SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY AND MICROPALEONTOLOGY OF THE TRIASSIC SERIES FROM THE SOUTHERN PART OF TUNISIA

The Triassic series in the southern part of Tunisia, only known from t he oil exploration wells in the Kirchaou area (sandy series from Early Scythian to Ladinian) and in its Djeffara/Dahar-North outcrops (alter nating series from Ladinian to Rhaetian) is now subdivided into 10 Dep ositional Sequences (DS) sensu Vail et al. (1987), T1 to T10 correspon ding approximately to most of the 3rd order eustatic cycle from the Ha q et al. curve (1987). Within the DS succession, 3 basal discontinuiti es (or sequence boundaries) appear to be important in Tunisia: the bas e of T2, correlated to the ''H Discordanz'' from the ''Germanic Triass ic'' (intrascythian); the base of T6 (intracarnian), well-marked by th e Sidi Stout angular discordance from Dahar North; the base of T8 (int ranorian additional DS, previously recognized in Germany) pointed by t he cartographic discordance of Low Stand conglomerates. The shallow-wa ter facies from the carbonate Transgressive Systems Tracts of 7 Tunisi an DS contain macrofauna, such as Myophoria, and particularly 6 succes sive benthonic Foraminifera assemblages, F1 to F6, giving chronostrati graphic informations as complement of Palynomorphs and Conodonts. Belo nging to the genus Meandrospira, Triadodiscus, Aulotortus, Lamelliconu s, Endothyranella, Pilamminella, Agathammina, Gandinella etc..., most of them, commonly used as zone-indices in Europe, are new in Tunisia.