Burial history determination of the Triassic succession of Central and Northern Tunisia using clay minerals

The Oued Belif 48 and Koudiat El Halfa 5 borehole samples have been analysed in order to reveal the mineralogical composition of the Triassic successions and their burial history within the geological evolution of the Tethysian southern margin. Oued Belif 48 borehole belongs to Nefza district which is a part of the “Nappe zone” (Tellian unit, north-western Tunisia). Koudiat El Halfa 5 borehole crosses the Koudiat El Halfa diapir (north–west of the north–south axis, Central Atlas). In this paper, the burial degree of evaporitic Triassic samples was determined by the “illite crystallinity” index and by the evolution of the other phyllosilicates, essentially chlorite, talc and illite/chlorite and illite/smectite mixed layers. The studied samples of the two boreholes are characterized by the presence of abundant clay minerals. The <2-μm grain-size fraction of the samples is mostly composed of illite, chlorite and smectite and may contain a slight percentage of swelling layers (illite/smectite and illite/chlorite). The illite crystallinity value measured on ethylene glycol solvated oriented mounts of the Oued Belif 48 samples oscillates globally between 1 and 2.5 characterizing the epizonal zone with a range of 300–400 °C temperatures. The measures of Koudiat El Halfa 5 samples crystallinity index show a value ranging from 2 to 4, which indicates the anchizone and early epizone burial stage (temperatures around 200 °C). These data can be explained by Miocene magmatic activities characterizing the Triassic material of Nefza district and also by burial phenomena effects.