites longiprocessum); Pollen (Scabratriporites simpliformis, Scabratriporttes samoilovitchii, Monocolpopollenites spheroidites, Auriculiidites reticulatus, Zlivisporis blanensis, Aquilapollenites sp. sensu SALAMI 1990, Proteacidites sigalii, Syncolporites marginatus, Pediculisporis reticulatus, Retidiporites tnagdalenensis, Echitriporites trianguliformis, Proxapertites operculatus); Freshwater alga (Pedistrum sp.). (Awad, 1994)


Age 

Coniacian-Campanian according to A. Gibreel (Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, 2015); although Awad (1994) interpreted it as Campanian-Maastrichtian.

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Coniacian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.0

    Beginning date (Ma): 
89.39

    Ending stage: 
Campanian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
72.17

Depositional setting

Shallow lacustrine and/ or flood-plain environments (Awad, 1994)


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

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

Awad, M.Z., 1994. Stratigraphic, Palynological and Paleoecological Studies in the East-Central Sudan (Khartoum and Kosti Basins), Late Jurassic to Mid-Tertiary. Berliner Geowiss. Abh. 161: 163 pp.

Gibreel, Ahmed (Section Head G&G Studies, Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, Republic of Sudan(, 2015. Hydrocarbon potential and resources in Sudan. [Slide presentation at UNCTAD, 17th Africa OILGASMINE, Khartoum, 23-26 Nov 2015]. https://unctad.org/system/files/non-official-document/17OILGASMINE%20Ahmed%20Gibreel%20Ahmed%20El-Amain%20S1.pdf