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Original paper

New biostratigraphical data on the marine Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene of Jordan

Cappetta, Henri; Pfeil, Friedrich; Schmidt-Kittler, Norbert; Martini, Erlend

Abstract

In the frame of a palaeontological cooperation program between the Natural Resources Authority (NRA) in Amman and the Jordanian Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) in Amman with German universities, Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene marine sedimentary series of Jordan were investigated. It revealed that the uppermost Cretaceous phosphate bearing sequences and the Palaeogene chalk-chert sections are generally rich in chondrichthyan fish fossils (sharks, rays). As to the Upper Cretaceous, already existing datations obtained from marine invertebrates (ammonites) could be confirmed and new age determinations were obtained from several additional localities. Regarding the Palaeogene, rather precise new datations can be provided for phosphatic and glauconitic beds in the North East of Jordan.