Evidence of a Guadalupian age for the Khuff formation of southeastern Oman: Preliminary report (with paleontological appendix by A. Nicora)

The Guadalupian succession of the Huqf area (Sultanate of Oman) represents a mega-sequence comprising the fluvial terrigenous Gharif Formation and the overlying marine Khuff Formation. The Khuff Fm. is subdivided into four me mbers and is composed of marls and bioclastic limestones. The Khuff Fm. yie lds a rich fauna of brachiopods, conodonts, foraminifers, bivalves, gastrop ods, ostracods and cephalopods. The brachiopod fauna of the Khuff Fm. inclu des strophomenids, productids, orthids and terebratulids. The associated co nodont fauna includes Hindeodus excavatus Behnken, Merrilina sp., M. praedi vergens Kozur & Mostler, and Sweetina n, sp. (systematic descriptions of co nodonts are given in the Paleontological Appendix). Foraminifers are repres ented by species of Miliolina and Rotaliina. The Khuff Fm. is given a Wordi an age, based on brachiopods and conodonts. The depositional environment of the Khuff Fm. of southeastern Oman correspo nds to the outer shelf of a large carbonate platform covering most of the A rabian Platform. The Khuff Fm. is interpreted as a major transgressive-regr essive cycle related to differential subsidence.