Fossils of The Miocene Dam Formation of Qatar (2009)

A Fossil Hunting Guide
to the Miocene of Qatar, Middle East

A Geological & Macro-Paleontological
Investigation of the Dam Formation
By: Jacques LeBlanc

Geologist, BSc.
October 2009
Fossils of the Miocene Dam Formation of Qatar
A - CONTENTS
Page
A - Contents 1
B - Contacting the author 3
C - About Qatar 3
D - Foreword 4
E - Methodology 4
F - Conventions and Mapping Legend - GoogleEarthTM 6
G - Disclaimer 7
1.0 - Previous Surface Geological and macropaleontological investigations of the
8
Dam Formation
2.0 - Regional geology of the Dam Formation 12
3.0 - Detailed stratigraphy and Environment of Deposition of the Dam Formation
16
in Qatar
3.1 - General 16
3.2 – Salwa Member (General) 16
3.2.1 – Lower Salwa 17
3.2.2 – Middle Salwa 17
3.2.3 – Upper Salwa 18
3.3 – Al-Nakhsh Member (General) 18
3.3.1 – Lower Al-Nakhsh 19
3.3.2 – Middle Al-Nakhsh 19
3.3.3 – Upper Al-Nakhsh 19
3.4 – Abu Samrah Member 20
4.0 - The macrofossils of the Dam Formations in Qatar 32
4.1 – Vertebrates 34
4.1.1 – Pisces / Fish (Sharks, Rays & Teleosts) 34
4.1.2 – Mammals (Sirenia/Dugongs) 37
4.1.3 – Reptiles 41
4.2 – Marine Invertebrates 42
4.2.1 - Arthropods 42
4.2.1a – Leucosiidae (Crabs) 42
4.2.1b – Callianassidae (Mud Shrimps) 46
4.2.2 – Echinoderms (Sea Urchins) 50
4.2.3 - Corals (Scleractinia) 56
4.2.4 - Bryozoa 58
4.2.5 - Mollusks 59
4.2.5a - Bivalvia 59
4.2.5b - Gastropods 63
4.3 - Miscellaneous 66
4.3.1 - Stromatolites 66
4.4 - Plants 71
5.0 - The main minerals 72
5.1 - Gypsum 72
5.2 - Nodular anhydrite or chicken-wire structure 80
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http://leblanc.jacques.googlepages.com/fossilhome
6.0 - Geological features 86

6.1 - Beachrocks 86
6.2 - Oolites 90
6.3 - Aeolianite 91
6.4 - Hummocky Cross Stratification 94
6.5 - Tepee Structures 97
7.0 – Acknowledgments 100
8.0 - Recommendations and Conclusions 102
8.1 - Recommendations 102
8.2 - Conclusions 103
9.0 - References 104
10.0 - Recommended literature 108
11.0 - Appendices 112
11.1 – A brief introduction to Carbonates 112
11.2 – Little known facts about the Dam & Hofuf formations 118
11.2.1 – Ventifacts distribution in Qatar 118
11.2.2 – Why is there contamination of sulphate in the Hofuf
121
formation: the answer lies in the Dam formation
11.3 – Glossary & Coordinates of the main geographical localities 124
11.4 – How to load and use our geological mapping package in
126
GoogleEarthTM
11.5 - The Rock-Carvings at Jarr Umm Tuwaim 132
11.6 – GPS Points details 150
11.6.1 – Area 1 150
11.6.2 – Area 2 168
11.6.3 – Area 3 174
11.6.4 – Area 4 180
11.6.5 – Area 5 181
11.6.6 – Area 6 183
11.6.7 – Area 7 184
11.6.8 – Area 8 186
11.7 – Links to all picture Web Albums 187
11.8 – Vertebrates of the Dam Formation in Saudi Arabia 188
11.9 – Dam Formation Poster 191
2
B - CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
Leblanc.jacques@gmail.com
NOTE: Please do keep in touch in order to provide me with 1) the locality information of your
own personal fossil and mineral finds in Qatar and, 2) your knowledge of pertinent articles for
which I may not be aware of. This information will be useful to publish again on the geology and
paleontology of the country. I will also be delighted to answer all the questions you may have.
C - ABOUT QATAR
The State of Qatar is an independent emirate (monarchy) of 11,400 km2 with officially 1,400,000
inhabitants (2008); 20% of whom are Qataris and the rest are largely other Arab groups together
with Asians and Europeans. About half of the population lives in Doha, the capital and commercial
center of the country, located on the eastern coast.
The country is largely a barren peninsula in the Arabian Gulf, bordering Saudi Arabia. The
economy of Qatar is dominated by oil and natural gas, which accounts for 70% of export income.
Oil and gas revenues have been used to diversify the economy, including the development of
chemicals, steel, cement, and fertilizer industries and banking. Arabic is the official language, but
English is spoken almost everywhere.
Its citizens embrace the future with unswerving optimism and enviable potential. Hospitable,
generous and kind, Qatari's make visitors to their country feel very welcome. Qatar is an ideal
family location and a very safe place to visit, live and work. Standards of living are high as the
infrastructure continues to develop rapidly.
During the summer months (May to September), temperatures generally average 35°C, but it's not
uncommon for the mercury to rise much higher (see the chart below). The 90% humidity that
comes with this time of year hangs over the peninsula and sandstorms are frequent throughout the
year, especially in spring. During the winter months (December-February) there is the odd shower
but the days are mild and pleasant and evenings are cool. Rainstorms, however, can also hit the
country in December and January.
Figure C-1: Average Temperatures in Doha throughout the year (www.weather.com )
3
D - FOREWORD
The present document discusses the geology and macrofossil content of the Miocene Dam
Formation of the State of Qatar for the following purposes: A) amateur fossil & mineral hunting, B)
mapping of the various horizons within the Dam Formation, and C) recommending to the State of
Qatar the geological and paleontological localities worth protecting/preserving for the benefit of
studies and/or enjoyment by the public at large and future generations.
Several document types are part of this study and should be viewed/downloaded all together from
the author’s website. They are:
The main pdf text document (the one you are currently reading) which also includes a poster
A
in the appendix 11.8 (last page of this document);
One KMZ (GoogleEarthTM) file containing all interactive GPS points and mapping
units over the areas studied for this research. Assuming that you are currently
reading the digital file (pdf) of this main document, another option to download the
B
KMZ file to your computer is to right click on the “paper clip” icon to the right and
select “Save embedded file to Disk…”. When you use the KMZ file, make sure the
GoogleEarthTM program is set to be used with decimal degrees (dd.dddddº).
Over 400 pictures found in an online album which is accessible from the author’s website or
appendix 11.7 of this document. The pictures can also be downloaded to your computer
from the album. The author took the pictures during the course of his multiple field trips and
C
since there is no copyright on these images, feel free to use them as you wish. You will find
several pictures pertinent to the geology & paleontology of the Dam Formation and few
pictures dealing with non-geological items found at some localities.
Therefore, in order to make full use of the information provided, the reader should have access to
• The latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://get.adobe.com/reader/ )
• At least version 5 of GoogleEarthTM ( http://earth.google.com/ ).
E - METHODOLOGY
The present publication is the “Main Document” which discusses the geology and fossil content of
the Dam Formation of Qatar from a macroscopic point of view, with references to some nearby
areas in Saudi Arabia. To put together this document, an in-depth literature research was performed
and countless field trips were made to gather new information. All this data was then collated
together to make up this reference guide.
It is estimated that the Dam Formation covers an area of about 912 km2 (8%) of the total surface of
the country. Because of this huge area to cover, it was decided early on to divide the formation’s
occurrence into eight (8) onshore and one (1) offshore geographic areas (Figure F-1). The mapping
would take place only in two onshore areas (1 & 2) for the purpose of this present publication and
all other areas would be visited, if possible, in order to ascertain the physical makeup of the
formation and its paleontological potential. It turned out that areas 1, 2 and 3 were the ones most
extensively studied while areas 4, 5, 6, and 7 were visited just briefly; these could be part of a future
study on the formation. Area 8 could not be visited due to some permit restriction that could not be
overcome. The offshore area itself (Ishat island) was not visited either due to the lack of an
opportunity (boat ride), however if such opportunity presents itself in the future, the author’s
website will be updated with the new information.
4
Areas 1 & 2 were selected for mapping purposes because of the following main reasons:
A Proximity to a main road B No permit required to access the land

No mining activities (except in area 2; however the current gypsum quarrying activities are
C
kept to a minimum)
A small sector within area 1 was studied by several authors in the recent past, such as Dill et
D
al (2005 & 2007) and Al Saad (2002a)
In order to assess and measure all the GPS points the author either walked to or drove to each of the
localities described. The only available days of the week available to do field work were Friday’s.
A typical Friday started with an early rise at 6AM and arrival in the field by 8AM. Return to Doha
was normally just before sunset at 6PM. The evenings of the following week were used to compile,
map and document the gathered field information.
The geology and paleontology of the Dam Formation in Qatar has been summarized in the present
pdf document. However, the pictures taken during the course of our exploration and the
accompanying interactive GoogleEarthTM file which was created to map the various geological
levels of the formation and help us position all our GPS Points, give a better representation of the
extensive work accomplished. We recommend the reader to make good use of them. All
coordinate points were accurately measured (+/- 3m) using a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx. Qatar does
have a Map Datum [the Qatar National] and a Position Format [the Qatar National Grid -QNG],
however it was decided at the start of this project to use the WGS 84 Map Datum with decimal
degrees (dd.ddddd) for ease of use by all our readers, wherever they might be in the world.
In the present publication, we are using the sub-divisions of the Dam Formation established by Dill
et al (2005 & 2007) as described further below. An attempt is also made to unify the sub-divisions
presented by former authors with Dill’s more recent and thorough investigation. We have mapped
only the Members and sub-Members of the Dam Formation. We did not map the loosely occurring
Pliocene/Hofuf gravels and the Quaternary sands covering it. Where the Dam Formation is overlaid
by these sediments, we have attempted to correlate the hidden member(s) with the nearest exposed
outcrops. When consolidated Pliocene/Hofuf sands/gravels were found, a GPS reading was taken.
Note: To learn more about the loosely occurring Pliocene/Hofuf gravels and the interesting
phenomenon of ventifacts, please read Appendix 11.2.1
Finally, GoogleEarthTM was selected as the GPS point locater and mapping software of choice for
several reasons:
• Easily and freely accessible and downloadable worldwide;
• Simplicity of use;
• Offers regularly updated satellite images which can be used to correlate the strata of the
exposed Dam Formation and to observe the natural and manmade changes that have
occurred over a given time period.
• Compatibility of GoogleEarthTM with all Garmin GPS
GoogleEarthTM, however, is not the package we would have selected for an in-house surface
mapping project. We find that this program has not yet reached its full capacity as a mapping
software, especially when comes to polygon colour-infilling. Several flaws were indeed
encountered with this feature; these make it difficult to deliver a professionally looking product for
a project similar to the one at hand. Therefore, you will notice that the geological sub-units of the
Dam Formation were mapped without polygon colour-infilling. Instead, thick coloured contour
lines were used to delimitate the top of every sub-units, as seen in Tables F1 & F2 and fig 11.4.4.
5
F - CONVENTIONS AND MAPPING LEGEND - GoogleEarthTM

Colours of GPS Points
Dam Sub-Units
Contour lines numbering system
BLACK Top of Abu Samrah From 7001 to 7999
DARK BLUE Top of Upper Al-Nakhsh From 6001 to 6999
ORANGE Top of Middle Al-Nakhsh From 5001 to 5999
YELLOW Top of Lower Al-Nakhsh From 4001 to 4999
PURPLE Top of Upper Salwa From 3001 to 3999
PALE BLUE Top of Middle Salwa From 2001 to 2999
GREEN Top of Lower Salwa From 1001 to 1999
Table F-1: Mapping conventions. Example: GPS point “A1_5001” means locality 5001 of the
Middle Al-Nakhsh Member in Area 1, while “A2_3005” means locality 3005 of the Upper Salwa
Member in Area 2.
Locality of a general geological nature
Important fossil echinoderm (sea urchin) site

Less important fossil echinoderm (sea urchin) site
Important fossil dugong/sirenian remains site

Less important fossil dugong remain site or potential area to explore for dugong remains
Important fossil bivalves site (normally the base of Upper Salwa)
Less important fossil bivalves site (normally the base of Upper Salwa)
Well developed [large] Stromatolite mounds (top of Middle Al-Nakhsh)
Weakly developed Stromatolite mounds (top of Middle Al-Nakhsh)
Miocene lithified sand dune/interdune (aeolianite)
Consolidated or unconsolidated Miocene sand which has not developed into a dune or
interdune feature
“Desert Rose” forming at the surface of this Holocene sabkha (no digging required)
The author’s notes about a non-geological item found at that locality
A known geographical point of Qatar

Table F-2: Icons used for the GPS points in GoogleEarthTM
6
Fig. F-1: The eight onshore and one offshore areas of the Dam Formation in Qatar
G - DISCLAIMER
This research was compiled for your enjoyment only. The author does not take any responsibilities
for injuries or accidents that may be inflicted to the amateur or professional fossil hunter during a
field trip in locations described in this document. The reader should always apply common sense
while in the field and be prepared accordingly for the outdoors. It is also the reader’s
responsibility not to venture on land(s) that belong to the Government, especially those currently
used for military purposes.
It is important to note that the author did not get any special permit from the Government to visit
the localities mentioned in this publication. It was assumed from the beginning that there was no
restriction whatsoever to visit them. After further insight, however, the author recommends the
reader not to visit Area 8 (we did not visit it either) and the southern portion of Area 3 near the
Qatar – Saudi Arabia border unless the appropriate authorizations have been secured.
7
1.0 Previous Surface Geological and macropaleontological

investigations of the Dam Formation
• Philby, H. St J. (1933) reports the first fossil find in the Miocene of Eastern Arabia (in what
would be later named the “Dam Formation”). Its locality was at “Qarn Abu Wail” which is
today separating Qatar with Saudi Arabia.
• Steineke and Koch (1935) introduce the name of “Dam” in an unpublished Aramco report.
• Thralls and Hasson (1956) formalized the Dam Formation. The type location of the Dam is
at Jabal al Lidam in Saudi Arabia (Lat 26º 21’N, Long. 49º 27’E) about 60 km west of
Dhahran where the lower part of the type unit crops out (fig 1.1). The lower beds of the
formation were measured in the eastern face of Jabal al Lidam and the upper part of the
89.8m interval were measured at Al Umayshir (Lat 26º 17’N, Long. 49º 24’E). At these two
localities, it consists mainly of marl, chalky limestone and clay, interbedded with thin beds
of sandstone. It is unconformably overlain by the Hofuf Formation (fig 1.2)
• Powers et al (1966) recorded echinoderms, molluscs, ostracods, corals, fossil wood,
vertebrate fragments, crab claws and foraminifera from the Dam formation carbonates (see
his section in fig. 1.2)
• Cavelier (1970a&b) subdivided the formation into the lower and upper Dam subformations
(figs 3.7 to 3.11)
• Johnson et al (1971) spent 10 days in the field investigating the Miocene Dam Formation in
Qatar with an emphasis on determining the regional dip by recording elevation and location
of reliable marker beds on both flank of the ridge.
• Sugden et al (1972) describes all the surface and sub-surface formations of Qatar; including
the Dam.
• Kier (1972) studies the tertiary echinoderms (including the Dam Formation) of Saudi Arabia
• Cavelier (1974) summarizes the fauna and lithology of the Dam Formation and all the others
outcropping at the surface of Qatar
• Dr. J. Roman (1976) published his study on the Eocene and Miocene echinoderms of Qatar
in which he describes specimens from the Dammam and Dam Formations in localities such
as Zekreet (Eocene) and Qarn Abu Wail (Miocene).
• Seltrust (1980) described the result of their 1978-79 field work to map the country of Qatar
which had been commissioned by the Director General of the Industrial Development
Technical Centre. All of the outcropping formations, from Tertiary to Recent age, are
described systematically and identified fossils are listed. A supplementary part of this
programme was the production of an updated geological map, at scales of 1 : 100,000 and 1
:200,000, using as a base the new 1 : 100,000 topographic maps, prepared in 1980 by
Hunting Surveys Limited for the Ministry of Public Works, Engineering Services Division.
• Thomas et al. (1982) studied the the remains of rodents and larger mammals, reptiles and
birds from the Dam Formation of the As-Sarrar region in Saudi Arabia.
• Abu-Zeid and Khalifa (1983) modified Cavelier’s work and divided the formation into
members “A” and “B”. They also investigated the clay components of the Dam formation
in Qatar.
• Hunting (1983) were commissioned in 1982 by the industrial Development Technical
Centre, Doha to produce and interpret a digitally enhanced Landsat Multispectral Scanner
(MSS) false colour mosaic. The format and scale (1 :200,000) of both the mosaic and the
interpretation map were to match a photogeological map of Qatar produced by Hunting
Geology and Geophysics Limited in conjunction with Seltrust Engineering Limited (see
above). This study of Landsat has confirmed the regional geological picture built up during
8
the earlier photogeological work. It also stressed that collapse structures due to solution of
evaporites are more widespread in Qatar than hitherto thought.
• Hilmy et al (1987) studied the petrography and sedimentology of the argillaceous rocks of
the Dam in Qatar
• Irtem (1986) provided detailed study on the stromatolites that occur in the lower part of the
Miocene Dam Formation in Saudi Arabia. He concluded that the Dam Formation consists
of three upward-deepening cycles in Al Lidam area and was deposited in a shallow subtidal
to lower intertidal environment
• Hewaidy (1991) studied for the first time the foraminifera of the formation in the Jebel Al-
Nakhsh and Al-Kharrarah areas where they were dated as Burdigalian-Helvetian (Early to
Middle Miocene).
• El-Kassas (1992) studied the natural gamma radioactivity of all Qatar. He concluded that
the cause of radioactive anomalies recorded in the Lower Dam limestones is mostly the
presence of some vertebrate remains (bones, teeth and coprolites) rich in phosphate.
• Khalifa and Mahmoud (1993) identified three types of algal stromatolites in member “B” (or
Al-Nakhsh member equivalent of Dill et al) of the Dam Formation at Khashm Al-Nakhash.
They proposed a protected tidal environment for the deposition of the formation.
• Jones & Racey (1994) published facies distributions of the Miocene in the Middle East
• Al-Saad and Ibrahim (2002) studied aspects of stratigraphy, micropaleontology and
paleoecology and found that microfossils are predominantly benthic foraminifera and are
represented by 38 species of which most are milioline and one is a larger form. They also
stratigraphically subdivided the Dam Formation in Qatar into two new formal members. The
basal Al-Kharrara Member [or Salwa member as defined by Dill et al] is made up of
limestone, marl, and claystone, and the overlying Al-Nakhash Member is a cyclic
assemblage of carbonate, evaporite, and algal stromatolite facies. This study grouped the
lithofacies into four major types of which limestone, subdivided into six subfacies, is
dominant (Fig.3.6). It concluded that Al-Kharrara member was deposited in warm (25°-
30°C), clear, shallow waters of the inner neritic zone (0-35 m) that had an elevated salinity
(35%-50%) and a vegetated substrate. It also concluded that Al-Nakhash member was
probably formed in an oscillating, very shallow-marine environment (0-10 meters deep,
including tidal flats), under warm climatic conditions that eventually led to the accumulation
of evaporites and algal stromatolites.
• López-Antoñanzas (2004) and López-Antoñanzas et al. (2004) studied three types of rodents
from fossiliferous continental localities of the Dam Formation in the As-Sarrar region of
Saudi Arabia. These sites are located about 10 km N-NW of As-Sarrar (26º 59’ 01’’ N; 48º
23’ 14’’ E), less than 90 km from the coast of the Arabian Gulf and about 250 km N-W of
Al Hofuf. Teeth and jaw remains were studied
• Al-Enizi et al. (2006) analyzed samples of recent foraminifera from the nearshore Arabian
Gulf and compared them with similar foraminiferal biocomponents of the Dam Formation
carbonates at Jabal Midra Al-Janubi. His study indicated that the foraminiferal fossils in the
Dam Formation commenced deposition following a slight marine transgression over an
eroded Palaeogene surface during the Middle Miocene, under highly adverse, hypersaline
conditions. Successive small-scale marine transgressions, with normal salinity, led to
foraminiferal colonization and the accumulation of foraminiferal wackestones, packstones
and grainstones. These minor fluctuations led to the development of shoaling-upwards
cycles, in which the foraminifera and grain sizes responded to increasing energy conditions
as well as slight elevations in salinity, as evidence by the concentrations of hypersaline-
tolerant miliolid foraminifera.
• Dill et al (2005) and Dill et al (2007) subdivided the succession of sedimentary rocks
subjacent to the Hofuf Formation over the Khashm Al-Nakhsh area in Qatar into seven
9
lithofacies associations (fig. 3.12a&b). These lithofacies associations were stratigraphically

grouped from top to bottom into three members called Abu Samrah, Al Nakhsh, and Salwa
Members. Al Nakhsh and Salwa Members both allowed for a refinement of the
stratigraphy, each comprising an upper, middle, and lower unit. It is this sub-division that
will be used in the present publication.
• LeBlanc (2008) in his fossil guide to the Tertiary formations of Qatar summarized in general
terms the geology and paleontology of the Dam Formation
• Puls, Jameson & Kozar (2008) put together a carbonate workshop for the Oil & Gas
Industry which includes a study of the Dam Formation.
Fig 1.1: Location of the Type Section of the Paleogene-Neogene Formations in the Arabian
Peninsula, including the Jabal Al-Lidam locality for the Dam Formation (Al-Sharhan, 1995)
10
Fig 1.2: Description of the Dam Formation at the type locality of Jabal Al Lidam, Saudi Arabia
(Powers et al, 1966)
11
2.0 Regional Geology of the Dam Formation

The Dam Formation in Qatar is equivalent to the Dam Formation in UAE and Saudi Arabia and the
Lower Fars formation in Iran (Asmari), Iraq and Kuwait. (figs 2.1 & 2.2). The formation in Saudi
Arabia and UAE, however, represents a continental environment of deposition as opposed to the
one in Qatar which is clearly marine (fig. 2.3).
Dill et al (2007) have refined the stratigraphy of the Dam Formation from previous studies by
analyzing the Strontium isotopes in all the members of the formation. Their study has yielded a late
Aquitanian to early Burdigalian age of sedimentation for the Dam Formation in Qatar. As seen in
fig 11.2.8, this would give an age of the formation between 18 and 22 million years.
Fig 2.1: Generalized geological map of the Arabian Peninsula showing (in pink) all the Miocene
(and Pliocene) occurrences in relation to Qatar (modified from Al-Enezi et al. 2006).
12
Fig 2.2: Correlation of the Lower Miocene sedimentary sequences along the northeast boundary of
the Arabian Platform (Dill et al., 2007)
In Qatar, the Dam Formation rocks occur in two discontinuous belts in the southwestern part of the
peninsula and forms some of the highest ground (figs. 2.4, 3.2 & 3.3). The more western belt
extends southwards, on both sides of the continuation of the Dukhan anticline, from the vicinity of
Umm Bab to the border beyond Abu Samrah. The second group of outcrops extend from north of
Sawdaa Natheel, in the vicinity of Qulay al Bin Said and Hamir, northeastwards to beyond Al
Kharrarah and nearly to the main Doha-Abu Samrah road. The present distribution of this outcrop
area is believed to be structurally controlled in part. Dam Formation rocks are also preserved in
post-Miocene collapse structures such as at Karanah, Al Markhiyah and Mukaynis (Seltrust (1980))
The Dam Formation strata are occasionally jointed and commonly sub-horizontal with gentle dips
indicating post-Miocene movement particularly of the Dukhan anticline. A particular feature of the
succession is the development of numerous small domes and basins where relatively steep dips are
characteristic. This feature is especially prevalent towards the north of Ti's Karanah (Seltrust
(1980))
The Dam formation has unconformable contacts with the underlying and overlying formations. It
overlies the Middle Eocene limestone of the Dammam Formation and is overlain by the Late
Miocene to Early Pliocene conglomerate and sandstone of the Hofuf Formation (LeBlanc (2008))
13
Fig 2.3: Depositional environments of the Miocene formations in the Arabian Peninsula (Ziegler,
2001). Note the Dam formation with its marine facies (brown) in Qatar and its equivalent
continental environment in Saudi Arabia (yellow)
14
Figure 2.4 : Sketch map of the onshore Miocene rocks of Qatar. The Dukhan Anticline extends in
NNW–SSE direction along the western coast of Qatar. The dotted bold lines delimit the occurrence
of sulphate in the underlying Eocene Rus Formation. The surface expression of the cross-section in
fig. 3.2 is marked in the map by the transect A–B (Dill et al. 2005).
15
3.0 - Detailed stratigraphy and Environment of Deposition of the Dam

Formation in Qatar
3.1 - GENERAL
0) The Dam Formation in Qatar represents a complete sabkha sequence in Miocene sediments
from offshore to continental deposits (Dill et al, 2005).
1) Calcareous and evaporitic sediments (gypsum, celestite) of the Dam Formation in Qatar reflect
deposition under subtidal through supratidal conditions, which towards the base and the top of
the series are replaced by an environment of deposition more akin to a modem beach. (Dill et al,
2007).
2) All carbonate and siliciclastic sediments younger than the Middle Salwa were subjected to
strong dolomitisation, excluding the uppermost part of the Abu Samrah Member. (Dill et al,
2007).
3) The bivalves form a coquina between 1 and 2 m thick [ex.: Upper Salwa, Abu Samrah, etc..]
with shells dissolved away by post depositional solution, a fact which applies to nearly all
invertebrate fossils found in the Qatar limestones where natural casts are found (echinoids and
bryozoa being the exception). The coquina seems to be a "death assemblage" since counts of
the articulated valves showed them to be a very small proportion of the isolated valves counted.
This unit could be strike walked over several kilometres (Whybrow, 1987)
4) Strike in the Miocene is approximately parallel to the ridge because elevations recorded for the
top shale [see Upper Salwa below] on each side of the ridge do not vary a great deal (Johnson et
al, 1971)
5) The general dip in the scarp area [Khashm Al-Nakhsh and north of it] (Fig 3.5) is approximately
0.5º to 1º in a direction just south of west (Johnson et al, 1971)
6) Within the Miocene beds there is no evidence of reversal of westward dip. However, the shale
outcrop in the flat coastal plain is quite extensive which might either be a result of the leveling
out of the Miocene beds, or a result of the suggested westerly thickening of the bed, or a
combination of both effects (Johnson et al, 1971)
3.2 - SALWA MEMBER (General)

1) Consists of heterolithic siliciclastic-calcareous sediments which were laid down under meso-to-
microtidal conditions (Dill et al, 2005).
2) Stromatolites are not present in this member (LeBlanc; this publication).
3) In Khashm Al-Nakhsh, it is composed mainly of shale, marl, limestone and some sand
intercalations with echinoids, pelecypods and abundant burrows. (LeBlanc; this publication).
4) In Kharrarah, it is composed mainly of limestone and marl with some small sized echinoids and
crabs. The thickness is 21 metres (Hewaidy, 1991) (Fig. 3.6)
5) the [Salwa] Member was deposited in warm (25°-30°C), clear, shallow water within the inner
neritic zone (0-35 m deep) with salinity levels from 35 to 50 ppt (Al-Saad et al, 2002a).
6) Some of the beds are particularly fossiliferous, one of the most noticeable being a thin bed of
limestone crowded with a species of oyster [Ostrea latimarginata & Placuna Placenta]. This
bed can be seen towards the top of the formation on the road from Karanah to Umm Bab where
it crosses the southern edge of Ti's Karanah. (Seltrust (1980))
7) Another feature of the formation is the sporadic occurrence of fossilised vertebrate bones
(Seltrust (1980)).
8) The clayey facies, often greenish or reddish in colour, which is predominant in the southwest
tends to be substituted in part eastwards by whitish clayey limestones. The clay beds reach 4 - 5
metres in thickness, and can best be observed in the [QNCC sand] quarry at Wadi al Huwaylah
south of Umm Bab, where they are extracted for use in cement manufacture. (Seltrust (1980))
16
9) Fossils are numerous in these predominantly marine beds and include molluscs (Clementia
papyracea, Cardium, Cardita, Conus, Turritella, Anomia, Ostrea latimarginata, Pectinidae,
Cypraea, Natica). Corals, echinoderms [Fibularia], Foraminifera and Bryozoa have also been
recorded, together with crabs and shark and reptile teeth and bones (Seltrust (1980))
10) The largest number of radiometric anomalies in Qatar (45%) are associated with marly and
phosphatic limestones of the Lower Dam Formation [Salwa Member], but none of them has
significant radioactivity. The cause of radioactive anomalies recorded in the Lower Dam
limestones is mostly the presence of some vertebrate remains (bones, teeth and coprolites) rich
in phosphate. (El-Kassas, 1992)
3.2.1 - Lower Salwa

1) The Lower Salwa is a silicate-dolomite-calcite sequence. The base is a deeper marine
environment (Fine-grained siliciclastics) while the top stratum (Calcitic clay-rich marlstone) is
an inter-tidal to beach environment (Dill et al, 2005 & 2007).
2) The ichnofossil assemblage is characterized by straight and branched burrows in sediment
composed of Cardita debris. Trace fossils are ubiquitous in lithofacies association I. The
organisms burrowed their shaft and tunnels in a low to moderate energy regime. These
crawling and grazing feeding trails were described from less turbulent waters (restricted)
carbonate platforms at water depths between 5 and 25 m (Dill et al, 2005).
3) Horizontal stratification with even bedding planes and bedsets measuring up to 1 m is
widespread particularly in the siltstones and fine grained sandstones of the Lower and Upper
Salwa Members (Dill et al, 2005).
4) Rock colors with bright gray and brownish tints indicate well-oxygenated conditions (Dill et al,
2005).
5) According to Cavelier (1970), a sandstone unit in the Dam Formation was said to contain
“Mammal bones & teeth” . (Whybrow, 1987a)
3.2.2 - Middle Salwa

1) Some fine-grained siliciclastics in this Salwa lithofacies associations developed planar cross
stratification. The ripple-laminated beset suggest a rather low water level and well-oxygenated
bathymetric conditions. The ripples in the bedsets are akin to herringbone cross-lamination and
common to tidal environments (Dill et al, 2005).
2) Most likely the environment was the distal part of a tidal delta complex (Salwa 4) while a
lagoonal environment prevailed in Salwa 2 & 3 (fig 3.12a&b). The water depth reached a
maximum in the Salwa 2 and Salwa 3 (approximately 20 m) (Dill et al, 2005).
3) Bonebeds full of shark teeth, locally, containing also invertebrate fossil hash came into being at
the base of the cyclothems (Dill et al, 2005).
4) Impressive quantity of the echinoderm Fibularia damensis are found in white (chalk) limestone
beds (LeBlanc, this publication) (see Chapter 4.2.2). Cavelier (1970) and Whybrow (1987a)
call this limestone the “button-bed”.
5) Part of the Middle Salwa has also been interpreted as a restricted platform sedimentary unit. The
top strata, however, are interpreted as a beachrock (intertidal environment) very much like the
lithologies in the Lower Salwa (Dill et al, 2007).
6) Red and green rock colors observed in this sub-member indicate varying oxidising and reducing
conditions. The basin began deepening during the passage into the Middle Salwa Member. The
state of oxygenation deteriorated (dysaerobic reducing conditions), so that part of the
environment is described as lagoonal (Dill et al, 2005).
7) From the sequence stratigraphic point of view, the maximum flooding surface is likely to lie
within the Middle Salwa Member (Dill et al, 2005).
17
3.2.3 - Upper Salwa

1) Horizontal stratification with even bedding planes and bedsets measuring up to 1 m is
widespread particularly in the siltstones and fine grained sandstones of the Lower and Upper
Salwa Members (Dill et al, 2005).
2) Some fine-grained siliciclastics of the Salwa lithofacies associations developed planar cross
stratification (Dill et al, 2005).
3) Red [shale] beds are particularly widespread in the Upper Salwa, locally alternating with dark
gray and green [shale] beds (Dill et al, 2005).
4) The red and green shale beds are by far the most reliable marker which occurs at the top of the
marly sequence [base of Upper Salwa]. This marker is clearly seen at the base of the ridge on
the coast side, about 10 to 12 feet thick [about 3.5m] in most areas underlying a chalky bed five
or more feet thick [1.5m]. On the east side of the ridge the shale outcrop is less clearly seen and
the thickness of the shale sequence appears to be less (Johnson et al, 1971)
5) Ostrea, known to be widespread in estuaries and tidal flats, paves the way from the subtidal
environment of the Salwa Members into the inter- to supratidal subenvironments of the Al
Nakhsh Members. The fauna that created the ichnofossils had their habitat in the subtidal to
lower intertidal or shoreface environments (Dill et al, 2005).
6) An extensive bed of Ostrea Latimarginata and Placuna sp. occurs at the base of a green shale
(Johnson et al, 1971)
3.3 - AL-NAKHSH MEMBER (General)

1) Formed under macrotidal conditions with sub-to-supratidal depositional environments passing
into continental ones. Celestite, gypsum, and microbial mats (stromatolites) are very widespread
in these sabkha sediments. Crystals of gypsum and the thickness of stromatolites tremendously
increase towards younger sediments indicating thereby a close genetic link between growth of
microbial domes and gypsum precipitation (Dill et al, 2005)
2) Thirty-three (33) metres thick in Khashm Al-Nakhsh (Dill et al, 2005)
3) This member is the only one with Stromatolite occurrences (LeBlanc; this publication).
4) Stromatolites evolve from centimeter-thick LLH stromatolites in the lower part to giant SH
stromatolites in the upper part of the Al Nakhsh Member. (Dill et al, 2005).
5) It shows cyclic sedimentation (Puls et al, 2008)
6) In Khashm Al- Nakhsh, it is composed of limestone, marl, stromatolitic limestone and
evaporites (LeBlanc; this publication).
7) The stromatolites are frequent and concentrated in certain horizons and the evaporites consist
mainly of gypsum towards the base and of celestite towards the top. Some limestone horizons
are rich in mollusc shells and casts. (Hewaidy, 1991).
8) In Kharrarah, it is mainly composed of limestone and some evaporite intercalations (celestite).
No stromatolites are recorded. (Hewaidy, 1991). (Fig. 3.6)
9) The environment of deposition is transitional between normal marine and hypersaline evaporitic
conditions. Corbula, Cardita, and the Cerithidae seemed to be very tolerant as to such very
inhospitable conditions (Dill et al, 2005).
10) A warm littoral to sabkha (hypersaline) environments of deposition (Al-Saad et al, 2002a)
11) Clay facies, which are quite prominent in the Abu Samrah area, tend to be replaced by a
carbonate facies [more to the north] which accompanies the change from marine to lagoonal
conditions (Seltrust (1980))
12) A wide variety of fossils occur [in the Al-Nakhsh] reflecting the more varied environment.
These include molluscs (Ostrea latimarginata, Chamis senatoria, Clausinella persica,
Hydrobia, Natica, Lucina, Capsa lacunosa, Tellina biparta, Cardiocardita, Cerithidae,
Cardium, Lima, Modiola), echinoderms [Fibularia], diplodonts, Bryozoa, crabs, sharks teeth
and Foraminifera (Seltrust (1980)).
18
13) A cyclic succession of clay, marl, chalk, limestone and gypsum was deposited - the gypsum
(now recrystallised) varying from massive 2 metre thick beds to thin nodular horizons. Further
north and at Kharaij, Ti's Karanah, Al Huriyah and Huraythi, thin beds and nodules of strontium
sulphate (celestite) occur commonly associated with a thin variegated green to red clay horizon
at the base of the Upper Dam [base of Upper Salwa?]. It would appear from their mapped
distribution that the gypsum and celestite - were formed under differing circumstances since in
general they do not occur in the same locality (Seltrust (1980)).
3.3.1 - Lower Al-Nakhsh

1) At 48 m (fig 3.12a&b), LLH stromatolites appear in the Lower Al Nakhsh with tepee structures
and centimeter-thick laminae. At 50 m, patches of columnar microbial structures (SH),
covering several hundreds of square meters developed on top of LLH stromatolites. The
individual columns form a sort of a stromatolite pavement. Tidal channels are indicated in the
sedimentary record by the bioclastic pure limestones in the lower section of each cycles
(subtidal) (Dill et al, 2005).
2) There is one type of stromatolite which does not fit well in this pattern of LLH and SH
microbial/stromatolitic structures (Fig. 4.3.4a). This stromatolite extends horizontally across
several square meters and is akin to the LLH stromatolites. Some concentric ring structures are
randomly distributed among an irregularly-shaped network. In places, these rings have a central
knob or a column erected like a broken tree trunk. These were interpreted in terms of microbial
mat blisters and gas escape structures. The ring structures in an overall network are produced by
degassing processes. The microbial mats are expanded to form mat blisters. After the leathery
skin of the mat is being destroyed by the gas overpressure the structure collapses and the
circular remains get preserved. These biogenic decay structures are held to be indicative of a
rather low rate of sedimentation. Otherwise such delicate structures would have not been
preserved (Dill et al, 2005).
3.3.2 - Middle Al-Nakhsh

1) The clay and siltstones are rich in [anhydrite] nodules (Dill et al, 2005).
2) The climax of stromatolites growth is reached in the Middle Al Nakhsh with as much as 2 m in
diameter and 0.5 m in height (Fig 4.3.4f). The maximum size of stromatolites (SH) is achieved
in beds immediately underneath the boundary between the Middle and Upper Al Nakhsh
Member, where domal structures measuring 2 m across cover a wide platform [as mapped by
the author]. Internally, these domal structures (or thrombolite buildups–microbial mounds)
consist of a dense irregularly-shaped network (Dill et al, 2005).
7) Transitional types between SH and LLH stromatolites occur [at the base of the Middle Al-
Nakhsh]. Their internal structure closely resembles that of oncoids exfoliating in an onion-shell
style (figs 4.3.4d & e) (Dill et al, 2005).
3.3.3 - Upper Al-Nakhsh

1) The Upper Al-Nakhsh is brown and red in colour with thick gypsum seam. Celestite and
Bassanite also occur (Dill et al, 2005).
2) There are no burrows or textures which might indicate that fauna was responsible for the
bioturbation (Dill et al, 2005).
3) It is the most landward (inland sabkha) equivalent of the Al-Nakhsh (Dill et al, 2005).
4) Mega cross-bedding in the Upper Al-Nakhsh, with foresets dipping at an angle of 27º, suggests
that these clastic sediments are of aeolian origin (Fig 3.1 and Chapter 6.3) (Dill et al, 2005).
5) The red bed facies in the Upper Al-Nakhsh with gypsum-bearing coarsening-upward cycle
represents the maximum regression following the supratidal regime of the Middle A1-Nakhsh.
19
It passes into mottled argillaceous calcrete, which evolved on top of shoals in the sabkha or may
grade into arenaceous aeolian deposits (Dill et al, 2005).
6) The beds of massive gypsum are only locally present as one moves northwards along the scarp
from [Khashm Al-Nakhsh]; also these beds seem to show some of the strongest anomalous dips
(Johnson et al, 1971)
Fig 3.1: How the Khashm Al-Nakhsh (area 1) could have looked like at the close of the Al Nakhsh
member deposition. (modified from Al Bowardi et al. 2005)
3.4 - ABU SAMRAH

1) The marine calcareous sediments were deposited in a microtidal wave-dominated environment.
Dissolution of Eocene evaporites at depth governed the lithofacies differentiation in the
Miocene Dam Formation” (Dill et al. 2005).
2) Eight (8) metres thick in Khashm Al-Nakhsh (Dill et al, 2005)
3) Irregular burrows occur and a shell bed marks the boundary between the Abu Samrah and Al-
Nakhsh Members. This fossiliferous layer is contained in a thinly bedded sequence of
calcareous and siliciclastic rocks (Dill et al, 2005).
4) There are no vertebrate remains [except for shark teeth] (Dill et al, 2005).
5) A great variety of cross-bedding types attest to fluctuating energy regimes (Dill et al, 2005).
6) In the Abu Samrah Member the marine setting has almost completely turned from a tide-
dominated into wave-dominated beach environment (Dill et al, 2005).
7) Hydrobia is a snail that needs a wet habitat to be active either covered by seawater or by moving
in fluid layers for low-tide conditions. Not surprisingly, these gastropods appear in a great
number in the Abu Samrah Member as the supratidal/continental environment of the Upper Al-
Nakhsh became re-inundated (Dill et al, 2005).
20
8) The calcareous beds immediately beneath the unconformity, which is overlain by fluvial
gravely sediments of the Pliocene Hofuf Formation, were named beach rocks (Dill et al, 2007).
9) Thin ripple marked sandstones have been observed near the top in the An Nafkhah - Qarn Abu
Wail area indicating a coastal depositional environment (Seltrust (1980))
Fig 3.2 : Two cross-sections of approximate “A – B” transect location in fig. 2.4 (top - Puls et al 2008; bottom
- Seltrust, 1980)
Figure 3.3: The Dam Formation exposed on “Khashm al Nakhsh” along Salwa Road in SW Qatar
(Area 1).
21
Fig 3.4: Location of the three schematic sections drawn by Johnson et al, 1971, as illustrated in fig.
3.5 below, together with our corresponding areas 1, 5 and 7
22
Fig 3.5: Schematic cross-sections of the Dam Formation at three localities in western Qatar (fig 3.4) (modified from Johnson et al, 1971)
23
Fig 3.6: Al Kharrarah section (Area 4) compared with Al Nakhsh and nearby sections (area 1).(modified from Hewaidy (1991) and Al Saad (2002a))
24
The five figures (3.7 to 3.11) below are composites of Cavelier (1970) and Dill et al’s (2007) subdivisions of the Dam Formation at two geographical
locations while figure 3.12 show Dill et al’s (2007) original stratigraphic column over Khashm Al-Nakhsh.
Fig 3.7: Lithology and color code legend used in the composite figures 3.8 to 3.11 below (Cavelier, 1970; colors established by the author)
25
Fig 3.8: Composite Stratigraphic column on the eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah (see appendix “Glossary & Coordinates”) showing the Upper
Dam Formation of Cavelier (1970) and the subdivisions of the Al-Nakhsh member by Dill et al. (2007)
26
Fig 3.9: Composite Stratigraphic column of the Southern flank of the hill (24.687492°N and 50.865029°E) located 1.5 kms NNE of Qarn Abu Wail
showing the Upper Dam Formation of Cavelier (1970) and the subdivisions of the Abu Samrah & Al-Nakhsh members by Dill et al. (2007)
27
Fig 3.10: Composite Stratigraphic column on the eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah (see appendix “Glossary & Coordinates”) showing the Lower
Dam Formation of Cavelier (1970) and the subdivisions of the Salwa member by Dill et al. (2007)
28
Fig 3.11: Composite Stratigraphic column of the Southern flank of the hill (24.687492°N and 50.865029°E) located 1.5 kms NNE of Qarn Abu Wail
showing the Lower Dam Formation of Cavelier (1970) and the subdivisions of the Salwa member by Dill et al. (2007)
29
Fig. 3.12a: Litholog of the Miocene Dam Formation and its depositional environments. All depth-related data are given in metres, all dimensions in
the litholog are given in centimetres (Dill et al. 2007). See also our poster
30
Fig. 3.12b (Continued from previous page). See also our poster
31
The Miocene Guide of Qatar, Middle East (Dam Formation)
4.0 The macrofossils of the Dam Formations in Qatar

Table 4.1 below summarizes the fossil content of the Dam formation. Each fossil type is discussed
in more details in the sub-chapters that follow.
Table 4.1: Macrofossils of the Dam Formation in Qatar

Subphylum/Class Name / Note Fossil Type Type Locality
4.1 - Vertebrates
Sharks Teeth A3_2023
Rays (Aetobatus?) Pavement teeth A1_4038
4.1.1 – Pisces / Fish
Teleosts (Diodon and Tooth plates and A3_4001
unidentified) Vertebrae A3_2040
4.1.2 - Mammals Sirenia (Dugong) Ribs & vertebrae A1_2115, A3_1019
Teeth and other
4.1.3 - Reptiles ?? N/A
parts
4.2 – Marine Invertebrates
4.2.1a – Typilobus/Leucosia claw, carapace N/A
Leucosiidae xanthoids, portunoids
Claws A1_4009
(crabs) and callapids
4.2.1 - Arthropods
4.2.1b -
Callianassidae Callianassa claw, carapace A3_2035
(mud shrimp)
Goniocidaris noellingi Spines N/A
Agassizia persica shell or "test" A1_4016
4.2.2 – Echinoderms / Sea Urchins
Fibularia damensis shell or "test" A1_2010
Opechinus costatus shell or "test" A3_4010
Common in the Lower
4.2.3 Corals / Scleractinia Colonial Corals A1_1077 & 1078
Salwa
Steginoporella N/A
4.2.4 - Bryozoa Phidoloporidae
A3_2035
(or Sertella)
Anadara Shell N/A
Anomiidae Shell N/A
Barbatia Shell N/A
Capsa Shell N/A
Lower Salwa, Abu
Cardiidae Shell
Samrah
Lower Salwa,
Carditidae Shell
Middle Al-Nakhsh
Chlamys Shell N/A
Clausinella persica Shell Abu Samrah
Clementia senatoria Lower Salwa,
Shell
4.2.5a – (veneridae) Middle Al-Nakhsh
4.2.5 - Mollusks
Bivalvia Corbicula sp. Shell N/A
Corbula sp. Shell Middle Al-Nakhsh
Diplodonta Shell N/A
Limidae Shell Lower Al-Nakh
Lucina Shell N/A
Mactridae Shell N/A
Mytilidae Shell Lower Al-Nakhsh
A1_3028 & Lower
Ostrea latimarginata Shell
Al-Nakhsh
Pectinidae Shell Upper Salwa
Placuna Shell A2_3001, A3_2027
Tellina Shell N/A
http://leblanc.jacques.googlepages.com/fossilhome - 32
Table 4.1 (Continue): Macro Fossils of the Dam Formation in Qatar

Subphylum Class Name / Note Fossil Type Type Locality
Acteocina Shell N/A
Balanidae Shell N/A
Cerithiacea Shell N/A
A2_2040 & Lower
Shell
Cerithiidae Al-Nakhsh
4.2.5 - Mollusks 4.2.5b -Gastropods Conidae Shell A1_1034
Fissurellidae Shell N/A
Hydrobiidae Shell Abu Samrah
Naticidae Shell Middle Al-Nakhsh
Turritellidae Shell Lower Salwa
Xenophoridae Shell Lower Salwa
4.3 - Miscellaneous
LLH A2_5022
SH A1_4002, A1_5060
4.3.1 - Stromatolites
SS A1_5005
unknown A1_4008
4.4 - Plants
Unidentified A3_2037
Please respect all the fossil sites that you visit or

discover. Bringing back home more than necessary
will be a waste. Keeping the sites clean and as intact as
possible for others to enjoy should be your priority.
Please do not collect or damage the vertebrate sites

mentioned in this publication, especially those with
fossil dugong remains; they are being studied by the
Qatar Museum Authority (QMA).
If you do discover more vertebrate sites, please report

them either to QMA or to the author (who will forward
the information to QMA).
4.1 - Vertebrates
4.1.1 – Pisces (Sharks, Rays & Teleosts)
The available publications on the Dam Formation give the impression that shark teeth are plentiful
in the Miocene of Qatar. Cavelier (1970) mentions them as being “fairly abundant” while El-
Kassas (1992) also mentions “The cause for radioactive anomalies recorded in the Lower Dam
limestones is mostly the presence of some vertebrate remains (bones, teeth and coprolites) rich in
phosphate”. More recently, Dill et al 2005 & 2007 place the shark teeth at different levels within
their stratigraphic section over the Al-Nakhsh Hill and surrounding area. While discussing the
Middle Salwa geology, the latter states “Bonebeds full of shark teeth, locally containing also
invertebrate fossil hash, came into being at the base of the cyclothems”.
The author, however, had very little luck in finding the bonanza of Miocene vertebrate teeth
stressed in these publications over the large area of his research. The only specimens found during
his one year exploration period were three shark teeth from the Middle and Upper Salwa Members
(figures 4.1.1 & 4.1.2 and picture at A3_3018, however, according to Otero et al 2001 the latter
could also be a Hepsetidae which is a type of Pike fish which, strangely enough, lives in
freshwater), and a beautiful large toothplate (figs 4.1.3) of a Myliobatis (a type of ancient stingray)
together with a smaller one (not shown) from the Lower Al-Nakhsh Member.
Fig 4.1.1: Shark tooth. (A1_2118) Fig 4.1.2: Shark tooth (Galeocerdo?). (A3_2023)
Fig 4.1.3: Front and back of specimen found at locality A1_4038. From Dr. Iyad S. Zalmout of the
Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan: "A unique specimen of a batoidae lower
jaw (Pavement Teeth in Articulation). I think it is myliobatid Jaw". From Dr. Friedrich Pfeil:
"that´s an almost complete toothplate of a Myliobatis sp. - a very nice one! With 135 named species
of which 78 could be valid names, it is impossible to give a correct species name, not at the
moment. However, this is an important specimen for later determination.".
Miocene Myliobatis toothplate drawings
Fig 4.1.4: Fig 4.1.5:

1a) Oral surface of lower dental pavement,
somewhat worn, and showing line of 1a) Oral surface of the upper dental pavement of an adult
longitudinal striae or fissures of the gano- individual, the anterior end (shown uppermost in the figure)
dentine radiating backwards and outwards. fractured and imperfect.
1b) Transverse view of the same specimen at 1b) Transverse view of the same specimen, taken across its
its posterior end (across the bottom of drawing posterior end (at bottom of drawing 1a)
la)
2a) Oral surface of imperfect lower dental

pavement, the anterior end shown uppermost.
2b) Transverse view of the same specimen.
3) Oral surface of imperfect lower dental

pavement, somewhat worn, and showing
curved outline of the anterior depression due to
wear.
4) Portion of large caudal spine of an eagle or

sting-ray.
Teleostei (such as Trouts, Salmons, Groupers and Barracuda) is one of three infraclasses in class
Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. This diverse group, which arose in the Triassic period includes
20,000 extant species in about 40 orders; most living fishes are members of this group. The other
two infraclasses are Holostei and Chondrostei.
In earlier publications, teleosts from the Dam were always described as “undetermined” (Fig
4.1.6b). The author, however was able to identify with more accuracy one genus from this
infraclass of fish. Species of the genus “diodon” (fig 4.1.6a) are usually known as porcupinefishes
or balloonfishes. Fish of this genus have two-rooted, moveable spines (actually modified scales)
distributed over their bodies and beak-like jaws, used to crush their hard-shelled prey (crustaceans
and molluscs)
Fig 4.1.6a: Fish in the genus Diodon can inflate themselves (bottom; www.wikipedia.org ), making
their spines stand perpendicular to the skin. When inflated they pose a major difficulty to their
predators: a large diodon fully inflated can choke a shark to death. The material that was found in
the Dam Formation (as shown above; A3_4001) consists of two relatively thin
trituration/masticatory tooth plates each formed by a series of four or five slightly convex plates,
most of which are well exposed along the trituration surface. (Drawing from Otero et al (2001))
Fig 4.1.6b: Vertebrae of unidentified teleosts (A3_2040)
4.1.2 – Mammals (Sirenians/Dugongs)

The modern dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees,
is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-
diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was
hunted to extinction in the 18th century. It is also the only sirenian in its range, which spans the
waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific, though the majority of dugongs live in
the northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay. In addition, the dugong is
the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some
degree.
Like all modern sirenians, the dugong (fig 4.1.7) has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin or
hindlimbs, instead possessing paddle-like forelimbs used to maneuver itself. It is easily
distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull
and teeth. The dugong is heavily dependent on seagrasses for subsistence and is thus restricted to
the coastal habitats where they grow, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in
wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels and the lee sides of large inshore
islands. Its snout is sharply downturned, an adaptation for grazing and uprooting benthic seagrasses.
The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction (source www.wikipedia.org )
Fig 4.1.7:
Physiognomy of
dugongs and manatees
It has been much easier for the author to find dugong remains in the Dam Formation than it has
been for sharks. These have been found in the Lower Al-Nakhsh sub-member and at all the levels
within the Salwa Member. In total, seventy-one (71) sites have been discovered so far; some of
which deserving to be protected and preserved (A1_1029 and the whole sectors around A1_2115
and A3-1015 are good examples). The main body parts found are ribs and vertebrae, however one
skull part could be determined (Fig 4.1.17)
Miocene dugong remains in Qatar were known previously in the literature (Whybrow, 1987a)
however there did not seem to be an accurate cataloguing of their localities by any institution in-
country or abroad. I hope that this publication will change all this. The author also believes that
some dugong bones were misinterpreted as being reptile bones by earlier authors. NOTE: On June
14th 2009, the author handed-over all the Miocene & Eocene dugong bones in his possession to the
Qatar Museums Authority (http://www.qma.com.qa/eng/ ) which had been designated earlier during
the year by the government as the official Qatari institution to catalogue and preserve the
paleontological remains found in the country (together with conducting its normal archeological
duties)
Fig 4.1.8: A1_1029. At least seven dugong ribs and two vertebrae on a mound of a yellowish
limestone
Fig 4.1.9: A1_2112. The first dugong rib locality found by the author
Fig 4.1.10: A1_2115. A large rib and two vertebrae.
Fig 4.1.12: A1_3035. Very brittle ribs laying in

Fig 4.1.11: A1_2119. Proximal rib of some
the green shale at the base of the Upper Salwa
heavy weight sea cow in a white limestone
Member.
Fig 4.1.13: A1_3065. Broken bones and one vertebra
Fig 4.1.14: A1_4018. “It looks like a sternal

element, and could be a xephisternum (the wider
edge is the proximal end towards the skull, the Fig 4.1.15: A1_4019. Several broken-up bones
broken side is distal or toward the tail, and the including a possible skull fragment (top right).
side with slight keel is ventral); This is too flat (pers. Comm.., Dr. Zalmout)
for a Protosiren, and may fit with Eotheroides
or Eosiren sternal morphology” (Dr. Zalmout)
Fig 4.1.17: A1_4039. "Palatal view of right

posterior corner of a sea cow skull, exactly at the
Fig. 4.1.16: A1_4138. One vertebra
squamosal, part of the pterygoid and part of the
palatine." (Identified by Dr. Zalmout)
Fig 4.1.18: An important sector was discovered by the author within Area 3. Over 47 localities of
fossil dugong remains ribs and vertebrae were found in the Lower Salwa together with one locality
in the Middle Salwa. Note: The shark tooth shown in figure 4.1.2 above was found in locality 2023
together with dugong remains
4.1.3 – Reptiles
Cavelier (1970) mentions the occurrence of reptile teeth and other reptile remains (together with
shark teeth) in his Lower Dam Member, which would place it somewhere in the Lower or Middle
Salwa. Unfortunately, our investigation did not reveal any of these. While the author does not deny
the possibility of finding fossil reptiles in the Dam formation, he believes that several “reptile
remains” reported in earlier documents were wrongly interpreted. It is believe that several of these
remains belonged to those of sirenia/dugongs.
4.2 – Marine Invertebrates

The term "marine invertebrates" is used to describe animals found in a marine environment which
are invertebrates: lacking a notochord. In order to protect themselves, they may have evolved a
shell or a hard exoskeleton, but this is not always the case. As on land, invertebrates make up a
huge portion of all life in the sea; a small portion are found in the Dam Formation and are discussed
below:
4.2.1 – Arthropods
An arthropod is an invertebrate that has an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and
jointed attachments called appendages. Among others, they include the insects, arachnids, and
crustaceans (crabs & shrimps).
4.2.1a – Leucosiidae (Crabs)
Crabs (figs 4.2.2 & 4.2.3) are but a small picture of the overall diversity of the Crustacea. They
represent only one infraorder [Brachyura] within one order [Decapoda] within one superorder
[Eucarida] within one subclass [Eumalacostraca] within one class [Malacostraca] of the six
currently recognized classes of the Crustacea (Fig. 4.2.1)
Most Decapoda are marine, some are found in brackish water, few live in fresh water, and only
some, such as some Brachyura (crabs), are adapted to life on land. The text that follows will
discuss only those fossil crabs that lived in the marine environment since it is obvious that the
sediments of the Miocene Dam Formation (especially the Middle Salwa in which they strived) are
of this type
Fossil crabs of the World

(Marine environment)
Crabs are common in Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous shallow-water deposits, but their usually
fragmental remains rarely attract attention. Crabs living on rocky shores have little chance of
preservation. Grapsidae, which are common today, are rare fossils probably for this reason. Crabs
living on soft sand and clay and others adapted to coral reefs are more common, while burrowers in
shifting sands of the tidal zone are rare or entirely unknown as fossils (e.g., Hippoidea). Other
burrowers are distinctly favored in preservation, with the result that the picture of fossil littoral and
sublittoral communities is biased. A distinctive fauna lives today in the phytal, in algal and other
marine plant growths; fossil Oxyrhyncha (a type of crab) may indicate this environment. Others
live on muddy ground below wave base.
Paguroidea (hermit crab [not a true crab]), which also have strongly calcified claws, are fairly
common in shallow water sediments from Jurassic to Recent. They are known not only as skeletal
remains (chelae and fingers) but also from their effect on molluscan shells.
Crabs are also found in reef limestones. In the Eocene the fauna of similar habitats is more modern,
and in the Miocene it is close to the present Indopacific fauna, with Daira and other xanthoids
dominant, associated with Calappa (all crabs). As can be expected, the thin-shelled Trapeziidae
(crab), Caridea (shrimp), and Stenopodidea (shrimp), which are common among coral reefs today,
are not preserved in this environment.
An entirely different association is found in calcareous shales and thin-bedded limestones. Most of
them are rich in fish remains. These shales contain benthonic macrurans (crabs, lobsters, crayfishes,
shrimps, and prawns) with short legs, associated with nectonic macrurans, which have long legs.
http://leblanc.jacques.googlepages.com/fossilhome 42
Stratigraphic Distribution
In the Tertiary a gradual approach to the modern fauna is found, with a rapid advance in numbers
and diversification of crabs corresponding to a reduction in reptant macrurans. Recent Indopacific
genera and families are widespread in mid-Tertiary sediments, because of the warmer climate of
this period. The primitive Dromiacea and Kaninidae, however, showed a remarkable reduction
during this period, while the Oxyrhyncha appeared for the first time and flourished. The Xanthidae
became widespread and varied but their Early Tertiary genera differed significantly from the Late
Tertiary representatives, and many Late Tertiary crabs have survived to the present. Callianassa
(see Chapter 4.3.1b on “mud shrimps”) chelae are almost ubiquitous in Tertiary sediments. "Crab-
beds" filled with carapaces of Xanthopsis or Harpactocarcinus and other similar genera are
widespread in Lower Tertiary warm-water deposits.
Fig 4.2.1: Classification of the crabs (Martin et al. 2001). More information can be seen on
http://decapoda.free.fr/search_data.php
Fig 4.2.2: Crabs are characterized

by a broad flattened
cephalothorax covered by a hard
carapace with a small abdomen
concealed beneath it, short
antennae, and five pairs of legs, of
which the anterior pair are large
and pincerlike.
Fig 4.2.3: Technical terms and measurements
Fossil Crabs of the Dam Formation
The fossil crabs of the Dam Formation belong to the Leucosiidae (fig 4.2.4) Family and Xanthoid,
Portunoid and Calappid (fig 4.2.14) Superfamilies. They are found at different levels but most
commonly in the Middle Salwa and Lower Al-Nakhsh together with the Callianassa (mud shrimp)
also described in this publication
The Leucosiidae are also known as “Pebble crabs”. Those living today hide in small pools, along
stream banks, in mud-sand, broken-shell and coral bottoms. They live in shallow waters to a depth
of 160m. They are slow-moving and hide under soft mud during the day. As such, they are rarely
seen. They feed on small animals in the muds.
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Decapoda
Leucosioidea
Leucosiidae
Acanthilia
Actaeomorpha
Callidactylus
Ebalia
Heteronucia
Iliacantha
Leucosia
Lithadia
Myra
Myropsis
Nucia
Oreotlos
Persephona
Randallia
Speloeophorus
Uhlias
Fig 4.2.4: The various genus belonging to the Family Leucosiidae (left) and several species of modern
Leucosia (right). From Galil (2006).
4.2.1b - Callianassidae (Mud Shrimps)
“The claws [figs 4.2.11 and 4.2.12] look like Callianassa-type claws [mud shrimps], of two different
types. Beyond that, it is not really possible to determine the genus and species. Callianassid claws
are often quite common decapod elements, and they may or may not be associated with other types
of decapods.” (April 8th 2009; Personal communication; Dr. Carrie E. Schweitzer, Department of
Geology, Kent State University, Ohio)
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Subclass: Eumalacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Thalassinidea
Superfamily: Callianassoidea
Family: Callianassidae
Subfamily: Callianassinae
Genus: Callianassa
Callianassa, which is also mentioned by Whybrow (1987a), belongs to the infraorder of the
Thalassinidea (decapod crustaceans) that live in burrows in muddy bottoms of the world's oceans.
They have few vernacular names such as "mud lobster/shrimp" and "ghost shrimp". Callianassa
creates complex burrow systems in mud sediments from the lower shore to the shallow sublittoral.
The burrows (figs 4.2.9, 4.2.10 & 4.2.13), which have been recorded up to 81 cm deep, consist of a
multi-branched network of tunnels connected to several inhalant shafts, each terminating in a funnel
shaped opening to the surface.
Recent molecular analyses have shown that Thalassinidea is most closely related to Brachyura
(crabs) and Anomura (hermit crabs and their allies). The fossil record of thalassinideans reaches
back to the late Jurassic.
There are believed to be 556 extant species of thalassinideans in 96 genera, with the greatest
diversity in the tropics, although with some species reaching latitudes above 60° north. About 95%
of species live in shallow water (Some Callianassa even live in mudflats and muddy sand beaches at
low tide level) with only three taxa living below 2000 m.
A modern mud shrimp (Callianassa filholi) lives in a permanent burrow (fig 4.2.9) including
turning chambers, side rooms for storing feces and pieces of shell, with multiple entrances and an
exit at the top of a low mound. A male and a female normally occupy a burrow. The large hairy first
legs and the smaller second pair form a sieve used to strain detritus food from the water current
created by the swimming limbs on the underside of the abdomen. When feeding the shrimp moves
close to one of the entrances.
The nippers have the shape normal for a crab or shrimp and in the male one of them (right or left) is
very large. The female has an enlarged second abdominal segment. Digging is done with the first,
second and third pairs of walking limbs and the spoil is carried to an entrance held in the last pair of
mouth appendages. Adult length is up to 60 mm. They are transparent and colourless, except for
tinges of vermilion.
Fig 4.2.5: Several body parts of Callianassa subterranean . Nguyen (2003)
Fig 4.2.6: Callianassa californiensis (wikipedia)
Fig 4.2.7: Callianassa tyrrhena . (wikipedia) Fig 4.2.8: Callianassa tyrrhena (wikipedia)
Fig 4.2.9: Shrimp burrows. Example from the Miocene of Spain. Seilacher (2007)
Fig 4.2.10: Mud shrimp Trace fossils in limestone; seen after a rain, A1_5093. See also Fig 4.2.13
Dam Formation mud shrimps (Callianassa)
Fig 4.2.11: Complete mud shrimp claw

Fig 4.2.12: Partial mud shrimp claw (A3_2036)
(A3_2035)
Fig 4.2.13: 3D burrow remain of a mud shrimp Fig 4.2.14: (A1_4009). Communication dated
later cemented by iron oxides, including May 18th 2009 with Dr. Carrie E. Schweitzer:
hematite. Organic matter related to the burrow “The plate of multiple claws has several taxa.
organisms provides a locally reducing The ones with entire mani, i.e., the three closest
environment that mobilizes the iron. Iron is to the ruler and the three above them are
precipitated at the interface upon contact with callianassids [mud shrimp]. The isolated
oxidizing water. (A3_2035). (see also chapter fingers, however, are a mixture. The one at the
4.2.3 on corals) very top (opposite the ruler) looks xanthoid
[crab] or portunoid, [crab] based upon the
large molariform teeth on the occlusal surface.
There is one in the middle with a large tooth on
the proximal end, which could be calappid
[crab] The others could be callianassid. Of
course, all of these could be typical of a tropical
environment!”
Note:
How to differentiate between mud shrimps (callianassidae) and Leucosiidae (Pebble crabs) claws:
Communication dated May 18th 2009 with Dr. Carrie E. Schweitzer: “Callianassid claws are more
rectangular than leucosiid claws, which themselves are bulbous and if you look at the proximal
margin, it is quite sinuous in the leucosiid. This is not the case in the callianassid. The fingers in
the leucosiids are "spindly" which we don't see in callianassids either”
4.2.2 – Echinoderms (Sea urchins)

Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone
to the abyssal zone. They appeared near the start of the Cambrian period and have no freshwater or
terrestrial representatives. Starfish, Brittle stars, crinoids, Sea urchins and Sand dollars all fall
under this phylum
The Echinoderms are important both biologically and geologically: biologically because few other
groupings are so abundant in the biotic desert of the deep sea, as well as the shallower oceans, and
geologically as their ossified skeletons are major contributors to many limestone, such as the ones
in the Dam Formation, and can provide valuable clues as to the geological environment.
The echinoderms of the Dam Formation (fig. 4.2.17) are fossilized Sea urchins (fig. 4.2.15)
belonging to four species of which the following two are the most common: one is the small (1 cm
in diameter) Fibularia damensis (Figs 4.2.16 & 4.2.21) found in the Middle Salwa Member in
association with mud shrimps (Chapter 4.2.1b) and shell fragments, and the second is the larger (1-2
cm in diameter) Opechinus costatus species found normally in the Lower Al-Nakhsh Member (Figs
4.2.18 & 4.2.26). In both cases their shell, or "test", is round and, as per their living counterpart, it
was also spiny, but these spines can very rarely be found in the Dam limestones in which they were
buried. Fig. 4.2.16 shows a picture of a living "Echinocyamus" which is the most likely look alike
of Fibularia Damensis. The limestone bed in which “Fibularia damensis” is found in the Dam
formation is commonly called the “Button-bed” because of the huge quantity of these echinoderms
that are found in it. Paleontological studies conducted around the world in sediments dating to
Burdigalian tell us that after the sudden drop of temperature in the Lower Oligocene, the global
temperature began to increase. The Burdigalian had a warm climate and the temperature increased
even further in the upper Burdigalian, in which the Middle Salwa member belongs.
Fig 4.2.15: Drawings showing different views and shapes of Sea urchins
Fig 4.2.16: Comparing a living Echinocyamus pusillus (1) with a Miocene Fibularia Damensis (2
to 10) From Kier (1972) and http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZB3880
Fig 4.2.17: The echinoderms of the Dam Formation (Roman J., 1976)
1 – 12 = spines of Goniocidaris noellingi from NNE Qarn Abu Wail
13 – 15 = Agassizia persica from Qarn Abu Wail
17 – 19 = Fibularia damensis from An Nafkah
20 = Opechinus costatus from Hazm Mishabiyah
Fig 4.2.18: Opechinus costadus Hazm Mishabiyah in Upper Dam / Lower Al-Nakhsh. (Kier,
1972)
Fig 4.2.19: Agassizia powersi (Samples 1-2). (Kier, 1972) (fig. 4.2.25)
Fig 4.2.20: Trace fossil styles of echinoderms over time according to their environment (Seilacher, 2007).
The echinoderms of the Dam formation lived in a “Shelf ” environment.
Fig 4.2.22: The “button-bed” A1_2010 /

Fig 4.2.21: Fibularia Damensis. A3_2001
A3_2001
Fig 4.2.23: Fibularia Damensis outcrop Fig 4.2.24: The “button-bed” A1_2010 with
A6_1001. shell frafment
Fig 4.2.25: Weathered Agassizia powersi

Fig 4.2.26: Opechinus costatus. A3_4010
A1_4016. (see fig. 4.2.19)
4.2.3 – Corals (Scleractinia)

A common lithology of one of the limestones within the Lower Salwa sub-member is biolithite,
also called “reef rock”, which represents the wave resistant core of a barrier reef (Fig 4.2.27). The
occurrence of biolithe in this member attest to the lower/normal (<48ppm) salinity of the sea at this
time. In comparison, today the Gulf of Salwa, west of Qatar often exceeds 50ppm.
Fig 4.2.27: Sketch describing the three parts of a reef; Biolithite – The core of the reef. Micrite –
In the sheltered lagoon and in deep water offshore. Sparite – Near the reef where waves and
currents rework the carbonate material
By definition, a biolithite is a carbonate rock formed of organisms that grew and remained in place,
comprising a rigid framework of organisms (corals, gastropods, etc..), together with associated
debris. A reef represents a typical biolithite. Two types of corals found in the Lower Salwa
biolithite are shown below.
Fig 4.2.28: A type of Scleractinia coral Fig 4.2.29: A type of Scleractinia coral
(A1_1078) (A1_1077)
Scleractinia, also called Stony corals, are exclusively marine animals; they are very similar to sea
anemones but generate a hard skeleton. Much of the framework of coral reefs is formed by
scleractinians. There are two groups of Scleractinia, however, the only one that builds reef are the
Colonial corals found in clear and shallow tropical waters. Other good localities in the Dam
formation where to find Colonial Corals and other reef-inhabiting life forms, such as gastropods, are
along the ridge at A1_1034 and above the anhydrite nodule level at A4_5002 (Fig. 4.2.30)
Fig 4.2.30: Another type of

Scleractinia coral (A4_5002).
A very extensive horizon of

such corals overlays the
anhydrite nodule level; proving
that the sea level rose
immediately after the formation
of the anhydrite nodules and
making the sea deep enough for
the corals to thrive.
The occurrence of oxidized bio-forms, such as burrows of mud shrimps (fig 4.2.13) and corals (Fig
4.2.31) is very common in the Dam Formation, especially in the Middle Salwa member.
Sometimes, whole reef-like colonies get mineralized by colloform Fe/Mn oxide-hydroxides.
Fig 4.2.31: Ironized Reef-like sessile foraminiferal colonies (A2_2028_06 & A2_2028_4)
Fig 4.2.32: Sketch showing in

profile reef-like sessile
foraminiferal colonies
mineralized by colloform Fe/Mn
oxide-hydroxides. (Reading et al,
1982)
4.2.4 - Bryozoa
Bryozoa are colonies of tiny colonial animals called zoids and appear as gelatinous globs up to the
size of a football. Bryozoa are not corals. Most species are marine animals. They are often
attached to submerged surfaces such as tree branches, roots, rocks, pilings, docks, etc. Sometimes, a
clump that has broken loose can be found free-floating or washed up near the shoreline. The
colony consists of thousands of individual animals each living within their own tube (aperture). The
living tubes are the size that a sewing needle might make. Sometimes the outer surface is covered
with distinctive bumps or ridges (monticules). Colony shapes vary from delicate open mesh fronds
to branching forms, massive mounds, and heavy dense fronds. Sometimes one colony will show
multiple forms. Two families are found in the Dam: Phidoloporidae and Steginoporellidae
More: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bryozoa/bryozoa.html or http://bryozoa.net
Fig 4.2.33: A3_2035. (Also found in the Abu Fig 4.2.34: A modern Bryozoa.
Samrah member). In an email received April 9th In the waters of Qatar today, Thalamoporella
2009 from Dr. Paul Taylor of the Natural History and Parasmittina, are locally abundant in the
Museum (UK): sediment. They live on the stems and fronds of
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/staff- brown weeds, which can be detached and float
directory/palaeontology/cv-5472.html to beaches, or even far inland during periodic
“I can confirm that the two images you sent of flooding of sabkhas. These algae can be
possible bryozoans are indeed bryozoans. Given transported to particularly remote, restricted
their age, they will be phidoloporid cheilostomes environments such as the south of the Gulf of
(Family Phidoloporidae), a group sometimes Salwa, where they disintegrate and deposit their
also called reteporids or sertellids encrusting Bryozoa. Articulated species seem
(http://bryozoa.net/cheilostomata/phidoloporida unable to withstand salinities higher than 50
e/index.html ). In order to identify them further it ppm; only one such species was found
is necessary to see the fine details of their zooids, sporadically alive in the Gulf of Salwa.
and even then generic determination can be However, several living encrusting types were
difficult if surface preservation is not pristine.” noted in these restricted areas.
4.2.5 - Mollusks
Other than the macrofossils already described in the previous chapters, the Dam Formation abound
in several other, but not so sought after, fossils. For the present chapter, the author has compiled all
the names of the fossil mollusks found in the Dam Formation by previous authors and has
illustrated them with either his own collected specimens (which are few) or Recent specimens
representing the closest affinity to the Miocene species . So, in no particular order, we have:
4.2.5a - Bivalves
From the Miocene Dam Formation
Fig 4.2.35 - Placuna placenta

(A2_3001, A3_2027b)
Fig 4.2.36 - Ostrea Latimarginata

(A type of oyster shell)
(A1_3028)
Fig 4.2.37 – A Mytilidae or Modiola from the

Dam (left) at A7_3020, and a Recent example
(right) of Amygdalum watsoni.
Mytilidae can be found from exposed rocky
outer coasts to sandy bottoms. As an invader it
typically requires rocky coastlines with a high
rate of water flow. Most species are restricted
to bays and estuaries. They normally exhibit a
high salinity tolerance, being able to live in
seawaters with salinities of 45 ppt to less than
10 ppt. Low seawater temperatures less than
approximately 12°C appear to trigger mass
mortality.
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=M
ytilus+galloprovincialis
Fig 4.2.38 – A Veneridae from the Dam (left) at

A7_3020 and a modern example (right) of
Clementia papyracea
Fig 4.2.39 – Tellina examples from the Dam

(left) at A1_2064 and a Recent example of
Tellina alternata
Modern equivalent, or from the Miocene of other localities
Fig 4.2.41 - Mactridae (Lutraria lutraria)

Fig 4.2.40 - Lucina nassula (Conrad, 1846) It burrows in mixed soft substrata, from the
Woven Lucine lower shore to about 100 m (mud dweller)
Low tide in tidal pool http://www.marinespecies.eu/species.php?speci
es_group=mollusca&id=784
Fig 4.2.42 - Telliniidae (Capsa Lacunosa) from

Fig 4.2.43 - Pectinidae (Pecten ziczac)
the Miocene of France
Fig 4.2.44 - Chlamys_tehuelchus Fig 4.2.45 - Anomiidae (Anomia ephippium)
Fig 4.2.46 - Cardiidae (Trachycardium Fig 4.2.47 - Carditidae (Cardita crassicostata) -

muricatum) LS
Fig 4.2.48 - Corbulidae (Corbula patagonica) Fig 4.2.49 - Limidae (Antarctolima pygmaea)
Fig 4.2.50 - Clausinella fasciata Fig 4.2.51 - Barbatia novaezelandiae
Fig 4.2.52 - Anadara transversa Fig 4.2.53 - Diplodonta semiaspera
4.2.5b - Gastropods
Fig 4.2.54 - Turritellidae (Turritella cingulata)

Typically found in the intertidal zone at the
water's edge at a mean distance from sea level
of -7 meters.
http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/T/Turritella_co
mmunis/
Fig 4.2.55 - Cerithiidae (Ataxocerithium

pullum)
Today's cerithids are shallow intertidal to
subtidal species, typically occurring at 1 m or
less although some reports indicate some
specimens have been collected from as deep as
2.6 m. It can be found in seagrass meadows and
on unvegetated soft sediments.
http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLspec/Cerithium_mus
carum.htm
A specimen from the Dam Formation was also

found at locality A2_2040 but not illustrated
Fig 4.2.56 - Conidae (Conus fergusoni)

Cone snails are predatory gastropods that live in
shallow reef waters. They kill their prey with
venom which they inject via radula teeth like
small harpoons. The venom consists of
numerous neurotoxic peptides that act pre- and
post-synaptically to give rise to neurological
symptoms of weakness, lack of co-ordination
and disturbance of vision, speech and hearing.
http://www.avru.org/compendium/biogs/A0000
61b.htm
A1_1034
Fig 4.2.57 - Xenophoridae (Xenophora

solaris)
Carrier shells inhabit tropical waters and are
found from shallow down to extremely deep
waters (On the bottoms of the continental shelf,
upper slope and from the shallow subtidal
waters).
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Gold/9440/xe
nop/xenecolPG.htm
Fig 4.2.58 - Naticidae (Natica

[Glyphepithema] unifasciata)
Today’s Naticidae live in shallow water, in
depressions lined with muddy sand,
occasionally on sparse seagrass beds.
http://www.ciesm.org/atlas/Naticagualteriana.ht
ml
Fig 4.2.59 -Hydrobiidae (Hydrobia ulvae)
Typically found on muddy sand, in estuaries
and salt marshes. Sometimes also in lagoons
and other areas of reduced salinity. Frequently
associated with seagrass beds. Highest densities
found mid-tidally but has been recorded down
to 100 m depth.
A small spiralling shell with six whorls. Up to 6

mm high but more typically around 4 mm. The
shell is brown to yellow in colour. The body of
the snail is a clear grey frequently with various
pigment spots.
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Hydrobiaulvae
.htm
Fig 4.2.60 -Fissurellidae (Fissurella [Diodora]

volcano)
They inhabit the mid to lower-intertidal zone,
fixed to the underside of rocks. On rocks
exposed by the low tide.
http://www.articlearchives.com/science-
technology/biology/1487265-1.html
Fig 4.2.61 -Balanidae (Balanus aquila)

Member of the Balanus genus are normally
found from the mid-shore to the sublittoral on
rocks and artificial structures and is sometimes
common in wave exposed situations. Also
present on ships' hulls.
Up to 30 mm in diameter and 30 mm tall,

Balanus are recognised by their tapered,
volcano-like shape. The shell wall consists of 6
purplish plates that are often vertically ridged,
and sometimes separated at the apex leaving a
jagged lip. Inside the operculum aperture, the
tissue is marked with bright colours of pink,
purple and blue. The tergoscutal flaps are
brown to purple in colour, with blue and white
spots.
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Balanusperfor
atus.htm
4.3 - Miscellaneous
4.3.1 - Stromatolites
Definition
Stromatolites are not fossils in true sense but they are stony structures constructed by organisms,
such as algae and cyanobacteria.. They are produced by the carbonate precipitating and sediment
binding activities of the successive mats of algae. They occur in rocks from Precambrian to recent
and are found growing today off the coasts of the Bahamas and Australia.
Environment of deposition
The presence of stromatolites indicates that the sediments were deposited in a very shallow water
environment (nearshore) and might have formed in a tidal flat environment or lagoons of tidal
regions. The tidal flat is essentially a mudtrap and in arid climates such as Qatar, an area of high
saline water. After deposition of stromatolite bearing carbonates, topographically restricted marine
environment seems to have developed in the area during the Miocene. This restricted environment
seems to have favoured hypersaline hot brines.
Uses
Apart from their use for biostratigraphic correlation and zonation, the stromatolites have proved to
be good indicators of environmental changes and physiographic setting of the depositional site of
the carbonate sediments. Stromatolites are used in biostratigraphic correlation, paleoenvironmental
analysis and their association with phosphates, uranium, iron, manganese and magnesite have given
them the economic importance.
Classification
Over the years several authors who studied stromatolites came up with their own scheme to classify
them. The one that will be used in this research is the one from Logan et al (1960, 1964). Logan et
al. proposed a descriptive nomenclature of structural formulae, which are combinations of initials of
adjectives, adverbs and nouns (Table 4.3). The classification rests on the arrangement of basic
geometric units (hemispheroids and spheroids), their lateral linkage, and their stacking. It is the
first to emphasize the importance of synoptic morphology of the laminae (fig. 4.3.1), that is, how
the algal structures appeared at any one time (fig. 4.3.2).
Fig. 4.3.1: Formation of laminae in stromatolites
Synoptic morphology of a lamina. H = height of stromatolite; h = relief of lamina. The laminae

represent the microbathymetry during an interval of time at which each was at the active interface
between already bound sediment below and the moving water with suspended particles above. It is
at or near the interface, not at places already deeply buried, where biotic activity takes place,
particles accumulate, the shape develops and inheritance is determined.
TABLE 4.3: Classification of stromatolites by Logan, Rezak and Ginsburg (1964).

Type Symbol
1) Laterally linked hemispheroids LLH
a. Close linkage (spacing between heads less than diameter of LLH-C
heads)
b. Spaced linkage (spacing greater than diameter of structures) LLH-S
2) Discrete, vertically stacked hemispheroids SH
a. Constant radius SH-C
b. Variable basal radius SH-V
c. Inverted stacked hemispheroids (added to Logan’s classification SH-I
by Kendall & Skipwich [1968, page 1042] to accommodate
polygonal algal mats)
3) Spheroidal structures (oncoidal) SS
a. Inverted stacked hemispheroids SS-I
b. Randomly stacked hemispheroids SS-R
c. Concentrically stacked spheroids SS-C
4) Compound forms
a. Comprised of macrostructures (e.g SH) and microstructures (e.g. SH / LLH
LLH)
b. Vertical succession of different types (e.g. LLH growing into LLH Æ SH Æ LLH
SH, and back into LLH types)
Fig. 4.3.2: Some illustrations of Logan et al (1964) classification of

Stromatolites (left) and their common names (right)
Fig 4.3.3a (left): Lithological column of the Dam Formation at Khashm Al-Nakhsh indicating the
vertical distribution of different stromatolite types (Khalifa et al, 1993). See also Fig 3.12a&b
Note: Member “A” = Salwa member; and Member “B” = Al-Nakhsh & Abu Samrah members
Fig 4.3.3b (Right): Depth zonation of stromatolite formation
The cryptalgal laminites are made up of laminated fabric which results from the alternation of thick
organic-rich layers and algal-rich dark laminae. Primary algal mats characteristically wrinkled into
a series of small domes; the hemispheroids are linked laterally to other hemispheroids within the
mat terrain to form type LLH stromatolites. The columnar type SH stromatolites are formed by the
vertical stacking of discrete hemispheroidal laminae and are not linked to any other hemispheroids.
The type SH stromatolites of Khashm Al-Nakhsh area probably formed by successive algal growth
upon pre-existing original irregularities on an exposed intertidal erosion surface
Fig. 4.3.4: Stromatolites found in the Al-Nakhsh member of the Miocene Dam Formation
in Qatar (Displayed from bottom to top of Al-Nakhsh member)
A) concentrically
structured
stromatolites of
unknown
classification.
Dill et al (2005)
interpret them as
microbial mat
blisters caused
by gas which
raises the thin microbial mats. After collapse blister mash B) SH in the Lower Al-Nakhsh member.
down and form ring-shaped structures. Some harder cores This columnar type has a vast aerial
have also survived this decay. A1_4008. This type of extension in the Dam Formation. Columnar
structure also occurs in the Eocene Rus Formation at a stromatolites may laterally grade into more
Mesolithic tool fabricating locality NW of Dukhan. In this domal structures. It occurs in protected
case, the round structures and their centers were transformed basins with rather high tidal range under
into chert through a diagenesis process; (Pictures: Area- arid climatic conditions. A1_4002
01_4008_RusFmEx-01, Area-01_4008_RusFmEx-02)
C) LLH stromatolites and centimeter-thick laminae in clayey D) SS-C. Oncoid-like stromatolites with
marlstones of the Middle Al Nakhsh Member. A2_5022 typical onion-shell exfoliation structure at
the base of the Middle Al Nakhsh Member.
A1_5005
E) SS-C (left) and SH / LLH (right). The internal structure F) SH. The maximum size of stromatolites
of the SH / LLH closely resembles that of the SS-C. is achieved in beds immediately underneath
A1_5029. the boundary between the Middle and
Upper Al Nakhsh Member where domal
Two fields of such stromatolites were also discovered at structures or thrombolite buildups–
localities A7_5001 to A7_5004 and A7_5005 to A7_5006 microbial mounds,, measuring 2 m across
cover a wide platform. A1_5060.
Living Stromatolites
Fig. 4.3.5:The "high-stress" environment of the

Exuma Cays is created by the tremendous tidal
currents and the 1 m tall sand waves they
produce that regularly bury the Bahamian
stromatolites. The stromatolite domes in a tidal
channel off Lee Stocking Island are half buried
by carbonate sand. The giant Bahaman
stromatolites are composed primarily of fine-
grained carbonate sand (ooid sand) that is
trapped and bound by the filamentous
cyanobacteria Schizothrix sp.. (Alles, 2006)
Fig. 4.3.6:These domal stromatolites (A) are intertidal, while the oncoidal stromatolites (B) are sub-
tidal. Hamelin Pool, at the south end of Shark Bay in Australia, is one of only two places in the
world (the other being the Bahamas) with living marine stromatolites. Stromatolites are able to
survive in the area because Hamelin Pool's water is twice as saline as normal sea water and sea
grasses and many other forms of life cannot survive there. Hamelin Pool is actually a landlocked
marine basin partially separated from Shark Bay by the Faure sill. This has helped to produce the
hypersalination which in turn has ensured that the cyanobacteria remained isolated from fish and
animals that would feed on them. (Alles, 2006)
Fig. 4.3.7:Very small stromatolites growing at
the present day on an old steel drum that has
sunk into a soft sabkha at Umm Said, Qatar. The
iron does not seem to inhibit the cyanobacterial
growth. A hard or raised surface for attachment
seems favourable for stromatolite growth.
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Qatar-
Sabkhas.htm
4.4 Plants
There is no doubt that fossil plant remains occur in the Dam Formation (the dikakas of the Upper
Al-Nakhsh member are good examples for instance), however they definitely are not found in great
quantities and large sizes. The chances of finding large plant samples such as tree trunks or large
branches (such as in Ad Dabtiyah, Whybrow 1987b) are very slim, to non-existent. Small species
of plants growing in a Miocene mangrove is probably the best that one can expect (fig 4.4.1).
Fig 4.4.1 : Undetermined plant material (the

pores and structure can be distinguished)
probably representing the bark of a species
growing in mangroves (A3_2037). These
samples were found loose on a white
limestone. They probably came from the
layer above the limestone which is known to
represent a beach / intertidal environment.
Note that for some time the author thought
they looked like eggshell fragments of a large
bird, such as ostriches, as described by Bibi
et al (2006) in the UAE; however, this
personal diagnosis was later disproved.
Fig 4.4.2 : Two thin-sections of the undetermined

plant material in Fig 4.4.1. (Thanks to Jeremy
Jameson for the preparation of this slide and others
5.0 – The Main Minerals

5.1 – Gypsum
(Read also chapter 5.2 on “Nodular Anhydrites”)
One of the softest minerals known to exist, gypsum is a gray to white-colored mineral that can be
easily scratched with a fingernail, and is referred to chemically as a hydrous calcium sulfate. Some
of its other, perhaps more familiar, names are based on its various forms of occurrence. For
example, alabaster is a massive form; satin spar is a fibrous variety; and selenite is its crystalline
form. Gypsum often occurs in varying proportions with anhydrite (calcium sulfate), a slightly
harder and more dense mineral that lacks water in its chemical make-up (see "anhydrite" in chapter
5.2)
Both gypsum and anhydrite belong to an interesting group of minerals called evaporites, which are
sedimentary deposits composed of salts precipitated from sea water. Evaporites form in shallow or
near shore marine and lake environments where evaporation has produced an unusually high
concentration of dissolved salts, and where there is little or no circulation of fresh water. The
precipitation of sediment from these hypersaline brines is associated with hot and relatively dry
climatic conditions. In the marine setting, marginal and restricted basins with extensive coastal
sabkhas are important. Present environments are in the Red Sea (continental rifting) and Arabian
Gulf (continental collision).
Gypsum has several principal uses. Ground gypsum is added to Portland cement to slow the setting
time of the cement. Pulverized gypsum, and to a lesser extent anhydrite, is used in agriculture as a
soil conditioner and as an animal-food additive. The best known use of gypsum is as the principal
ingredient in the manufacture of wallboard and plaster. This is possible because of gypsum's unique
property of rehydrating with the addition of water after having been ground, calcined (baked to a
powder), and mixed with other wallboard ingredients. Anhydrite is considered a contaminant in this
case because it cannot be hydrated like gypsum.
The general genetic model hinges on the deposition of soluble minerals by evaporation in salt lakes
(Salinas) and low-lying salt flats (sabkhas – as is the case for the Dam Formation) and in generally
shallow marine basins restricted from circulation with the world ocean and suffering from a deficit
of input of fresh water, and by precipitation from subsurface brines in both marginal marine and
inland arid basins.
Fig. 5.1: Process 1: Explaining how evaporite (gypsum and salt) deposits are formed
Fig. 5.2: Process 2: Evaporite precipitation in a restricted ocean
Fig. 5.3 & 5.4: Process 3: High evaporation from the surface of the flat “pumps” seawater
landward and up through the sediment where evaporites are deposited (fig. 5.6). Left: a sabkha in
Umm Said; Right: looking for gypsum desert rose in the Dukhan sabkha
As mentioned above, the evaporitic cycle is currently at work in the Arabian Sea, however, in order
to understand well the mechanism involved, let’s use a fictional and drastic example in which the
geological activity in the Straight of Hormuz, located between Iran and the United Arab Emirates,
increases suddenly to cause either the sea bottom of the Straight to rise up or the Straight itself to be
blocked by huge amount of rocks and debris. Since no or very little influx of fresh water occur in
today’s Arabian Sea and that the sea is located in a very arid climate, the consequences of this
geological activity would result in the creation of a gigantic closed evaporitic basin stretching from
the Straight of Hormuz to Kuwait. As such, with time the minerals to be precipitated at the bottom
from seawater would follow a pattern according to their sensibility to dissolution: first would be the
aragonite mineral and carbonates (such as dolomite) then the gypsum (sulphate), halite (salt),
sylvite (potassium) and tachyhydrite. As these minerals precipitate, the density of the brine would
increase through evaporation until no water is left (Fig 5.1)
Gypsum almost universally is associated with anhydrite (such as in A2_5006) because economic
deposits of gypsum normally result from near-surface rehydration of anhydrite. Gypsum represents
the stable phase of calcium sulphate at the surface, whereas anhydrite represents the stable phase at
depth. Gypsum and anhydrite deposits commonly are interbedded with, or rest upon, limestone or
dolomite. In some areas a continuous deposit of gypsum and anhydrite may occur, but in most
places gypsum and anhydrite are interbedded with “red beds” limestone (as in the Dam Formation),
dolomite or salt.
The gypsum deposits of the Dam Formation in Qatar:

Two mechanisms are known to have formed the gypsum beds in the upper portion of the Dam
Formation: the first one was the deposition of gypsum in a supratidal environment such as in a
sabkha (see http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Qatar-Sabkhas.htm ); the second was when the ground
waters came in contact with buried gypsum beds (from the Miocene or Eocene) and these were then
carried in solution to the surface where they were re-precipitated in existing rock fractures or as a
replacement mineral for other dissoluble minerals.
With regards to the unique occurrence of large (+1m) gypsum crystals, Dill et all (2005) offer the
following explanation: “Stromatolitic structures [see chapter 4.3.1 on stromatolites] were crucial
as to the permeability and porosity for the percolating fluids. A tremendous increase in the size of
SH stromatolite may be recognized along with an increase in thickness and crystal size of gypsum.
The giant gypsum crystals resulted from an early diagenetic reaction at shallow depth. Freshwater
and seawater fluids involved in this process lead to a dissolution and recrystallization of earlier
marine evaporites.”
Also, Drs. Cornelis (Cees) Kok, Head of Geology Laboratory at Qatar Petroleum, answered the
following in an email dated June 17th 2009 upon my request to comment on Dill et al (2005) theory
above :
"There are a number of issues:
1) There must have been a very steady, very rapid supply of CaSO4 dissolved in water. Seawater
alone through evaporation would not contain enough dissolved CaSO4 to "feed" the giant crystal
growth; an additional source from already deposited evaporitic Gypsum could be postulated as this
additional source. Because seawater already contains Gypsum to its natural saturation point,
freshwater, which can carry more CaSO4 must have played a role. So yes, I can accept (part of)
Dill et al (2005) explanation. The crystals must have had the accommodation space to form, so a
shallow (uncompacted) environment like the Desert roses is very likely. We then must explain the
prevailing lateral accretion rather than a vertical accretion. This probably reflects the physio-
chemical-hydrological layering in the shallow sediments.
2) I do not know of any other places with similar crystals of Gypsum. The Messinian in Sicily
contains large cauliflower crystallization features, beautifully exposed on the Southern most tip of
the island along the beach. You should see it at sunset! However, these are probably formed in a
supersaturated brine at the bottom of a rapidly desiccating Mediterranean (Waterfall at Gibraltar,
the Messinian salinity crisis). They do not reach the same horizontal span.
Some samples should be taken to look for growth lines and irregularities in growth in the various
arms of the crystals. I do not think there is a biologic connection to them”.
A very good example of the dissolution & re-precipitation/crystallization process that Dill et al
mention is shown in the satellite image in Fig. 5.5 where the beds of the Dam Formation in our
entire Area 2 are shown as being completely convoluted, giving the appearance of a large doline.
These convoluted beds are explained by the dissolution of buried gypsum and subsequent collapse
of the Miocene layers above (Fig. 5.7). Since several beds of gypsum occur within the Al-Nakhsh
(and underlying Rus formation) the dissolution & re-precipitation process must have taken place at
several occasions within the period of deposition of this member. It is important to note that in our
Area 2, the Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC) is currently mining the re-precipitated
gypsum (see bottom-left corner of fig. 5.5)
Fig 5.5: Satellite image of Area 2 showing the convoluted beds of the Dam Formation. This
phenomenon is due to the dissolution of buried gypsum beds and subsequent collapse of the
Miocene layers above. Note the QNCC gypsum quarry at the bottom left corner.
Fig 5.6: Typical selenite and gypsum environments and facies (Schreiber, 2008)
Fig 5.7: Principal features of Solution collapse (Hunting, 1983)
Fig 5.8: Large dissolution holes or “dolines” can Fig 5.9: A ancient doline in the Middle Salwa
form in highly gypsiferous material (this modern Member of the Dam Formation. (A1_2014)
example is not from Qatar)
Fig 5.10: Large doline in the Middle Salwa Fig 5.11: Large gypsum crystal (A1_5002)
Member of the Dam Formation. (A1_2046)
Fig 5.12: Large radial gypsum crystals Fig 5.13: Large radial gypsum crystals still in-
(A1_5003) place (A1_5019)
More information on gypsum can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_sulfate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum
The gypsum deposits of the Dam Formation in Saudi Arabia:

The only deposit of economic importance in the Miocene Dam Formation of Saudi Arabia is at
Khashm Umm Huwayd (Fig. 5.14) about 54 km Northwest of our Area 2, just across the Bay of
Salwa. This locality, which consists of six beds of massive gypsum each 20 to 50 cm thick
intercalated in a clayey carbonate sequence, also shows the convoluted beds from a satellite image.
The gypsum content averages 85 percent; impurities are mainly carbonates and clay and the
anhydrite content is less than 5 percent. Resources are estimated at 9.6 Million tons and since they
have no overburden they are easily accessible. Gypsum slabs are quarried for use as a cement
retarder by the Saudi Cement Company of Al Hofuf.
Fig. 5.14: Gypsum occurrence and quarry locality in the Dam Formation of Saudi Arabia.
http://www.sgs.org.sa/index.cfm?sec=74&sub=196&sub2=217&pageNumber=2
5.2 - Nodular anhydrite or chicken-wire structure

(Read also chapter 5.1 on “Gypsum”)
Nodular anhydrite is a diagenetic structure in calcium sulfate evaporates. It is a type of anhydrite

deposit where seeping ground water gradually deposited large amounts of anhydrite in the sediment,
replacing most of it, so that a cross-section of it looks somewhat like the coarse wire netting often
used to confine poultry (Fig.5.21)
The creation of Nodular anhydrite first starts with the deposition of gypsum, a type of evaporite
mineral (See chapter 5.1 on Gypsum). Although gypsum is common in Recent evaporitic
sediments and primary gypsum is preserved in some Neogene evaporite formations that have been
buried to only relatively shallow depths (as it is the case for the evaporites of the Dam Formation),
it is characteristically not found in borehole cores taken from evaporites at depths greater than
approximately 1000 metres where anhydrite is normally the only calcium sulphate mineral present.
It is therefore generally believed that gypsum becomes unstable in consequence of the increase in
rock temperature which accompanies burial and that at some critical depth, determined by the local
geothermal gradient and the salinity of the connate waters, it is made over into anhydrite (Process 1
discussed below). However, anhydrite is also known to occur in comparative abundance in certain
present day and Neogene evaporites, where some of it demonstrably formed by syndepositional
alteration of gypsum (Processes 2 and 3 discussed below).
Process 1: Nodular anhydrite and deep burial

In the gypsum-anhydrite diagenetic cycle shown in fig. 5.15 below, gypsum is converted to
anhydrite upon burial, and then the anhydrite is usually reconverted to gypsum as it makes its way
to the surface again. It is during this process that the chicken-wire mosaic is created (see fig. 5.16).
When gypsum is replaced by anhydrite, there is a 38% loss in volume, because of the great
difference in density between the two minerals. So there is great extra compaction on the way
down. Conversely, on the way up the anhydrite is reconverted to gypsum, provided that extra water
is available. This expansion tends to cause even more local deformation of the deposit. The change
from anhydrite to gypsum on the way up is usually delayed until the near-surface zone of influence
of surface groundwater is reached. Note: this process is not believed to have been at work in the
Dam Formation
Fig. 5.15: The gypsum-anhydrite diagenetic cycle

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Earth--Atmospheric--and-Planetary-Sciences/12-110Spring-
2007/D20F3F03-555E-4EBA-AD9D-BFAF5AF8A3C5/0/ch6.pdf
Fig. 5.16: The gypsum-anhydrite cycle showing mineral and textural changes, from the surface,
into the subsurface and on uplift.
( http://opencourseware.kfupm.edu.sa/colleges/cs/es/geol464/files%5C5-_Handouts_Lec13.pdf )
The main sites of marine sulphate precipitation today is in the high intertidal and supratidal
zones.
Gypsum is being precipitated displacively within the sediments as discoidal, rosette, selenite
and twinned crystals from less than 1 mm to more than 25 cm in size.
Dolomitization of carbonate particles is commonly associated with gypsum precipitation, as a
result of the increased Mg/Ca ratio.
Gypsum is the most common precipitate within the sediments of inland sabkha, where it forms
the familiar desert roses.
If the evaporation is sufficiently intense then with increasing concentration of pore fluids across
the sabkhas, the gypsum crystals are hydrite crystals.
Continued displacive precipitation of anhydrite results in closely packed nodules with host
sediment. The nodular texture produced is referred to as chicken-wire anhydrite.
Process 2: Nodular Anhydrite Formed by Syndepositional Alteration of Gypsum in Present Day

Sabkhas.
Anhydrite is forming at the present day on a regional scale in the inland sabkha of Dukhan in Qatar
(Figs 5.18 & 5.22) (Al-Youssef et al. 2003 & 2006) and coastal sabkha of ABu Dhabi in the UAE.
The anhydrite is characteristically nodular and the nodules grow displacively (Fig 5.17), mostly in
the sediments of the supratidal facies. Some of the nodules clearly arose by alteration of earlier
formed gypsum, but others evidently without gypsum precursors. Further, anhydrite nodules have
been seen to hydrate to gypsum as a result of dilution of the sabkha brines following heavy
rainstorms, but those are uncommon events and the gypsum is made back into nodular anhydrite
within a few months as high salinities become re-established. Irrespective of their origin all of the
nodules have essentially similar crystal fabrics.
Fig. 5.17: Where gypsum crystals commence to undergo alteration to anhydrite, cavernous hollows
develop in them which are occupied by loose accumulations of tiny anhydrite crystals. The
corroded appearance of the hollows leaves little doubt that the change from one mineral to the other
was a dissolution/precipitation process. As alteration proceeds each gypsum crystal is made over
into a loose mass of anhydrite crystals that first roughly pseudomorph it, but as more and more
anhydrite crystals are added the pseudomorph swells out into a nodular mass that ultimately loses
all resemblance to its parent. The nodules appear to grow by nucleation of new crystals within the
framework of earlier formed ones, and as the new crystals grow they push the others aside and those
in turn displace the surrounding host sediment. The anhydrite nodules are remarkably pure, and
that purity is a measure of the efficacy of the platy shapes of the crystals in pushing the surrounding
sediment aside. Where anhydrite nodules grow in close proximity to one another and coalesce, the
displaced sediment comes to form partitions between them and gives rise to the familiar mosaic or
chicken wire appearance. (Shearman, 1983)
In the north-eastern sector of the Dukhan sabkha (Salt lake) (fig. 6.5.6) Al Youssef et al (2006)
report the following percentage of evaporite with values almost double to those outside of the Salt
Lake sector:
Anhydrite - 33% (or 48% excluding clastic and carbonate minerals). It occurs as white nodules at
a shallow depth of about 20 cm below the surface. Algal (microbial) mats are present below the
anhydrite nodules.
Salt - Second dominant evaporite (no % mentioned) which forms both at surface and shallow depth
Gypsum - 11% (or 22% excluding carbonates and clastic minerals). It occurs as crystals and
crystal fragments at different depths within the sediments, mainly above the groundwater level. The
shape of these crystals include lenticular and sublenticular, acicular, elliptical, semi-elliptical,
prism-like, pyramidal, pseudo-tetragonal and intergrown crystals
Fig 5.18: Vertical distribution of carbonate-algal-evaporite facies across sabkha. (Butler G. 19??)
Process 3: Nodular Anhydrite in Neogene Evaporites

Many of the Neogene evaporites exposed at outcrops in Qatar include beds of unaltered primary
gypsum. They are generally thick massive beds of competitively grown gypsum crystals which are
clearly subaqueous in origin. Field work by previous authors indicate that at no time had they been
buried to depths of more than a few hundred metres and those depths were evidently insufficient to
carry them out of the stability field of gypsum. In some places the beds of primary gypsum enclose
nodules of secondary gypsum (Figs 5.19 & 5.20), but the secondary gypsum carries tiny corroded
relics of anhydrite crystals and those demonstrate that the nodules were originally nodules of
anhydrite.
The hydration of the anhydrite to gypsum was a late effect caused by introduction of meteoric water
during exhumation of the rock. The relationships of the former anhydrite nodules to the primary
gypsum which encloses them leaves no doubt that the nodules formed by alteration of the primary
gypsum. The frequency of the nodules varies from bed to bed. They are absent from many beds,
sparsely scattered in others where they are usually developed at particular levels; but they are so
abundant elsewhere that only mere vestiges of the original gypsum remain. The extent of alteration
varies randomly from bed to bed in any stratigraphic succession, and the change clearly took place
on a bed by bed basis. The only reasonable conclusion is that the change from gypsum to nodular
anhydrite was the result of changes in the chemistry of the interstitial brines
penecontemporaneously with deposition.
Fig 5.19: Primary gypsum in part made Fig 5.20: Syndepositional nodular anhydrite, now
over into nodular anhydrite; now secondary gypsum, formed by alteration of a primary
secondary gypsum (Shearman, 1983) gypsum laminite (Shearman, 1983)
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Qatar-Sabkhas.htm
Fig. 5.21: Chicken-wire structure in secondary Fig. 5.22: Displacive nodules of anhydrite have
gypsum seen on a polished outcrop (not from formed in the muddy sand of the capillary zone a
Qatar) few centimetres beneath the thin surface halite
crust at the margin of the Dukhan sabkha. These
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Qatar- are modern analogues for the anhydrite nodules
Sabkhas.htm that are common in ancient evaporite deposits
Figs 5.23: Top pictures and bottom left: Anhydrite nodules of the Middle Al-Nakhsh at “Conical
Hill”, as named by Whybrow (1987) A4_5001, probably formed under “Salt Lake” conditions. The
mineral “Celestite” is also associated with the nodules. Bottom right: A5_5002 (“normal” sabkha
conditions)
6.0 – Geological features
6.1 - Beachrocks
Beachrock is defined as "the consolidated deposit that results from lithification by calcium
carbonate of sediment in the intertidal and spray zones of mainly tropical coasts." They consist of
multiple units, representing multiple episodes of cementation and exposure. Beachrock that forms
below the foreshore has an upper surface slope that tends to mimic that of the seaward dipping (4 -
10°) internal beach bedding.
Beachrocks are restricted to warm tropical seas, in essence the same latitudes to which coral reefs
are restricted. They are created by the rapid cementation of beach sediments in the intertidal zone
which leads to the formation of characteristic lithified structures; such as internal laminations
caused by grain-size variations, seaward-dipping layers and bubble-shape voids. Beachrock units
form under a thin cover of sediment and generally overlie unconsolidated sand. They typically
consist of multiple units, representing multiple episodes of cementation and exposure (fig 6.1)
On retreating coasts, outcrops of beachrock may be evident offshore where they may act as a barrier
against coastal erosion. Beachrock presence can also induce sediment deficiency in a beach and out-
synch its wave regime. Because beachrock is lithified within the intertidal zone and because it
commonly forms in a few years, its potential as an indicator of past sea level is important.
Beachrocks are located along the coastline in a parallel term and they are usually a few meters
offshore. They are generally separated in several levels (Figs 6.1 & 6.2) which may correspond to
different generations of beachrock cementation. Thus, the older zones are located in the outer part
of the formation when the younger ones are on the side of the beach, possibly under the
unconsolidated sand. They also seem to have a general inclination to the sea. There are several
appearances of beachrock formations which are characterized by multiple cracks and gasps. The
result from this fact is an interruptible formation of separated blocks of beachrock, which may be of
the same formation.
The length of beachrocks varies from meters to kilometers, its width can reach up to 300 meters and
its height starts from 30 cm and reaches 3 meters. Different colors of the formation indicate
different zones. Following the process of coastal erosion, beachrock formation may be uncovered.
Coastal erosion may be the result of sea level rise or deficit in sedimentary equilibrium. One way or
another, unconsolidated sand that covers the beachrock draws away and the formation is revealed. If
the process of cementation continues, new beachrock would be formed in a new position in the
intertidal zone. Successive phases of sea level change may result in sequential zones of beachrock.
Beachrocks in the Dam Formation of Qatar are found mainly in the Lower and Middle Al-Nakhsh
Member where they display clasts of other broken up and reworked rocks, together with the very
familiar oolites (Chapter 6.2). In the Lower Salwa, however, there are some localities where
multiple unit beachrocks are exposed and can easily be observed from space; the sector around
A1_1014 (Figure 6.4), which displays a general orientation going from Southeast to Northwest, is
one of them. In these beachrocks can be found rib remains of Miocene dugongs, ironized deformed
cross-beds, coral debris, burrows and other interesting features. (Another similar locality is at
A3_1050).
Fig 6.1: Simplified representation of how a beachrock is formed. (Shinn 2004)
Fig 6.2: Holocene (A & C) and recent (B) beachrock off the coast of the Bahamas (Shinn 2004)
Fig 6.3: Oolitic beachrock from the Dam Formation showing clasts and other debris. (A1_5017)
Fig 6.4: View of Lower Salwa multiple unit beachrocks (sub/inter tidal) from space in Area 1. At
location A1_1015 can be found a rib from a Miocene dugong.
6.2 - Oolites
Oolites (fig. 6.5) are a type of ooids (oolites,

pisolites, oncoids, and oncolites) and are formed
by a series of concentric layers surrounding a
nucleus. They generally form in agitated marine
environments including tidal sand bars or tidal
deltas between barrier islands (see also appendix
“A”). Qolite sands form important reservoirs, of
which the Permian Khuff Formation of Qatar is
one of the best known.
Most recent ooids from modern marine settings

like the Bahama Banks exhibit concentric
coatings that have an organized microstructure
of tangentially arranged aragonite needles.
However, some recent ooids from the Arabian
Gulf in the vicinity of Qatar have a radial fabric
of needles. A similar fabric is common to most
ancient ooids. The size of ooids is controlled by
rate of precipitation and abrasion. Oolites
generally range between .5 and 1mm in
diameter. Ooids with asymmetric coatings and
superficial oolites form in quiet water.
Occasionally broken radial ooids may act as the
nuclei for other ooids suggesting that the radial
Fig 6.5: The several types of oolites. fabric is developed during deposition. Breakage
http://strata.geol.sc.edu/thinsections/caco3- is common in oolites that collect on salt flats
ooids.html where halite precipitation has weakened the
radial fabric.
During our field investigation of the Dam

Formation it was observed that oolites were
always in close association with beachrocks (see
chapter on beachrocks)
Fig 6.6: Oolites. Area-01_5017b Fig 6.7: Depositional setting of oolites
6.3 - Aeolianite
Some definitions
Aeolianite: A near-coastal landward feature composed of cemented dune sands. Those with a rich
content of carbonate have a pale yellow, sometimes almost white, colour in contrast to the reds and
deeper yellows of quartz-rich dune sands. The colour contrast is possibly because contained shell
fragments are almost white in color, but more likely because light-colored sands may never have
been in the physical environment where reddening seems to occur – at the level of a fluctuating
water table.
Dikakah: Sand drifts in and around scrub vegetations.
Dune: Accumulation of wind-blown sands that possesses one or more slipfaces. Its size is
dependent on the availability of sand and the ability of the wind to carry sand to the top without
removing it again. The finest sand grains are usually found at the crest. There are several types of
dune; barchan dunes are one of them.
Interdune: A geometric surface commonly enclosed or at least partially bounded by dunes or other
eolian deposits such as sand sheets. Sediments in an interdune area may include both subaqueous
and saubaerial deposits. A sabkha, for instance, is a type of evaporite interdune. It is frequent in
trenches of modern interdune sediments to reveal a thin unit of interdunal sediments underlain by
sediments of a preexisting dune or some other facies (Fig. ??). The recognizability of interdune
sediments increases roughly in proportion to the degree of enclosure of the interdunes. Non-
enclosed interdunes between widely spaced dunes, 0.8 to 1.6 km apart, have sedimentation features
resembling sand sheets.
Several aeolianites occur within the Upper Al-Nakhsh Member of the Dam Formation in the
surveyed areas (Areas 1 and 7); however, only two show features typical to sand dunes. The first
one, which is also the best preserved (A1_6005), has been briefly described by Dill et al 2007 as
(fig. 6.3.3) “Red, fine-to-medium grained sandstones (A) with planar cross bedding are separated
from subjacent sandstones, and (B) of the same lithology by an uneven reaction surface. The red
bedsets on top of the reaction surface display largescale trough cross-stratification with a
tangential basal contact. Sand ripples are common. They occur only near the tangential basal
contacts of foresets, immediately above the first-order bounding surfaces”. A further analysis by
Dr. Jeremy Jameson of ExxonMobil (personal communication) has also determined that the whole
feature (38 metre in length) is a lithified aeolian dune sand overlayed by an inter-dune sand, as seen
at the bottom and top respectively of fig. 6.3.2. Very fragile dikakah can also be observed in small
quantities (Fig. 6.3.4). These dikakah are ringed by small crystals, thought to have crystallized
when sulphates in the water were not absorbed by the plants’ roots; such crystal sheaths may have
cutoff the supply of water to the plant and led to its death (Glennie 2005).
The second location (A1_6016) was discovered by the author and is located 1.2 kms north from the
first locality. The red Aeolian sands are present on the eastern flank of the Al-Nakhsh Hill and
partly buried by the Hofuf gravels (Fig. 6.3.7). While not as spectacular as the first locality, this
sand also shows the typical features of a sand dune, including some dikakah as decribed above.
Locality A7_6001 is a good example of a windblown sand which has never developed into a dune
(see picture in photo album). It occurs at the center of a doline and is shown as a small patch of a
consolidated and laminated sandstone. Loose weathered red sands also occur in the doline. This
locality represents a sand which was blown over an open and flat area.
Fig. 6.3.2: Area-01_6005 showing the dune sands overlaid

Fig. 6.3.1: A 38m long aeolianite; Area-01_6005 by an interdune deposit. The erosional contact is obvious
Fig. 6.3.3: See Dill et all’s description above Fig. 6.3.4: Aeolianite displaying dikakahs (Area-01_6005)
Fig. 6.3.5: A sedimentary feature in the interdune (Area- Fig. 6.3.6: Plants growing on a modern dune; once
01_6005) fossilized, the roots and small branches will form dikakahs
Fig. 6.3.7: Area-01_6016 showing the second aeolianite. Use vehicle on top of the hill as scale (top left
corner)
Fig. 6.3.8: Cross-sectional view, parallel to wind

direction, showing lenticular relationship of
interdune deposits to barchanoid dunes
(Ahlbrandt et al, 1981)
Fig. 6.3.9: Hypothetical model to explain complex cross-stratification patterns in transversal

sections of barchan dunes. A) Oblique bird's eye view of barchan showing longitudinal and
transversal sections of internal (cross-) stratification. B) Temporal change in dominant wind
direction shifts barchan sideways and forward, and migrates internal cross-stratification in
transversal sections as shown. C) Complex transversal cross-stratification patterns may arise from
minor but repeated shifts in dominant wind direction. (Weijermars, 1999a)
6.4 - Hummocky Cross Stratification

A reason geologists get excited when they see Hummocky cross stratification (HCS) is that it’s a
fantastic indicator of a particular environment — a subaqueous environment shallow enough to feel
the effects of waves. They occur in shelf conditions but also on the shoreface and in the surf zone.
Hummocks are three-dimensional low-angle features of several meters long and a few decimeters
high. Hummocks are preserved in deposits with hummocky cross stratification (HCS) as low-angle
planar bedding, commonly in bundles reflecting the length and migration of the hummocks. They
will typically be found in a stratigraphic succession sandwiched between offshore shale/siltstone
and shoreface and/or delta-front deposits.
How Hummocky cross stratifications form:

HCS are believed to form as a result of
combined flow which only occurs when a
current is generated by a storm at the same time
as high-amplitude waves reach deep below the
surface. During the few days prior to a big
storm, energy accumulates on the lagoon side of
a barrier bar (fig. 6.4.1). When the storm hits
the area, the current in the tidal channel
becomes much stronger than in the normal daily
tide activity in the said channel. The strong
current takes sand out of the lagoon (red lines)
into the deeper water (blue lines) in temporary
suspension and as it is deposited the oscillatory
motion caused by the waves results in
deposition in the form of hummocks and swales
(Fig 6.4.3). Then the resuspended sediments
quickly settle as a series of laminae to more or
less drape the undulating topography. If the area
is receiving sediment, say from the strong
bottom currents scouring closer to shore, the
next big sea floor slap won't scour down as
deeply, thus allowing a series of hummocky
cross beds to be preserved (see figures below).
It is also possible that as a storm wanes,
successively weaker waves suspend less and
less sediment, thus allowing the sequence to be
preserved.
(modified from Prothero and Schwab)

Fig 6.4.1: One possible example for the creation of Hummocky cross stratifications - the overflow
of a Miocene lagoon cutting through an intertidal / barrier bar during a storm.
Fig 6.4.2 HCS occur in fine- to

medium-grained sand and typically
below fair weather wavebase by
larger waves produced during storms
Fig 6.4.3 Diagram showing the two

different types of current flow
involve in the creation of HCS
Fig 6.4.4: Block diagram of one of the common styles of HCS
Fig: 6.4.5: HCS overlaying a columnar stromatolite horizon (Locality A1_4022)
6.5 - Tepee Structures

One distinctive feature of peritidal limestones is the tepee structure. Tepees are disruptions of the
bedding into "pseudoanticlines" and in plan view the tepee crests form a polygonal pattern. Tepees
occur on the scale of tens of centimetres to several metres across. They mostly form on intertidal-
supratidal flats as a result of the cementation and expansion of the surface-sediment layer. Upward
movement (resurgence) of ground water, marine or meteoric, is a contributory factor in some cases.
Elongate cavities (sheet cracks) commonly form beneath the uplifted slabs and in these, pisoids may
form, as well as vadose cements such as dripstone and flowstone. These tepees usually are
associated with planar stromatolites, desiccation cracks and intraclast conglomerates. Modern
examples of these tepees, some with the spelean-pisoid association, occur on supratidal flats and
around saline lakes in South and Western Australia. Tepees also form in the submarine
environment, for example, where hardground surfaces have expanded through the cement
precipitation. These are well developed off the Qatar Peninsula.
Fig 6.5.1: The anatomy of tepees
Fig 6.5.2: Example of tepee formation on Barrier islands (Kendall 2005). However, they can also form
in a sabkha environment. (figs. 6.5.6 & 6.5.7)
Figs 6.5.3 and 6.5.4: Sketch comparing mode of

formation of tepees in crusts and tepees in caliche
layered host rocks. In "A", lateral expansion results
from early cementation in cracks and pores, minerals
transformations, etc, and results in lateral displacement.
In "B", caliche is introduced by way of the initial crack
and is deposited in the shales, causing expansion and
vertical displacement
Fig 6.5.5: Tepee structures and LLH stromatolites and centimeter-thick laminae in clayey marlstones of the
Lower Al Nakhsh Member
Fig 6.5.6: The author standing over the “Salt Lake”

portion of the Dukhan sabkha which displays halite Fig 6.5.7: A closer look at a tepee structure being
polygonal features. Tepee structures are being formed formed in today’s Dukhan sabkha in Qatar
(picture by Dr. Jeremy Jameson)
7.0 – Acknowledgments
Other than my wife who has always been very supportive of this demanding hobby, I am indebted
to several individuals for their unwavering support, insight, enthusiasm, and generosity to help me
bringing this document to the public attention. I thank especially:
1) Professor Dr. habil. Harald G. Dill ( www.hgeodill.de ) from the Federal Institute for
Geosciences and Natural Resources in Germany for answering the initial questions I had
with regards to the fossils and geology of the Dam Formation in Qatar;
2) Dr. Jeremy Jameson, Sedimentologist at ExxonMobil, for his considerable time and
attention to answer all my geology and sedimentology related questions every time I
returned from field trips. Thanks also to him for the thin-sections of the Middle Salwa wood
samples described in the document together with their photographs.
3) Mr. Hussain Al-Ansi, Head of Geology Studies at Qatar Petroleum, for reviewing and
commenting on the content of this publication;
4) David D. Puls, Reservoir Geoscientist at ExxonMobil, for recommending me and allowing

me to participate in a Carbonate Workshop sponsored by ExxonMobil for Qatar Petroleum
employees. This workshop was a turning point in opening my eyes and mind to the
processes at work in the creation of a sabkha
5) Dr. Cornelis (Cees) Kok, Head of the Geology Lab at Qatar Petroleum, for sharing his
knowledge on the foraminifers (fossil and recent) of Qatar and his insight on mineral
deposition and the burrowing activities of organisms living in marsh environment;
6) Dr. Iyad S. Zalmout, vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Michigan

(http://www.paleontology.lsa.umich.edu/Directory/individual.html?person=Zalmout ), for
identifying all the sirenian/dugong bone material described herein. His wide knowledge on
marine mammals and all the fossil dugong sites in the world, including those nearest to
Qatar (Egypt and Pakistan), was invaluable.
7) Dr. Friedrich Pfeil ( http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/ef1.html ) and Dr. Iyad S. Zalmout,

paleontologist at the University of Michigan, for identifying the specimen found in the
Lower Al-Nakhsh sub-member as a myliobatis toothplate;
8) Dr. Paul Taylor of the Natural History Museum (UK), for his identification of the bryozoa:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/staff-directory/palaeontology/cv-5472.html ;
9) Dr. Carrie E. Schweitzer, Department of Geology of Kent State University, for identifying
and commenting on the samples of crabs and shrimps found in the Dam formation;
10) Dr. Faysal Bibi (Yale University) and Dr. Thomas A. Stidham (Department of Biology,
Texas A&M University), for commenting on whether a sample found in the Middle Salwa
was of eggshells or wood. (www.briankraatz.com/bpk/CV_files/Bibi_et_al_2005.pdf )
11) Dr. Raquel López Antoñanzas, "Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales" in Spain, for
commenting on some fossils found in the Dam, and allowing the use of pictures and text
from her Doctorate thesis. Dr. Antoñanzas is currently conducting a study on a 10kg sand
sample of the Upper Al-Nakhsh dune (A1_6005) described in chapter 6.3. Her interest is to
find small vertebrate remains.
12) Mr. Faisal Al-Naimi, Director of the Antiquities Department at the Qatar Museum Authority
(QMA) (http://www.qma.com.qa/eng/index.php/qma/home ) for commenting on the
provenance and use of a flint (archeological artifact) found at one locality within our Area 2.
QMA is also to be thanked for officially receiving and storing all our Miocene and Eocene
dugong bone material collected over the past 2.5 years.
13) Mr. James Kuzych, wellsite geologist at Qatar Petroleum, for showing me a Rus Formation
Mesolithic site in northwest Dukhan where structures similar to the “blister” stromatolites of
the Dam Formation can be seen.
14) Mrs Frances Gillespie for allowing to re-print her 1998 article on the archeological site of
Jarr Umm Tuwaim
15) Mr. Dave Smith, QA/QC engineer at Maerks Oil, for pointing out to me the anhydrite
nodule localities surrounding A4_5001.
I hope I have not forgotten anybody. If I did be assured that it was not intentional. I value very
much the help I received from all.
8.0 –Recommendations and Conclusions

8.1 - Recommendations
One of the reasons this research was undertaken was to recommend to the State of Qatar some
localities worth protecting/preserving for the benefit of more studies and/or enjoyment by the public
at large and future generations. We sincerely believe that some of the localities recommended
below could become one day as important as those localities in Saudi Arabia mentioned earlier in
the text, and play an important role in presenting a better picture of the Arabian Peninsula’s past as
a whole for that Period.
So far, in Qatar, the term "cultural heritage" has been applied mainly to archeological structures or
past human activities and remains. To our knowledge, the country does not have yet a list of
paleontological sites deserving to be preserved and protected. Decision on the particular sites
selected to be protected corresponds ultimately to the political authorities of a nation. Normally,
palaeontologists play an important advisory role before the political authorities in selecting the
relevant sites and providing the most adequate measures to protect them; however, Qatar does not
have any paleontologists in its ranks. For the time being, it can only rely on the collaboration of its
local and expatriate population together with cultural and professional associations and Institutions
such as the Qatar Museum Authority (QMA), the Qatar Natural History Group and the Qatar
Geological Society to spread the knowledge and importance of protecting similar sites. In short, we
must all be social players in this arena.
The four selected sites below are our recommendations for protection. We are not asking the
government of Qatar to designate them as "protected sites" but we do recommend them for
protection if the authorities have already a plan in mind to include paleontological sites in their
Cultural heritage laws. If this is the case, an expert paleontologist should conduct a thorough study
of each site before giving his own recommendation to the country.
Until such designation is made official (if ever), we are asking the weekend fossil enthusiasts
visiting these sites to please approach them with the awareness of responsible individuals. Do not
collect any remains, do not litter and drive on any of the sites and, if you do find new
specimens/localities, report them to either the author or the Qatar Museum Authority (QMA).
Our recommendation of sites which deserve to be protected for the patrimony of the country are:
Geological feature
1) The Upper Al-Nakhsh dune/interdune sediments at locality A1_6005. This 38 metre long
feature is the only one in Qatar of this time period and as well preserved. Quarrying nearby
should be prohibited.
Paleontological remains
1) The whole sector around A3_1019, as show in figure 4.1.18, contains important and large
quantities of fossil dugong remains. The author also believes that these remains, once
studied by expert paleontologists, will lead to dugong fossil teeth and/or skull that will allow
to put a name on the species of these animals that roam the Miocene sea.
2) Locality A1_1029 contains at least seven (7) dugong ribs and two vertebrae on a small
limestone mound
3) The sector around locality A1_2115 should be protected and investigated more. Several
dugong remains were found within a limited range.
8.2 - Conclusions
The Miocene Dam formation in Qatar has revealed itself has an important repository of both unique
geological features and paleontological remains. It has all the preserved characteristic features of
an ancient sabkha and is a prime candidate to be studied by petroleum geoscientists in order to
understand similar sub-surface carbonate deposits, such as the Jurassic Arab-C&D reservoirs in
Qatar, in which important quantities of oil & gas have accumulated.
In Saudi Arabia the faunal remains and the geological features encountered are both characteristic
of terrestrial environments of deposition. A gradual change, however, is noticed some distance
south and west of the Qatar-Saudi Arabia border where a marine influence becomes apparent. In
Qatar, all terrestrial influences have disappeared, except may be in the uppermost Abu Samrah
Member at some locations to the south. The shallow marine environment of the Dam in Qatar is
demonstrated by all the characteristic geological features (beachrocks, ooids, stromatolites, cross-
beds, etc…) and faunal & floral remains (marine mammals, mollusks, echinoderms, fish,
arthropods, bryozoa, corals, etc…) that it left behind.
It is hoped that the fossil enthusiasts will be pleased with this new publication. It offers several new
localities to visit that can make for few interesting weekends of discovery and be used by the reader
as points to start his own exploration of the Dam Formation. The author, in the meantime, will
probably continue investigating the areas that were least explored for this document. Indeed, in the
next year or so, we expect to look at areas 4, 5, 6 and 7 in more details and update (or use
addendum) the present document with new uploads to the website. With regards to Area 8, we can
only hope that one day we will be granted access to it; however, for the time being, this hope is very
faint.
Lastly, we would like to visit the Ishat Island to complete our study of the Dam Formation over
accessible areas in Qatar but unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to find a boat ride for a
period of one day or two over a weekend. We would ask that if there is somebody out there with
enough boating experience and an interest in geology/fossils willing to share a day/weekend of
adventure with me to please let me know
On this note, I leave you.
Wishing you all several enjoyable days of discoveries in this beautiful part of the world
Jacques LeBlanc
Leblanc.Jacques@gmail.com
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Otero Olga, Gayet Mireille (2001). Palaeoichthyofaunas from the Lower Oligocene and Miocene
of the Arabian Plate: palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications. Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 165, 141–169
Peter C. K. (1985). Supratidal and lagoonal carbonate models in the Arabian Gulf. Robertson
Group
Philby, H. St. J. (1933). The Empty Quarter. 433 pages. London
Powers R.W., L.F. Ramirez, C.D. Redmond, E.L. Eleberg, Jr. (1966). Geology of the Arabian
Peninsula, Sedimentary Geology of Saudi Arabia, United States Geological Survey Professional
Paper 560D, 147 pages
Prothero and Schwab (year unknown). Lecture 9: THE BEACH.

http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/~kamal/sedimentologi/pantai-1.pdf
Puls Dave, Jameson Jeremy, Kozar Mike (Nov 2008). Miocene Dam Formation; Miocene outcrop
description exercise. Part of a carbonate workshop sponsored by ExxonMobil in Qatar.
Puls David D., Jameson Jeremy, Kozar Mike, Al-Ansi Hussain, LeBlanc Jacques (2009). The
Dukhan Sabkha: A Modern Analog for the Arab C Carbonate Reservoir, Dukhan Field Integrated
Study, Qatar. International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC), Doha, Qatar (In Press: to be
presented in December 2009). IPTC paper 13629
Reading H.H et al. (1982). Sedimentary Environments and facies. Blackwell Scientific
Publications. 569 pages
Roman, J. 1976. Echinides éocènes et miocènes du Qatar (Golfe Persique). Ann. Paleont. Invertebr.,
62, 49–85.
Schreiber B. Charlotte, Lugli S., Babel M. (2008). Evaporites through space and time. Geological
Society of London. Special paper 285.
Seilacher Adolf (2007). Trace fossil analysis. 238 pages. ISBN-13, 978-3-540-47225-4 Springer
Berlin Heidelberg New York
Seltrust Engineering Limited (1980). Qatar Geological Map: explanatory booklet
Shearman D.J. (1983). Syndepositional and diagenetic alteration of Primary gypsum into anhydrite.
Sixth international symposium on salt; Volume 1. Salt Institute.
Shinn Eugene A. (2004). The Mystique of Beachrock.

http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/rnggsa/shinnfinal.pdf
Sugden W. Standring A.J. (1972). Stratigraphic lexicon: Qatar Peninsula. In : ASIE, Volume III,
Fascicule 1O b 3. Union Internationale des sciences geologiques (1975)
Tayyib Mohammed A. (2007). Depositional setting impact on the Portland cement production
quality of the Dam Formation, Saudi Arabia. Thesis of Graduate Studies; King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals. 144 pages
Thomas H., Sen S., Khan M., Battail B, and Ligabue G.. (1982). The Lower Miocene Fauna of Al-
Sarrar (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia). Atlal 5(3a):109-136 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]
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International Geology Congress, Mexico and Symposium sobre Yacimentos de Petroleum and Gas,
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Tleel, J.W. (1973). Surface Geology of the Dammam Dome, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.
American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 57, no. 3, p. 558-576.
Weijermars Ruud (1999a). Quaternary Evolution of Dawhat Zulum (Half Moon Bay) Region
Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. GeoArabia, Vol. 4, No. 1.
Weijermars Ruud (1999b). Surface Geology, Lithostratigraphy and Tertiary Growth of the
Dammam Dome, Saudi Arabia: A New Field Guide. GeoArabia, Vol. 4, No. 2
Whybrow, P.J. (1987a). Miocene geology and palaeontology of the United Arab Emirates and the
State of Qatar (Arabian Gulf): the closure of Tethys and mammal `migrations’ between Afroarabia
and Eurasia. M.Phil Thesis. Reading University, Reading. 136 pp.
Whybrow, P.J. (1987b). Miocene geology and palaeontology of Ad Dabtiyah, Saudi Arabia.
Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. Vol 41 No 4 29
Ziegler, M. A. (2001). Late Permian to Holocene paleofacies evolution of the Arabian Plate and its
hydrocarbon occurrences: GeoArabia, v. 6, pp. 445-504.
10.0 - Recommended Literature

General
Al-Hajari Saif (1990). Geology of the Tertiary and its influence on the Aquifer System of Qatar
and Eastern Arabia. University of South Carolina. Degree of Doctor in Philosophy in the
Department of Geological Sciences. 250 pages
Andrew Peters, Hamilton W. R., Whybrow P. J. (1978). Dryopithecines from the Miocene of Saudi
Arabia. Nature 274, 249 - 251 (20 July 1978);
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v274/n5668/abs/274249a0.html
Bell R.T. (1996). Evaporites; in “Geology of Canadian Mineral Deposit Types. Geological Survey
of Canada, Geology of Canada. No. 8, p. 121-127.
Bibi Faysal, Shabel Alan B., Kraatz Brian P., Stidham Thomas A. (2006). New fossil ratite (Aves:
Palaeognathae) eggshell discoveries from the Late Miocene Baynunah formation of the United Arab
Emirates, Arabian Peninsula. Palaeontologia Electronica. http://palaeo-electronica.org
Chan, Marjorie A. and Parry, William T. (year unknown but past 2001). Rainbow of Rocks.
Mysteries of Sandstone Colors and Concretions in Colorado Plateau Canyon Country. Dept. of
Geology and Geophysics, 135 S. 1460 E. - University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0111.
http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-77.pdf
Dill, Harald G.: Sobhi Nasir and Hamad Al-Saad (2003). Lithological and structural evolution of
the northern sector of Dukhan anticline, Qatar, during the early Tertiary: with special reference to
sequence stratigraphic bounding surfaces GeoArabia Volume 8, Number 2, P 201-226
Dill, Harald G, Friedhelm Henjes-Kunsta, Zsolt Bernerb and Doris Stübenb (2008). Miocene
diagenetic and epigenetic strontium mineralization in calcareous series from Cyprus and the
Arabian Gulf: Metallogenic perspective on sub- and suprasalt redox-controlled base metal deposits.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Volume 34, Issue 4, 30 April 2009, Pages 557-576.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VHG-4TG35P7-
1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1
&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=a9ff730647e2d39c4509be6acc85ca1d
Dill, Harald G.; Kaufhold, Stephan (2008). Mineralogical and lithofacies-controlled variation of
palygorskite in Neogene siliceous-calcareous coastal deposits in geodynamically stable (Qatar) and
mobile settings (Uzbekistan). Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie - Abhandlungen, Volume 185,
Number 2, November 2008 , pp. 143-160(18).
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/njma/2008/00000185/00000002/art00003?token=
004f1655ba6c0b5c5f3b3b476754486b3c257b51766c5f3f4f582a2f433e402c3568263c2bfec9c
Elliott Graham F. (1960). Brachiopodes tertiaire d’Arabie et de Syrie. Bulletin de la Societe

Geologique de France; 7ieme Serie, Tome 2, Pages 152-156
Fleming C. A. (1981). A new grapsid crab from the Upper Miocene of New Zealand. Journal of
the Royal Society of New Zealand. Vol 11, No. 2, pgs 103-108.
Garcia-Guinea J, Morales S, Delgado A, Recio C, Calaforra JM. Formation of gigantic gypsum

crystals. J Geol Soc (Lond) 2002;159:347– 50.
Hamilton W.R., Whybrow P.J., McClure H.A (1978). Fauna of fossil mammals from the Miocene
of Saudi Arabia. Nature 274, 248 - 249 (20 July 1978);
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v274/n5668/abs/274248a0.html
Henson, F.R.S. (1950). Middle Eastern Tertiary Peneroplidae (Foraminifera). With Remarks on the
Phylogeny and Taxomony of the Family. Wakefield, England, West Yorkshire Printing Co., 70 p.
Houbolt, J.J.H.C., 1957. Surface Sediments of the Persian Gulf Near the Qatar Peninsula. The
Hague, Netherlands, Mouton and Co., 113 pp.
Kendall AC. Evaporites. In: Walker RG, James NP, editors. Facies models-response to sea level
change. Geol Assoc Canada; 1992. p. 375– 409.
M. M. Ashour (1987). Remote Sensing of Desert Sediments: Grain Size, Process and Dune
Environment: Surficial deposits of Qatar Peninsula. Geological Society, London, Special
Publications; v. 35; p. 361-367; DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1987.035.01.24
http://sp.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/35/1/361
Scoffin TP. An introduction to carbonate sediments and rocks. Glasgow. Blackie; 1987. [274 pp].
Smout, Alan Hilder (1954). Lower Tertiary foraminifera of the Qatar Peninsula. British Museum
(Natural History).
Turner, RJ. (2005). Beachrock, in Schwartz, ML, ed., Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Kluwer
Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. Pp. 183-186.
Warren J.K., Kendall C.G. ST. C. (1985). Comparison of sequences formed in Marine Sabkha
(subaerial) and salina (subaqueous) settings – Modern and Ancient. AAPG bulletin V. 69 No. 6,
Pgs 1013-1023.
Warren JK. Evaporites—their evolution and economics. Oxford. Blackwell; 1999. [438 pp].
Whybrow P. J., Hill A. (1999). Fossil vertebrates of Arabia - with emphasis on the Late Miocene
faunas, geology and paleoenvironments of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Wright VP. A revised classification of limestones. Sediment Geol 1992;76:177–85.
Stromatolite Literature
J.D. Aitken, 1967. Classification and environmental significance of cryptalgal limestones and
dolomites, with illustrations from the Cambrian and Ordovician of SW Alberta. J. of Sedimentary
Petrology, 37, 4, 1163-1178.
T.D. Brock, 1976. Environmental microbiology of living stromatolites. In M.R. Walter, éd.:
Stromatolites. Developments in Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, 141-148.
C.D. Gebelein, 1976. The effects of the physical, chemical and biological evolution of the earth. In
M.R. Walter, éd.: Stromatolites. Developments in Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, 499-515
S. Golubic, 1976. Organisms that build stromatolites In M.R. Walter, éd.: Stromatolites.
Developments in Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, 113-126.
S. Golubic, 1976. Taxonomy of extant stromatolites-building cyanophytes In M.R. Walter, éd.:

Stromatolites. Developments in Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, 127-140.
Hofmann H.J (1969). Attributes of stromatolites. Paper 69-39. Geological survey of Canada. 33
pages
L.A. Hardie & R.N. Ginsburg, 1977. Layering: the origin and environmental significance of
lamination and thin bedding. In L.A. Hardie, éd.: Sedimentation on the modern carbonate tidal flats
of Northwest Andros Island, Bahamas. The John Hopkins University Press, 50-124.
C.G. Kendall & Sir P.A. d'E. Skipwith, 1968. Recent algal mats of a Persian Gulf lagoon. J. of
sediment. Petrology, 38, 4, 1040-1058.
B.W. Logan, R. Rezak & R.N. Ginsburg, 1964. Classification and environmental significance of
algal stromatolites. J. of Geology, 72, 1, 68-83.
R. Park, 1976. A note on the significance of lamination in stromatolites. Sedimentology, 23, 3, 379-
393.
P.E. Playford & A.E. Cockbain, 1976. Modern algal stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, a hypersaline
barred basin in Shark Bay, Western Australia In M.R. Walter, éd.: Stromatolites. Developments in
Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, 389-411.
B.H. Purser, 1980. Sédimentation et diagenèse des carbonates néritiques récents. Tome 1: les
éléments de la sédimentation et de la diagenèse. Ed. Technip, 367 pp.
B.H. Purser, 1983. Sédimentation et diagenèse des carbonates néritiques récents. Tome 2: Les
domaines de sédimentation carbonatée néritiques récents; application à l'interprétation des calcaires
anciens. Ed. Technip, 389 pp.
E.A. Shinn, 1983. Tidal flat. In P.A. Scholle, D.G. Bebout, C.H. Moore, eds.: Carbonate
depositional environments, AAPG Mem., 33, 708 pp.
On Gypsum, selenite and crystals

(Recommended by Dr. Richard T. Bell, of the Geological Survey of Canada)
Bain, Roger J (1990) GSA v 18, pp 447-450
McBride, Earle F ( 1991) AAPG v 75 - He shows some up to 2' ( gypsum, selenite and crystals).
Schrieber, Lugli and Babel, "Evaporites Through Space and Time"; Geol Society of London Special
Paper 285 (2008).
Anything by Dave Kinsman is very useful.
Websites
Since these pages are out of our control, there is no guarantee that they will always be accessible.
• http://decapoda.nhm.org/
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.sirenian.org
• The oldest sirenian:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1010_jamaicaseacow.html
• Qatar – Sabkha, Salt lakes and other desert environments:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Qatar-Sabkhas.htm
• The Qatar Natural History Group: http://www.qnhg.org/
• The Qatar Geological Society: http://www.qgeosoc.com/
• http://strata.geol.sc.edu
• The management of gypsiferous soils:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0323e/t0323e00.htm#Contents
• http://www.crienterprises.com/Edu_Evap_Coastal_Sabkha.html
APPENDICES
11.1 - A brief introduction to Carbonates
For the people unfamiliar with carbonates, we see it appropriate to summarize very briefly the
conditions under which they form and how they get preserved.
Carbonate sediments accumulate in areas of high biological activity and low terrigenous input.
Although more common in shallow tropical seas, they are not restricted to these environments and
quite extensive accumulations occur in temperate latitudes. The vast majority of primary carbonate
sediment is produced biogenically, usually within the basin deposition. This contrasts strongly with
clastic sediments which usually originate outside the basin of deposition. Inorganic formation of
carbonates is of relatively minor importance. The five types of carbonates are Limestone, Dolomite
(or dolostone), Chert, evaporites and coal. Carbonates sediments consist of grains and mud. (Peter,
1985)
• Grains can be conveniently subdivided into skeletal and non-skeletal types
Table 11-1: Grain subdivisions

Major Types of
Skeletal grains (from biological skeletons) Non-Skeletal grains
Bivalve Ooids
Gastropod Pisoids
Brachiopod Oncoids
Coral Intraclasts
Bryozoan Lithoclasts
Stromatoporoid Pellets
Algal debris Peloids
Echinoderm
Foraminifera
The skeletal grain types are the remains of organisms which secrete an external or internal
calcareous skeleton. The type of skeletal grain closely relates to the ecologic environment and is an
important indicator of depositional conditions. For example, reef building corals are restricted to
specific conditions (tropical marine areas, shallow clear waters, etc..).
Non-skeletal grain types form in various ways. Ooids and pisoids are aragonite concretions which
form in agitated shallow tropical waters. Oncoids are grains coated in blue green algae which also
form in shallow tropical waters. Intraclasts and lithoclasts are re-eroded fragments of already
deposited lime sediments and limestone. Pellets are excreted material from many animals
(gastropods, worms, etc..), and peloids are rounded lumps of carbonate mud of indeterminate origin.
• The other major constituent of lime sediments is mud.
This may, in part, form by direct precipitation of aragonite needles from seawater, but by far the
majority of lime mud sediment forms from the mechanical abrasion or chemical breakdown of
skeletal organisms, particularly green algae
Figs 11.1.1 to 11.1.5: Environments of deposition, textures and components of carbonates

(http://strata.geol.sc.edu )
Sedimentary structures
These are the “signature” of the depositional environments
A. Bedding – the most common characteristic of sedimentary rocks
1. Layers of sedimentary rock – rocks tend to break along these planes
2. Thickness – thin, medium, coarse, massive (no bedding)
3. Types (see images below)
Fig 11.1.6: Some examples of types of bedding
A. Horizontal. Laminated layers of siltstone B. Cross bedding. In the case above they are
and shale (A1_2132) which reflect intermittent trough cross-beds reflecting scour and fill in a
settling of particles from suspension. fluvial deposit. (A1_7006)
C. Graded bedding (A1_8001). Vertical

D. Ripple marks or ripple laminations
decrease of grain size within a layer; pebbles at
(A1_3024)
the bottom and smaller grains at the top.
B. Stratigraphy – layers of different rock types

1. Indicates changes in sedimentary environment (Ex.: limestone over a shale)
2. Fossils – preserved sedimentary rocks, indicate evolution of organisms
C. Diagenesis
1. Transformation from sediment to sedimentary rock
a. Burial – compaction – cementation – lithification
Diagenesis is any chemical, physical, or biological change undergone by
a sediment after its initial deposition and during and after its lithification.
These changes happen at relatively low temperatures and pressures and

result in changes to the rock's original mineralogy and texture.
Environment of deposition
A) Supratidal or Sabkha (fig 11.1.7): A salt encrusted plain which lies above normal high tide
but within the range of high storm tides. The sediments consist of often pelleted carbonate
muds with accumulations of bioclastic material. They are the result of high storm tides and
onshore winds periodically flooding the supratidal plain such that sediments derived from
the lagoon are redeposited. The characteristic feature of this environment is the
development of early diagenetic anhydrite and dolomite replacing the host carbonate
sediment. Typically, the anhydrite exhibits a nodular or chicken-wire texture [see the
section on chicken-wire below]. (Peter, 1985)
B) Intertidal: The zone between normal low tide and normal high tide. These deposits are
particularly variable, depending on the angle of the slope, degree of protection, etc. Where
the intertidal zone is a gently sloping area, then a mucilaginous spread of algal mats
develops. The algae trap fine sediments and produce a laminated deposit. The intertidal
zone is cut by tidal channels which over a period of time may migrate across the mud flats,
leaving fining upwards sequences with basal scours and lag deposits
Where the intertidal zone is steeper, a beach face, often capped by a beach ridge, may
developed. The sediments that accumulate are cross bedded carbonate sands (bioclastic,
peloidal, oolitic), although the cross bedding is frequently destroyed by bioturbation.
Intertidal sediments may also be affected by “diagenetic” processes. Where carbonate sand
is the dominant sediment, the carbonate grains may be cemented by aragonite to give a
beachrock. Boring, and reworking of this material to produce lithoclasts, is common. The
cemented intertidal rock may exhibit polygonal cracking and be heaved into tepee
structures. The slabs forming the tepees may themselves be reworked. (Peter, 1985)
C) Subtidal: Consisting of the zone below normal tide levels. It includes a range of
environments from sheltered lagoon to open marine shelf. The typical lagoonal sediments
comprise soft mud, which is commonly pelleted, with varying amounts of skeletal grains.
In the highly saline restricted parts of lagoons, the sediments are homogeneous or finely
laminated, with local development of evaporite minerals. Where the waters are less saline,
burrowing organisms thrive and so the laminations are destroyed by bioturbation. Subtidal
currents are often active both within and between channels, such that carbonate sand bodies
consisting of winnowed peloids and micritised skeletal grains are developed. Algal mats
also grow in subtidal conditions but are commonly destroyed by grazing gastropods. (Peter,
1985)
http://www.crienterprises.com/Edu_Evap_Coastal_Sabkha.html
Fig 11.1.7: Sketch showing the Sediment and evaporite distribution within a typical Marine Sabkha
http://strata.geol.sc.edu
Fig 11.1.8: Outcrop and pit description form (Provided by Dr. Jeremy Jameson)
During field work, all the carbonate characteristics described in the previous pages are described by
the geologist on forms (fig. 11.1.8) specially designed to gather as much information as possible on
all studied outcrops before it is compiled and integrated in the research.
11.2 - Little known facts about the Dam & Hofuf formations
11.2.1 – Ventifacts distribution in Qatar

Ventifacts (Figs 11.2.1 to 11.2.5) are pebbles which have developed one or more flattened, often
highly polished facets as a result of windblown sand abrasion. A Dreikanter is a ventifact that
exhibits a characteristic three-faced pyramidal shape. The word Dreikanter is a German word
meaning "a three-sider". Other forms of ventifacts are the eikanter, with one or two facets and one
ridge (crest), and the ridge-shaped or roof-shaped ventifact with two dominant facets.
The conditions to form ventifacts are close to ideal when there is an adequate but a not too great
supply of tough abrasives carried in strong winds across vegetation-free ground littered with
relatively soft rock fragments. These conditions have been met in all of our eight (8) areas of
investigation where pebbles of the Hofuf formation (LeBlanc, 2008) have sustain constant sand
abrasion due to the high winds occurring in this flat and barren land. No matter where you go
during your Dam Formation fossil hunting trips, you will undoubtedly walk on ventifacts.
Babikir et al (1983), studied the ventifacts in Qatar and came up with the following conclusions:
1) Ventifact distribution in Qatar is directly related to the proximity of the Hofuf formation
(within a distance of about 5 kms).
2) Higher areas have big gravel counts and a low ratio of ventifacts while the low-lying plains
have small gravel counts and a higher ratio of ventifacts.
3) In certain areas “ventifact field” were found where the density of ventifacts was as high as
30 per m2. Many of the ventifacts in these fields were buried beneath the surface suggesting
that the ventifaction predates the present site conditions.
4) Other high ventifact density areas were discovered where the ventifacts have collected in
shallow depressions or hollows on the limestone plateaux. Water action has washed these
ventifacts, a high proportion of which are dreikanters, into the hollows, where they have
been partially buried in fine alluvial silts (Fig 11.2.1). The “ventifact graveyards” (Fig
11.2.6) are generally only a few metres wide but contain large numbers of fine specimens.
Beautiful dreikanters were collected from the graveyards. The average size of the ventifacts
from the graveyards is about double that of ventifacts from other areas.
5) Most of the ventifacts are between 2 and 5 cm in size with smaller (1-2 cm) quartz
dreikanters rather commoner. Larger ventifacts are uncommon but more easily spotted
because of their size. Several specimens up to 14 cm have been found.
6) Ventifacts have been observed in all stages of development from an initial abrasion of one
facet with a slight but definite crest, to completely finished highly polished “Brazil nut” type
dreikanters exhibiting near perfect symmetry.
Petrographic studies performed by Al-Saad et al. 2002b on the Hofuf gravels indicate that the
material (including the ventifacts) include igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary rocks and quartz.
All types occur in about equal abundance. Igneous rocks pebbles consist mainly of rhyolite and
granite whereas basalt is subordinate. The igneous rock pebbles are similar petrographically to
those of the Arabian Shield. Pebbles of metamorphic rocks are biotite gneiss and metagreywacke,
similar to the metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the Arabian Shield. Sedimentary pebbles consist
mainly of micritic and biomicritic limestones similar to Mesozoic and Tertiary carbonates of the
Arabian Peninsula.
Fig 11.2.1: Ventifact graveyard (Babikir et al

Fig 11.2.2: Ventifact
1983).
Fig 11.2.3: Ridge-shaped or

Fig 11.2.5:
roof-shaped ventifact with two Fig 11.2.4: Dreikanters
Pyramid shaped ventifact
dominant facets
Fig 11.2.6: The distribution of ventifacts in Qatar according to their concentration. Note that the
grid used is not the Qatar National Grid (QNG).
11.2.2 - Why is there contamination of sulphate in the Hofuf formation: the

answer lies in the Dam formation
The construction boom that Qatar has been experiencing since about 10 years ago has increased the
demand for concrete as a building material. The two main components of concrete are limestone
and sand. The limestone is extracted from the widespread Eocene Dammam formation, while the
sand comes from the very restricted Pliocene Hofuf formation. With the rate at which the sand is
extracted from the known areas of Hofuf accumulation, it would be normal to assume that the
quarry operators will be faced soon with finding other alternate sources of sand. The decision for
the timing of this replacement source will be based mainly on three factors:
1) Are there more available areas of Hofuf sand? To our knowledge, all the known economical
occurrences of Hofuf accumulation have already been assigned to operators; these are currently
producing as quickly as possible in order to meet the high demand.
2) The Hofuf is composed of layers of gravel and sand. While the Hofuf may have accumulated in
some areas, it does not mean that the sand is present in all of them in economical quantities.
3) The third and most important factor is the quality of the sand. While the sand may have
accumulated sufficiently in certain areas to make its exploitation economical, further testing of
the material may reveal a very high content of contaminants such as sulphate (mainly) and
chlorite (to a lesser degree). These contaminants may render uneconomical the production of a
site at current market price.
In the few paragraphs below, we wish to explain the reasons behind the contamination of the Hofuf
sand over the Khashm Al-Nakhsh - Wadi Al-Huwaylah ridge; Wadi Al-Huwaylah being the
northernmost area with Hofuf sand and which is currently exploited by QNCC. It is located south
of the town of Umm Bab. Please refer to the schematic diagram in fig 11.2.7.
When the Hofuf gravels and sands were being deposited from South to North during the Pliocene, it
eroded the members of the Dam formation with a higher erosion rate towards the north; therefore,
the underlying Dam formation is today thinner in the north than it is in the south. The green shale
of the Lower Salwa member is one of the uppermost layer of the Dam formation in Wadi Al-
Huwaylah, while it is overlaid by the other members of the Dam in Khashm Al-Nakhsh.
As it is illustrated in fig 11.2.8 below, the Middle and Upper Al-Nakhsh sub-members of the Dam
formation contain high concentrations of sulphate due to the presence of the mineral gypsum
(calcium sulphate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O). Since these two sub-
members were deposited under supratidal (sabkha) conditions, they contain also other evaporitic
minerals such as salt (Sodium chlorite, NaCl). During the few million years that followed the
deposition of the Hofuf, the sulphate and chlorite contained in the gypsum and salts got dissolved
gradually with the percolating rain water and contaminated the overlying Pliocene sands through
capillary pressure (pink colour in fig 11.2.7). This process re-deposited the gypsum as hard crust at
one or various levels within the Hofuf sand.
To conclude, when the Hofuf formation is found laying directly over the Salwa & Abu Samrah
Members and the Lower Al-Nakhsh sub-member (which contain no or very little
evaporites/contaminants) the sands of the Hofuf will be of a much higher quality. In the case of the
Khashm Al-Nakhsh - Wadi Al-Huwaylah ridge, we estimate that the Hofuf sand located between
Khashm Al-Nakhsh and a point 9 kms north of it, will be either too contaminated or too thin to be
exploitable economically with standard methods.
121
Fig 11.2.7: Schematic geological representation of the Wadi Al-Huwaylah – Khashm Al-Nakhsh ridge explaining the reasons for the higher
contamination of the Hofuf formation to the south. Khashm Al-Nakhsh is located at 24.874561°N and 50.907466°E, while the QNCC sand quarry at
Wadi Al-Huwaylah is located at 25.063715°N and 50.833411°E
122
Fig 11.2.8: Stratigraphic column showing the lithology, age and environment of deposition of the
Dam Formation (Dill et al, 2007). Note the high content of sulphate (dark green) in the Middle
Al-Nakhsh and the Upper Al-Nakhsh members.
123
11.3 – Glossary & Coordinates of the main geographical localities

Abu Samrah 24.742065°N and 50.847311°E in Area 3
Al Huriyah 25.11667° N and 50.93333° N in Area 7
Al Kharrarah 24.904440° N and 51.175000° E in Area 4
Al Nafkah 24.837854° N and 50.888772° E in Area 2
Any member of the mammalian order Artiodactyla, or even-toed ungulates, which
includes the pigs, peccaries, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, deer, giraffes,
Artiodactyl
pronghorn, antelopes, sheep, goats, and cattle. It is one of the larger mammal
orders, containing about 150 species.
Benthonic of or relating to or happening on the bottom under a body of water
Genus of crabs known commonly as box crabs, or shame-faced crabs. The name
box crab comes from their distinctly bulky carapace, and the name shame-faced is
from anthropomorphising the way their chela (claws) fold in in front of their face,
Calappa as if hiding it in shame. There are thirty nine generally recognised species in the
genus. Taxonomic sources disagree on the number of species, with some sources
classifying several species from the genus Cancer as Calappa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calappa_(crab)
A binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other
materials together. Cements used in construction are characterized as hydraulic or
non-hydraulic. The most important use of cement is the production of mortar and
Cement concrete. Concrete should not be confused with cement because the term cement
refers only to the dry powder substance used to bind the aggregate materials of
concrete. Upon the addition of water and/or additives the cement mixture is
referred to as concrete, especially if aggregates have been added.
Chelae A pincerlike claw of a crustacean such as crab
A texture often found in certain types of mineral deposits, where crystals have
Colloform
grown in radiating and concentric manner
A construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious
materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate
Concrete
such as gravel, limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water,
and chemical admixtures.
Doha 25.313848° N and 51.526980° E
Depression formed as underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater.
Doline
Geologically speaking, it is the step before a sinkhole is created.
A Dreikanter is a ventifact that exhibits a characteristic three-faced pyramidal
Dreikanter shape. They typically form in desert or periglacial environments from the action
of wind erosion. The word Dreikanter is a German word meaning "a three edger."
Dukhan 25.418318° N and 50.784015 E
Hazm
Mashabiya or
24.737246°N and 50.895512° E in Area 3
Hazm
Mishabiyah
Khashm Al 24.875016° N and 50.903403° E in Area 1. Spelled “Khazm Al Nakhsh” in some
Nakhsh publications
A subdivision of decapod Crustacea, having the abdomen largely developed. It
Macrura
includes the lobster, prawn, shrimp, and many similar forms.
The collection of marine and freshwater organisms that can swim freely and are
nektonic generally independent of currents, ranging in size from microscopic organisms to
whales
Packstone Contains lime mud, but is grain supported. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstone
"Odd-toed" or "odd-hoofed" mammals make up the Perissodactyla. Like the

"even-toed" Artiodactyla, perissodactyls are unguligrades; that is, they walk on
the terminal bones of the toes and have enlarged toenails forming hoofs. Unlike
artiodactyls, perissodactyls either walk on three toes (like rhinos, tapirs, many
extinct horses, and other extinct groups) or on a single toe (like recent horses).
Perissodactyla Only seventeen species of perissodactyls remain on the Earth today, a shadow of
the group's former glory. Perissodactyls were once much more diverse, including
the enormous horned brontotheres, the bizarre browsing, clawed chalicotheres,
and the largest land mammal of all time, the Eocene Indricotherium (formerly
known as Baluchitherium). It stood five meters (over sixteen feet) tall at the
shoulder.
The part of a lake bottom covered by water shallow enough to permit the growth
Phytal zone
of rooted plants.
24.673075° N and 50.859539° E (Elevation: 57 m) in Area 3. Hill officially
Qarn Abu
recognized since 2003 as one of the points along the Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Wail
border
Reptant Creeping or crawling
Sawdaa
24.568333° N and 51.068333° E
Natheel
Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large. The two main
varieties are those caused by the collapse of a cavern roof, and those caused by the
gradual dissolving of rock under a soil mantle. Collapsed sinkholes generally have
Sinkhole
steep rock sides and may receive streams that then flow underground. Soil-
mantled sinkholes are generally shallower; they may become clogged with clay
and hold a small lake.
Rock material formed from consolidated mud or sediment that filled a hollow
Steinkern organic structure, such as a fossil shell. The fossil formed after dissolution of the
mold. Also known as endocast; internal cast.
An unstable mineral, a hydrous chloride of calcium and magnesium with formula:
Tachyhydrite CaMg2Cl6·12H2O. It is a rare component of marine evaporite salt deposits. Upon
exposure to moist air it rapidly deliquesces and dissolves.
One of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. This
diverse group, which arose in the Triassic period, includes 20,000 extant species
Teleosts
in about 40 orders; most living fishes are members of this group. The other two
infraclasses are Holostei and Chondrostei.
Ţi`s al
25.009702° N and 51.043668° E just east of Area 7
Kir`ānah
Ţiwār al
24.805560° N and 51.093330° E in Area 4
Huraythī
To reduce to fine particles or powder by rubbing, grinding, bruising, or the like;
Triturate
pulverize
Umm Bab 25.203187° N and 50.804425° E near northern portion of Area 6
Rocks that have been abraded, pitted, etched, grooved, or polished by wind-driven
sand or ice crystals. These geomorphic features are most typically found in arid
Ventifact environments where there is little vegetation to interfere with aeolian particle
transport, where there are frequently strong winds, and where there is a steady but
not overwhelming supply of sand.
Elongated landform of weakly cemented rock that has been sculpted by the wind.
Yardang
Commonly found in groups.
Zeuge / A flat-topped outcrop whose long axis is parallel to, and was sculpted by, the
Zeugen prevailing wind. Rather like a yardang but with a hard cap-rock. Plural Zeugen
11.4 - How to load and use our geological mapping package in GoogleEarthTM
Fig 11.4.1: Once you have downloaded the KMZ file titled “2009_Dam Formation Study”, drag it to the “Temporary Places” folder in the pane on the
left side of the GoogleEarthTM (GE) view as per image below.
Fig 11.4.2: The image will show eight empty areas, and the pane to the left will display in the “Temporary Places” folder eight sub-folders named
Area-01 to Area-08. Each of these sub-folders can be expanded and their information viewed according to your selection (see next image)
Fig 11.4.3: Once Aera-01 has been expanded, more sub-folders appear. If you expand the folder “Area-01_Dill_Outline” and check the boxes next to
its sub-folders, the black frame and blue line will appear as shown in the image. The black frame represents the area that Dill et al mapped in 2005
and 2007 while the blue line represents the cross-section that Dill et al used to come up with their stratigraphic column of the Dam Formation in 2005
and 2007. The red frame is our area 1 which we have mapped and investigated. You can elect to leave any of these frames and lines on or off just by
checking or un-checking the small boxes to the left of each folder, placemark or GPS point (as will be seen below)
Fig 11.4.4: If the “Area-01_Mapping” folder is expanded and completely selected, our geological mapping of the Dam will appear. The colours used
for contouring are detailed in chapter “F” at the beginning of this document. Each line can be turn on or off as required by just checking on or off the
small boxes next to the appropriate sub-folders
Fig 11.4.5: If the “Area-01_GPSwayPoints” folder is expanded and completely selected, it will display all our GPS points in our Area 1. The
subfolders under this folder, and the GPS points they contain, are named according to the naming convention described in chapter “F” at the
beginning of this publication
Fig 11.4.6: If one of these points is clicked on once (either directly on the satellite picture or in the pane to the left) a geological and/or a
paleontological description of the location can be viewed
The above steps were just a quick way to familiarize you with how to navigate through our geological investigation of the Dam. Repeat these steps
for the other areas in order to view all the information. Remember that only Areas 1 & 2 were mapped but Areas 3 to 7 were visited and some
interesting points were also located. Area 8 was not visited because it requires a special permission that was not sought.
11.5 The Rock-Carvings at Jarr Umm Tuwaim

The article below deals with the archeological site of Jarr Umm Tuwaim at our locality A5_2001.
It was originally written in 1998 by Mrs. Frances Gillespie as a Qatar Natural History Group
article and is here reproduced in its entirety with some changes as requested by the author. The
changes (and additional notes) have been outlined in blue. We did not have access to the original
color pictures therefore we used the black & white copies that we had. You can look at our own
pictures (6) in our photo album If you have any questions in relation to this article, please contact
Mrs. Gillespie directly.
A STUDY OF SOME BEDOUIN ROCK-CARVINGS

IN SOUTH-WEST QATAR
Frances Gillespie
APRIL 1998
gillespi@qatar.net.qa
Qatar Natural History Group
REPORT ON THE SURVEY AT JARR UMM TUWAIM MARCH 1998
On 27-28 March 1998, members of the Qatar Natural History Group participated in a
comprehensive field survey of a circular area of approximately 3 km radius, centred on Jarr Umm
Tuwaim. This is an isolated single outcrop of heavily-weathered limestone rising some 6 km from
the desert floor at its higher, southern end, and honey-combed with large natural cavities, some of
which have formed shallow caves under the rock and are used by camel herdsmen as shelters. The
rock lies some 7.5 kms east of the coast, in an area known by some local informants as Wadi Al
Hawolah. The map reference is 25 01. 606N 050 52. 706E.
In February 1996 the Chairman of the NHG, John Bell, had first noted the presence of a variety of
petroglyphs on the upper surface of the rock. A preliminary recording and photographing of the
carvings was carried out in 1996. In the absence of any known local name the members of the NHG
felt at liberty to give it the appellation “Bell Rock” for ease of reference, however it was later
changed to Jarr Umm Tuwaim by the official archeological authorities of Qatar
The survey, which was carried out by several teams, included a geological surface survey of the
area, a flora and fauna survey and a look at possible archaeological sites in the area, plus a record of
the carvings on the rock. To the best of our knowledge this has not previously been undertaken, and
there is no reference to this particular set of rock-carvings by the Danish, British and French teams
of archaeologists who conducted surveys between the mid-1950s and the end of the 1970s.
The carvings are confined to an area at the southern end of the rock. A boulder bearing some
carvings has broken off and lies on the slope below.
The carvings consist:
A) A variety of wasm [camel-brands];
B) Double rows of cup marks, often referred to by archaeologists as "game-boards";
C) Several single or paired cup marks;
D) A single small, shallow oval pit.
At the northern end of the rock we excavated a reservoir which was used for collecting rainwater.
This will be described in detail later on.
Fig. 11.5.1: Jarr Umm Tuwaim archeological site. The site sits on the Miocene rocks of the Middle
Salwa member of the Dam Formation (Colored geological map from Hunting, 1983)
Fig 11.5.2: Jarr Umm Tuwaim with the “Mancala boards” and “Wasms”
Fig 11.5.3: Sketch plan of Jarr Umm Tuwaim
Jarr Umm Tuwaim is a natural landmark visible from a considerable distance, which stands at a
height of 59m above sea-level in an area of sand and gravel, dotted with "dreikanters" (multi-
faceted wind-etched pebbles) (see chapter 11.2) and supporting a variety of vegetation. On all sides
of the Rock lie long, low, wind-scoured outcrops of limestone. An extensive search of these failed
to reveal any other manmade markings. It seems that the superior height of Jarr Umm Tuwaim
above the surrounding, otherwise rather featureless landscape made it a natural focal point for the
pastoral peoples who have travelled this area for many centuries. The area is still used for camel-
grazing.
On the flat land to the east of Jarr Umm Tuwaim, at a distance of 200-500 m, were a number of
grave sites (See locality “One pre-islamic grave” in our Google Earth file for Area 5): low cairns
piled with rocks. These are presumed to be pre-Islamic as they are all orientated north-south.
Puzzlingly, one grave has a distinctly "Islamic" look about it, being long and narrow with an upright
head and footstone. More research needs to be done on these. We had understood that Islamic
graves are always aligned east to west, but perhaps this is not always the case. A local man, who
passed by while we were there, told us that there are many bedouin graves to the west of the Rock,
but we have not yet located these.
Located close to the Rock on its east side are two adjacent circles of stones, each about 3m in
diameter. These might be the remains of burial cairns or possibly of some kind of structure. Again,
only surmise is possible until such time as research and possibly excavation is undertaken by
experts.
Surprisingly, there is a total absence of pot-sherds around Jarr Umm Tuwaim. The presence of
these might have yielded a clue as to the date of the carvings.
Rock-Carvings in Qatar
The carvings on Jarr Umm Tuwaim must be evaluated within the wider framework of Qatari
petroglyphs, two areas of which have been researched and documented.
The rock-carving sites of Qatar, which bear many unique features, are all on low outcrops of
limestone around the northern and eastern coasts of the country, between A1 Furaihah, a short
distance north of Zubara Fort, and Al Wakra on the east coast, where the carvings occur on a large
jebel south of the town. [Since 1991 this jebel has been enclosed by a security fence to protect the
radar station on the rock, so the carvings are not now accessible to the public.]
Without exception, the dozen or so rock-carving sites around the coast are all adjacent to, or within
sight of the sea. This makes the carvings on Jarr Umm Tuwaim unique, in that they are located in
the southwest, far from any other carvings, and are more than 7 km from the sea. Hitherto, the few
studies carried out on rock-carving sites in Qatar had emphasized their association with sea-going
peoples, and had noted the similarity of many of the carvings to those on coastal sites as far away as
the north of Scotland! Clearly, in the light of our recent discoveries, this approach will need to be
reconsidered.
Fig 11.5.4: Carvings at the southern end of Jarr Umm Tuwaim
The most varied and interesting of the petroglyphic sites is at Jebel Al Jusasiyah on the north-east
coast, where in 1974 Hans Kapel painstakingly drew and recorded several hundred carvings. [Hans
Kapel is the son of the late Danish pre-historian Holgel Kapel, author of the Atlas of the Stone-Age
Cultures of Qatar. The Danish expedition had made a preliminary recording in 1956, fortunately
so, since the jebel has since been extensively damaged by quarrying. Here, on a range of low
limestone outcrops, Kapel recorded an astonishing 333 "game-boards", mostly consisting of two
parallel rows of seven circular shallow holes or cups, although some had more than two rows or a
larger number of holes. There were also "rosettes", usually composed of nine holes around one
central hole. In addition to these were a total of 124 ship drawings in bas relief, showing long
boats, pointed at each end and powered by oars, some with anchors of stone or metal. There were
also 17 linear engravings of ships, some identifiable as Portuguese in style and therfore not earlier
than the fifteenth century AD., or as battil and bagulah, the largest of the ocean-going Arab dhows.
Besides the huge range of carvings at Jebel Al Jusasiyah there were several deep circular pits cut
into the rock and at least two large, shallow circular or rectangular basins, apparently intended to
hold water or some other liquid.
Between 1981 and 1984 Prof D.F. Hawkins, a British consultant on the staff of Hamad Hospital,
undertook a study of the rock-carvings at Al Furaihah on the north-west coast. This was published
in the National Museum's journal Arrayan. The limestone outcrops at Al Furaihah extend 350 m
from north to south and 100 m in the other direction, and are situated 1 km north of Zubara Fort.
[There are also a large number of similar carvings on an extensive outcrop of limestone nearer the
coast, which have not as yet been recorded.]
The predominant feature at Al Furaihah is the presence of hundreds of double rows of cupmarks,
single or double cupmarks, and rosettes. There are also large, shallow basins as at Jebel Al
Jusasiyah, and several carvings of footprints in the shape of a human footprint complete with toes.
There is only one comparable example at Al Jusasiyah.
In 1956 the Danish archaeologist P.V.Glob, together with T.G. Bibby, had visited Al Furaihah, the
first archaeologists ever to do so. They noted the presence of a number of mysterious symbols:
and Glob, rather over-enthusiastically, declared that "....these designs

must undoubtedly be viewed as evidence of an ancient fertility cult, which bas survived in this area
up to modern times." He also interpreted the cup-marks in the same way. It now seems certain
that these cryptic symbols are in fact wasm [pronounced "washm"]: camel-brand marks used by the
Bedouin nomads. [Geoffrey Bibby's humorous comment on this, when he re-visited the site with us
last year, was that Glob was sometimes a little too apt to interpret things in terms of fertility
symbols!]
Common to all the rock carving sites in this country are the double rows of "game-board" holes,
single holes, double holes linked with a channel, and deep circular or oval pits and basins. The ship
carvings of Jebel Al Jusasiyah are unique. Few instances of wasm occur except at Al Furaihah and
the outlying jebel north of it and adjacent to the coast, so it was with some excitement that we noted
the presence of a large and varied number of wasm at Jarr Umm Tuwaim.
Fig 11.5.5: Rock carving sites in Qatar
1. Jarr Umm Tuwaim - the Wasm
The domestication of the camel in Arabia goes back at least 3000 years. W.Facey in The Story of
the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia describes how, towards the end of the second millenium
B.C., instability in Mesopotamia disrupted Gulf trade to the extent that sea-going trade, which had
been developed and expanded by the wealthy and sophisticated civilizations of Dilmun and Magan,
gradually declined and was replaced by overland trading routes using the domesticated camel as a
beast of burden. By the late second and early first millenia B.C., trading settlements had sprung up
on overland routes from the Yemen. From these caravanserai developed the great trading cities of
the Arabian interior. Camel carvings appear on an Umm-an-Nar type tomb in the U.A.E.,
suggesting the importance of this animal to the people of the time.
Climatic changes assisted the tendency towards camel pastoralism. Towards the end of the third
millenium, the climate became drier. Some of the people practicing agriculture in the oases and
wadis would have been forced to find other means of subsistence, which meant increasing their
mobility. Gradually, the highly-specialized life of camel herding evolved. The initial use of the
camel as a milk animal probably supplemented the herding of sheep and goats, and only later may
its potential as a beast of burden have been realized. Over a thousand years later comes the first
recording of the camel in battle, in the 9th century B.C., when camel-riding tribesmen carried out
raids on the settled farmers of the oases.
A large grazing animal such as a camel needs to range over a very wide territory in order to find
sufficient food, particularly in the hot, dry summer when fresh vegetation is hard to come by, and so
it was necessary from the start to find a way of clearly marking the ownership of each animal, to
avoid disputes with other families or clans.
Fig 11.5.6: Camel carved on a stone slab, Umm an-Nar, third millennium B.C
The practice of branding the camel on the neck or thigh with a red-hot iron appears to be of
immense antiquity. The photograph reproduced below shows fragments of clay models of camels
from the city of Thaj in eastern Arabia, dating to the second half of the first millenium B.C. A
number of small camel figurines were found, made of red or buff clay with a cream slip, and these
particular fragments are inscribed with what appear to be wasm. This identification appears to be
borne out by Klaus Ferdinand in Bedouins of Qatar, who observed that camels were always
branded on the left side of the neck or on the left thigh. Iron tent pegs were sometimes used to carry
out the marking. Burning with red-hot iron rods was also used as treatment for a variety of ailments
and injuries both in camels and humans.
Fig 11.5.7: Fragments of camel figurines from Thaj, eastern Arabia, first millenium B.C.
The brand-marks were known by a variety of traditional names, for example:
a tool used for

a camel's chin
a gate: twisting camel
rope:
hair into rope:
a musical
a bird's foot: a comb:
instrument:
a key: a catapult: scissors:
Fig 11.5.8: Camels branded on the left thigh
Some 250 km to the south-west of Jarr Umm Tuwaim lies the oasis of Yabrin in Saudi Arabia.
T.G. Bibby in A Preliminary Survey in East Arabia 1968 recorded that on the roof of a low cave
on Jebel Makhruq in the oasis were many wasm carvings. One resembles P.V. Glob's "fertility
symbol" at Al Furaihah, and two others and are similar to the wasm on Jarr
Umm Tuwaim.
Fig 11.5.9: Cave with wasm carvings, Jebel Makhruq, Yabrin, eastern Arabia
Fig 11.5.11: Spatial distribution of the main tribal groups at the turn of the [20th] century in Qatar
Jarr Umm Tuwaim appears to lie within the area of Qatar frequented by the Al Murrah nomadic
people, and used by them for grazing their camels, sheep and goats [see map]. Dr. Anie Montigny,
who spent 1978-1982 in Qatar studying the Al Na'im, remarked in conversation with me that the Al
Murrah were often considered to be the most 'pure' of the true Bedouin, a powerful, warlike people
who for centuries had seasonally migrated between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, long before modern
political boundaries had come into existence. J.G. Lorimer in the Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf
1908 somewhat censoriously remarks that "the Al Murrah appear to be the wildest, most dangerous
and least civilized of the nomad tribes in their part of Arabia, and to exist, to an appreciable extent,
by plunder. They are said to be staunch friends to those whom they recognize as neighbors; but
otherwise they are treacherous and untrustworthy, and they sometimes betray persons who take
sanctuary with them." He adds that the principal wealth of the Al Murrah was in camels. He also
mentions that very often they had to exist entirely without water, using the milk of their camels both
for drinking and cooking, for example for boiling rice.
The earliest European travel account of Qatar, written by the former British Indian army officer
W.G.Palgrave in 1862-3, describes the predicament of the coastal dwellers, who lived by fishing
and pearling and suffered constant raids by the Al Murrah and the Al Manasir tribesmen. The south
of Qatar was dominated by these two tribes, the centre by the war-like Beni Hajir, who successfully
deterred any European from venturing into the interior until 1913. The north was peopled by the Al
Na'im, but all these territorial boundaries were, of course, extremely fluid by modern standards.
It would seem that the purpose of the wasm carvings on Jarr Umm Tuwaim was to leave a
permanent record of the nomadic peoples using this area and claiming it as their own. Perhaps the
wasm should be seen, not merely as camel-brands, but as a declaration of the ownership of grazing
rights in a particular area. The same brand-mark was doubtless in use for many centuries. On page
346 of Klaus Ferdinand's Bedouins of Qatar is a photograph of a master well-builder carving a
sheikh's wasm into the newly-plastered side of a well. The Rock may have marked a resting-place
on a migration route. It may also have served as a focal point for periodic clan gatherings. The
presence of so many graves clustered around Jarr Umm Tuwaim suggests either that the people
camped here for long periods or that they made a point of bringing their dead to be interred here.
We may confidently say, therefore, that this isolated landmark was formerly of considerable
significance to the Bedouin who roamed over this area.
2. Jarr Umm Tuwaim - The "Game-Boards"
In common with all other rock-carving sites in Qatar, Jarr Umm Tuwaim bears many double rows
of holes, some of which are connected by a channel, and some single holes. There is also a single
large deep oval hole, similar to those at Jebel Al Jusasiyah and Al Furaihah, and what may be an
unfinished "rosette". These are scattered over the southern end of the rock and one 10 x 2 row of
cup-marks, measuring 1.8 m in length is the largest carving of this type I have come across
anywhere in Qatar.
A unique feature of the Jarr Umm Tuwaim "game-boards" is the presence of a single central hole
half-way along between the two rows, plus a single circular hole at the end. The 1.8 m double row
has in addition two separate holes at one side and one on the other.
The weathered condition of the carvings makes it unlikely that they were created in the recent past
but, as with all the petroglyphs of Qatar with the exception of the ships at Jebel Al Jusasiyah, it is
impossible as yet to assign a date to them with any confidence.
Fig 11.5.11: Large game-board at the southern end of Jarr Umm Tuwaim (length 1.08 m)
What was the purpose of the "game-board" carvings? Kapel, Hawkins and others considered that
the parallel rows of cup-marks were used for playing the ancient game known to archaeologists as
the "mancala game" because that happened to be the African name under which it was first recorded
by Europeans. Here in Qatar the game certainly was played in former days, the double rows of
cupmarks being known locally as Al Haloosah. In Bahrain and Oman it was called Al Judairah.
The "rosette" game was known as Al Aailah, but I have no information as to how it was played.
Michael Rice in The Archaeology of the Arabian Gulf refers to the double rows by another
Arabic name, Al Huwais. It is found in almost every African country where it appears under
countless names, and it may have been introduced into Africa by Arab traders. The slave-trade
spread the game to Cuba. It is also known in India and Malaysia.
During my years in West Africa I saw many versions of this game being played. I even learned to
play it myself after a fashion, although my young daughters under the expert tutelage of our Tuareg
night watchmen became far speedier and more skilful players! Each player has up to 35 counters
which he drops into his own and his opponent's cups, working his way round and round the board.
After dropping the last counter into one of his opponent's cups he may claim the contests if the cup
contains one or three stones. The same applies if the cup to the right of the last one contains one or
three counters. [In Africa, the large green seeds which grew in pods on a species of tree were used
as counters, but I also saw pebbles and small shells in use.] Put like this the game sounds childishly
simple, but in fact it is played at great speed and requires considerable skill. Bluffing one's
opponent as to the number of counters held in the hand is important, as is the ability to calculate in
advance the numbers in each cup.
It is tempting to go along with Kapel and Hawkins and identify the cup-marks on Jarr Umm
Tuwaim and the other rock-carving sites as variations of the mancala game, but a number of
problems then occur.
For a start the sheer number of boards. Why should anyone in his senses go to the trouble of carving
out a new board each time he wanted to play? On Jarr Umm Tuwaim as at Jebel Al Jusasiyah, the
double rows of holes sprawl at random across each other, often partly obliterating the rows beneath,
in an apparently aimless proliferation of frenetic carving activity. Michael Rice amusingly sums up
the conundrum in his consideration of the Jusasiyah carvings: "It seems improbable that this very
remote spot... was ever the site of so extended and feverish a cult of huwais-playing as to make the
salons of Las Vegas or Monte Carlo seem atrophied and empty either of activity or excitement. '
Then there is the apparently random number of holes, ranging at Jebel A1 Jusasiyah from as few as
two rows of three holes to two rows of fourteen, and even three and four rows of holes. I know from
my own observations in Africa that although the number of holes and counters varied widely from
region to region, within each region it was invariably consistent. It seems inconceivable that, if
these rows of cup marks are indeed game-boards, the players could have employed such an
immense number of variations.
Finally, there is the curious fact that at Jebel Al Jusasiyah and Al Furaihah some of the so-called
game-boards are carved on the sloping surfaces of the rock, where the cups could not possibly have
retained any counters. In addition, at Al Jusasiyah, some of the holes, particularly those in
formations of three or four rows, are too small to have held any counters larger than a grain of rice.
So, if the parallel rows of holes on Jarr Umm Tuwaim and the other petroglyphic sites are not
games, what are they? Countless suggestions have been put forward, ranging from pearl-sorting
[highly improbable], to primitive book-keeping, to astronomical calculators. At present it seems
that, along with the Bronze Age cup and cup-and-ring marks of the northern England and Scotland,
despite extensive research we still have no real idea of their true purpose and their significance to
the people who made them.
Fig 11.5.12: The reservoir system at Jarr Umm Tuwaim
3. Jarr Umm Tuwaim - The Reservoir
On the morning of the 27 March, having traced and drawn some of the wasm, I went to the sloping
northern end of the rock to examine a network of shallow channels, apparently worn by rain-water,
which had appeared of natural origin to me when I had looked briefly at them the previous day. On
closer examination it was clear that a tracery of faint, thin, man-made grooves extended from the
natural channels towards a large patch of fine sand at the lower end of the rock.
I suspected the presence of some kind of water-collection system and dug into the sand, almost
immediately uncovering the mouth of a vertical shaft leading into the rock. During the next two
hours, with the assistance of Mike Gardiner, three of these shafts were uncovered, together with the
beginnings of an unfinished fourth. All led into a natural reservoir in the rock, formed from one of
the cavities mentioned earlier as honey-combing the limestone. The central shaft was the deepest at
68 cm. The interconnecting horizontal passages linking the three shafts at the bottom had been
deliberately blocked with rocks, for reasons not at present clear.
Clearly, a heavy fall of rain on the wide, smooth surface of the rock could be skillfully diverted into
this small underground reservoir, yielding a source of cool, clean drinking water, infinitely precious
to the Bedouin struggling to eke out a living in this harsh uncompromising landscape. The shafts
[two circular and one square] appeared to have been dug using metal tools, but there is no clue as to
their date. Disappointingly, the fine sand which packed them contained not a single pot-sherd. The
densely compacted sand, which took some effort to remove, especially when we reached the
reservoir beneath the shafts, indicates that the system could not have been in use for many decades.
The three shafts would undoubtedly have been covered with flat stones to prevent evaporation and
keep the water free of blown sand, but these have now disappeared.
I have not come across any similar water-collecting system anywhere else in Qatar. It is worth
noting perhaps that at Ummahat Al Maghati in the Al Wakra area there are a number of holes in the
rocky terrain, reaching a depth of a metre or more, which fill with water in the rainy season. They
are covered with neatly-shaped stone lids to prevent evaporation. [The Arabic word maghati is the
plural of the word meaning "covers".]
Mike Gardiner suggests that the interior of the shafts and reservoir could perhaps have been coated
with animal fat, to render the limestone less porous and retain the precious water supply longer.
To sum up, we can say that the wasm carvings and rows of holes on Jarr Umm Tuwaim, plus the
water reservoir, and the complete absence of any similar man-made markings for many kilometres
around, indicates that this small but highly significant site occupied an important place in the
consciousness of the nomadic peoples of the area. It seems surprising that it has not previously
been studied or recorded.
Frances Gillespie
April 1998
Email (as of October 2009): gillespi@qatar.net.qa
Acknowledgements
My thanks go first and foremost to my husband David Gillespie, for his support and encouragement
and for carrying out a survey and making drawings of the Rock.
Dr. Bill George scanned my photos into his computer, thereby enabling me to produce for the first
time a report with illustrations in colour!
Researcher Osman A. Majeed of the Geographic Names Project at the Centre for Geographic
Information Systems has made every effort to discover if " Jarr Umm Tuwaim" has an Arabic name
[so far without success] and supplied the information on the water-holes at Ummahat Al Maghati.
Saleh Ghareeb and Hamad Al-Muhannadi of the G.C.C. Folklore Centre, Doha, provided me with
some information about wasm and translated the Arabic terminology.
The binding of this report is by courtesy of Westbury and Northcrofts.
Bibliography
T.G.Bibby: Preliminary Survey in East Arabia 1968
P.V. Glob: Prehistoric discoveries in Qatar. KUML 1957 pp 167-178
W.Facey: The Story of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia 1994.
K. Ferdinand: Bedouins of Qatar 1993
H. Kapel: "Rock Carvings at Jebel Jusasiyah" Arrayan Vol. -No 8 1983. [The journal of the Qatar
National Museum.]
D.F.Hawkins: "Rock carvings at Al Furaihah" Arrayan Vol. No. 9 1984
J.G. Lorimer: Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf 1908
C. Gillespie: "Rock Carvings of Jebel Jusasiyah" Gulf Times 4 April and 11 April 1996
Area 1 Position Altitude

Description
GPS # (Lat/Lon, WGS 84) (Metres)
1006 Beachrock with clasts N24.87206 E50.87763 0
Limestone below green shale displaying lots of burrows
1011 N24.87464 E50.87174 -3
(Two pictures - one with view to the green shale cliff)
1012 This is a very large area of red and brown limestone N24.88634 E50.87310 1
This is a very large area of mainly red limestone (proof
1013 N24.88668 E50.87649 1
that the area was exposed to air when it was formed)
Intertidal/Beach area. The two pictures shows the
1014 obvious "surf zone" which can also easily be seen on N24.88536 E50.87334 1
any satellite image
One dugong rib in intertidal/beachrock. Also, about 25
1015 metres northeast of this location start appearing some N24.88465 E50.87410 -1
shells in the rock
1016 Beachrock with clasts and large shells N24.88271 E50.87659 2
Sirenian/Dugong rib which has started deteriorating due
1020 to the effect of the salt coming from the sabhka (1 N24.87383 E50.87533 0
picture)
1023 Large bivlaves encrusted in rock N24.88169 E50.87933 7
1024 Large bivlaves encrusted in rock N24.88131 E50.87879 6
Conglomerate. The whole area here dsplays large
1025 dolines created by the dissolution of the rock in the N24.88189 E50.87721 5
subsurface
1026 One sirenian/dugong rib in yellowish limestone N24.88217 E50.87480 4
Red & yellow sediments in deformed cross-beds. The
1027 surface also shows ripples. This occurs in an N24.88233 E50.87378 4
intertidal/beach environment
1028 Two sirenian/dugong ribs in yellowish limestone N24.88012 E50.87350 4
Several sirenian/dugong ribs (at least 7) and two
1029 N24.87992 E50.87330 3
vertebrae on a mound of a yellowish limestone
The yellow limestone cracks under your feet due to the
1030 N24.87663 E50.87448 4
salt reacting with the calcium in it
1031 One thick sirenian/dugong rib and one vertebra N24.87588 E50.87461 4
1032 One large sirenian/dugong vertebra N24.87585 E50.87465 4
One sirenian/dugong rib with large bivalves, in grey
limestone sometime cracked/fractured by the action of
1033 the sun and water. Looking at this limestone from a N24.87668 E50.87886 6
distance (walking from west to east), it has an icy
appearance
Large and small gastropods and bivalves in coquina
1034 N24.90077 E50.92689 45
style limestone (2 pictures)
From top to bottom (one picture of whole section): -
Large and small gastropods and bivalves in coquina
1035 N24.90108 E50.92688 45
style limestone / White Limestone / Clast at bottom of
white limestone (one picture)
From top to bottom: - Large and small gastropods and
1036 N24.88976 E50.93048 41
bivalves in coquina style limestone / - White Limestone
1037 Large burrow (one picture) in limestone N24.89307 E50.92953 39

Description
Outcrop of the layer displaying large gastropods. (Side
1038 N24.91832 E50.92822 48
of a large doline)
Outcrop of the layer displaying large gastropods (Side of
1039 N24.91881 E50.92868 46
a large doline)
Outcrop of the layer displaying large gastropods (Side of
1040 N24.91919 E50.92872 45
a large doline)
Top of Lower Salwa. Weathered coquina (Side of a
1041 N24.91798 E50.92753 46
large doline)
Lower Salwa Limestone. (Side of a large elongated
1042 N24.93765 E50.92121 47
doline)
1044 Lower Salwa Limestone N24.94698 E50.91797
Greenish shale on slope. Some gastropods on upper
1046 N24.87814 E50.93669 32
limestone
1047 Top of the Lower Salwa N24.87867 E50.93566 39
1054 Limestone N24.87914 E50.88134 9
Yellowish limestone stratigraphically below the green
1055 N24.88405 E50.88177 10
shale
Coquina / packstone with intertidal/beach features.
1065 Current was most probably from North to South. (Below N24.88451 E50.87950 -1
this packstone is the yellow limestone)
Coquina / packstone with intertidal/beach features.
1066 Current was most probably from North to South. (Below N24.88390 E50.88052 1
this packstone is the yellow limestone)
Yellow Limestone displaying small clasts /
1067 N24.88318 E50.88047 -6
conglomerates at the base
Yellow Limestone displaying large clasts / conglomerates
1068 N24.88364 E50.88057 -3
(see picture)
1071 Gastropod layer N24.89466 E50.96140 71
1072 White limestone N24.88734 E50.95275 49
1073 N24.88171 E50.94561 39
1074 Top Lower Salwa N24.88016 E50.94359 36
1077 Gastropod layer with corals (one picture) N24.87951 E50.94111 33
1078 Gastropod layer with corals (one picture) N24.87448 E50.94372 31
2001 Weathered echinoderms in white limestone N24.86506 E50.91461 24
Echinoderms in white limestone. At the base can be
2002 N24.86662 E50.91311 26
seen a layer of burrows.
Echinoderms: Fibularia Damensis. They occur on the
2003 N24.86242 E50.90692 4
west side of a small hill
Echinoderms: Fibularia Damensis On the picture, they
occur 2 metres from the side of the car. On the picture
can also be seen the red shale of the Upper Salwa By
2004 N24.86217 E50.90580 6
the time this report comes out, the site may have been
destroyed by the road construction currently (Sept 2008)
going on
2005 Man-made channel displaying silty white limestone N24.91179 E50.86884 21
2006 A layer of burrows in white limestone N24.86529 E50.91399 22
28.0m = weathered coquina level (up to the next point to
2007 N24.90948 E50.88833 25
the west)

Description
28.5m = start of another weathered coquina level up to
2008 N24.90905 E50.88618 23
the next point to the west
2009 Weathered coquina level N24.90894 E50.88506 23
Thousands and thousands of echinoderms (Fibularia
2010 Damensis) over a large area where a white limestone N24.90159 E50.87627 12
outcrops
Limestone covered with echinoderms (Fibularia
2011 N24.90436 E50.87943 16
Damensis)
2012 Damensis). Note the circular structure in which they N24.90399 E50.87961 15
occur
2013 Damensis). Note the two circular structures in which N24.90200 E50.88101 16
they occur
Damensis). Large shells are also present. Note the two
2014 N24.90133 E50.88099 18
circular structures in which they occur. The scale in the
picture is 1m.
2015 N24.90048 E50.88012 16
Damensis).
2016 Coquina with some large bivalves N24.92129 E50.87189 22
2017 Coquina with some large bivalves N24.92187 E50.86953 20
2018 Echinoderms on eroded edge N24.92217 E50.87219 23
2021 Coquina N24.92508 E50.86658
2022 White limestone with interesting coral shapes N24.89292 E50.88004
Overturned (almost vertical) rocks. Shells and corals
2023 with some echinoderms about 20m SW from picture N24.93413 E50.85336 8
location
2025 Echinoderms (Fibularia Damensis) N24.90206 E50.87589 14
2026 29.0m = Packstone N24.90667 E50.88152 20
Weathered/Polished limestone (stratigraphically below
2027 N24.90393 E50.88459
coquina level)
2028 Coquina N24.90405 E50.88688
Very top of the Middle Salwa. Loose large shells/bivalves
2029 N24.89931 E50.88414 24
from the base of the Upper Salwa
2030 Large shells/bivalves in the rock N24.90091 E50.88122 19
2031 N24.90369 E50.88026 20
Damensis).
2032 N24.90409 E50.88013 20
Damensis).
Copuina of the Middle Salwa. Immediately to the east,
2033 N24.88322 E50.88665
starts the Upper Salwa
2034 Echinoderms in white limestone N24.86588 E50.90430 12
2038 Echinoderms well encrusted in white/brownish limestone N24.87473 E50.91325 26

Description
2039 White limestone. Top of Middle Salwa N24.89319 E50.92582 41
2040 Weathered limestone/coquina. Top of Middle Salwa N24.90060 E50.92457 52
2041 Coquina (Top Middle Salwa) N24.88447 E50.92168 31
2042 Coquina (Top Middle Salwa) N24.88291 E50.92520 34
Echinoderms with few bivalves occuring in a circular
2043 N24.87387 E50.91338 30
feature
2044 Coquina of the top Middle Salwa N24.92369 E50.91978 50
Circular feature in the Middle Salwa probably due to
2045 N24.92378 E50.91683
dissolution of the underlying Eocene rocks (karst)
2046 Limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.91886 E50.92768
2047 Top limestone N24.93500 E50.91706 59
Loose shells/Bivalves (Ostrea & Pecten) from the bottom
2048 N24.93789 E50.92110 47
of the Middle Salwa
2049 Middle Salwa Limestone N24.94898 E50.91828
2050 Echinoderms (Fibularia Damensis) N24.86597 E50.90679 -29
2054 White Limestone N24.85866 E50.92306 20
2056 Top of the Midle Salwa Weathered coquina N24.86399 E50.92995 25
2057 Middle Salwa ridge N24.86318 E50.93131 23
2059 Top of the Middle Salwa N24.87545 E50.92537 33
2061 White limestone with very few echinoderms N24.86103 E50.90759 9
2062 Top coquina of the Middle Salwa N24.86895 E50.89407 11
2063 Top coquina of the Middle Salwa N24.86642 E50.89615 13
2064 White limestone with lots of small bivalves (one picture) N24.86799 E50.89507 11
2066 Limestone of the Middle Salwa covered with Hofuf gravel N24.86345 E50.88596 13
2067 Basal white limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.88766 E50.88228 14
2079 Weathered coquina / packstone N24.87334 E50.89209 9
Weathered coquina / packstone (good candidate to look
2080 N24.87522 E50.88920 8
for dugong bones!!)
2081 White Limestone hill N24.89708 E50.87109 4

Description
2087 Packstone N24.92739 E50.85983 12
2089 White Limestone (one picture) N24.92446 E50.85920 12
2090 Top of Middle Salwa (Packstone/weathered coquina) N24.94458 E50.94328 69
2091 Top Middle Salwa - Packstone N24.94190 E50.94404 71
Packstone. Good prospect to find sirenian/dugong
2096 N24.85709 E50.90083 6
bones.
2097 N24.85683 E50.89979 6
bones.
2098 Disturbed beds. No obvious fossils N24.90140 E50.96727 74
2099 Small bones were found here (one picture) N24.90114 E50.96629 72
2100 Top Middle Salwa. No obvious fossils N24.90104 E50.96182 72
2101 Top Middle Salwa. No obvious fossils N24.89927 E50.96195 74
2102 packstone N24.89800 E50.96484 72
2103 N24.89895 E50.96677 78
2104 N24.89756 E50.96762 74
2105 N24.89716 E50.96980 79
2106 Middle Salwa. Very disturbed (one picture) N24.89608 E50.97038 79
2107 N24.89452 E50.96229 77
2108 Top Middle Salwa N24.88019 E50.94329 37
Small sirenian/dugong bones were found here (two
2109 N24.87928 E50.94134 35
pictures)
2110 N24.87927 E50.94185 35
2111 N24.87515 E50.94538 32
Sirenian/dugong ribs. Two ribs occur here within 3
metres of each others. Please do not destroy. Leave
2112 N24.86411 E50.90153 10
them as they are for others to enjoy. The ribs are in a
packstone
2113 Small broken sirenian bone still in rock (packstone) N24.86431 E50.90130 8
2114 Small sirenian bone protruding from rock (packstone) N24.86435 E50.90068 11
1) One long (50cm) almost complete sirenian rib (one
picture) 2) 1.5m south are imprints of other ribs (eroded
2115 away) and thoracic vertebrae with long spinous process N24.86401 E50.90066 9
and large vertebral foramina (Two pictures) They occur
in a packstone
2116 Small broken sirenian bone still in rock (packstone) N24.86439 E50.90124 7
2117 Sirenian/dugong vertebrae N24.86395 E50.90071 10
My first shark tooth from the Miocene Dam Formation. It
comes from the top of the Middle Salwa white limestone
(see pictures). Just above is the green shale at the base
2118 of the Upper Salwa. This shale is much thinner here N24.87348 E50.91975 26
than anywhere else in Area 1. The white limestone also
contains some large bivalves. One sirenian/dugong
proximal rib was also found about 4 metres to the south

Description
Proximal rib of some heavy weight sea
cow/sirenian/dugong (see picture) in the white limestone
2119 at the top of the Middle Salwa. Large bivalves also N24.87344 E50.91978 26
occurs in the limestone, and a shark tooth was also
found about 4 metres to the north
2120 Limestone at the top of the Middle Salwa N24.86298 E50.91598 17
2125 Middle Salwa N24.90026 E50.95664 65
2126 Middle Salwa N24.90470 E50.95837 68
2127 Wide area displaying large corals/burrows. (1 picture) N24.94747 E50.85268 15
2128 Limestone with lots of burrows N24.86023 E50.89445 8
2129 Limestone with lots of burrows N24.86227 E50.89145 8
2130 Green shale capped by a laminated sandstone N24.86321 E50.88884 7
Green shale. Horizontal bedding. Laminated layers of
2132 siltstone and shale which reflect intermittent settling of N24.87475 E50.87235 2
particles from suspension.
2135 Green shale capped with laminated sandstone N24.88489 E50.88179 10
2136 Green shale N24.88748 E50.87963 12
2137 Green shale N24.88774 E50.88129 14
2138 Laminated siltstone over a flat area N24.88741 E50.88174 15
2139 Green shale capped with laminated sandstone N24.88796 E50.87072 11
2142 Limestone with lots of shells N24.92018 E50.85785 6
2143 Limestone with lots of shells N24.92222 E50.85603 3
Green clay at bottom of a cliff capped with silty white
2144 N24.94317 E50.85127 11
limestone (1 picture)
Hill: Green clay at bottom of a cliff capped with silty white
2145 N24.94522 E50.84914 10
limestone
2146 White limestone N24.94777 E50.92622
Ridge of top Lower Salwa (no gastropods). Greenish
2147 N24.86138 E50.93363 21
shale on slope
3001 Green clay in 2m cliff N24.90929 E50.87638 26
3002 Burrows N24.86856 E50.90222 19
3003 Silty limestone with some shells, then white limestone. N24.91406 E50.87868 28
From this point to the next westerly point, we lost about

3m due to sand cover 21.5m = white limestone 23.5m =
3004 N24.90942 E50.89130 36
green clay & weathered limestone 25.0m = Small
bivalves & gastropod limestone (many of them)
This is the location where Dr. Dill found a Shark tooth.
3005 N24.88317 E50.90894 67
No other teeth were found.

Description
Burrows (with brown shale above) at the tip of a ridge.
3006 One picture of the ridge was taken from the Hofuf N24.88222 E50.88850 22
formation above
Area of green clay - silty limestone with some shells -
3007 white limestone - Sandy valley - Laminated & planar N24.91445 E50.88272 24
cross-bedded siltstone - green clay - red clay
Area of Laminated & planar cross-bedded siltstone,
3008 N24.91484 E50.88311 27
reddish and sometime even pebbly and with burrows
3009 Burrows (with brown shale above) N24.86754 E50.90512 22
Area of Laminated & planar cross-bedded siltstone with
3010 burrows and interesting stratification at the surface / N24.91504 E50.88468 29
green clay / red clay
3011 Area of red clay N24.91517 E50.88512 27
Scallop shells Stratigraphical column shows the Upper
Salwa from top to bottom as: Coquina White limestone
3012 N24.93557 E50.88062 30
Red clay (especially on the north side of the hill) Green
clay Scallop shells (in fairly large quantity)
3013 Area of red clay shown in Zeuges N24.91609 E50.88498 30
Vertical burrows are found here. Check also the rocks
3014 N24.86406 E50.89777 8
that have fallen down the small cliff (as seen in picture)
3015 Limestone with several small bivalves & gastropods N24.91564 E50.88641 31
3016 Green to brown shale N24.86719 E50.90682 19
3017 Coquina with Herringbone cross-bedding N24.86578 E50.89667 23
3018 Coquina Layer N24.86103 E50.90517 15
Coquina Stratigraphical column shows the Upper Salwa
from top to bottom as: Coquina White limestone Red
3019 N24.93634 E50.88026 42
clay (especially on the north side of the hill) Green clay
Scallop shells (in fairly large quantity)
3020 Weathered coquina N24.93633 E50.88321 43
3021 Red clay layer N24.86164 E50.90549 15
Brownish to greenish shale. Burrows occur just few
3022 N24.87381 E50.89480 30
metres to the west
3023 Red clay cliff on the side of the road N24.86891 E50.91042 25
20.5m = weathered coquina with wave/ripple structure at
3024 N24.90948 E50.89234 40
surface (flat field area). One picture
A 3m thick white limestone cliff capped with weathered
3025 N24.91521 E50.88959 37
coquina
Very base of Upper Salwa. While the limestone
containing the large bivalves at the base of the Upper
3026 Salwa can not be seen, the loose bivalves are present in N24.92317 E50.87445 26
the Hofuf sediments at the base of the slope with the
"green clay" normally just above the said limestone

Description
Coquina at the top of the Upper Salwa. The area is a
cliff which displays the complete Upper Salwa Section.
3027 The coquina displays some cross-beds, and large N24.89161 E50.88407 34
burrows in a green clay can be seen on the western face
of the cliff
1) Loose large bivalves (base of Upper Salwa) - (1
picture, 3028a) 2) From this location, can be observed a
cliff showing two-third of the Upper Salwa (1 panoramic
3028 N24.90590 E50.88813 26
montage/picture, 3028b) while a little higher can be seen
the white limestone and a planar cross-bedded coquina
capping the member (1 picture, 3030)
3029 Limestone with small gastropods and shells N24.90578 E50.88916
Coquina capping the Upper Salwa. Picture shows the
3030 coquina, the red clay in a hill, the white limestone and a N24.90532 E50.89014 41
view to the valley
3031 Coquina capping the Upper Salwa N24.90147 E50.89075
3032 Large surface ripples in coquina N24.89793 E50.88919 42
3033 Large vertical and branch burrows N24.85698 E50.88941 5
Very base of Upper Salwa. Some bivalves. Several 1cm
3034 N24.87625 E50.91437 27
(diameter) wide ironized balls loose at the surface
Very brittle ribs laying at the base of the green shale
3035 (very base of Upper Salwa). Laying also in the centre of N24.87527 E50.91252 25
a vehicle track.
3036 Rippled weathered coquina. Very top of Upper Salwa N24.89535 E50.89154 33
3037 Limestone of the Upper Salwa N24.88037 E50.91829 27
3038 Red shale Green Shale N24.89511 E50.92361 45
Loose large bivalves from the very bottom of the Upper
3039 N24.90322 E50.92114 50
Salwa
From top to bottom: White limestone Red shale Green
3040 N24.90414 E50.92053 57
shale
From top to bottom: Limestone with small bivalves White
3041 N24.88804 E50.92229 35
limestone Red shale Green shale
From top to bottom: Limestone with small bivalves White
3042 N24.88589 E50.92427 37
limestone Red shale Green shale
3043 Top of Upper Salwa (coquina) N24.88856 E50.92278 46
3044 Top of Upper Salwa (coquina) N24.88878 E50.92148 37
Bulldozed Red & green shale (remains of a hill destroyed
3045 for the road construction). More of that hill can be seen N24.88208 E50.92471 32
just south of the highway
3046 Thin limestone layer Green shale N24.88199 E50.92273 29
3047 Limestone of the Upper Salwa N24.87877 E50.91822 34
Hill covered with Hofuf gravels Green shale at the base
3048 of the Upper Salwa White limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.88686 E50.92789 46
The whole area surrounding the hill is Middle salwa
3049 Large hill: White Limestone Green shale N24.88838 E50.92639 44

Description
Two small hills: Green clay at the base of Upper Salwa
3050 White Limestone of the Middle Salwa The whole area N24.89299 E50.92621 45
surroundings the hills is Middle Salwa
3051 Red & Green Shale N24.90962 E50.91941 53
3056 Upper Salwa covered with Hofuf gravels N24.92248 E50.91684 53
Top Upper Salwa Weathered coquina with large ripple
3057 N24.89439 E50.91784 -49
marks
3058 Top Upper Salwa N24.91606 E50.91003
Lots of large shells/bivalves of the lowest layer of the
3059 N24.92125 E50.91678 52
Upper Salwa
3060 Weathered coquina of the Upper Salwa N24.92485 E50.91023 58
3061 Green shale N24.86626 E50.89662 8
Red clay on flat area, surrounded by white limestone
3062 N24.86757 E50.93512 23
small cliff of the Upper Salwa
3063 Red flat on flat area N24.87045 E50.94074 23
3064 White Limestone Red shale (1 picture) N24.86974 E50.93575 22
Coquina. White limestone. (sirenian/dugong broken
3065 bones/ribs and one vertebra were found here...see the N24.87186 E50.94242 26
two pictures)
3066 Red and green shale N24.87270 E50.94201 27
Green shale capped with brownish limestone and Hofuf
3067 N24.87894 E50.92603 37
gravels
Green shale capped with brownish limestone and Hofuf
3068 N24.87581 E50.92564 34
gravels
3069 Green shale capped with white & brownish limestone N24.87132 E50.92117 26
3070 Weathered coquina (Top Upper Salwa) N24.87315 E50.92021 28
White Limestone with 3D burrows. Green shale (0.8m
thick) occurs just below; this green limestone pinches out
3071 N24.86941 E50.92200 26
more to the north. Another white limestone just below
the green shale represents the top of the Middle Salwa
- Top of hill is coquina. - White limestone with burrows; -
3072 N24.86775 E50.92282 23
Green shale
3073 Weathered coquina with Hofuf gravel N24.86830 E50.93390 28
Green shale (with burrows towards the top) interbedded
3074 N24.86517 E50.90185 17
with limestone and laminated sandstones
Green shale (with burrows towards the top) interbedded

3075 N24.86635 E50.90051 19
with limestone and laminated sandstones
3076 Weathered coquina (Top of Upper salwa) N24.86667 E50.90079 32
3077 Green shale N24.86593 E50.89595 14
3078 Green shale N24.86915 E50.89176 7
3079 Green shale (topped by a laminated sandstone) N24.86626 E50.89167 4
Green shale (topped by a laminated sandstone).
3080 N24.86936 E50.89229 15
Fractures in shale are infilled with gypsum crystals

Description
Top Upper Salwa coquina with cross beddings (wave
3081 N24.86484 E50.89586 20
ripples)
3082 N24.86392 E50.89486 13
ripples)
3083 N24.86369 E50.89302 6
ripples)
3084 N24.86384 E50.89313 6
ripples)
3085 N24.86543 E50.89232 6
ripples)
3086 N24.86698 E50.89041 8
ripples)
3087 N24.86750 E50.88976 8
ripples)
3088 N24.86774 E50.88891 9
ripples)
3089 White and red limestone of the Upper Salwa N24.86343 E50.89313 7
3093 Green and red shale N24.91895 E50.87660 28
3094 Green shale N24.91470 E50.87378 22
Silty limestone with some shells / white limestone /
3095 N24.91516 E50.87723 28
Green shale
Brown limestone Red clay Green clay Fragments of
3096 large bivalves (on both sides of hill) Two dead camels N24.94430 E50.94321 73
are also on top of the hill
Brown limestone Red clay Green clay Fragments of
3097 large bivalves (on both sides of hill) A post looking like a N24.94170 E50.94371 75
"Street post" is on top of the hill
3098 Packstone with wave ripples (Top Upper Salwa) N24.94681 E50.88029 43
3100 Green shale N24.94603 E50.87227 23
Green shale with crystals of gypsum in fractures and
3101 N24.94373 E50.86966 20
loose soil
Green shale with crystals of gypsum in fractures and
3102 N24.94156 E50.86942 20
loose soil
3103 Green shale and bivalves at the base N24.93918 E50.87437 24
3104 Top packstone of the Upper Salwa N24.85815 E50.90210 10
3105 Bottom green clay N24.85782 E50.90215 5
3106 Packstone/coquina at the top of the Upper Salwa N24.85762 E50.90395 11
3107 Base of Upper Salwa with loose large bivalves N24.89904 E50.96699 80
3108 Upper Salwa covered with Hofuf gravels N24.89919 E50.96738 80
3109 Loose large bivalves (green clay in cliff to the west) N24.89654 E50.96502 74
Top of Upper Salwa. Molds of small bivalves in
3110 N24.89639 E50.96483 82
packstone (one picture)
3111 Limit of the Upper Salwa. Loose large bivalves N24.90028 E50.96130 74
3112 Top Upper Salwa N24.90050 E50.96033 81
3113 N24.86689 E50.92251 21
Green shale
3114 N24.86546 E50.92081 21
Green shale

Description
3115 N24.86697 E50.91652 21
Green shale
3116 Flat surface of limestone with burrows N24.86447 E50.91931 21
3117 Flat surface of limestone with burrows N24.86382 E50.91606 18
Columnar Stromatolites on a ridge (Metre 52 in Dill's
4001 N24.87121 E50.90547 51
section)
4002 Columnar Stromatolites N24.87723 E50.89599 52
4008 Stromatolites with ?blisters? N24.85801 E50.90512 6
4009 Crab/shrimp remains. N24.88547 E50.90665 55
4010 Crab/shrimp Remains N24.88514 E50.90633 54
4011 Gastropods & Bivalves N24.88462 E50.90623 55
Columnar Stromatolites below a Hummocky Deposit (1
4012 N24.87578 E50.90845 56
picture). See chapter on Hummocky deposits
Tepee structures and LLH stromatolites and centimeter-
4013 thick laminae in clayey marlstones of the Lower Al N24.87048 E50.90373 52
Nakhsh Member
Blister stromatolite. The picture shows Jeremy Jameson
(ExxonMobil) looking at it. While looking at the blister,
4014 Dr. Jameson found what could be a broken part of a N24.85910 E50.90400 15
shark tooth laying on top of it. Identification could not be
ascertain.
19.0m = Columnar stromatolites = oolitic
4015 grainstone 19.5m = Red limestone 20.0m = white N24.90982 E50.89536 45
limestone
Limestone with burrows. One echinoderm was found
4016 N24.87541 E50.90881 50
here
4017 Burrows/Coral limestone N24.88527 E50.90647 54
Sirenian bones: It looks like a sternal element, and could
be a xephisternum (the wider edge is the proximal end
towards the skull, the broken side is distal or toward the
tail, and the side with slight keel is ventral); This is too
4018 flat for a Protosiren, and may fit with Eotheroides or N24.86476 E50.89683 27
Eosiren sternal morphology (Identified by Dr. Iyad
Zalmout in an email dated June 23rd 2008.). Other
bones were also found between points 4018 and 4019.
(See picture)
Southern limit of where sirenian bones were found (4018
4019 N24.86360 E50.89752 24
is the northern extension). See pictures
4020 Possible Sirenian/dugong bone? N24.86462 E50.89674 25
4021 Hardground which starts the Lower Al-Nakhsh cycle N24.87003 E50.90380 48
Hummocky deposit (See chapter on Hummocky
4022 N24.87573 E50.90842 56
deposits)
4023 Stromatolites N24.85681 E50.89039 9
4024 Very base of Lower Al-Nakhsh Red clay N24.89433 E50.89088 34

Description
4025 White limestone covered with Hofuf gravel N24.89494 E50.89073 36
Hill covered with the Hofuf gravels Lower Al-Nakhsh just
4026 N24.88819 E50.92309 54
below (25% of the section) Upper Salwa (75% of section)
4027 Columnar stromatolites N24.88721 E50.91528 39
4028 White limestone of the Lower Al-Nakhsh N24.92026 E50.90276 62
4029 Peloid grainstone N24.86523 E50.89705 17
4030 Metre 54 in Dill's section N24.86432 E50.89669 26
From top to bottom: - White Limestone - Red limestone
4031 N24.86684 E50.90092 32
A very small cave can be seen in the red limestone
4032 From top to bottom: - White Limestone - Red limestone N24.86357 E50.89425 8
Oolitic beachrock with shell fragments and clasts (Top of
4035 N24.89919 E50.89629 62
Lower Al-Nakhsh)
4036 Beachrock N24.90009 E50.89592 64
4037 Beachrock (1 picture) N24.90042 E50.89593 63
One vertebra and one small bone of a sirenian/dugong
was found here. They were removed by the author since
they were falling apart due to extreme erosion. The
location also provided the author's first fossilized shark
remain from the Miocene. As per an email received on
December 28th 2008 from Dr. Iyad S. Zalmout at the
Museum of Paleontology of the University of Michigan
"what you are holding [figures b & c] is a unique
specimen of a batoidae lower jaw (Pavement Teeth in
Articulation). I think it is myliobatid Jaw. The lithofacies
4038 N24.85878 E50.90242 11
you are looking in is very promising to find more fossils."
In short, it is the fossilized lower jaw of a Miocene
stingray. And from Dr. Friedrich Pfeil in an email dated
January 1st 2009: that´s an almost complete toothplate
of a Myliobatis sp. - a very nice one! With 135 named
species of which 78 could be valid names, it is
impossible to give a correct species name, not at the
moment. However, this is an important specimen for later
determination. Keep it safe! All of the above were found
in a pure white limestone (4 pictures)
Sirenian/dugong bones (3 pictures + one with
description). The one in picture "C" is described as
such by Dr. Zalmout: "in picture Area-01_4039c you are
looking at is the palatal view of right posterior corner of a
4039 N24.85941 E50.90188 -23
sea cow skull, exactly at the squamosal, part of the
pterygoid and part of the palatine." They have been
removed by the author. A small myliobatidae jaw plate
was also found here

Description
4040 Circular / oncoidal / blister stromatolites N24.85818 E50.90384 5
Stromatolites in white limestone. Pictures taken during
4041 N24.87042 E50.90541 48
the ExxonMobil Carbonate workshop of November 2008
Red limestone of the Lower Al-Nakhsh topped with Hofuf
4042 N24.90055 E50.95936 89
gravels
4043 N24.90084 E50.96064 83
gravels
4044 N24.90043 E50.96073 85
gravels
4045 N24.89618 E50.96429 84
gravels
5002 Gypsum crystals N24.86389 E50.89673 29
5005 Oncoidal Stromatolites N24.88151 E50.90505 63
5006 Stromatolite mounds N24.89036 E50.89927 71
5007 Red Stromatolites N24.89557 E50.90004 78
5008 Coquina N24.89541 E50.89999 75
5009 Oncoidal Stromatolites N24.85947 E50.90279 31
5010 Gypsum field N24.93087 E50.89148 56
5011 14.5m = Gypsum crystal field = White limestone N24.90971 E50.89748 54
17.0m = Gypsum field = Beach rock & coquina
5012 N24.90929 E50.89609 50
= 2m of white limestone
10.5m = Stromatolite mounds (2 pictures) =
5013 Reddish bivalve & gastropod coquina rich in crystals of N24.90992 E50.89801 61
gypsum celestite/selenite
13.0m = Possible stromatolite mounds in limestone
5014 N24.90983 E50.89774 57
= white limestone
5015 16m = Gypsum field with Hofuf pebbles N24.90967 E50.89625 50
5017 Grainstone with oolite and Beach Rock N24.85912 E50.90307 28
Large Gypsum crystals (one picture). The scale is 1m. A
5019 similar picture can be seen in Dr. Dill's website at: N24.88634 E50.89061 69
http://www.hgeodill.de/AlNakhsh1.jpg
5026 Ooids. Metre 64 in Dill's section N24.87105 E50.90489 62
5027 Large gypsum crystals N24.89836 E50.89705 68
Stromatolitic layer in cliff with apparent unconformity on
5028 N24.89993 E50.89614 66
top (2 pictures)
Loose Oncoidal stromatolites and polished gypsum
5029 N24.89998 E50.89595 64
crystals (one picture)
5031 White/Eroded gypsum crystals N24.90123 E50.89587 68
5033 Beautiful 2m stromatolite mounds (scale = 1m) N24.90212 E50.89703 76
5034 Beautiful 2m stromatolite mounds N24.90197 E50.89822 78
5035 1-2m stromatolite mounds N24.90126 E50.89845 74

Description
From top to bottom: - 1-2m Stromatolite mounds (in a
5039 N24.90050 E50.90648 65
circular feature/fold) - Packstone - White limestone
5040 1-2m Stomatolite mounds N24.90099 E50.90657 63
5046 Stromatolite mounds (<=1m) N24.90214 E50.90444 72
>2m stromatolite mounds...almost as big as a vehicle
5060 N24.89127 E50.90846 57
(one picture)
5062 Stromatolite mounds (one picture) N24.94214 E50.88774 81
Stromatolite mounds at the same level as the Hofuf
5063 N24.94410 E50.88748 73
gravel on top of the ridge (one picture)
5064 N24.94551 E50.88728 75
gravel on top of the ridge
5065 N24.94640 E50.88649 75
5066 N24.94615 E50.88761 79
5067 Stromatolite Mounds N24.94732 E50.88615 68
Columnar stromatolitic limestone on top of oolitic cross-
5073 N24.92408 E50.89529 57
bedded grainstone and beachrock
5074 Stomatolite mounds N24.91441 E50.90282 68
5076 Stomatolite mounds in Hofuf gravels N24.91044 E50.90348 75
5083 Stromatolit mounds N24.88699 E50.90557 73

Description
Stromatolitic limestone. At same level as the stromatolite
5087 N24.89208 E50.90408 71
mounds. (One picture)
5088 Stromatolite mounds on a narrow ridge N24.87854 E50.89687 70
Stratigraphically from top to bottom - Oncoidal
5090 Stromatolites - Gypsum crystals - Beachrock This is the N24.88085 E50.90591 57
base of the Middle Al-Nakhsh
Burrows seen in a small limestone cliff immediately after
5093 a rain (picture taken in January 24th 2009). Animals N24.87581 E50.90761 66
such as echinoderms coud have made these burrows
LLH stromatolites and centimeter-thick laminae in clayey
5094 N24.87581 E50.90789 63
marlstones of the Middle Al Nakhsh Member
5095 Gypsum crystals layer N24.91468 E50.89887 59
5096 Upper Gypsum crystals layer N24.91449 E50.89897 60
5097 Weathered columnar stromatolites N24.91431 E50.89540 47
6001 Gypsum Crystals N24.87317 E50.90466 75
Lithified aeolian dune (bottom) and inter-dune (top) sand,
38 metre long of the Upper Al-Nakhsh member (several
pictures). Red, fine to medium grained sandstones with
6005 N24.89317 E50.90666 66
planar cross bedding and large-scale trough cross-
stratification. (Dill et al., 2007). Roots (one picture) are
also common in dunes, along with water table marks.
Unconsolidated red, fine to medium grained aeolian
6006 N24.89305 E50.90930 63
sandstone
Sratigraphically 0.0m = Hofuf pebbles = Planar cross-
6007 bedding (Reddish rock) 1.0m = Beach rock 2.5m = N24.91023 E50.89951 79
Coquina = White limestone = Red limestone
6008 5.0m = Gypsum crystals 6.0m = Gypsum crystal field N24.91016 E50.89927 71
6009 Limit of the Gypsum crystal field 7.0m = Gypsum field N24.91001 E50.89885 69
8.0m = Gypsum Crystal limit 9.5m = Red limestone
6010 N24.91008 E50.89822 65
10.0m = More gypsum
6011 Planar cross-beds in red sand N24.91236 E50.90083 75
6012 Columnar stromatolites on the vehicle trail N24.91245 E50.90083 74

Description
Large cave. Transition between Middle to Upper Al-

Nakhsh. As per Dill et al. 2007 article. Alternating red
and grey siltstones, clays and marls formed in place of
gypsum seams at the passage from the Middle into the
Upper Al-Nakhsh Members. The only evidence for
evaporitic conditions in the Miocene basin are some
veinlets with selenite, which randomly intersect the
massive red beds. Dissolution of highly soluble
6013 N24.87533 E50.90771 75
compounds (halite?) in the subsurface has given rise to
dolines and caused a pervasive karstification at this site.
A relative increase in relief on a rather small scale
resulted from differential salt dissolution at depth and
halokinetic processes along the northeast limb of the
Dukhan Anticline. These processes brought about
argillaceous mud flats and ground water induced
calcretes instead of evaporites.
6014 Small cave. Red bed of the Upper Al-Nakhsh N24.87517 E50.90783 77
6015 Gypsum field. Metre 76 in Dill's section N24.87198 E50.90412 76
Red aeolian sand (possibly a dune buried by Hofuf
6016 gravels) displaying cross beds and fossil roots (4 N24.90345 E50.90394 78
pictures)
6017 Packstone/Coquina N24.92299 E50.89630 63
6018 Red Packstone/Coquina N24.92312 E50.89666 64
6022 Columnar Stromatolites on the vehicle trail N24.90270 E50.90238 78
6025 Beachrock N24.88300 E50.89281 84
6030 Red limestone N24.92639 E50.89641 70
6031 Crystals of gypsum N24.92539 E50.89622 73
6033 Cross-bedded coquina N24.91404 E50.90017 68
6034 Gypsum crystals - base of Middle Al-Nakhsh N24.91392 E50.89690 49
6040 Gypsum Crystal Ridge N24.89237 E50.90767 64
6043 Gypsum crystal field N24.90519 E50.90635 66

Description
6049 Oncoidal stromatolite in a grey limestone (one picture) N24.88822 E50.90513 83
Red sand at the top of Upper Al-Nakhsh member (see
6050 N24.91357 E50.90052
picture of GPS point 7018)
Trough cross bedding in a ooid grainstone, probably
7001 N24.87672 E50.90668 86
formed in a beach complex ? sand bar.
7002 Planar cross-bedding N24.87345 E50.90325 86
7003 Planar Cross-Bedding N24.87657 E50.90669 82
7004 Bedding N24.87522 E50.90755 82
7005 Cross-beds and Beachrocks N24.88899 E50.89412 81
Trough cross-bedding which reflects scour and fill in a
7006 N24.88809 E50.89464 83
fluvial deposit. (one picture)
Sequence Boundary shown by a white limestone which
7007 N24.87316 E50.90393 78
represents a sudden flooding. Metre 77 in Dill's section.
White limestone of the Abu Samra Member representing
7008 a Sequence Boundary / Red limestone at the top of the N24.88816 E50.90533 79
Upper Al-Nakhsh (one picture)
White limestone of the Abu Samra Member representing
7009 a Sequence Boundary / Red limestone at the top of the N24.89087 E50.90456 73
Upper Al-Nakhsh (one picture)
7011 Wave ripples in sansdtone (one picture) N24.88775 E50.90547 81
7012 Cross-bedded Beachrock N24.87896 E50.89774 86
Cross-bedded siltstone of the Abu Samra member
7013 overlaid by a cross-bedded conglomerate of the Hofuf N24.91712 E50.90068 78
formation
7014 Coquina N24.87306 E50.90379 83
7015 White limestone below coquina N24.92510 E50.89661 77
7016 White limestone below coquina, overlaid by Hofuf gravel N24.92625 E50.89701 75
White Limestone at the base of Abu Samra member (see
7018 N24.91357 E50.90058 72
picture)
Pebbly conglomerate with Graded and Crossed beds, of
the Hofuf formation sitting on top of the Middle Salwa.
8001 N24.94347 E50.94300 68
The "normal" loose pebbles of the Hofuf are covering it.
The area of this feature is about 50 m2. (three pictures)
Pebbly conglomerate, laminated and cross-bedded of
the Hofuf formation, sitting on top of the Upper Al-
8002 N24.88561 E50.90461 84
Nakhsh. The "normal" loose pebbles of the Hofuf are
covering it. (one picture)
8003 Cross-bedded sandstone & pebbles N24.92212 E50.89945 79
01 - Geodetic
Primary Geodetic Station G19 (one picture) N24.88460 E50.89483 88
Station_G19
02 - Falcon
Falcon Hunting cash (one picture) N24.88408 E50.89322 92
Hunting cash

Description
03 - Rounded Rounded structures (one picture). Could be of interest to
N24.89754 E50.96350 82
structures archeologists
Geodetic Station M21. Probably built in 1983 as per a
04 - Geodetic
signed on concrete near by. The concrete base is worn N24.90030 E50.95935 89
Station M21
out and should be repaired
05 - Small
Cave_Base Small cave at the base of a white limestone of the Middle
N24.88775 E50.90613 75
Middle Al- Al-Nakhsh.
Nakhsh
06 - Ali's
Ali drives a red pickup truck and invited me for a coffee. N24.87216 E50.88811
Camp
07 - Saoud's In December 2008, Saoud (a bedouin) had a camp here
N24.87147 E50.93225
Camp and he invited me for a tea
08 - Arrow Large arrow (800 metres long) pointing North-Northwest
N24.94256 E50.90767
made of tires made of tires. Purpose unknown
09 - Shelter
Old house foundation N24.91912 E50.92847 47
foundation
At the time of this writing, it was possible to access
Areas 1 and 2 from this point because they were still
fixing the underpass that you see on the satellite image
10 - Possible (there was no fence); however, it is very likely that this
& temporary access will be closed soon. Therefore, we recommend
N24.86331 E50.90469
entrance to the reader to access Area 1 from GPS point 06 in area 2.
Areas 1 and 2 Area 2 can also be accessed from the north by taking
point 06 and then travelling west in order to take the
underpass at this point 10 (Area 2 can also be accessed
from the south at point 07)
Khashm Al-
N24.87502 E50.90340
Nakhsh
Note: Altitude readings are an approximation. Calibration of GPS before field work was not performed

Description
1001 Limestone at the base of the green shale N24.85585 E50.89743 -3
Echinoderms in limestone (second white limestone from
the base of the cliff (or sabkha). At the sabkha level, can
2001 N24.82657 E50.89453 8
be seen the green clay at the base of the Middle Salwa
(about 2 m thick). One picture
This location shows a limestone with burrows and some
2002 N24.81841 E50.89428 9
echinoderms (Fibularia Damensis)
This is an area of white to beige limestone. This
2003 limestone contains some echinoderms, especially in the N24.82362 E50.89383 7
southern corner
Brownish to white limestone with [possible] weathered
echinoderms (as shown in picture 2004-02). Very white
2004 limestone with some burrows and well preserved N24.81551 E50.88183 6
echinoderms (as seen in in picture 2004-01) = Upper
part of Middle Salwa
White limestone with corals and well preserved
2005 N24.81587 E50.88201 12
echinoderms sparsely distributed
Flat surface of a hard and grey limestone occurring
2006 N24.81422 E50.88292 15
between two white limestones
2007 Whitish to greenish/brownish limestone Two pictures N24.81333 E50.88343 10
2008 A limestone with burrows N24.81710 E50.87996 8
Echinoderms (Fibularia Damensis). Formation is dipping
2009 N24.85249 E50.91666 9
to the north
2013 N24.85247 E50.91438 6
South
2014 N24.85107 E50.91397 7
South
2015 N24.85071 E50.91318 6
South
2016 White Limestone. Formation is dipping to the North N24.85198 E50.91750 8
2019 N24.85593 E50.90268 8
bones.
2020 Lots of echinoderms N24.85459 E50.91248 5
2021 Limestone (No obvious fossils) N24.85414 E50.89543 -3
2022 Burrows in limestone N24.80731 E50.88535 8
2023 Ironized Reef-like sessile foraminiferal colonies N24.80969 E50.88396 6
Small 1.8m cliff showing: The gastropod & bivalve layer /
2024 A limestone with burrows / White Limestone / Red N24.80956 E50.88782 6
Limestone
2025 Small bivalves and gastropods N24.81034 E50.88780 5
Burrows with Ironized Reef-like sessile foraminiferal
2026 N24.81309 E50.88233 3
colonies
Top = Cross-bedded beach rock, Middle = Brown clay,
2027 N24.81437 E50.88146 6
Bottom = Greenish clay (One picture)

Description
The whole sequence at this point is better seen on

pictures 2028_01 and 2028_02 Top: 0.3 to 0.8 m of
beige limestone with burrows and some Ironized Reef-
2028 like sessile foraminiferal colonies (cap rock). These are N24.81378 E50.88043 1
better seen in pictures 2028_03, 2028_04, 2028_05,
2028_06 Bottom: 2.5m of brownish & greenish clay &
marl interbedded with siltstone layers
One picture Top: 0.3 to 0.8 m of beige limestone with
burrows and some Ironized Reef-like sessile
2029 foraminiferal colonies (cap rock). Bottom: 1m of N24.81392 E50.88006 2
brownish & greenish clay & marl interbedded with
siltstone layers (the rest is buried with sand)
2030 3D burrows in white limestone N24.81581 E50.88093 4
Top = Laminated limestone, granular to sandy / Bottom
2031 N24.81581 E50.88037 8
= Greenish clay (One picture)
Small hill in the sabkha - Bivalves & Gastropods unit -
Limestone with limestone - White limestone - Red
2032 N24.81615 E50.89471 6
limestone - Greenish clay intercalated with siltstone
layers
2033 Laminated siltstone capped with laminated limestone N24.81710 E50.89418 6
Beige limestone interbedded with siltstone layers. The
2034 underlying green clay displays some purple clay and N24.82171 E50.89404 6
white limestone layers . One picture
white limestone layers
2036 Limestone with burrows N24.85231 E50.91389 8
2039 Packstone N24.85154 E50.90272 11
2040 Bivalve & gastropod molds N24.85006 E50.90508 13
2041 Packstone N24.85314 E50.90344 13
2042 Lithology just below Packstone N24.85162 E50.90201 11
white limestone layers
2044 Round Concretions (2 pictures) N24.84869 E50.89985 4
Beach rock at the top (1 picture). Stratified Limestone at
2045 N24.84805 E50.90087 7
the base (1 picture)
2046 Broken up coral reef material and burrows (1 picture) N24.84913 E50.89928 2
2047 Broken up coral reef material and burrows (1 picture) N24.84740 E50.89929 4
2048 Middle Salwa N24.85628 E50.89940 8
2049 Nice section of the Middle Salwa N24.85209 E50.89684 6
Channels cutting through the clay sediments of the
2050 N24.85083 E50.90124 3
Middle Salwa
2051 Clasts in a limestone N24.84914 E50.90149 4
2052 Laminated Siltstone, White limestone, Green shale N24.85541 E50.90196 6
2053 Gastropod layer N24.85321 E50.89588 -4
Limestone with burrows / Green shale interbedded with
2054 N24.85337 E50.89637 -2
siltstone
Limestone with burrows / Green shale interbedded with
2055 N24.85517 E50.89633 -3
siltstone
Limestone with burrows (base of which has a lot of clast
2056 N24.85302 E50.89656 -5
material) / Siltstone / Green shale

Description
Flat area of "burrow" layer which is stratigraphically
2059 between the bottom and top limestone of the Middle N24.85393 E50.92257 15
Salwa
2060 Hill with the top limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.84559 E50.91978 11
2061 Top limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.84761 E50.92135 11
2062 Top limestone of the Middle Salwa N24.84986 E50.92379 13
This is a very small area which displays stratigraphically
the following (from top to bottom): A small clay mound
about 1.5 metre high composed of: Green clay/Brown
3001 clay/Purple clay/Green Clay. The above mound rests on N24.81289 E50.88371 9
a small/restricted purple limestone surface with large (14
cm) bivalve shells (including Ostrea, better known as
oysters, and Pecten which is better known as Scallops)
Purple limestone with large (14 cm) bivalves (including
3002 Ostrea, better known as oysters, and Pecten which is N24.81378 E50.88359 14
better known as Scallops)
Bottom part of a clay section (see 3004 for upper part)
Picture shows: Top: Siltstone (as cap rock): 0.3m
3003 Bottom: Green clay: 1.5m The purple clay with large N24.82469 E50.89197 16
bivalves (Ostrea and Pecten) that lies below the green
clay is buried under the sand.
Upper part of a clay section (see 3003 for bottom part)
Picture shows the 2m section as: Top: Whitish to
3004 greenish sandy limestone with small 2.5cm bivalves N24.82502 E50.89194 19
(Papyracea) A green/red/green sequence of clays
described as a Marine mudstone
Top: Herringbone cross bedding in coquina with wave
3005 ripples at the surface / White limestone interbedded with N24.82508 E50.89185 21
brownish coarse limestone
3006 Coquina N24.83103 E50.89330 25
3007 Coquina N24.82819 E50.89330 19
3008 Red Clay area N24.81295 E50.88706 15
Sandy cover. Broken chunks of loose white & green
3009 N24.84766 E50.89644 15
oolitic limestone, some with shell impressions
Sandy cover. Broken chunks of loose white & green
3010 N24.84690 E50.89700 13
oolitic limestone, some with shell impressions
3011 Coquina. One picture N24.82053 E50.89046 21
3012 Red clay N24.85606 E50.89062 6
3014 Green shale N24.85333 E50.89509 -1
3015 Green shale N24.85376 E50.89506 -7
Top = Holocene Beach deposits with shells / Base =
3016 N24.81523 E50.87181 3
Upper Salwa
4003 Blister stromatolites N24.82087 E50.88879 26
4005 Tepee Stromatolites N24.82852 E50.89181 31
4007 Crab/shrimp remains in Cross beds unit N24.82668 E50.88578 28
4008 Blister Stromatolites. One picture N24.82603 E50.88561 26

Description
4010 Red Clay area N24.81583 E50.88594 29
4011 Red clay area N24.81686 E50.88621 29
4012 3D burrows in limestone N24.81758 E50.88562 35
4013 Red Clay N24.82150 E50.87868 20
4014 Red Clay N24.83082 E50.89270 28
4016 Red Clay N24.80538 E50.88191 4
4018 Red clay N24.80467 E50.87951 3
4019 Thick limestone with corals N24.85351 E50.89376 12
4020 Coral/burrow remains in limestone N24.82389 E50.88748 27
4021 White limestone with Corals and burrows. N24.84544 E50.89805 16
4022 Limestone with burrows exposed over a large flat area N24.82114 E50.88452 32
4023 Red clay area N24.82159 E50.88192 25
A 3m vertical cliff. Red clay at the bottom and
4024 N24.82377 E50.88880 22
coral/burrow remains at the top
4025 Top of Red clay layer N24.84983 E50.89232 13
Planar Cross bedding (1 picture), the top of which shows
4026 N24.84639 E50.89661 27
a beach environment (1 picture).
Planar Cross bedding, the top of which shows a beach
4027 N24.84391 E50.90530 12
environment
Planar Cross bedding, the top of which shows a beach
4029 N24.84423 E50.90371 20
environment
Cross-bedding, Beach rocks and oolites: Top of Lower
4030 N24.84335 E50.88868 31
Al-Nakhsh
Calcareous algae in limestone with well defined burrows.
While no detailed study was performed on these
samples, they are believed to be representatives of the
4031 red algae (Rhodophyceae), a type of algae belonging to N24.81604 E50.88575 34
the family Corallinaceae. These algae were important
rock builders in areas with warm climate during the
Miocene.
4032 Laminated siltstone beds N24.81989 E50.88566 37
4033 Laminated siltstone beds N24.82076 E50.88534 37
4038 Small circular stromatolites in limestone N24.81092 E50.87979 8
4039 Tepee structures N24.80990 E50.88146 8
4040 Red limestone with Planar stratified bedding above N24.82845 E50.89199 31
4041 Top: Beige limestone - Bottom: Green clay N24.82559 E50.89146 26
4042 Top: Grey and hard limestone - Bottom: White limestone N24.82568 E50.89142 30
4043 Top: Grey and hard limestone - Bottom: White limestone N24.82606 E50.89133 33
Top: Laminated siltstone - Middle: White Limestone -
4044 N24.82595 E50.89113 35
Bottom: Red clay
Red clay of Lower Al-Naksh. This clay is separated by
4045 the point immediately to the west by a white limestone N24.85619 E50.89088 8
(one picture)
Large echinoderm taken from the white limestone about
4046 N24.85561 E50.89138 11
0.30 metre from the top (2 pictures)
Planar cross-bedding in grey limestone with small
4047 N24.85512 E50.89168 15
gastropods

Description
4048 Burrow & coral mounds/colonies (one picture) N24.85539 E50.89154 10
4049 Burrow & coral mounds/colonies N24.85601 E50.89120 11
4050 Blister stromatolites N24.84836 E50.87254 -1
White limestone eroded in a north-south direction (one
4051 N24.84553 E50.87166 -3
picture)
5003 Circular stromatolites (1 picture) N24.84639 E50.89276 29
5004 Undisturbed Gypsum N24.84793 E50.89166 34
5006 Anhydrite nodules N24.84407 E50.90445 18
5007 Circular stromatolites, one metre in diameter N24.84394 E50.90464 20
5008 Gypsum N24.84983 E50.89153 22
5009 Gypsum N24.85083 E50.89169 30
5010 Celestite crystals N24.84299 E50.88864 29
5011 Circular stromatolites N24.84242 E50.88939 32
5013 Circular Stromatolites (One picture) N24.82911 E50.89160 35
5019 Oolitic Beachrock N24.85283 E50.87081 2
5020 Oolitic Beachrock N24.85367 E50.87048 -5
5021 Beachrocks N24.83038 E50.89179 41
LLH stromatolites and centimeter-thick laminae in clayey
5022 N24.84421 E50.90406 22
marlstones of the Lower Al Nakhsh Member (1 picture)
6001 Disturbed gypsum crystals on hill top (1 picture) N24.84372 E50.89385 35
6002 Coquina N24.84121 E50.88974 30
6003 Three-Dimensional large Gypsum crystals (1 picture) N24.84396 E50.90375 33
6004 Gypsum Crystals (1 picture) N24.84617 E50.89601 33
6005 Undisturbed gypsum crystals (1 picture) N24.84536 E50.89292 33
This is the top of the hill; at this point can be seen
several disturbed and undisturbed gypsum crystals
Looking down in the quarry, owned by Qatar National
6007 Cement Company, can be observed the red limestone of N24.82328 E50.87992 29
the Lower Al-Nakhsh Member exposed by the mining
activities. Only the side of the hill has been left intact in
order to minimise the negative visual impact.

several disturbed and undisturbed gypsum crystals.
several disturbed and undisturbed gypsum crystals

Description
These are desert roses that do not require digging since

they grow at the surface of the sabkha. They consist of
large lensoid crystals of gypsum that have intergrown
within the aeolian sand covering the sulphate-rich water
table of the sabkha surface; sand grains are enclosed
within the crystal lattice poikiitically. Given sufficient
time, the crystals form a network of interlocking crystals
01 - Desert Roses so typical of the desert rose. Exposure of such a box- N24.82990 E50.89551 8
work of crystals to dessication at high ground surface
temperatures results in their more distal extremities
altering to white anhydrite (Glennie, 2005) While driving
in this area, please be careful not to destroy the crystals
with your vehicle. Also, it would be better that you do not
collect these unique crystals since the area is very
restricted.
A piece of flint which seemed to have been worked at
was found here. An identification by Qatar Museum
02 - Flint Authority revealed that it came from north of Al-Khor and N24.80920 E50.88069 2
that it had most probably been in a fire since it showed
some flakes at the surface
03 -
Seven dead camels N24.82719 E50.89504
Seven_Dead_Camels
04 - Learaig Interchange This interchange was opened in early September 2008 N24.83719 E50.87208 6
05 - DW-14 Water well (one picture) N24.85253 E50.88038 2
06 - Entrance to Area 1 N24.85170 E50.88749
In order to take it however, one must first travel to Abu
07 - Entrance to Areas 2
Samra (Qatar-Saudi Arabia border) 5kms to the south N24.80528 E50.87403
and 3
and make a U-turn
08 - Al Nafkah The official geographic name of our Area 2 N24.83785 E50.88877

Description
Limestone of the Lower Salwa. From Cavelier's 1970
1001 section of the Eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah it is N24.71148 E50.88489 2
equivalent to sample 23
1002 N24.72309 E50.87555 3
1003 Top of Lower Salwa N24.75229 E50.91058 18
1004 Loose Crab/shrimp remains N24.76078 E50.91446 12
Top Lower Salwa. One sirenian/dugong rib in a layer
1005 with lots of Large bivalves (One picture). Site discovered N24.76018 E50.91228 16
on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
Top Lower Salwa. One sirenian/dugong vertebra in a
1008 layer with lots of Large bivalves (One picture). Site N24.76034 E50.91196 15
discovered on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
Top Lower Salwa. One small sirenian/dugong rib
surrounded by few broken bones in a layer with lots of
1012 N24.76073 E50.91154 17
Large bivalves (Two pictures). Site discovered on March
27th 2009
Top Lower Salwa. Several sirenian/dugong ribs in a
Top Lower Salwa. (Several sirenian/dugong ribs in a
Top Lower Salwa. Several dugong ribs in a layer with
1017 lots of Large bivalves (One picture). Site discovered on N24.76044 E50.91124 20
March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009

Description
Top Lower Salwa. Several sirenian/dugong ribs with one
vertebra (one picture) in a layer with lots of Large
1019 bivalves. One vertebra is also located about 1m noth of N24.76027 E50.91143 20
the bones (One picture). Site discovered on March 27th
2009
on March 27th 2009
Top Lower Salwa. Two sirenian/dugong ribs in a layer
on March 27th 2009
on March 27th 2009
1023 Several broken sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.76098 E50.90937 10
1024 Small broken sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76096 E50.90921 9
1025 Broken sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76089 E50.90936 10
1027 A mound with a sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76083 E50.90913 10
1028 Several broken sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.76088 E50.90901 10
1029 Broken up sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.76092 E50.90894 11
Several long and broken sirenian/dugong ribs. (One
1030 N24.75833 E50.90994 11
picture)
One large sirenian/dugong rib with smaller broken ones.
1031 N24.75825 E50.91045 13
(One picture)
1032 A long sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75815 E50.91061 15
1033 One small sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75799 E50.91090 13
1034 One small sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75711 E50.91245 12
1035 One long broken sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75862 E50.91317 17
1036 Small broken sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75869 E50.91301 16
1038 Broken sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.75871 E50.91297 18
1039 Small sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.75874 E50.91290 18
A small horizontal sirenian/dugong rib with a second
1040 N24.75894 E50.91277 18
vertically oriented. (One picture)
1041 At least four sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.75940 E50.91252 18
1042 Two long broken sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.76033 E50.91208 16
A mound with lots of broken sirenian/dugong bones/ribs.
1043 One vehicle tracks can be seen cutting through the N24.76161 E50.91019 18
mound. (One picture)
1044 One sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76167 E50.90882 16
1045 One long sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76170 E50.90877 15
1046 One broken sirenian/dugong rib. (One picture) N24.76175 E50.90870 13
1047 Several sirenian/dugong ribs. (One picture) N24.76176 E50.90874 15
1048 Sirenian/dugong vertebra N24.76652 E50.90696 3
1049 Small mound with broken sirenian/dugong bones N24.76739 E50.90671 10
1050 Beach & intertidal environment of the Lower Salwa N24.73842 E50.90682 11
1051 Vertebra of a sirenian/dugong N24.76068 E50.91120 17
1052 Vertebra of a sirenian/dugong N24.76066 E50.91119 20

Description
Large quantities of echinoderms on a folded/disturbed
2001 N24.73273 E50.90253 6
limestone Two pictures
The whole hill is the white limestone of the Middle Salwa
2002 with lots of echinoderms. Crab/shrimp remains are also N24.71804 E50.87780 18
present
White limestone of the Middle Salwa with lots of
2003 N24.71575 E50.87892 16
echinoderms. Crab/shrimp remains are also present
White limestone of the Middle Salwa with lots of
2004 N24.71553 E50.87882 19
echinoderms. Crab/shrimp remains are also present
Contact of the Middle Salwa with the Lower Salwa.
2005 N24.71806 E50.87840 14
Large bivalves are present
Burrows at the contact of the lower and upper white
2006 N24.71756 E50.87730 14
limestones of the Middle Salwa
White limestone at the base of the Middle Salwa with
2007 N24.71103 E50.88309 9
Crab/shrimp remains and shells
Contact between the bottom and upper white limestone
of the Middle salwa From Cavelier's 1970 section of the
2008 N24.71111 E50.88292 13
Eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah it is equivalent to
sample 146
Top Middle Salwa with echinoderms From Cavelier's
2009 1970 section of the Eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah it N24.71071 E50.88247 17
is equivalent to sample 138-139
Lots of echinoderms You need a special permission to
2010 N24.71876 E50.86486 12
go so close to the border
Echinoderms with beautiful vertical burrows You need a
2011 N24.71822 E50.86405 12
special permission to go so close to the border
2012 Echinoderms with bivalves in limestone N24.73797 E50.90027 21
2013 Crab/shrimp remains in very white limestone N24.73792 E50.90047 18
2014 Crab/shrimp remains in very white limestone N24.73755 E50.90088 16
2015 Top of Middle Salwa N24.75367 E50.90705 17
2016 Crab/shrimp claw N24.75274 E50.90671 16
Crab/shrimp claw (one picture of the general area taken
2017 from this point showing the white limestone - N24.75305 E50.90547 14
Crab/shrimp claw not shown)
2018 Few echinoderms N24.75337 E50.90653 16
2019 Small bony remain of unknown animal (1 picture) N24.75272 E50.90681 19
2020 One large bivalve in white limestone N24.75240 E50.90607 17
2021 Small steep hill displaying arabic Graffitis N24.75074 E50.90604 18
Lots of burrows on a flat surface; some weathered on the
2022 flat surface, and some in three dimension detached from N24.77362 E50.90508 16
the limestone or still encrusted in it.

Description
Sirenian/dugong bones; some detached and broken-up,

and some still in the rock. The greenish shaly limestone
layer also displays large bivalves, large iron concretions,
and few echinoderms. This site was discovered on
2023 March 20th 2009. On March 27th 2009 the author went N24.76911 E50.90646 12
back with a sieve and brush. One complete shark tooth
was found in the sediments in which the bones lay.
Several loose bones were removed together with two
large ribs. Several bones still remain in-place.
2024 Patches of limestone with gastropods and small bivalves N24.80277 E50.88158 -1
Top of green shale From Cavelier's 1970 section of the
2025 Eastern flank of Hazm Mishabiyah it is equivalent to N24.71117 E50.88328 7
samples 19-21
Limestone From Cavelier's 1970 section of the Eastern
2026 N24.71106 E50.88323 9
flank of Hazm Mishabiyah it is equivalent to sample 14
2027 Layer of Large bivalves (Placuna Placenta) N24.75052 E50.90723 15
2028 Green clay with large bivalves N24.75226 E50.90990 19
Green clay with large bivalves. The clay is overlaid by a
2029 N24.77235 E50.90627 6
white limestone
2030 N24.77157 E50.90690 10
white limestone
2031 N24.76963 E50.90679 12
white limestone
2032 N24.76862 E50.90615 13
white limestone
2033 N24.76891 E50.90723 9
white limestone
Top Middle Salwa Some echinoderms, corals and seeds
2034 N24.78071 E50.90372 10
(one picture of the seeds)
Beautiful mud shrimp claws, Bryozoa and 3D burrow
2035 N24.75795 E50.91332 21
remains
Beautiful mud shrimp claws, Bryozoa and 3D burrow
2036 N24.75801 E50.91350 19
remains
Wood fragments were found here. They were loos on
the white limestione but had probably come from the
layer above which is at the top of the Middle Salwa and
2037 N24.77255 E50.90576 9
represents a beach & intertidal deposit. The fragments
are probably those of a species that lived in mangroves
(one picture)
2038 White limestone with no special features N24.79116 E50.87196 -3
Large teleost fish vertebrates still in the rock (three
2040 N24.79568 E50.88611 8
pictures)
3001 Contact of th Middle Salwa with the Upper Salwa N24.71734 E50.87651 19
3002 Large bivales at the base of the Upper Salwa N24.71522 E50.87834 22

Description
Lots of large bivalves at the base of the Upper Salwa (2

3003 N24.71651 E50.87553 20
pictures). Ostrea Latimarginata & Placuna Placenta
3004 Green/red clay N24.71472 E50.87800 25
3005 White limestone with burrows N24.71451 E50.87797 29
3006 White limestone with burrows N24.71577 E50.87466 27
Top of the green shale at the base of the Upper Salwa
3008 From Cavelier's 1970 section of the Eastern flank of N24.71071 E50.88233 21
Hazm Mishabiyah it is equivalent to sample 118
Top of Upper Salwa (beachrock) with Molluscs From
3009 Cavelier's 1970 section of the Eastern flank of Hazm N24.71067 E50.88210 23
Mishabiyah it is equivalent to sample 114
3010 Large bivalves at base Upper salwa N24.70677 E50.87403 33
3011 Bone fragments N24.70742 E50.87257 39
3012 Bivalves in rock and green shale limit N24.71651 E50.86529 18
Green clay with large bivalves. The hill displays the
3014 N24.75353 E50.90881 28
complete Upper Salwa Section.
Green clay with large bivalves. The hill displays the
3015 N24.75478 E50.90767 27
complete Upper Salwa Section.
Quarry is operated by QNCC. This section shows the
red clay overlaid by the white limestone of the Upper
3016 N24.74580 E50.89852
Salwa. The green clay below the red clay is seen in the
smaller pit to the south.
Packstone at top of Upper Salwa displaying cross and
3017 N24.79969 E50.87686 3
planar bedding (one picture)
One possible shark tooth which was found loose on the
white limestone (one picture). According to Otero et al
3018 2001 however, this tooth could also be from a N24.78663 E50.88390 19
Hepsetidae which is a type of Pike fish that, strangely
enough, lives in freshwater.
White and grey bivalves, clams, burrows and gastropods
3019 N24.78674 E50.88390 19
in white limestone
3020 N24.78688 E50.88393 20
in white limestone
3021 N24.78710 E50.88392 22
in white limestone
3022 Coquina / packstone N24.75748 E50.88858 23
3023 Green shale at the base of the Upper Salwa N24.79567 E50.88635 9
Crab/shrimp remains were found here together with two
Diodon trituration/masticatory tooth plates each formed
4001 N24.68737 E50.86614 52
by a series of four or five slightly convex plates, most of
which are well exposed along the trituration surface.
Dugong bone remains on a small limestone mound (one
4002 N24.78732 E50.89150 23
picture). White shells also occur
4003 Bivalves N24.71450 E50.87501 36
4004 Cross-bedded and rippled limestone N24.71455 E50.87472 41

Description
4005 Algo-mats N24.71484 E50.87319 36
4006 Beachrock N24.70967 E50.87852 38
4007 Crab/shrimp remains N24.71072 E50.87935 40
4008 Oolithes N24.71446 E50.87354 41
4009 Erosional disconformity N24.71179 E50.87605 35
One nicely preserved echinoderm still in the rock,
probably an Opechinus or Psephechinus.... as per Kier
4010 N24.73696 E50.89690 38
(1972): Tertiary and Mesozoic Echinoids of Saudi Arabia,
on plate 58, page 223 One Picture
One nicely preserved echinoderm still in the rock,
probably an Opechinus or Psephechinus.... as per Kier
4011 N24.73687 E50.89687 45
(1972): Tertiary and Mesozoic Echinoids of Saudi Arabia,
on plate 58, page 223 One Picture
4012 Lots of burrows N24.78686 E50.89181 20
4013 An echinoderm Agassizia powersi was found here N24.78716 E50.89166 22
4014 Large mudcracks N24.77993 E50.89339 29
4015 Coquina/packstone N24.78019 E50.89373 34
Some large and small bivalves at the base of a white
4016 N24.78757 E50.88860 29
limestone which overlays a green shale
4017 N24.78733 E50.88865 28
4018 N24.78662 E50.88853 30
4019 Some shrimps remains N24.78813 E50.88665 24
4020 Large shells in white limestone N24.78530 E50.89062 32
From bottom to top: With limestone with large shells,
4021 N24.78519 E50.89061 33
blister stromatolites, columnar stromatolites
The whole extensive grey surface displays weathered
4022 N24.78455 E50.89099 32
columnar stromatolites
4023 Red shale with some large bivalves N24.78601 E50.89430 31
5001 Oolitic beachrock N24.70991 E50.87978 46
5002 Shale. Samples 74-79 on Cavelier's section N24.73918 E50.89618 45
5003 White limestone. Samples 57-60 on Cavelier's section N24.73943 E50.89595 49
5004 Oolites. Samples 44-48 on Cavelier's section N24.73938 E50.89585 61
Small stromatolite mounds Samples 31-32 on Cavelier's
5005 N24.73940 E50.89562 56
section
5006 Bulbous stromatolites N24.77853 E50.89008 45
DW-15 which was completed in June 2003 Ministry of
DW-15 Water
Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, Department of N24.78866 E50.89534
Well
Agriculture and Water Research.
Geodetic
N24.77874 E50.89017 46
Station G18
Hazm Where Cavelier (1970) made one of his cross-section of
N24.73725 E50.89551
Mishabiyah the Dam
Qarn Abu
Qarn Abu Wail: Official border with Saudi Arabia N24.67308 E50.85954
Wail

Description
Top of Upper Salwa displaying nice broken chunks of the
3001 N24.93561 E51.20434 53
coquina. Molds of bivalves and gastropods can be seen
Northern end of anhydrite Nodules ("Chicken wires"

5001 fabric) sector. GPS point 5007 is the southern end. N24.83278 E51.11397 63
Several pictures were taken between these two points
5002 Corals occurring in the layer above the anhydrite nodules N24.83118 E51.11561 69
5005 burrows N24.83092 E51.11570 64
5006 unidentified, but possibly the stem of a larger coral? N24.83103 E51.11589 68
This location was named "Conical hill" by Whybrow in
5007 - 1987. Southern end of anhydrite Nodules ("Chicken
N24.82720 E51.11839 64
Conical Hill wires" fabric) sector GPS point 5001 is the northern end.
Several pictures were taken between these two points
Al Kharrarah N24.90444 E51.17500

Tiwar al
N24.80556 E51.09333
Huraythi

Description
Limestone of the Lower Salwa. This rock contains less
1001 N24.95014 E50.92679 44
gastropods than the same layer to the south.
Gas blisters on a bedding plane (one picture). They
1002 N25.07397 E50.81006 7
probably resulted from mat doming by gas escaping.
1003 Conglomeratic limestone (shaly clasts) N25.07282 E50.80974 6
West dipping beds & beachrocks. The whole sector (as
1005 seen on the satellite picture) represents an intertidal N25.07318 E50.81288 14
environment
This is an important protected archeological site in SW
Qatar called Jarr Umm Tuwaim (formerly known as "Bell
rock"). Please respect its content. It is now fenced and
should be entered only with permission from the Qatar
Museum Authority. To learn about the archeology of this
site, read our chapter 11.5 "A study of some bedouin
2001 rock-carvings in SouthWest Qatar" by Frances Gillespie N25.02769 E50.87760
The top of the site is composed of the limestone of the
Middle Salwa. The echinoderm Fibularia damensis can
be found, however, please do not collect there even if
you have the permission from QMA to enter the site.
You can collect from outside of the fenced area from the
same limestone
2002 Lots of white shells (one picture) and 3D burrows N25.06893 E50.81756 20
Celestite nodules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestite),
2003 N25.06889 E50.81736 18
Iron concretions and lots of 3D burrows
2004 Top of the Middle Salwa N25.06859 E50.81817 22
2007 White limestone gypsiferous green shale N25.07189 E50.80963 8
2008 Coquina Gypsiferous layers Gypsiferous green shale N25.06922 E50.81269
Green clay at the base of Upper Salwa (one picture).
3001 N25.07194 E50.82625 33
This is part of the QNCC quarry
3002 Coquina in rippled limestone (wave structure) N24.95071 E50.87850 46
3003 Coquina layer displaying mud cracks N24.94970 E50.87677 43
Calcareous algae in the coquina layer at the top of the
Upper Salwa. While no detailed study was performed on
these samples, they are believed to be representatives
3004 of the red algae (Rhodophyceae), a type of algae N24.94978 E50.87667 43
belonging to the family Corallinaceae. These algae were
important rock builders in areas with warm climate during
the Miocene. (One picture)
Coquina level (top of cliff) White limestone (in cliff) Green
3005 N24.95127 E50.87567 41
clay (large area at bottom of cliff)
3006 Ripple marks (top) and Green & Red clay area (bottom) N24.95869 E50.86899 36
3007 Coquina layer (top), White limestone cliff (bottom) N24.95891 E50.86936 44

Description
The whole section of the Upper Salwa, with the green
clay at the base. Some shrimp claws were also found on
a scraped surface at the base of th clay (where the
3008 N25.07247 E50.82385 31
vehicle is located in the picture) which represents the
top of the Middle Salwa. This locality is part of the
QNCC quarry
Packstone at the top of the Upper Salwa. Some large
3009 N25.00367 E50.85816 35
rocks are getting detached from the cliff (one picture)
Base of the Upper Salwa displaying the Green shale and
3010 N25.00353 E50.85767 19
some large bivalves at the very base
Very base of Upper Salwa with large shells. Green clay
3011 N25.07375 E50.82183 28
aslo occur few metres away
Very large shells which have been scraped by the
3012 bulldozing activity and piled up on debris mounds along N25.06712 E50.82069 27
a quarry trail (one picture)
3013 Large shells from the very base of Upper Salwa N25.05808 E50.82634 30
3014 Top of Upper Salwa displaying coquina/packstone N25.05657 E50.83163 45
3017 Large shells at base of Upper Salwa N25.07739 E50.82187 35
3018 Large shells at base of Upper Salwa N25.07772 E50.82247 36
4003 Red clay. Bottom of Lower Al-Nakhsh N24.96125 E50.87559 49
4004 Tidal Bar deposit (One picture) N24.95650 E50.88190 60
4005 Ripple beds N24.95607 E50.88241 73
4006 Ripple beds N24.95591 E50.88241 78
4007 Red clay N24.95321 E50.88190 52
4008 Red clay just below Hofuf gravel cover N24.95978 E50.87395 47
Anhydrite nodules on limestone mound (one picture).
4009 This is the first time that so much nodules are found in N25.05731 E50.83159 52
the Lower Al-Nakhsh member
5001 Planar bedding in limestone N24.95418 E50.88363 70
White limestone cliff dotted with large anhydrite nodules
5002 N25.00565 E50.85830 43
One picture
Former
Former camp N24.95413 E50.86843 32
camp
Geodetic
Primary Geodetic Station G20 N24.98090 E50.87714 89
Station G20
One dead
N24.95383 E50.88118 53
camel
One pre- As described in Chapter 11.5 which deals with the
islamic archeological site at our locality A5_2001 just 220 metres N25.02746 E50.87973 52
grave to the west
Water Well See picture N24.95755 E50.86706 32

Description
1001 Top Lower Salwa N25.08298 E50.81681 23
1002 Whit limestone in the Lower Salwa N25.08974 E50.81217 11
2001 Echinoderms with crab remains N25.18126 E50.78411 6
Planar/horizonta bedding overlaid by Cross-bedding (one
3001 N25.08201 E50.82468 41
picture)
01 Rubbles of Eocene rocks N25.09694 E50.81533 22
Umm
N25.20319 E50.80443
Bab

Description
2001 Very top of the Middle Salwa N25.07049 E50.91958 26
Lots of echinoderms. The rock is a packstone formed
2002 N25.07112 E50.91887 25
with echinoderm debris
Lots of echinoderms. The rock is a packstone formed
2003 N25.07092 E50.91909 25
with echinoderm debris
2004 Red limestone N24.97875 E50.97200 54
2005 Red limestone N24.97802 E50.97011 55
2006 Weathered coquina. Top of Middle Salwa N24.97738 E50.96509 57
2007 Red limestone N24.98064 E50.96320 58
Weathered coquina. Ripple marks and cross-beds.
2008 N24.98346 E50.96082 58
Doline formation
2009 Red limestone N24.98751 E50.95870 61
2010 Top of Middle salwa N24.99634 E50.95508 55
Top of Middle Salwa with Green shale patches of the
2011 N24.99923 E50.95330 51
Upper Salwa to the south
3001 Large broken-up bivalves with green shale above N25.12903 E50.88288 30
3002 Large broken-up bivalves with green shale above N25.12814 E50.88311 30
White limestone above green shale (one picture). A red
3003 limestone is also above the white limestone and in all the N25.02528 E50.96045 50
surrounding area; however it is not seen on the picture
White limestone. The field to the south is all red from the
3004 rocks of the red limestone which occurs above the white N25.02489 E50.96334 47
limestone
3005 Green shale overlaid by white limestone N25.05885 E50.92976 26
3006 Green shale overlaid by white limestone N25.06568 E50.93638 33
Green shale overlaid by white limestone, overlaid by red
3007 N25.07187 E50.92747 28
limestone
Very base of the Upper Salwa. Large shells can be
3008 N25.07040 E50.91921 28
observed
3009 Thin white limestone and green shale N24.98288 E50.95920 60
White limestone and green shale. Small bivalves,
3010 N24.98547 E50.96189 56
gastropods and burrows
3011 Red Limestone at top of Upper Salwa N24.98916 E50.96344 58
Thick white limestone. Only the top of the green shale is
3012 N24.98847 E50.96253 55
seen at the base
3013 Green shale N24.98761 E50.95803 63
3014 White limestone and green shale below N24.99155 E50.95585 61
3015 Weathered coquina with green shale below N24.99726 E50.95540 58
3016 Green shale N25.03728 E50.95370 32
3017 Upper Salwa N25.03724 E50.95516
3018 Green shale with large bivalves N25.06929 E50.91408 28
3019 Green shale with large bivalves N25.07011 E50.91454 26
3020 White limestone with white bivalves N25.04545 E50.93360 39
4002 Beachrock N25.10598 E50.90932 37
4003 Cross-beds N24.98855 E50.96375 64
Some badly formed columnar stromatolites with 3D
4004 N24.99675 E50.95588 63
burrows

Description
Lower Al-Nakhsh at top of hill with Upper Salwa at
4005 bottom. The bottom unit is the green shale at the base of N24.99614 E50.95448 54
the Upper Salwa
4006 Beachrock N25.02844 E50.95028 45
5001 Oncoidal stromatolites N25.05756 E50.92280 28
Consolidated and laminated red sand; very likely of
windblown origin (one picture). The doline in which it is
6001 N25.05814 E50.92185 30
found is full of red sand resulting from the weathering of
the consolidated rock
Al This area was mined temporarily for the Hofuf sand in
N25.11667 E50.91667
Huriyah 2009
Ti`s al
N25.00970 E51.04367
Kiranah

Description
no points were recorded
11.7 – Links to all Picture Web Albums

In order to access the available picture Web Albums, please click on the appropriate links below:
Area 01
Dam Formation pictures (190)
http://picasaweb.google.com/leblanc.jacques/A1_DamFm?feat=directlink
Miscellaneous pictures (4)
http://picasaweb.google.com/leblanc.jacques/A1_MiscellaneousPoints?feat=directlink
Area 02
Area 03
Area 04
Miscellaneous pictures
None available. If a new album is created later, this page will be updated
Area 05
Area 06
Area 07
Area 08
11.8 - Vertebrates of the Dam Formation in Saudi Arabia
Fig. 11.8.1 – Fossil localities of the Dam Formation in Saudi Arabia (some are briefly described
below). The most western extent of the Miocene deposits is also indicated. The outline of the
formation in Qatar is also shown. Note the Qarn Abu Wail locality striding the border between
Qatar and Saudi Arabia; this locality is where H. St. J. Philby first found Miocene fossils in 1933.
(Whybrow 1987b)
Fig. 11.8.2: Stratigraphical section of the Dam Formation at locality 8 about 10 km N-NW of As-
Sarrar (26º 59’ 01’’ N; 48º 23’ 14’’ E). The maximum thickness of the Dam Formation in the As-
Sarrar area is only about 30 m, and important lateral changes have been observed. The presence of
small vertebrates together with the associated bones of large mammals (Fig 11.8.3) with no sign of
rolling and transportation point to a burial in low energy environment. A fluviatile environment is
emphasized by the lithology, the presence of palaeocurrents, and the continental character of the
fauna.
All the sections observed in the
As-Sarrar area display the
intercalation of continental
sediments into a marine series.
This can obviously be considered
as an indication of the relative
proximity of the seashore. With
regard to the fossil record, the
palynoflora of As-Sarrar is mainly
composed of groups such as
Chenopodiaceae, which are on the
whole indicative of open savannah
grasslands. The reptile assemblage
includes remains of testudinid
Fig. 11.8.3: Rhinoceros skeleton in the fossiliferous bed of tortoises, boid and elapid snakes,
locality 8. and crocodiles. All suggest a
warm climate.
The As-Sarrar avifauna evokes a tropical climate while the presence of ciconiiformes hints to the
existence of trees. With regard to mammals, the As-Sarrar fauna is dominated by large mammals
such as rhinocerotids and gomphoteriids, that is to say browsing forms. For their part, the rodents
include representatives such as the ctenodactylids, gerbillids, and pedetids that would argue to a
certain extent for a drier (but not necessarily arid) climate in a more open type of woodlands and
bushlands. All the vertebrate localities of the Dam Formation in the As-Sarrar area are considered
roughly contemporaneous. Evidences suggest a late Early Miocene age (16 Ma ± 1 my). The As-
Sarrar fauna is thus a MN5 equivalent. [Figures and text adapted after López-Antoñanzas (2004)]
Fig. 11.8.4: Schematic stratigraphic column for the Dam Formation of the Dammam Peninsula in
Saudi Arabia (based on Weijermans 1999b’s sections at Jebel Midra Al-Janubi and Jebel Umm Er
Rus).
Fig. 11.8.5: Generalized topographic map of the
Dammam Peninsula showing the location of
Jebel Midra Ash-Shamali. Contour interval is 5
m. (Weijermans, 1999b)
At Jebel Midra Ash-Shamali (Left), the basal

Dam is exposed as a 0.5 to 1.5 m thick
multicolored conglomerate containing boulders
of Khobar Limestone (Eocene Dammam Fm) set
in a sandy, argillaceous limestone matrix (see
section above). The unit contains fragments of
vertebrate bones and ungular teeth of
Perissodactyl or Artiodactyl (Tleel, 1973).
Abu Samrah
Miocene Dam Formation

Qatar, Middle East
A1_7001 = Trough cross bedding A1_7006 = Trough cross bedding A1_7009 = Sequence boundary A1_7014 = Coquina Layer
Upper Al-Nakhsh
A1_6005 = Roots/dikakas in lithified sand A1_6005 = 38m long lithified inter-dune & sand
A1_6005 = Lithified aeolian sand (Dune) A1_6005 = Lithified Inter-dune & sand dune
dune dune
A1_6013 = Siltstones, clays & marls A1_6002 = Gypsum crystals A1_6029 = Gypsum Crystals A2_6003 = Gypsum Crystals
Middle Al-Nakhsh
A1_5005 = Oncoidal (SS-C) Stromatolites A1_5060 = SH Stromatolite mounds A1_5017a = Beach Rock A1_5017b = Oolites
A1_5019 = Giant gypsum crystals A1_5029b = SH / LLH stromatolite A1_5093 = shrimp burrows in a limestone A2_5022 = LLH stromatolites
Lower Al-Nakhsh
A1_4002 = Columnar (SH) Stromatolites A1_4008 = Microbial Mat “blister” A1_4013 = Tepee Structures A2_4026 = Planar Cross bedding
A1_4011 = Gastropod A1_4009 = Crab remains A3_4010 = Echinoderm Opechinus costatus A1_4038= Myliobatis toothplate A1_4018 & 4019 = Sirenian/dugong bones
Upper Salwa
A2_3009 = Coquina A1_3065 = Sirenian/dugong vertebrDH A1_3017 = Herringbone cross-bedding A1_3023 = Basal green & red shale
A1_3024 = Coquina in rippled beds. Inter/sub-tidal A1_3033 = Burrows A1_3012 – Large bivalves A2_3001 = Large bivalves
Middle Salwa
A1_2089 = White Limestone A2_2032 = Limestone/shale A2_2034 = Limestone/shale A2_2050 = Channels – Tidal delta
A3_2036 = Mud shrimp claw (left), bryozoa (right) A1_2010 = Echinoderms – Fibularia Damensis A1_2115 = Large sirenian/dugong rib A3_2023 = Shark tooth (found with dugong bones)
Lower Salwa
A1_1014 = Intertidal beach environment A3_1050 = Intertidal beach environment A1_1027 = Deformed ironized cross-beds A1_1077 = Coral building-reef
A1_1078 = Coral building-reef A1_1034 = Gastropod layer A3_1051 = Sirenian rib in a bone “cemetery” A3_1048 = Sirenian/dugong vertebra
Credit: Stratigraphic column from Dill et al. 2007.
Legend: A1_1078 = Location 1078 in Area 1 http://leblanc.jacques.googlepages.com/fossilhome
Pictures and text from LeBlanc J. (2009)

Fossils of The Miocene Dam Formation of Qatar (2009)

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Fossils of The Miocene Dam Formation of Qatar (2009)

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A Fossil Hunting Guide

to the Miocene of Qatar, Middle East

By: Jacques LeBlanc

6.0 - Geological features 86

B - CONTACTING THE AUTHOR

Figure C-1: Average Temperatures in Doha throughout the year (www.weather.com )

A Proximity to a main road B No permit required to access the land

F - CONVENTIONS AND MAPPING LEGEND - GoogleEarthTM

BLACK Top of Abu Samrah From 7001 to 7999

DARK BLUE Top of Upper Al-Nakhsh From 6001 to 6999

ORANGE Top of Middle Al-Nakhsh From 5001 to 5999

YELLOW Top of Lower Al-Nakhsh From 4001 to 4999

PURPLE Top of Upper Salwa From 3001 to 3999

PALE BLUE Top of Middle Salwa From 2001 to 2999

GREEN Top of Lower Salwa From 1001 to 1999

Locality of a general geological nature

Important fossil echinoderm (sea urchin) site

Important fossil dugong/sirenian remains site

A known geographical point of Qatar

1.0 Previous Surface Geological and macropaleontological

lithofacies associations (fig. 3.12a&b). These lithofacies associations were stratigraphically

2.0 Regional Geology of the Dam Formation

3.0 - Detailed stratigraphy and Environment of Deposition of the Dam

3.2 - SALWA MEMBER (General)

3.2.1 - Lower Salwa

3.2.2 - Middle Salwa

3.2.3 - Upper Salwa

3.3 - AL-NAKHSH MEMBER (General)

3.3.1 - Lower Al-Nakhsh

3.3.2 - Middle Al-Nakhsh

3.3.3 - Upper Al-Nakhsh

3.4 - ABU SAMRAH

4.0 The macrofossils of the Dam Formations in Qatar

Table 4.1: Macrofossils of the Dam Formation in Qatar

Table 4.1 (Continue): Macro Fossils of the Dam Formation in Qatar

Please respect all the fossil sites that you visit or

Please do not collect or damage the vertebrate sites

If you do discover more vertebrate sites, please report

Miocene Myliobatis toothplate drawings

Fig 4.1.4: Fig 4.1.5:

2a) Oral surface of imperfect lower dental

2b) Transverse view of the same specimen.

3) Oral surface of imperfect lower dental

4) Portion of large caudal spine of an eagle or

Fig 4.1.6b: Vertebrae of unidentified teleosts (A3_2040)

4.1.2 – Mammals (Sirenians/Dugongs)

Fig 4.1.10: A1_2115. A large rib and two vertebrae.

Fig 4.1.12: A1_3035. Very brittle ribs laying in

Fig 4.1.13: A1_3065. Broken bones and one vertebra

Fig 4.1.14: A1_4018. “It looks like a sternal

Fig 4.1.17: A1_4039. "Palatal view of right

4.2 – Marine Invertebrates

Fossil crabs of the World

Fig 4.2.2: Crabs are characterized

Fig 4.2.3: Technical terms and measurements

Fossil Crabs of the Dam Formation

4.2.1b - Callianassidae (Mud Shrimps)

Fig 4.2.5: Several body parts of Callianassa subterranean . Nguyen (2003)

Fig 4.2.6: Callianassa californiensis (wikipedia)

Dam Formation mud shrimps (Callianassa)

Fig 4.2.11: Complete mud shrimp claw

4.2.2 – Echinoderms (Sea urchins)

Fig 4.2.22: The “button-bed” A1_2010 /