A New Hiatus within the Lutetian of the El Basatin Section,Gebel Mokattam,Egypt:Field and Sedimentological Observations,with Special Emphasis on Nummulites

The Eocene succession of the El Basatin Section in Gebel Mokattam, east of Cairo, consists, from base to top, of two main units; the Mokattam and Maadi Formations. The Mokattam Formation consists of two Members, the Building Stone Member and the Giushi Member. The Upper Building Stone Member yielded six species of Nummulites belonging to the Upper Lutetian. These species are: Nummulites farisi Hussein et al., 2004; Nummulites cf. praegizehensis Boukhary and Hussein‐Kamel, 1993; Nummulites cf. gizehensis (Forskål, 1775); Nummulites discorbinus (Schlotheim 1820) and Arxina schwageri (Silvestri, 1928) emended by Boukhary et al. 2012 and Nummulites crassichordatus Boukhary et al., 2010. The Giushi Member yielded three species that indicate a Bartonian age. These species, which continued from their first appearance in the Upper Building Stone Members, are N. discorbinus, A. schwageri and N. crassichordatus. The Maadi Formation, which has been previously considered to be of Bartonian–Priabonian age, is devoid of fossils in the study section. The two members of the Mokattam Formation represent a carbonate platform facies. The deposition of the Upper Building Stone Member was disturbed during the Lutetian by slumping and a convolute‐bedding interval, indicating a short hiatus. The subsequent regression resulted in a very shallow marine to near‐shore facies in the above Maadi Formation.