THE ARID PERITIDAL COMPLEX OF ABU-DHABI - A HISTORICAL-PERSPECTIVE

This historical account relates to the work of the Research Committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and two of its subcommittees: the Carbonate Rock Committee and the Persian Gulf R esearch Committee. In 1968-1974 as a member of the AAPG Research Commi ttees sind chair of the two other committees I was involved in supervi sing research in Abu Dhabi The purpose of this paper is to document by aerial and ground photographs classical arid peritidal settings photo graphed in 1969 that are no longer pristine because the area of study in Abu Dhabi has suffered as a result of urban sprawl. This paper cons ists of a narrative for the photographs. The reader is encouraged to v iew the photographs and study their captions. They show peritidal sett ings, including sabkhas. microbial mats, and supratidal anhydrite.