The topography and geology of the Fayum province of EgyptBeadnell, H. J. L. (Hugh John Llewellyn)
Science
The topography and geology of the Fayum province of Egypt
Beadnell, H. J. L. (Hugh John Llewellyn)
Geology -- Egypt
The cetacean remains, belonging to the genus _Zeuglodon_, were
described by W. Dames,[48] who compared them with the American species
_Z. macrospondylus_ and _Z. brachyspondylus_, but did not then consider
them to represent a new species; in a later publication,[49] however,
the same author described similar but more complete remains, also
collected by Schweinfurth (from beds belonging to our Qasr el Sagha
series), as a new species, _Z. Osiris_. A considerable number of
fish-remains from Geziret el Qorn are also described in the earlier
publication. Although the difference in size of the bones of separate
individuals was considered by Dames to be sexual, it seems probable
that there are two distinct species of _Zeuglodon_, as the smaller
type appears to have a much greater upward range than the larger[50];
both species, _Z. Osiris_, and _Z. Isis_ occur in the Birket el Qurûn
series, and a very fine mandible of the larger was obtained from these
beds in the cliffs near the west end of the lake.[51] More recently
a third species has been discovered by Stromer and described under
the name of _Z. Zitteli_.[52]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—Profile of beds of Geziret el Qorn.
1. Hard brown sand-rock with large concretions of weathered globular
sandstone on the summit; ferruginous nodular bands containing
shell-casts occur near top. 2. Soft gypseous clays with bands of
sand-rock and sandstone with _Ostrea_, _Cardium Schweinfurthi_,
_Turritella_, corals, _Zeuglodon_, chelonian and fish-remains. 3. Brown
sand-rock. 4. Soft gypseous clays and harder brown sandstones. 5. White
shaly marl with fish-scales; hard band at top and soft sandy shaly
clays below.
The surface-slope is much less than shown in sketch and is generally
covered by a deposit of lacustrine clays containing freshwater shells
and fish-bones.]
The accompanying profile (Fig. 4), measured during a hurried visit
to the island for the purpose of correlating these beds with those
of the mainland, shows the character of the lower beds of the Birket
el Qurûn series at this point.[53]
[Illustration: PLATE VII.
WEATHERED CONCRETIONARY SANDSTONE (BIRKET EL QURUN SERIES) ON NORTH
SHORE OF LAKE NEAR GEZIRET EL QORN.]
The upper beds of the Birket el Qurûn series in this part of the
Fayûm are lithologically similar to those just described, consisting
of alternating clays and sandstones, about 37 metres thick. They are,
however, generally much richer in fossil remains, which are likewise
usually better preserved than in the lower beds. Some of the brown
sandstones of this series are literally crowded with perfect examples
of many of the typical mollusca; and further west, near the end of
the lake, foraminiferal bands again become noticeable. Near Dimê the
escarpment of these and the lower beds is gentle and inconspicuous,
but followed westwards it becomes a bold precipitous cliff, increasing
in height towards the western end of the lake, where it is capped by
the lower beds of the Qasr el Sagha series.
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