a conglomerte bed as a possible lower boundary - Professor Kamal ...

CHAPTER TWO
STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY
CHAPTER TWO
STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY
2-1-Introduction
The present study deals with the lower boundary and Lower Member of the
Qulqula Formation. The field study showed that this part of the formation is well
exposed throughout the Thrust Zone, usually forming successions, along the
northeastern side of Kurra Kazahaw Mountain, southwestern side of both Avroman
and Qandil Mountains and north of Chuwarta–Mawat area. In these areas the lower
part, as a lower unit of the formation, consists mainly of successions of black (light
grey or white weathering) limestone. The number of these successions is more than
four (Karim, 2003).
Buday, (1980) mentioned that, in the type area, the formation consists of different
members. The lower member consists predominantly of moderately thickly bedded,
oolitic and detrital limestones with thick beds of white chert. Both limestone and chert
layers are interbedded with grey marly shale. The Middle Member is composed of
thinly bedded, red and grey and green shale with intercalation of cherty radiolarian
limestones and dark ferruginous shale. Moreover, he added that the upper part is
dominated by thick sequence of dark red ferruginous-siliceous shale and ruby
mudstone with occasional beds of oolitic and detrital limestones. The author
mentioned the presence of contemporaneous synsedimentary effusion rocks, but
they are not present in the type locality. Buday, (1980) cited that the extrusive rocks
(volcanic rocks) are diabase, but their stratigraphic position is not clear enough. He
also mentioned that limestone is very frequent in the Kani Manga – Nal Parez area.
Although these lithological characteristics are generally true but we have observed
the following variations:
2-2-Lithology of the Lower Member of the Qulqula Formation
This section is concerned with the lithology of the lower part and contact of the
formation which contains two main lithologies:
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