Stratigraphy and facies development of the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary succession in Wadi Feiran area, southwestern Sinai, Egypt

The rocks are subdivided from base to top into the following formations: Raha, Wata, Matulla, Sudr, Esna, Thebes and Samalut. Fourteen carbonate and siliciclastic microfacies types are categorized as wackestones (ostracodal and pelagic), wackestones/ packstones (molluscan, miliolid, echinoidal and foraminiferal), grainstones (interclastic peloidal ooidal, oolitic and bioclastic), nummulitic floatstones, dolomitic sherry rudstones, bioclastic dolostones and calcareous quartz arenite. The macro- and microfaunal content as well as microfacies analysis suggest that the Upper Cretaceous - Lower Tertiary succession has been deposited in an environment ranging from shallow marine subtidal and intertidal with influx of terrigenous supply (Raha Formation), quiet open subtidal, graded to oolite shoals and tidal bars (Wata Formation), oscillating between shallow inner shelf and intertidal zone with high terrigenous supply (Matulla Formation), open deep marine outer shelf with quiet conditions (Esna, Sudr and Thebes formations) and reefal shallow marine condition (Samalut Formation).