Middle Permian (Midian) foraminiferal assemblages from the Batain plain (Eastern Oman) : their significance to neothethyan paleogeography

155

Journal of Foraminiferal Research, v. 32, no. 2, p. 155–172, April 2002

MIDDLE PERMIAN (MIDIAN) FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLAGES FROM THEBATAIN PLAIN (EASTERN OMAN): THEIR SIGNIFICANCE TO

NEOTETHYAN PALEOGEOGRAPHY

DANIEL VACHARD1, MARC HAUSER2, ROSSANA MARTINI3, LOUISETTE ZANINETTI3, ALBERT MATTER2,AND TJERK PETERS2

ABSTRACT

Exceptionally rich Permian fusulinid assemblages,varying in age from Yakhtashian to Dzhulfian, werefound in reworked limestone blocks from conglomeratesof the Aseelah Unit, recently defined in the Batain Plainand dated possibly as Upper Triassic. This paper onlydeals with the Middle Permian, Midian (� Capitanian)microfaunas from the conglomerates.

The Aseelah Unit is found associated with the TriassicSal Formation, tectonically overlying the Qarari Unit,and is dated as Middle to Late Permian based on am-monoid assemblages and conodonts. The boulders of theAseelah Unit are composed of exclusively Permian skel-etal limestones in a sandy matrix; the limestones weredeposited on a shallow marine shelf environment fromthe southern Neotethys. The Qarari Unit is interpretedas a hemipelagic series deposited on the distal slope ofthe Arabian carbonate platform.

The Midian foraminifers from the Batain Plain aresimilar to some assemblages of Transcaucasia, of theAbadeh area (Iran), of SW Turkey (Taurus Mountains),and some, especially the Neoschwagerinidae, exhibit af-finities with microfaunas of the eastern Tethys terranesof Japan. However, similar Neoschwagerinid assembla-ges were not found in any significant area of the ArabianPeninsula (Oman Mountains, Huqf-Haushi area, andKhuff area).

INTRODUCTION

In the course of a geological mapping and research pro-gram in the Batain Plain (East Oman), Permian fusulinidassemblages varying in age from Yakhtashian to Dzhulfian(Hauser and others, 2000), were found in reworked lime-stone boulders from conglomerates of the Aseelah Unit, asrecently defined by Peters and others (2001). Permian fu-sulinid-bearing limestones are well known in the so-called‘‘Oman Exotics’’, and in series which display an ‘‘OmanExotics’’ facies (Glennie and others, 1974) from severalplaces in Oman, especially from the Oman Mountains.These authors used the fusulinids as facies- and age-diag-nostic microfossils, and defined a ‘‘Microfossils zone I (theFusulinid Zone)’’, which embraces Permian sediments from

1 Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, U.F.R. des Sci-ences de la Terre, UPRESA 8014 du CNRS, Laboratoire de Paleon-tologie du Paleozoıque, F-59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France.E-mail: [email protected]

2 Mineralogisch-petrographisches Institut und Geologisches Institut,Universitat Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. E-mail:[email protected]

3 Departement de Geologie et Paleontologie, 13 rue des Maraıchers,CH-1211 Geneve, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected]

the autochthonous Hajar Super-Group and the allochthonousHawasina sediments, occurring predominantly in the ‘‘Ex-otics’’.

In the present paper, only the Midian fusulinids, and as-sociated microfauna and microflora, from the conglomeratesof the Aseelah Unit are described. An attempt is made tocompare the new findings with other occurrences of similarage in the Tethys Realm. Also the resemblance of the mi-crofauna from the Batain Plain with eastern Tethyan assem-blages of Japan (Akiyoshi and Akasaka Group; Kobayashi,1997a and 1999) is established. This provides the basis fora new palaeogeographic scheme of the Arabian peninsula inthe Late Midian/Early Dzhulfian, and for a correlation ofglobal faunal provinces.

GEOLOGICAL SETTING

The Batain Plain extends South of the province of Sur,about 130 km NE-SW and 40 km in the E-W direction (Fig.1). It is delimited to the North by the Gulf of Oman and tothe East by the Arabian Sea. The Wahibah Sands separatethe Batain Plain in the West from Interior Oman. The BatainPlain comprises the Batain Nappes (Fig. 2), composed ofPermian to Maastrichtian marine sediments as well as vol-canic rocks, and the eastern Ophiolite Nappe (Roger andothers, 1991; Bechennec and others, 1992; Wyns and others,1992). Recent sand and gravel deposits cover an extensivepart of the area. Tectonically the Batain Plain is character-ised by intense folding and thrusting, indicating a W-NWdirected nappe transport and obduction of the Batain nappesonto the Arabian continent (Schreurs and Immenhauser,1999). The Batain Nappes are unconformably overlain byautochthonous Late Paleocene to Miocene continental sili-ciclastics, and shallow marine limestones.

Fossiliferous Permian boulders are widely distributed inthe Batain Plain. They are part of the Aseelah Unit, whichis composed of calcareous sandstones and conglomerates ofunsorted polymict limestones in a sandy matrix. Bouldersof these conglomerates yield, in contrast to other conglom-erates from the Batain Plain, an exclusively Permian shal-low marine macro- and microfauna. The fusulinid-bearingoutcrops of the Aseelah Unit are scattered in the BatainPlain, often in tectonic contact with the Qarari Unit, orfound associated with the Triassic Sal Formation (Hauserand others, 2001).

PREVIOUS WORK

Conglomerates of reworked Permian limestones havebeen previously mapped in the Batain area as Ibra Forma-tion by Glennie and others (1974), or were included as lime-stone megabreccia in the Batain Melange by Shackleton andothers (1990, Fig. 2). Roger and others (1991), Bechennec

156 D. VACHARD AND OTHERS

FIGURE 1. Map of the Batain Plain showing locations of the sam-pled outcrops of the Aseelah Unit.

FIGURE 2. Overview of the stratigraphy of Oman, showing the different stratigraphic subdivisions in the Batain Plain, and the stratigraphicposition of the Aseelah Unit.

and others (1992), and Wyns and others (1992) attributedthe Permian conglomerates from the Batain Plain generallyto the Al Jil Formation. Based on new studies, Immenhauserand others (1998) considered the Al Jil Formation as partof their newly introduced Batain Group. Pillevuit (1993) andPillevuit and others (1997) extended the classification con-cept of Searle and Graham (1982) to subdivide the ‘‘OmanExotics’’ according to their depositional sequence, and intodifferent palaeogeographic units; they integrated these unitsinto a modern scheme of the Neotethyan evolution, and as-signed the exotic blocks of the Batain Plain to the ‘‘re-worked Permian platform limestones in the Hawasina ba-sin’’. Finally, Hauser and others (2000) published a prelim-inary lithological and palaeontological description of theAseelah Unit.

LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY

The Aseelah Unit is defined by Peters and others (2001)as a conglomerate which consists exclusively of reworkedPermian limestone boulders normally in a sandy matrix, as-sociated with a whitish coarse grained sandstone or sandycalcarenite. The varicolored clast-supported conglomerate ismoderately to very poorly sorted. At the type-locality 3 kmSW of Aseelah (Fig. 1), the unit displays 5–10 m-thickchannel-fills, composed of limestone conglomerates whichpass upwards into a 20 m-thick succession of 0.5–3 m-thicklarge-scale cross-bedded white sandstone beds. The con-glomerate consists of centimeter to meter-sized componentsof skeletal lagoonal and reefal limestones with a diversifiedassemblage of algae, smaller foraminifers, fusulinids, corals,bryozoans, brachiopods, etc. The fusulinid-bearing lime-stones are found as boulders in the conglomerate, or as iso-

157MIDDLE PERMIAN FORAMINIFERA FROM OMAN

FIGURE 3. Section of Bu Fashiqah outcrop (UTM coord. 775769/2468896), (A) in the overturned exposure, (B) replaced in the stratigraphicposition (modified after Wyns and others, 1992).

lated blocks in the Batain Plain. At the locality 5 km NWof Bu Fashiqah (Fig. 1), the Aseelah Unit (about 15 m thick)is intercalated between dolomitized mudstones and grey cal-carenites of the upper part of the Sal Formation, dated hereas Early Norian by the conodont Epigondolella (Fig. 3). Atthis locality, the Aseelah Unit is in tectonic contact with theQarari Unit, of Roadian and Dzhulfian age according to am-monoids and conodonts, respectively (Peters and others,2001). The lower part of the Sal Formation (Hauser andothers, 2001), of Early to Middle Triassic age, is missing.

MICROFACIES AND ASSEMBLAGES

The Aseelah conglomerate is made up of centimeter tometer-sized Permian shallow marine limestone blocks andboulders and rare reworked volcanics. The bioclastic faciesof the clasts are wackestones, packstones, grainstones and

rudstones containing a Yakhtashian to Dzhulfian microfauna(fusulines and smaller foraminifers) and microflora; sphinc-tozoa sponges, rugosa corals, brachiopods and fenestellidbryozoa are common in the limestone blocks. Only the Mi-dian micropaleontological associations of the sampled lime-stone blocks are described below.

LIMESTONE BLOCK H132 (6 km SSW of Sal–UTM coord.766323/2441950): Bioclastic and intraclastic floatstone withSphinctozoa (secondarily silicified), sparitized siliceoussponges, tabulate Sinopora, gastropods, bryozoa, brachio-pods, trilobites, crinoids;

ALGAE AND PSEUDO-ALGAE: Spongiostromata, Archaeo-lithoporella hidensis Endo, Kochanskyella tulipa Milan-ovic, Parachaetetes sp. (silicified); Sphairionia galinae(Vachard and others in press: nomen nudum), Tubiphytesobscurus Maslov (various morphotypes);


FORAMINIFERS: Diplosphaerina inaequalis (Derville),Ataxophragmiidae gen. sp. indet. (Pl. 1, Figs 1–2), Neoen-dothyra reicheli Reitlinger (Pl. 1, Figs 3–6), Linendothyradnopha (Lin) (Pl. 1, Fig. 7), Climacammina sp., Polytaxissp., Abadehella sp., Globivalvulina sp., Dagmarita chan-akchiensis Reitlinger, Lasiodiscus cf. tenuis Reichel, Lasi-otrochus hajnehajensis Pantic (Pl. 1, Figs 16–18), Nanki-nella cf. orbicularia Lee, Yangchienia sp. 1 (Pl. 2, Figs 4–5), Rauserella cf. wusuliensis Han (Pl. 2, Fig. 2), Dunba-rula nana Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs, Dunbarula (?)cf. cascadensis (Thompson and others) (Pl. 2, Fig. 13), Rei-chelina cribroseptata Erk (Pl. 3, Figs 1–6), Kahlerinapachytheca Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs (Pl. 3, Fig. 8),Chusenella (?) sp. (Pl. 3, Figs 12–13), Glomospiroides sp.,Pseudovermiporella sodalica Elliott, Hemigordius cf. harl-toni Cushman and Waters, Neodiscus plectogyraeformis Linand others (Pl. 6, Fig. 2), Baisalina aff. hunanica Lin (Pl.6, Figs 3–4), ‘‘Glomospira’’ ex gr. guangxiensis Lin (Pl. 6,Fig. 1), Streblospira (?) sp. (Pl. 6, Fig. 10), Geinitzina sp.,Pachyphloia sp., Protonodosaria sp., Nodosaria sp. (Pl. 6,Fig. 16).

LIMESTONE BLOCK H133 (6 km SSW of Sal—UTM coord.766323/2441950): Bioclastic and intraclastic rudstone, par-tially silicified, with tabulata corals, bryozoa, brachiopods,ostracods, crinoids;

ALGAE AND PSEUDO-ALGAE: Archaeolithoporella hiden-sis Endo, Koivaella sp., Mizzia sp., Kochanskyella tulipaMilanovic, Parachaetetes sp., Tubiphytes obscurus Maslov;

FORAMINIFERS: Neoendothyra ex gr. reicheli Reitlinger(with siliceous agglutinate), Neoendothyra sp., Globival-vulina sp., Dagmarita chanakchiensis Reitlinger, Nankinel-la sp., Yangchienia sp. 2, Dunbarula nana Kochansky-De-vide and Ramovs, Reichelina cribroseptata Erk, Chusenel-la (?) sp., Glomospirella (?) sp., Streblospira (?) sp., Pseu-dovermiporella longipora (Praturlon), Nodosaria spp.,Pachyphloia sp.

LIMESTONE BLOCK H489 (8 km N of the village Bu Fa-shiqah—UTM coord. 776242/2472356): Bioclastic rudstonewith corals, brachiopods, ostracods, crinoids;

ALGAE AND PSEUDO-ALGAE: Mizzia yabei (Karpinsky),Eflugelia johnsoni (Flugel), Chuvashovia densifolia Va-chard, Sphairionia galinae (Vachard and others in press:nomen nudum), Tubiphytes obscurus Maslov (numerousmorphotypes);

FORAMINIFERS: Diplosphaerina inaequalis (Derville),Neoendothyra reicheli Reitlinger, Linendothyra dnopha(Lin) (Pl. 1, Fig. 8), Postendothyra novizkiana (Sosnina)(Pl. 1, Fig. 12), Climacammina sp., Tetrataxis conica Eh-renberg, Polytaxis sp., Globivalvulina kantharensis Rei-chel, G. graeca Reichel, Dagmarita chanakchiensis Rei-tlinger, Septaglobivalvulina aff. globosa (Wang) (Pl. 1, Fig.14), Yangchienia sp. 3 (Pl. 2, Fig. 6), Dunbarula nana Ko-chansky-Devide and Ramovs (Pl. 2, Figs 11–12), Dunba-rula (?) cf. cascadensis (Thompson and others) (Pl. 2, Fig.14), Reichelina sp., Kahlerina sp., Chusenella cf. tieni(Chen) (Pl. 3, Figs 10–11), Chusenella (?) sp., Verbeekinaex gr. verbeeki (Geinitz) (Pl. 4, Fig. 7), Neoschwagerinaminoensis Deprat (Pl. 4, Figs 10–12), N. haydeni Dutkev-ich, N. occidentalis Kochansky-Devide and Herak (Pl. 4,Fig. 8), N. margaritae Deprat (Pl. 5, Figs 5–8), Pseudov-

ermiporella sodalica Elliott, Nodosaria spp., Protonodo-saria globifrondina De Civrieux and Dessauvagie, Geinit-zina sp., Pachyphloia ovata Lange, P. schwageri de Civ-rieux and Dessauvagie, Pachyphloia sp. (Pl. 6, Fig. 19),Frondina (?) sp.LIMESTONE BLOCK H541 (5 km NW of the village Bu Fa-shiqah—UTM coord. 775675/2469046): Bioclastic, intra-clastic and partially silicified rudstone with gastropods, bra-chiopods, ostracods;

ALGAE AND PSEUDO-ALGAE: Girvanella sp., Anthraco-porella spectabilis Pia, Diplopora sp., Gymnocodium exileMu, Evlaniopsis montana Vachard, Claracrusta catenoides(Homann), C. calamistrata Vachard, Sphairionia sikuoidesTien, Sphairionia galinae (Vachard and others, in press:nomen nudum), Tubiphytes obscurus Maslov;

FORAMINIFERS: Diplosphaerina inaequalis (Derville),Neoendothyra sp., Postendothyra novizkiana (Sosnina) (Pl.1, Figs 9–11), Climacammina sp., Tetrataxis conica Ehren-berg, Globivalvulina cf. kantharensis Reichel, G. von-derschmitti Reichel (Pl. 1, Fig. 15), Septaglobivalvulina aff.globosa (Wang) (Pl. 1, Fig. 13), Lasiodiscus aff. tenuis Rei-chel, Staffella sp., Nankinella sp., Sphaerulina ogbinensisRozovskaya (Pl. 2, Fig. 1), Yangchienia sp. 4, Toriyamaiasp. (Pl. 2, Fig. 3), Dunbarula aff. nana Kochansky-Devideand Ramovs, Codonofusiella aff. explicata Kawano (Pl. 2,Figs 9–10), C. cf. laxa Douglass (Pl. 2, Figs 7–8), Rei-chelina sp., Kahlerina maxima Sosnina (Pl. 3, Fig. 7), Pseu-dokahlerina cf. latispiralis Sosnina (Pl. 3, Fig. 9), Orien-toschwagerina (?) sp. (Pl. 4, Figs 1–3), Verbeekina ex gr.verbeeki (Geinitz); V. douvillei (Deprat) (Pl. 4, Figs 4–6),Neoschwagerina haydeni Dutkevich (Pl. 5, Figs 1–4), N.cf. minoensis Deprat (Pl. 4, Fig. 9), Colania ex gr. douvillei(Ozawa) (Pl. 5, Figs 9–10), Cornuspira sp., ‘‘Glomospira’’sp., Streblospira (?) sp. (Pl. 6, Figs 11–15), Neodiscus sp.,Hemigordius harltoni Cushman and Waters (Pl. 6, Figs 8–9), Neohemigordius sp., Agathammina sp. 1 (Pl. 6, Fig. 6),Agathammina sp. 2 (Pl. 6, Fig. 7), Multidiscus sp. (Pl. 6,Fig. 5), Nodosaria longissima Suleimanov, Nodosaria spp.,Protonodosaria spp., Geinitzina sp., Pachyphloia ovataLange, P. schwageri De Civrieux and Dessauvagie, P. ge-foensis (K. V. Miklukho-Maclay) (Pl. 6, Figs 17, 20 left),Robuloides sp. (Pl. 6, Fig. 20 rigth), Frondina permica deCivrieux and Dessauvagie (Pl. 6, Fig. 18), Partisania (?)sp.

MIDIAN STRATIGRAPHY OF THE BATAIN PLAINFUSULINES

The chronostratigraphic significance of the Midian andMurgabian stages has been widely discussed in the literature(Leven, 1967; Kotlyar and others, 1984, 1987; Vachard,1991; Leven, 1992, 1993a, b; Kotlyar and Pronina, 1995;Vachard and others, 1995; Jin, 1996; Fontaine and others,1997; Jin and others, 1997); however, the correlation be-tween the Tethyan and North American Permian stages ispoorly established. According to Leven and Grant-Mackie(1997), the American Wordian is probably coeval with theRussian Kazanian or Murgabian stages, and the Capitanianwith the Midian. We accept this hypothesis, but we use theTethyan stages according to Leven (1992, 1993a, b, and thisstudy, Fig. 4).


PLATE 1Midian smaller foraminifers from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1–2 Ataxophragmiidae indet. (1) Longitudinal section; H132(22)/

908(8). (2) Oblique section; H132(35)/908(21). 3–6 Neoendothyra reicheli Reitlinger, 1965. (3) Axial section; H132(36)/908(22). (4) Axial section;H132(40)/908(26). (5) Axial section with agglutinate wall; H132(24)/908(10). (6) Axial section; H132(37)/908(23). 7–8 Linendothyra dnopha (Lin,1984). (7) Axial section; H132(26)/908(12). (8) Axial section; H489(2)/907(8). 9–12 Postendothyra novizkiana (Sosnina in Sosnina and Nikitina,1977). (9) Subtransverse section (above) with Dagmarita chanakchiensis (below); H541(38)/906(34). (10) Axial section; H541(14)/906(13). (11)Subaxial section; H541(36)/906(35). (12) Axial broken section (right) with a subtranverse oblique of juvenile Neoschwagerina sp. (left); H489(10)/907(16). 13–14 Septaglobivalvulina cf. globosa (Wang in Zhao and others, 1981). (13) Subtransverse section; H541(39)/907(1). (14) Subaxialsection; H489(5)/907(11). 15 Globivalvulina vonderschmitti Reichel, 1945. Subaxial section; H541/922(14). 16–18 Lasiotrochus hajnehajensisPantic, 1965. (16) Subaxial section of a juvenile specimen; H132(5)/907(28). (17) Subaxial section of an adult; H132(15)/908(1). (18) Typical axialsection; H132(39)/908(25).


PLATE 2Midian fusulines from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1 Sphaerulina ogbinensis Rozovskaya in Rauser-Chernousova and Rozovskaya,

1965. Subaxial section; H541/922(6). 2 Rauserella cf. wusuliensis Han, 1985. Axial section; H132(7)/907(31). 3 Toriyamaia sp. Axial section;H541(31)/906(30). 4–6 Yangchienia spp. (4) Axial section of an immature specimen; H132(34)/908(20). (5) Adult transverse section; H132(31)/908(17). (6) Adult subaxial section; H489(15)/905(29). 7–8 Codonofusiella cf. laxa Douglass, 1970. (7) Axial section; H541/922(17). (8) Subtrans-verse section; H541/922(18). 9–10 Codonofusiella aff. explicata Kawano, 1960. (9) Axial oblique section; H541(8)/906(10). (10) Subaxial section;H541/922(13). 11–12 Dunbarula nana Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs, 1955. (11) Transverse section (above) with Globivalvulina sp. (below);H489(22)/907(21). (12) Subtransverse section showing a strong deviation of axis; H489(9)/907(15). 13–14 Dumbarula (?) cf. cascadensis (Thomp-son and others, 1950). (13) Axial section of an immature specimen; H132(9)/907(33). (14) Axial section of a typical specimen; H489(18)/907(19).


PLATE 3Midian fusulines from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1–6 Reichelina cribroseptata Erk, 1942. (1) Axial section; H132(27)/908(13). (2)

Subaxial section; H32(12)/907(35). (3) Subaxial oblique section showing the septal pores (left above); H132(13)/907(36). (4) Subaxial section;H132(16)/908(2). (5) Axial section showing all the characteristics of the species; H132(17)/908(3). (6) Axial section; H132(21)/908(7). 7 Kahlerinamaxima Sosnina, 1965. Subaxial oblique section; H541(32)/906(33). 8 Kahlerina pachytheca Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs, 1955. Subaxialsection; H132(25)/908(11). 9 Pseudokahlerina cf. latispiralis Sosnina, 1968. Subaxial section; H541/922(16). 10–11 Chusenella cf. tieni Chen,1956. (10) Axial section; H489(19)/905(33). (11) Subaxial section; H489(4)/907(10). 12–13 Chusenella (?) sp. (12) Subtransverse section; H132(30)/908(16). (13) Subaxial section; H132(27)/905(34).


PLATE 4Midian fusulines from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1–3 Orientoschwagerina (?) sp. (1) Subaxial section; H541(13)/905(7). (2)

Subtransverse section; H541(18)/905(2). (3) Subaxial oblique section; H541(3)/905(10). 4–6 Verbeekina douvillei (Deprat, 1912). (4) Axial section;


←

H541(17)/905(8). (5) Detail of the same section; H541(17)/905(9). (6) Immature transverse section; H541(41bis)/905(17). 7 Verbeekina ex gr.verbeeki Geinitz in Geinitz and von der Mark, 1876. Subaxial section; H489(11bis)/905(36). 8 Neoschwagerina occidentalis Kochansky-Devideand Ramovs, 1955. Subaxial section; H489(16)/905(31). 9?, 10–12 Neoschwagerina minoensis Deprat, 1914. (9?) Subaxial section of an atypicalspecimen; H541/906(11). (10) Axial section of an immature specimen; H489(11)/905(23). (11) Axial section of a complete specimen; H489(12)/905(25). (12) Detail of fig. 11; H489(12)/905(26).

The early Midian age of the investigated Batain samplesis clearly indicated by the presence of fusulinid-markers, likeReichelina, Kahlerina, Pseudokahlerina, Colania, Orien-toschwagerina, Codonofusiella, Neoschwagerina margari-tae (Leven, 1992, 1993a). Colania indicates latest Murgabian(Ueno, 1992, 1996; Kobayashi, 1997b), or earliest Midian(Leven, 1993a; Davydov, 1996; Davydov and others, 1996).The absence of other Midian fusulines, such as Metadoliol-ina, Yabeina, Sumatrina, Eopolydiexodina, Pseudodoliolina,Afghanella, Rugososchwagerina, Lantschichites, etc., andvarious Lagenina and Miliolina, well known in Turkey, isnoticeable in the Batain Plain. The Taurus operated as a bar-rier to the dispersion of the species of Yabeina and Suma-trina, which are relatively abundant in the Jebel Tebaga (Tu-nisia) and in SW Turkey (Guvenc, 1992; Fig. 5).

SMALLER FORAMINIFERS

Despite some attempts to establish the stratigraphic sig-nificance of smaller foraminifers (Pronina, 1988, 1995; Gar-gouri and Vachard, 1988), no detailed time scale has beenproposed for the late Middle Permian and the Upper Perm-ian (Capitanian-Lopingian). Such a scale can be establishedon the basis of the work of Zaninetti and others (1981) inTurkey (section M7, Tufanbeyli area, SW Kayseri, easternTaurus); however, the chronostratigraphy given by these au-thors is updated as follows: their late Murgabian is probablylate Midian, Capitanian/Dzhulfian is early Dzhulfian, andthe early Dorashamian is late Dzhulfian, and the true Dor-ashamian (with Colaniella) is entirely absent. The first oc-currences of the markers are in the following order: 1. Shan-ita; 2. Paraglobivalvulina and Rectostipulina; 3. Hemigor-dius (Midiella) irregulariformis; 4. Louisettita; 5. Para-dagmarita; 6. Kamurana.

According to the compiled scale shown in Figure 6, nomarker of the Late Midian, respectively Dzhulfian, is pre-sent in the Batain Plain, such as Paraglobivalvulina for theLate Midian, and Rectostipulina, Paradagmarita, Louiset-tita, Pseudotristix, Geinitzinita and Colaniella for theDzhulfian (Pronina, 1995). The genus Multidiscus, generallyabundant in the Upper Permian, is also absent in the BatainPlain; Robuloides, which occurs in the Aseelah Unit (Pl. 6,Fig. 20 right), is very rare, primitive and atypical.

Many smaller foraminifers and microproblematica of theBatain Plain are indicative of an early Midian age, espe-cially Postendothyra (Pl. 1, Figs 9–12) and Sphairionia,which appear in this stage according to Pronina (1995). Thesame author (Pronina, 1996) considers Sphairionia as anindex form for the early Midian, but the type species of thisgenus is late Midian in age, due to its association with themarker of this period Lepidolina multiseptata (Deprat).

Shanita and Hemigordiopsis, which are widespread in theOman Mountains (Glennie and others, 1974; Montenat and

others, 1976; Bronnimann and others, 1978), were not foundwithin the Batain Plain material.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER TETHYANMIDIAN AREAS

This section is devoted to a stratigraphic review of fourgroups of areas paleogeographically related to the BatainPlain: (A) The Arabian Peninsula; (B) Iran, Turkey andTranscaucasia; (C) Pakistan; (D) Ex-Yugoslavia, Italy andTunisia. The micropleontological comparison of the BatainPlain with areas A and B allows to establish a paleogeo-graphic regional reconstruction. Furthermore, the generalPermian fusulinid stratigraphy permits a global conceptionof the paleobiogeography of the Batain Plain at the lower-middle Permian boundary.

ARABIAN PENINSULA

The Middle to Late Permian biostratigraphy of significantareas of Oman (Oman Mountains and Huqf-Haushi) andSaudi Arabia (Kuff area), updated here for the purpose ofpaleogeographical reconstruction (Fig. 7), exhibits clear dif-ferences with the Permian series of the Batain Plain (Hauserand others, 2000). For example, the Jebel Akhdar sequencesof the Oman Mountains (Montenat and others, 1976) do notcontain Neoschwagerinids, but are characterized by abun-dant Staffellids and porcelaneous foraminifers (Agatham-mina, Hemigordius, Hemigordiopsis, misidentified Shanita,etc.) (Fig. 7a). In the Huqf-Haushi area, Capitanian (� Mi-dian) deposits have been recently identified by Angioliniand others (1998); they differ from the Middle Permian ofthe Batain Plain by the absence of fusulines. For similarreasons, there is no possible correlation either with the up-dated younger (Early Dzhulfian to Scythian) Khuff Forma-tion in Saudi Arabia (Le Nindre and others, 1990) (Fig. 7b).

IRAN, TURKEY AND TRANSCAUCASIA

By contrast to the Arabian Peninsula, the Midian micro-paleontological associations of the Batain Plain show affin-ities to those from the Early Midian Arpa Formation ofTranscaucasia (Reitlinger, 1965; Kotlyar et al., 1984; Pron-ina, 1988; Leven, 1998), or to those of age equivalent Sur-maq Formation (unit 2) in the Abadeh area (Baghbani,1993) (Fig. 5). Biostratigraphic correlations with the Perm-ian of the Turkish Taurus are more difficult, because of theprovincialism of the fusulines in this area. According to Al-tiner (1984), Neoschwagerinid-Verbeekinid fusulines are notwidespread in the Taurus Belt, and Neoschwagerina andAfghanella are only known from the central and westernTaurids.

Concerning the smaller foraminifers, the genus Multidis-cus, absent in the Batain Plain, is present in the Gnishik


PLATE 5Midian fusulines from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1–4 Neoschwagerina haydeni Dutkevich in Dutkevich and Khabakov, 1934. (1)

Subaxial section; H541(35)/905(14). (2) Subaxial section; H541(11)/905(5). (3) Detail of fig. 2; H541(11)/905(6). (4) Detail of fig. 1; H541(35)/905(15). 5–8 Neoschwagerina margaritae Deprat, 1913. (5) Subaxial section; H489(13)/905(27). (6) Detail of fig. 5. Secondary transverse septulaare very sporadic in this specimen; H489(13)/905(28). (7) Partly micritized subaxial section; H489(8)/905(21). (8) Detail of fig. 7 showing moresecondary transverse septula and the phylogenetic link with Yabeina s.s.; H489(8)/905(22). 9–10 Colania ex gr. douvillei (Ozawa, 1925). (9)Subaxial section with the very narrow transverse septula and parachomata; H541(34)/905(12). (10) Detail of the fig. 9; H541(34)/905(13).


FIGURE 4. Proposed correlations in the middle Permian. IR � Illawara Reversal (magnetic event). (According to Jin, 1996; Jin and others,1997; Schneider and others, 1995; Menning, 1995; Kotlyar and Pronina, 1995; Leven and Grant-Mackie, 1997).

FIGURE 5. Regional subdivisions of the Midian and adjacent stages in some Tethyan areas. (I to IX): Transcaucasia series defined by Kotlyarand others (1989). (1 to 7?): Abadeh series of Baghbani (1993). (U1 to U7): Tebaga outcrop series of Vachard and Razgallah (1993). (Accordingto Kotlyar and others, 1989 and 1990; Leven, 1992 and 1993 a–b; Baghbani, 1993 and 1997; Vachard and Razgallah, 1993).

horizon (Murgabian) of Transcaucasia (Reitlinger, 1965;Kotlyar and others, 1984); Robuloides, which appears in theUpper Midian of Transcaucasia (Khachik horizon), is veryrare, primitive and atypical in the Aseelah Unit.

MEDITERRANEAN REGION (EX-YUGOSLAVIA,ITALY, TUNISIA)

Due to the presence of the fusulinid genus Kahlerina,which typically appears at the base of the Midian (Leven,1992, 1993a), the same Midian age can be attributed tomany Mediterranean successions. A first group of fusulines,with Kahlerina associated with Yabeina, another marker ofthe Midian, is known from the Jebel Tebaga (compilationin Lys, 1988; Vachard and Razgallah, 1993) and from Cer-kezhuyuk in Turkey (Skinner, 1969). A second group offusulines, without Yabeina, and supposed to be Murgabian,has been recorded in the Southern Alps: Carnic Alps (ForniAvoltri; Flugel and others, 1978), Julian Alps (Bled andother outcrops; Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs, 1955), and

Istria (Slovenia; Kochansky-Devide, 1967). This groupwithout Yabeina is also known from the Sosio Valley, Sicily(Skinner and Wilde, 1966), and from the Monte Facito For-mation, Lagonegro Basin, Southern Apennines (compilationin Vachard and Miconnet, 1989). At this last locality, thespecies called Yabeina syrtalis (Douville) by Panzanelli-Fratoni and others (1987, pl. 4, fig. 1–16), is in fact a rel-atively primitive Neoschwagerina, probably N. schubertiKochansky.

The classical Permian microfaunas of the Julian and Car-nic Alps (Kochansky-Devide and Ramovs, 1955; Flugel andothers, 1978, 1984) contain several markers of the earliestMidian, with an association composed of Afghanella su-matrinaeformis (Gubler) (probable synonym: A. robbinsaeSkinner and Wilde), Dunbarula, Kahlerina, Verbeekina,Neoschwagerina and Sumatrina.

The ‘‘assemblage’’ described by Skinner and Wilde(1966) from the Sosio Valley, Sicily, is heterogeneous in itscomposition. Vachard and others (2001) demonstrated that


PLATE 6Midian smaller foraminifers from limestone boulders of the Aseelah Unit. 1 ‘‘Glomospira’’ ex gr. guangxiensis Lin, 1978. Subaxial section with

recrystallised wall; H132(33)/908(19). 2 Neodiscus plectogyraeformis Lin and others, 1990. Subaxial section; H132(19)/908(5). 3–4 Baisalina aff.hunanica Lin, 1978. (3) Subaxial section; H132(32)/908(18). (4) Subtransverse section; H132(38)/908(24). 5 Multidiscus sp. Lange, 1925. Subaxialsection; H541(7)/906(9). 6 Agathammina sp. 1. Longitudinal section with neosparitised wall; H541(30)/906(29). 7 Agathammina sp. 2. Longitudinalsection with dark wall; H541(2)/906(5). 8–9 Hemigordius harltoni Cushman and Waters, 1928. (8) Longitudinal section of a discoidal specimen;H541/922(3). (9) Longitudinal section of a more inflated specimen; H541(40)/907(3). 10–15 Streblospira (?) sp. (10) Subtransverse section;H132(20)/908(6). (11) Immature subtransverse section; H541/922(5). (12) Subtransverse oblique section; H541(22)/906(19). (13) Subaxial section;


FIGURE 6. Hypothetical biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic table in the Middle-Late Permian. (According to Reitlinger, 1965; Zaninetti andothers, 1981 and 1982; Pronina, 1988, 1995; Kotlyar and others, 1989, Altiner, 1984; Vachard and Ferriere, 1991; Leven, 1992 and 1993a; Vachardand others, 1993a; Baghbani, 1993; Vachard and others, 1993b; Vachard and Razgallah, 1993).

←

H541(20)/906(17). (14) Subaxial section; H541(41)/907(4). (15) Oblique section; H541(4)/906(6). 16 Nodosaria sp. Longitudinal section; H132(28)/908(14). 17 Pachyphloia gefoensis (Miklukho-Maclay, 1954) tending to ‘‘Sosninella’’. Various sections in a microfacies; H541(25)/906(22). 18Frondina permica De Civrieux and Dessauvagie, 1965. Longitudinal section; H541/922(9). 19 Pachyphloia sp. Transverse section; H489(21)/907(20). 20 Pachyphloia gefoensis (Miklukho-Maclay, 1954) (left) and Robuloides sp. (right). Both in axial section, to compare; H541/922(21).

some Permian blocks of the olistostrome of Sosio in theLercara area are Yakhtashian (early Permian) in age, withChalaroschwagerina (?) globosa, Robustoschwagerina cf.schellwieni and Quasifusulina ultima. We assume that thePietra di Salomone olistolith also contains reworked fusu-lines of early Permian age, mixed with middle Permian(Murgabian and/or Midian) fusulines (re-interpretation ofthe data of Skinner and Wilde, 1966, by Flugel and others,1991). The early Permian forms are: Pseudofusulina an-achrona Skinner and Wilde, which probably belongs to Ru-gosochusenella Skinner and Wilde (an early Cisuralian, orAsselo-Sakmarian genus), and ‘‘Schwagerina’’ dainelliSkinner and Wilde, which is similar to various Yakhtashian-Bolorian species of the genus Leeina Galloway emend.Bensh. True middle Permian fusulinids are Rugososchwa-gerina (Midian in age according to Leven; 1993a), but theliterature seems to indicate a longer range, including theMurgabian sensu Leven (1992). Other Murgabian and/orMidian species are Neoschwagerina sosioensis Skinner andWilde, and Sosioella spp., whereas Kahlerina sicilianaSkinner and Wilde, and Sumatrina gemellaroi (Silvestri),not redescribed by Skinner and Wilde (1966), are probablyexclusively Midian in age. Even the late Dzhulfian genusColaniella has been recently discovered in an Upper Perm-ian calcarenitic block close to the Pietra di Salomone, SosioValley (Jenny-Deshusses and others, 2000).

Reworking is also evident in the Southern Apennines (La-

gonegro Basin). A Permian foraminiferal assemblage, re-sedimented in the Monte Facito Formation, was consideredto be homogeneous, and dated as late Murgabian (i.e., earlyMidian) by Vachard and Miconnet (1989) on the basis ofAfghanella schencki Thompson, Neoschwagerina craticu-lifera (Schwager), Sumatrina and Dunbarula. Pasini (1994)recognised at the same locality a mixed fusulinid fauna, par-ticularly with a Yakhtashian Pamirina (also distinguishableon the illustrations of Vachard and Miconnet, 1989, pl. 4,fig. 11), together with Brevaxina (pl. 3, fig. 2) and Cancel-lina (pl. 3, fig. 6). The misinterpretation by Vachard andMiconnet (1989) of the stratigraphic position of the re-worked Permian assemblage of the Southern Apennines isdue to the confusion of adult primitive tests of Pamirina,Brevaxina and Cancellina with juvenaria of advanced stag-es of younger fusulines (i.e., Verbeekina verbeeki in Va-chard and Miconnet, 1989, pl. 4, fig. 11). The discovery ofa late Dzhulfian Colaniella in the calcarenites of the lowerpart of the Triassic Monte Facito Formation (Jenny-De-shusses and others, 2000) clearly proves the presence of amixed fauna.

In the Jebel Tebaga, contrary to the interpretation of Va-chard and Razgallah (1993), who consider the sequence tobe Murgabian, all the exposed series are Midian in age. Infact the Midian already begins in the subsurface, in the up-permost part of the Tebaga borehole sequence (Glintzboeck-el and Rabate, 1964), with Afghanella robbinsae Skinner


FIGURE 7. (a): Updating of the Permian of the Saiq Plateau (Oman Mountains, from Montenat and others, 1976, modified). (b): Updating ofthe Khuff Formation, Saudi Arabia (from Le Nindre and others, 1990; proposed chronostratigraphy).

FIGURE 8. Updating of the Middle-Late Permian sequences of theSalt Range (Pakistan). The Kabalagh Member appears as a compre-hensive sequence from the latest Midian with Neoschwagerina aff.margaritae to late Dzhulfian with Colaniella minima.

and Wilde; this species characterises the earliest Midian ofLeven (1992, 1993 a–b, 1997). In the same borehole, Af-ghanella schencki Thompson and Eopolydiexodina spp.were found much deeper (Glintzboeckel and Rabate, 1964;Lys, 1988), indicating the Murgabian sensu Leven (1992).

PAKISTAN

The Amb Formation (Salt Range, Pakistan), with Mon-odiexodina, considered as ‘‘Artinskian’’ in age (i.e., latestearly Permian; Nakazawa and Kapoor, 1977), was dated asWordian by conodonts (Wardlaw and Pogue, 1995; Angiol-ini and others, 1998); in fact the formation also containsCodonofusiella laxa Douglass, a relatively complicated spe-cies of Midian age. Therefore a Midian age (early Midian)is proposed for the Amb Formation (Fig. 8).

CONCLUSIONS

REGIONAL FUSULINID PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

During the Midian and subsequent periods, the paleoge-ography of Oman consists of three provinces (Fig. 9), whichare from south to north:

1. Huqf-Haushi area with warm temperate climate and withsmaller foraminifers Nodosariacea and Miliolina: Pseu-dolangella, Langella, ‘‘Arenovidalina’’, and very rarered algae Permocalculus (see also Angiolini and others,1998, who described rich Guadalupian fossil brachiopodand conodont assemblages, but without fusulinids, fromthe Khuff Formation in the Huqf-Haushi area);

2. Batain Plain with eastern Tethyan Neoschwagerinids(this study);

3. Oman Mountains with Shanita, a possible provincialmarker (Sengor and others, 1988).According to the paleogeographic nomenclature of Va-

chard (1980), the Huqf-Haushi area is Intragondwan, theBatain Plain Perigondwan, and the Oman Mountains Extra-gondwan (Fig. 9). The Huqf-Haushi occupies a positionsimilar in latitude to the Pakistani Salt Range; the BatainPlain is connected to the Central Mountains of Afghanistan,and the Oman Mountains to the Iranian Zagros and theBand-e Bayan of Afghanistan. To the north, the Palaeotethysand the Hercynian lands extend from NW Turkey to theJebel Tebaga (Tunisia), constituting the ‘‘Cassure tethysien-ne’’ (Tethyan break) of Argyriadis (1975) (Fig. 10).

PANGEAN FUSULINID PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

Provincialism of fusulinids is well studied in two areas:(1) the Pacific borders with the accreted terranes of Koryak,Primorye, Alaska, Cache Creek, from Eastern Siberia toCanada and the United States, and (2) Japan, where the in-ternal provincialism of the fusulinids was first indicated byIgo (1960). A comprehensive work was published by Ishii(1990) with the A and B terrane-groups of Japan. Group Aconcerns the Pre-Jurassic accreted terranes of western Japan,and Group B the Jurassic-early Cretaceous accreted terranesof eastern Japan. The global extension of Groups A and Bof Ishii corresponds to Provinces B and C of Kobayashi(1997a and 1999), whereas Provinces A and D of this authorare equivalent of the western Tethys, and the Grandian Prov-


FIGURE 9. Paleogeographical scheme of the Arabian Peninsuladuring the late Midian/early Dzhulfian (according to Montenat andothers, 1976; Vachard, 1980; Zaninetti and others, 1981, 1982; Jenny-Deshusses and Baud, 1989; Le Nindre and others, 1990; Broutin andothers, 1995; Alsharhan and Nairn, 1995; Angiolini and others, 1998;Vachard, unpublished).

FIGURE 10. Provincial relations, at the lower-middle PermianBoundary, of the Batain Plain (Oman) with the global provinces A, B,C and D reconstructed by Kobayashi (1997b, 1999). BP � BatainPlain; OM � Oman Mountains; JT � Jebel Tebaga. In the OmanMountains the transgression starts in the Midian.

ince in Texas, respectively. Both Provinces A and D of Ko-bayashi are of course not represented in Japan.

The main difference between Provinces B and C of Ko-bayashi is the presence of Afghanella and Sumatrina inProvince B, and of Yabeina and Lepidolina in Province C.The western Tethyan Province A of Kobayashi is charac-terized by Afghanella, Sumatrina and Yabeina. The Midianassemblages of the Batain Plain, which are very rich inNeoschwagerina and Colania, do not contain Sumatrinaand Afghanella. As the two families Sumatrinidae andNeoschwagerinidae occur in the same environment of aninner carbonate ramp, the control of their distribution istherefore not ecological, but paleogeographic (Fig. 10). Forthis reason, the Batain Plain area appears to be connectedto the remote Province C, and not to the adjacent ProvinceA. These data are very important from a palaeobiogeograph-ic and geodynamic point of view, because they suggest theevidence of a seaway leading from the Batain Plain to east-ern Japan. This connection at least existed since the Artin-skian/Yakhtashian, as indicated by occurrence of Leeinakraffti, and became remarkably functional during the Mi-dian. This points out the complete independence of the Ba-tain Plain with regard to the adjacent Near-East regions, atleast until the Midian.

The paleobiogeographic affinities of the Batain Plain,with Province C of Kobayashi, give evidence to the tripartitedivision of the Tethyan realm between Eurasia and Gond-

wana, with a northern branch; the Palaeotethys of many au-thors; and a southern branch: the Neotethys, permitting thefree circulation of the fusulinids from East Asia to the Ba-tain Plain. Both oceans were separated longitudinally by aland (Extragondwan Realm, Vachard, 1980; Cimmerides,Sengor and others, 1998; Great Lhassa, Baud and others,1993) (Fig. 10).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The presently described materials are part of Marc Hauserthesis collection, Mineralogisch-petrographisches Institutund geologisches Institut, University of Bern, Switzerland.

The present paper is the result of a geological mappingand research program (sheets Sur and Al Ashkahrah 1:100’000) of the Universities of Bern and Geneva supportedby the Swiss National Foundation (project No 20-43’056.95T.P. and No 20-50577.97 L.Z.), by the Ministry of Com-merce and Industry of Oman, Director General of MineralsMohammed Bin Hussein Bin Kassim, and by the GeologicalSurvey of Oman, Director Dr Hilal Al Azry. The anony-mous reviewer is thanked for helpful suggestions, and J.Metzger for the graphical assistance.

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Received 27 July 2001Accepted 17 August 2001