Microfacies Analysis and Depositional Environment of Bekhme Formation (Late Campanian- Early Maastrichtian) in Selected Outcrops, North and Northeastern Iraq
Abstract
The present study deals with the microfacies analysis and the sedimentary environment of the Bekhme Formation (Late Campanian-Early Maastrichtian) in two sections, the first (Badi section) in the Duhok city and the second (Khoran section) in the Shaqlawa city. The lithology of the formation and the microfacies of each section were studied and described, and the sedimentary environment of the formation was deduced by relying on microfacies analysis of each sections, as three main microfacies ( lime mudstone , lime wackestone , lime packstone microfacies) were diagnosed divided into (12) submicrofacies, and it was found that the sedimentary environment of the formation at Badi section was represented by the upper bathyal to the middle bathyal, while the microfacies diagnosed in the formation at Khoran section reflected the middle shelf to outer shelf environments. The reason for the difference in the sedimentary environment is due to the nature of the sedimentary basin for each section and the tectonic factors in that period, which formed normal faults in the (Back- Bulge) basin, as the Badi section is located within the (Deep Back- Bulge) area, while the Khoran section is close to the shallow Back- Bulge area less deep.
