Pleistocene-holocene sedimentation along King fahd Causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Abstract

This study was conducted on a series of 10 rock cores, as much as 44 meter long, along King Fahd causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at the entrance of Gulf of Salwa (26 N-50 20 E) on the Arabian Shallow shelf. The cores penetrate Pleistocene-Holocoene rocks and sediments in that area of the Arabian Gulf. These cores show two mineralogical units. 1- A lower dolomite interval, as much as 40 meters thick. 2- An upper non-dolomite interval, three to nine meters thick, which consists of interbedded quartz sandstone, calcitic skeletal grainstone, quartz sand, aragonitic skeletal and oolitic sand and grainstone. The dolomitic interval comprises several depositional cycles. Each cycle includes upward shallowing sequence consisting of