New Contribution to the Biostratigraphy of Naopurdan Limestone Formation (Eocene), Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Northeastern Iraq

Abstract

Imad M. Ghafor and Hemn F. Muhammad

Forty- nine samples were collected for a biostratigraphic study of the Naouprdan Formation to determine the age of its strata. The studied section is located within the Zagros High Fold and Thrust Belt, from the Bulfat area, Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan Region/northeastern Iraq. The lithology of the succession here is composed of grey fine-grain of limestone with Nummulites and Alveoloina, the whole section is highly deformed and fractured. Hence, for the first time, this limestone unit is described in detail; it is a 48 m bed of grey fine-grain, Alveolinidae- Nummulitidae limestone. It bears a frequent number of large benthic foraminifera that are concentrated within the limestone bed. The identified benthic foraminifera are of the groups: Nummulitidae; Alveolinidae; Acervulinidae; Rotaliidae; Linderinidae; Linderinidae; Hauerinidae; Textulariidae; Textulariidae. A detailed study of the microfossil assemblages of the Naouprdan Formation revealed the occurrences of (53) species of benthic foraminifera belonging to (23) genera. The stratigraphic distribution of benthic foraminifera permits the recognition of four biozones. These are from the bottom to the top of the section: Alveolina oblonga- Nummulites djokdjokartae Interval Zone, Nummulites djokdjokartae Total Range Zone, Nummulites fabiani Total Range Zone, and Alveolina leupoldi-Alveolina elliptica Interval Zone. This section is described for the first time.

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