DAR ALI | is a leading Projects Intelligence platform

Filter

  • Professional Publications
    Company’s contribution including, theoretical studies,experimental reports, challenges and solutions, cases studies,researched and developments and latest new technologies

  • Researches & Papers
    Individual’s contribution (academics, practitioners, consultants,scholars and researchers with different backgrounds and experiences)

Stratigraphic and Hydrocarbon potential of the Paleozoic succession in Jordan

Researches & Papers, Mines & Mining Engineering



Jordan is part of the Arabian platform in general 4-6 km of sedimentary rocks over line the crystalline basement, however the sedimentary section is up to 10 km thick. The section comprises sediments ranging in age from late Proterozoic to Holocene. The Paleozoic rocks of Jordan crop out in the south western of the country. The sediments are situated conformably on the basement and dip gently to the west. In the eastern part of the country the sediments sub crop the Hercynian unconformity and are buried to depth of some 2000 m or more. Northwards, the lower Paleozoic is unconformable overlain by Cretaceous clastic deposits, which in turn are seceded by Tertiary sediments and volcanic rock in the NE Jordan The Early Paleozoic (Cambrian to Silurian) rocks are croping in southern Jordan. These sediments are entirely penetrated in two wells in Wadi Sirhan and Jafr areas (WS-3 and JF-1) and penetrated partially in more than 50 wells in Risha, Wadi Sirhan, Mudawwara, Azraq and northern highlands areas in Jordan. More than 3500 m of continental and shallow marine clastics with minor, but remarkable, carbonate section of Early-Middle Cambrian age (Burj formation) were encountered. In the Eastern parts of Jordan, the sequence recorded much more thickness, indicated by seismic. In the outcrop area, the Cambrian section consists mainly of arkosic sandstones of the Salib and Umm Ghada formations. The Salib is situated directly on the Basement. The Burj formation, which consists of dolomites and shale, overlies the Salib and Umm Ghada formations and constitutes and important seismic marker in the area. The Burj formation is overlain by the Umm Ishrin formation, which mostly consists of sandstone. These Cambrian formations have not been penetrated in the Risha area but the Burj seismic marker, which can be correlated over a vast area of the Middle East, is present. The Disi and Umm Sahm formations consist of mainly braided fluvial to deltaic sandstones intercalated by minor shale beds of more marine origin. These formations are Ordovician age. The Hiswa formation, which consists of shale and siltstone often bioturbated and with ripple marks, attesting to its marine origin. The RH-3 well encountered the top of the Hiswa formation. Above the Hiswa formation is the Dubeidib formation. In outcrop it consists of a lower fine grained sandstone with skolithos burrows, a middle part with channel fill and intercalated sandstone with hummocky bedding and an upper sandstone similar to the lower sandstone. The total thickness is 125 m in outcrop. The three units were deposited in a shallow marine environment. The area constituted a major depositional center during the early Paleozoic Hercynian uplift reactivated fault in Jordan and Strike-Slip faulting created isolated high such as the Risha platform. The Risha Platform area was characterized by non-depositional and erosion during most of the Mesozoic and Tertiary time. In the Risha area the Dubeidib formation is much thicker and much more Shaly. There it consists of basal sand, a lower Shaly Silty unit, a middle unit with sandstone beds often showing coarsening upwards log profile and a upper Shale/Silty unit with few Sandstone intercalations. Due to its more Shaly nature, it was probably deposited in a slightly deeper marine. The Late Paleozoic (Devonian to Permian) rocks are cropping out in Northern and Northeastern Saudi Arabia. These sediments were penetrated entirely in Jordan, whereas, sediments from Devonian to Permian age were reported. In Jordan, sediments from Carboniferous and Permian ages were reported environment compared to the outcrops.



Maher Khatatneh, Abdulwahab Khatab, Anas Qasem

Carnallite Froth Flotation Optimization and Flotation Cells Efficiency in the Arab Potash Company – Jordan

Researches & Papers, Mines & Mining Engineering



Arab Potash Company (APC) was formed to develop minerals from the Dead Sea which is the main and only source for the potash industry in the form of potassium chloride. Dead Sea salts are converted into a final sailable product in the form of potassium chloride which is commercially known as Potash. Currently, APC is producing potash for agriculture, chemical industry, industrial salt, bromine and NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) fertilizers. The flotation unit at APC is a significant part of the overall processes, which end up separating Halite from mixture, Halite separated as float, while Carnallite as sink. The current study aims to provide a better understanding of flotation process. In this investigation, several laboratory experiments were conducted that covered main factors which affect significantly on flotation cell. The best flotation cell efficiency in experiments was achieved in term of Halite removal and Carnallite recovery. Tests were covered: Agitator speed, pulp density, reagent quantity, conditioning time, temperature effect, Ph effect, additives effect, size distribution effect, and wet screening analysis were performed. The conclusion is based on analyses of the obtained results incorporated with direct observation from APC flotation cells. Obtained results indicated that considering certain significant experimental parameters will reduce the loss and the overall cost, and, consequently, will increase the overall production



Submitted by: Eng. Abdel Fattah Alamer The Arab Potash Company - APC Production Directorate

A new stratigraphic correlation for the upper Campanian phosphorites and associated rocks in Egypt and Jordan

Researches & Papers, Mines & Mining Engineering


shallow marine environments in Egypt and Jordan, have been intensely studied due to their economic interest. These deposits belonged to the giant Tethyan phosphorite belt extending from the Caribbean in the west, through North Africa to the Middle East in the east (Notholt 1980). This province accounts for the greatest known accumulation of marine phosphorites, possibly in excess of 70 billion metric tons of phosphate rocks (Glenn and Arthur 1990). An increased attention to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic phosphorite deposits of the Middle East coincides with the discoveries of oil shale and rare earth elements associated with the phosphate deposits (El-Kammar et al. 1979; Muhammad et al. 2011; Abd 2011). The Campanian deposits were studied by several authors and described their petrography, geochemistry and phosphogenesis (e.g., Hassan and El Kammar 1975; Glenn and Arthur 1990; Baioumy and Tada 2005) in Egypt, while in Jordan (e.g., Bandel and Mikbel 1985; Abed and Ashour 1987; Abed and Kraishan 1991; Abed and Fakhouri 1996; Abed and Amireh 1999; Abed et al. 2005; Abed et al. 2007; Abed 2011 and 2013, Powell and Moh’d 2011, 2012). Sedimentation of the phosphorite, chert, oil shale, and associated sediments was a function of upwelling currents influence bioproductivity, as well as the light, relative sea level, and paleobathymetry of the epicontinental shelf floor (Kolodny and Garrison 1994; Abed et al. 2005; Powell and Moh’d 2011). The depositional setting caused rapid lateral variations in thickness and facies. The Egyptian and Jordanian phosphates are shallow marine deposits of Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) age. The maximum phase of phosphorite sedimentation was associated with a transgressive shoreline of the Neo-Tethys Ocean that encroached from north to south over the northern slope of Africa in the Coniacian to Campanian times. The precise correlation of the major upper Cretaceous phosphate provinces in Egypt and Jordan, as well as the comparison between the local and global sequences is still uncertain due to the controversy in age assignments and strong lateral and vertical variation of lithofacies. The aim of this paper is to present results of investigation on age assignment, lithofacies, biofacies, and the depositional environments to determine the relative sea-level curve of the Campanian deposits in Egypt and Jordan. It provides interesting correlation of phosphorite sequences in the inner-ramp setting from south Egypt and north Jordan, and the timing of causal factors such as global/regional sea-level changes


Facies analyses and a sequence stratigraphical framework with regional correlation of the upper Campanian phosphate province are described and interpreted based upon three main sections located in Egypt (Gebel Duwi and Abu Tartur sections) and north Jordan (Umm Qais section). Fifteen facies types were grouped into: phosphate (FT1–5), carbonate (FT6–11) and siliciclastic (FT12–15) facies associations. The main component of phosphate rocks are pellets in situ and common reworked biogenic debris especially in the upper phosphate beds (e.g., fish teeth and bones) with abundant Thalassinoides burrows suggests that the skeletal materials are the main source for phosphatized inputs in Egypt, while the common authigenically phosphatic grains (pristine) in Jordan reflects upwelling regime in oxic to suboxic zones. Based on age assignment as well as stratigraphical position, the phosphorite beds show great similarity that may suggest the similar origin and adjacency during the period of deposition of the Duwi Formation in Red Sea coast of Egypt and its equivalent the Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation in Jordan that represents the early transgressive system tract. On the Abu Tartur Plateau, the presence of sandy pyritic phosphatic grainstone (FT1) and glauconitic quartz arenite (FT12) in the middle part of the studied section, along with the absence of the chert facies (FT14), reflects shallower marine depositional environment with increased fluvial sediment-supply than in those along the Red Sea coast and north Jordan


A detailed facies analysis of the Late Campanian succession of Egypt and Jordan, including litho-, bio- and microfacies analyses, resulted in the recognition of 15 characteristic lithofacies types grouped into phosphate (FT1-5), carbonate (FT6-11) and siliciclastic (FT12-15a-c) associations that have been used to characterize the depositional environments. The phosphate province in Egypt (Duwi Formation) and Jordan (Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation) is represented by five lithofacies types. The basal phosphate beds in Egypt and Jordan show that major transgressive facies development occurred during the Late Campanian above strong facies changes from the non-marine Qusseir Variegated Shale in Egypt, or, equivalent carbonate facies of the Amman Silicified Limestone Formation. The upper phosphate beds represent another transgressive facies characterized by coarse-grained phosphate with siliciclastic gravel and Thalassinoides burrows at the base. Phosphatic pellets are represented by reworked granular and in situ phosphatic grains (pristine). Granular phosphatic pellets have been recorded from all studied localities. Authigenic phosphatic grains (pristine) are more common in the Jordanian phosphorites. Phosphatic lithoclasts are much more common in the Egyptian phosphorites than in phosphatic rocks in Jordan. Bones and teeth fragments are dominant in the different investigated phosphorites. Their abundance and size increase in the Abu Tartur phosphate rocks. Bioactive is well developed in the phosphatic grains (pellets and bones) of the Egyptian phosphorites. These phosphatic grains are microbially tunneled (by bacteria), commonly with a micritic carbonate fluorapatite (francolite) and phase filling the tunnels and gradually replacing the bone matrix. The redeposition of francolite in the bored bone fragments is associated by dissolving hydroxyapatite mineral (dahlite). The main phosphatic beds of the Campanian successions in Jordan lie in the Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation. Along the Red Sea coast of Egypt as well as in Nile Valley, the thickest phosphatic beds may be in the upper part of the formation or in the middle part and sometimes in the lower part of the formation, that may indicate that some depositional basins were more suitable and/or affected by rapid accumulation of phosphates more than other localities. The Campanian rock units in Jordan, Red Sea and Nile Valley are approximately similar to each other and suggest similar lithofacies development in response to global/regional relative sea-level changes across the Nubo-Arabian Shield on the southern margin of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. These facies accumulated under protected inner shelf environments where the phosphorite beds were deposited during slight storm include events. On the Abu Tartur plateau, the main phosphorite bed occurs in the lower part of the formation followed by black shales and glauconitic sandstones. The presence of quartz grains in the lower part of the phosphatic bed in Abu Tartur reflects fluvial sediment-supply and shallower depositional environment in these basins than in those along Red Sea coast and in north Jordan. The large amounts of pyrite and glauconite in the Abu Tartur phosphorites suggest an increasingly abundant source of iron-bound phosphate associated with terrigenous sediment input to the continental margin.


Fayez Ahmad* Sherif Farouk** and Mohamed W. Abdel Moghny*** e-mail: [email protected], +962 (05) 390 3333 ext. 4236 or 4233, Mobil phone: +962 795 964 502, fax: +962 (5) 3826 823