Origin of late Cretaceous phosphorites in Egypt

The Duwi phosphorite deposits in Egypt are a part of the Middle East to North African phosphogenic province of Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene age. Their origin is controversial. Most previous authors have considered them to be in situ, authigenic deposits. Phosphatic grains in the Egyptian phosphorites...

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Main Author: H Baioumy, R Tada, .
Format: Article
Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas
Record Id / ISBN-0: utp-eprints.12272 /
Published: 2005
Subjects:
Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667105000200
http://eprints.utp.edu.my/12272/
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Summary: The Duwi phosphorite deposits in Egypt are a part of the Middle East to North African phosphogenic province of Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene age. Their origin is controversial. Most previous authors have considered them to be in situ, authigenic deposits. Phosphatic grains in the Egyptian phosphorites are well-rounded phosphatic mudclasts (45–65%) and phosphatic bioclasts (35–55%). Phosphatic mudclasts are internally structureless but sometimes contain silt-sized detrital grains such as quartz and bone fragments, suggesting a reworked origin from pre-existing phosphatic mudstone.