Jebel Qatrani Formation
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The Jebel Qatrani Formation (also Gebel Qatrani, Gabal Qatrani or Djebel Qatrani) is a
geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
located in the
Faiyum Governorate Faiyum ( ) is one of the governorates of Egypt in the middle of the country. Its capital is the city of Faiyum, located about 81 mi (130 km) south west of Cairo. It has a population of 3,848,708 (2020). Etymology The name Faiyum com ...
of central
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. It is exposed between the Jebel Qatrani escarpment and the Qasr el Sagha
escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...
, north of
Birket Qarun Lake Moeris (, genitive Μοίριδος) was an ancient endorheic freshwater lake located in the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt, which persists today at a fraction of its former size as the hypersaline Lake Qarun (Arabic: بركة ق ...
lake near
Faiyum Faiyum ( ; , ) is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. It is one of Egypt's oldest cities due to its strategic location. Name and etymology Originally f ...
. The formation conformably overlies the
Qasr el Sagha Formation The Qasr el Sagha Formation is a formation (geology), geological formation located in Egypt. The formation is part of the Wadi El Hitan World Heritage Site. The Qasr el Sagha Formation overlies the Birket Qarun Formation and is overlain by the Gebe ...
and is topped by the Widan el Faras Basalt. The age of the formation has been subject to debate, but the most recent research indicates that it covers both the latest parts of the
Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
and the
Early Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two age (geology), ages or the lower of two stage (stratigraphy), stages of the Oligocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded b ...
, spanning over the boundary between these two time periods. The geology and fauna of this formation gives a good idea of the environment and animals present during this time period. Research suggests that the Jebel Qatrani Formation featured a mix of subtropical to
tropical forest Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the Tropic of Cancer, tropics of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing ...
, lowland
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s and
marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...
es, ponds and rivers that would empty northward into the
Tethys Sea The Tethys Ocean ( ; ), also called the Tethys Sea or the Neo-Tethys, was a prehistoric ocean during much of the Mesozoic Era and early-mid Cenozoic Era. It was the predecessor to the modern Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Eurasia ...
. This is supported by the presence of water-dependent fauna including podocnemidid turtles,
crocodilians Crocodilia () is an order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchi ...
,
sea cows The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The extant Sirenia comprise two distinct famili ...
, various fish, jacanas, early flamingo-relatives,
ospreys The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It is ...
,
herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...
and shoebills. Besides these, the fossil record of the Jebel Qatrani Formation is especially well known for its value to understanding the early evolution of many modern mammal groups.
Primates Primates is an order of mammals, which is further divided into the strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and lorisids; and the haplorhines, which include tarsiers and simians ( monkeys and apes). Primates arose 74–63  ...
are represented by over a dozen
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
, several forms of early
elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
s have been recovered from the sediments including the terrestrial ''
Phiomia ''Phiomia'' (after the Ancient Greek ''phiom'' "lake", an ancient name for the Fayum), is an extinct genus of basal elephantiform proboscidean that lived in what is now Northern Africa during the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene some 37–30 milli ...
'' and the semi-aquatic ''
Moeritherium ''Moeritherium'' ("the beast from Lake Moeris") is an extinct genus of basal proboscideans from the Eocene of North and West Africa. The first specimen was discovered in strata from the Fayum fossil deposits of Egypt. It was named in 1901 by C ...
''. The fossil
rodents Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
of the formation meanwhile are thought to be an important link between the African phiomorphs ( dassies,
old world porcupine The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range over Southern Europe and the Levant, most of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia as far east a ...
s, mole rats and
cane rats The genus ''Thryonomys'', also known as the cane rats or grasscutters, is a genus of rodent found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the only extant members of the family ''Thryonomyidae''. They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest spe ...
) and the caviomorphs of
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
(
capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...
s,
chinchilla Chinchilla refers to either of two species ('' Chinchilla chinchilla'' and '' Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha, and are native to the Andes mountains in South America. They live in colonies called "her ...
s and
new world porcupine The New World porcupines, family Erethizontidae, are large arboreal rodents, distinguished by their Spine (zoology), spiny coverings from which they take their name. They inhabit forests and wooded regions across North America, and into northern ...
s). Besides these early members of groups that would later rise to prominence, the formation was also home to a variety of unique groups no longer found today or only found in a greatly diminished diversity. This includes the enigmatic, possibly carnivorous ptolemaiids, large hyaenodonts, a vast number of highly diverse hyracoids including species the size of rhinos,
anthracotheres Anthracotheriidae is a paraphyletic family of extinct, hippopotamus-like artiodactyl ungulates related to hippopotamuses and whales. The oldest genus, '' Elomeryx'', first appeared during the middle Eocene in Asia. They thrived in Africa and Eura ...
and the bizarre
embrithopod Embrithopoda ("heavy-footed") is an order of extinct mammals known from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Most of the embrithopod genera are known exclusively from jaws and teeth dated from the late Paleocene to the late Eocene; however, the orde ...
''
Arsinoitherium ''Arsinoitherium'' is an extinct genus of paenungulate mammals belonging to the extinct Order (biology), order Embrithopoda. It is related to elephants, sirenians, and hyraxes. Arsinoitheres were superficially rhinoceros-like herbivores that live ...
''.


Geography and history

Outcrops of the Jebel Qatrani Formation are present in the northern
Fayum Depression The Faiyum Oasis ( ''Wāḥat al-Fayyum'') is a depression or basin in the desert immediately west of the Nile river, 62 miles south of Cairo, Egypt. The extent of the basin area is estimated at between 1,270 km2 (490 mi2) and 1,700&nb ...
southwest of
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. The Fayum Depression is an oasis west of the
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
in northern
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. The formations of the Fayum have been studied for a significant amount of time by numerous paleontologists, with research dating back to as early as the 19th century. During this time the region was studied extensively by scientists including but not limited to
Charles William Andrews Charles William Andrews (30 October 1866 – 25 May 1924) F.R.S., was a British palaeontologist whose career as a vertebrate paleontologist, both as a curator and in the field, was spent in the services of the British Museum, Department of Ge ...
,
Henry Fairfield Osborn Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. (August 8, 1857 – November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist, geologist and eugenics advocate. He was professor of anatomy at Columbia University, president of the American Museum of Natural History for 25 y ...
, René Fourtau and
Ernst Stromer Ernst Freiherr Stromer von Reichenbach (born on 12th of June, 1871 in Nürnberg, died on 18th of December, 1952 in Erlangen) was a German paleontologist best remembered for his expedition to Egypt, during which the discovery of the first kno ...
. Among the first names for what is now known as the Jebel Qatrani formation was the “Fluvio-Marine Series”, as coined by Hugh J. L. Beadnell. However, despite the bulk of research conducted in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Fayum localities would eventually enter a period of obscurity following the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
which continued throughout the mid 20th century and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Research resumed during the 1960s, following an expedition under Elwyn LaVerne Simons. Previously, the formations of the region had been primarily known for the preservation of mammals, but Birds were also known from few specimens uncovered in the early 20th century. During the 60s, improved collection methods and additional expeditions by the
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
and
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
gathered much additional material in association with the Egyptian Geological Survey and the General Petroleum Company. Around the 70s, the scope of the expedition was broadened to account for more diverse fields of study, leading to more precise datings of the strata.


Geology and stratigraphy

The formation overlies the Eocene
Qasr el Sagha Formation The Qasr el Sagha Formation is a formation (geology), geological formation located in Egypt. The formation is part of the Wadi El Hitan World Heritage Site. The Qasr el Sagha Formation overlies the Birket Qarun Formation and is overlain by the Gebe ...
and is overlaid by the Oligocene Widan el Faras Basalt. The formation contains at least two major fossil bearing layers, one in the upper sequence, which is used to refer to the top layers of the formation, and a second in the lower sequence. These two layers have also been called the Upper and Lower Fossil Wood Zones in older publications. Both sequences of the Jebel Qatrani Formation are separated from one another by the so-called Barite Sandstone, a layer with a thickness of . The dating of the Jebel Qatrani Formation has historically been under debate, with some research having placed it either entirely within the Eocene or Oligocene and some arguing that it spans both periods. Rasmussen and colleagues for instance argued that the central Barite Sandstones separating both fossil bearing layers mark the exact Eocene-Oligocene Boundary. Part of the reasoning for this connects to the primate fauna of the formation, with propliopithecids and parapithecines only appearing in the upper localities. Other dating methods meanwhile have generally not been applicable. According to Seiffert, the mammal fauna of the formation on its own is too endemic and marine invertebrates are absent, preventing biostratigraphic dating. Radioisotopic dating was conducted on the overlying Widan el Faras Basalt, however the results of this suggested an age of 23.6 million years for its lower units, much younger than prior estimates for the Jebel Qatrani Formation. However, in a 2006 publication Seiffert draws a comparison between the Fayum fauna and the fossil record of the Ashawq Formation in
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
, which notably preserved vertebrates as well as
foraminifera Foraminifera ( ; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are unicellular organism, single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class (biology), class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell bio ...
useful in dating. Foraminifera biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy suggest that the examined localities in Oman date to approximately 31-31.5 (Taqah locality) and 33.7-33.3 Ma (Thaytiniti locality). Seiffert argues that the mammal fauna from Oman most closely resembles those found in the oldest localities of the Lower Sequence of the Jebel Qatrani Formation (L-41) and the oldest localities of the Upper Sequence (quarries G and V). The hyraxes '' Thyrohyrax'' and '' Saghatherium'' occur in both formations, as does the primate '' Moeripithecus''. More generally, both formations preserve propliopithecids and parapithecine parapithecids as well as oligopithecids. While the former two groups are restricted to the younger Fayum sequence, the latter is the most common primate family in the older sediments. Assuming the traditional interpretation of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, this would mean that many of these taxa would have had to appear 2 to 4 million years earlier in Egypt than in Oman, which is considered to be unlikely by Seiffert. According to them the formation spans approximately 8 million years, with its oldest localities situated in latest Eocene strata. Locality BQ-2 has been estimated to be 37 million years old (early
Priabonian The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between . The Priabonian is preceded by the Bartonian and is followed by the Rupelian, the lowest stage ...
), while L-41 falls into an age range of 34.8–33.7 million years old, a timespan that includes the Eocene-Oligocene Boundary. Although an earliest Oligocene age could not be disproven by Seiffert, he argues that a latest Eocene age should be considered more likely based on an unconformity present just above the locality (one also acknowledged as a possible candidate for the EOB by Rasmussen). This means that only the lower of the formation are Eocene in age, including both the BQ-2 and L-41 localities. The remainder of the Lower Sequence, as well as the entire Upper Sequence, would subsequently fall within the Oligocene. The position of quarries A and B in regards to the boundary is ambiguous, however Quarry E on the other hand is considered without doubt Oligocene (ca. 33 Ma) in age by Seiffert.


Paleoenvironment

The environment of the Jebel Qatrani formation has been described as a
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
to
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
lowland plain by Bown, who further suggests the presence of streams and ponds. Based on the fossil bird remains, which includes the fossils of a variety of animals highly associated with water (ospreys, early flamingos, jacanas, herons, storks, cormorants and shoebills), Rasmussen and colleagues inferred that the environment featured slow-moving freshwater with a substantial amount of aquatic vegetation, which matches the prior hypothesis. Although
lithology The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy. Physical characteristics include colour, texture, grain size, and composition. Lit ...
suggests that most fossils were deposited on sandbanks after being transported by currents, the authors argue that
swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
could have easily formed along the banks of the river that was present during the Oligocene and may account for the mudstone found in certain quarries. They furthermore suggest that the fossil birds of Fayum, due to their affinities with modern groups, should be considered a more valuable indicator of the environment when compared with the fossil mammals, many of which belonged to families lacking modern examples. The absence of other birds typical for such an environment may be explained either through sampling bias or due to the fact that said groups had simply not yet been present in Oligocene Africa. Generally, Rasmussen and colleagues compare the environment of Jebel Qatrani to freshwater habitats in modern Central Africa. The discovery of snakehead fossils seem to support Rasmussen's interpretation, as the genus ''Parachanna'' today prefers slow-moving backwaters with plenty of vegetation. Other fish present meanwhile, notably ''Tylochromis'', suggest that deep, open water was likewise present. The river channels may have been overgrown with reeds,
papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...
and featured floating vegetation like
water lilies ''Water Lilies'' ( ) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840–1926). The paintings depict his flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of his artistic production during ...
and ''
Salvinia ''Salvinia'' or watermosses is a genus of free-floating aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. The genus is named in honor of 17th-century Italian naturalist Anton Maria Salvini, and the generic name was first published in 1754 by French bo ...
''. In a 2001 paper Rasmussen ''et al.'' argued that the sandstone and mudstone of the formation likely formed as sediments were aggraded by a system of river channels that emptied towards the west into the Tethys. Here they reconstructed the environment as a tropical lowland swamp forest intermingled with marshes. They furthermore suggest that the environment would have experienced
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
s. Overall this indicates that this region was a part of an extensive belt of tropical forest that stretched across what is now northern Africa, which would gradually give rise to open woodland and even steppe the further one was to travel inland.


Paleobiota


Fish

Actinopterygii Chondrichthyes Sarcopterygii


Reptiles


Birds

Accipitriformes Charadriiformes Ciconiiformes Cuculiformes Gruiformes Palaeognathae Pelecaniformes Phoenicopteriformes Suliformes


Mammals

Afroinsectivora Artiodactyla Chiroptera Embrithopoda Hyaenodonta Holroyd also identified several indetermined pterodontine hyaenodonts from various sequences of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, but doesn't identify them beyond subfamily level. Hyracoidea Marsupalia Rodentia Pholidota Ptolemaiida Primates Proboscidea Sirenia


Flora


See also

* *
List of fossil sites This list of fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils found there. Many of ...


References

{{coord missing, Egypt Geologic formations of Egypt Eocene Africa Oligocene Africa Faiyum Governorate Geology of Egypt Paleontology in Egypt Eocene Series of Africa Oligocene Series of Africa