Callovian and Kimmeridgian fossils and stratigraphy of the Blue Nile Basin (central western Ethiopia)

Abstract

A refined, stratigraphic and biostratigraphic framework for Ethiopia has a strong bearing on the Jurassic sedimentary evolution, not only for the Horn of Africa, but also for the North African region. The present contribution provides an updated Callovian–Kimmeridgian stratigraphy and biostratigraphy, on the basis of the occurrences of age-diagnostic ammonites from Dejen (Blue Nile Basin; central western Ethiopia). Here, the late Callovian (Lamberti Zone) ammonite Pachyceras cf. lalandeanum (d’Orbigny) is associated with the nautiloid Paracenoceras cf. giganteum (d’Orbigny). The early Kimmeridgian Orthosphinctes aff. tiziani (Oppel) is associated with the nautiloids Paracenoceras cf. kumagunense (Waagen) and P. cf. ennianus (Dacqué) and a large gastropod Purpuroidea gigas (Étallon). The previously recorded middle Callovian ammonite Erymnoceras cf. coronatum (Bruguière) is associated with the now recorded P. gigas (Étallon). Additionally, the age of the Antalo Limestone Fm is also reassessed on the basis of the ammonite records from the three basins – Ogaden, Blue Nile and Mekele. The Ogaden Basin strata span from the late Callovian to the late Tithonian (from ammonite records), the Blue Nile Basin from the early Callovian to the late Tithonian (calcareous nannofossils) and the Mekele Basin from the uppermost middle Oxfordian to the early Kimmeridgian (ammonite records). However, the upper age assignments should be considered tentative, as much of the previously recorded Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian ammonite fauna needs taxonomic re-evaluation and precise resampling. Contextually, it should be mentioned that in all the three sedimentary basins, the top part of the Antalo Limestone Fm did not yield any ammonites.