P20: PALEO-ENVIRONMENTAL AND PETROGRAPHICAL TRENDS WITHIN THE EOCENE TO OLIGOCENE CARBONATES OF THE AL-AIN REGION, UAE

This research focused on the paleo-environmental implications of lithofacies variations and fossil assemblages, which reveal the paleoecology and depositional environment of the Eocene-Oligocene carbonates rocks, including an explanation of why their facies differ so markedly from the surrounding equivalents. These Tertiary carbonate rocks in Al-Ain area, UAE, are represented by the Lower Eocene Rus, Middle to Upper Eocene Dammam, and Early Oligocene Asmari formations, that are well-exposed in Jabal Hafit Anticline and at Jabals Malaqet and Mundassa. These formations are composed mainly of carbonate rocks, including grainstones, packstones, wackestones and lime mudstones. The Eocene to Oligocene carbonates are also rich in fossils: molluscs, echinoids, foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, ostracods, calcareous algae, bryozoa and corals. These formations have regional extent; however, the Rus and Dammam in the Al-Ain region are substantially different in thickness, sedimentary structures, facies assemblages and fossils to the surrounding regions.