Cenozoic

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

Permian

Paleozoic

Compiled by: Jacques LeBlanc (2022), Stratigraphic Lexicon: The Sedimentary Formations of The Republic of Niger, Africa. Colnes Publishing (Tallin, Estonia), 365 pp. For more information see "About"

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Cheffadène Formation

Cheffadène Fm

Period:

Cretaceous

Age Interval:

Late Cretaceous (Lower Cenomanian) (8b)

Province:
East Niger Rift Basin - Bilma Sub-basin

Type Locality and Naming

A cliff (18 m) at 63 km S.-S.-E. of Tiffa. Faure, 1966; It takes its name from the small village of Cheffadène.

References: Furon, 1964; Faure, 1966; Fabre et al., 1983; Meister et al., 1994; Konaté et al., 2019.

Synonym: Cheffadene Fm, Grès de Cheffadène; Equivalent(s): Alanlara Fm; Ezerza Fm; Ezerza-Cheffadène Fm

Lithology and Thickness

Ferruginous sandstone, beige, coarse levels with cross-bedded stratifications, white clay. According to Furon (1964), the upper part contains some marine levels. Compared to the Ezerza Fm, the Cheffadène Fm displays thick sandstone beds; the clays are above all kaolinitic, and the limestones have practically disappeared (Fig. 1). Its thickness is 200 m.

[Figure 1: The Cheffadène Fm. Section “A” is taken on the cliff, 5 km south of Cheffadène. Section “B” was measured up to 22.5 km south of Cheffadène (Faure, 1966, pages 244-245). Note that up to 30 m of the formation is missing above section “B”.]

Lithology Pattern:

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Underlying unit is the Tiffa Fm

Upper contact

Overlying unit is the Arentigué Fm

Regional extent

GeoJSON

{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"type":"MultiPolygon","coordinates":[[[[12.87,18.96],[13.18,18.99],[13,19.85],[12.68,19.79],[12.87,18.96]]]]}}

Fossils

South-East of Cheffadène, limestone slabs superimposed and containing fossils from the Lower Turonian.

Age

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Cenomanian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.0

Beginning date (Ma):

100.50

Ending stage:

Cenomanian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

0.5

Ending date (Ma):

97.20

Depositional setting

Continental except for the very top layers, which contain marine levels

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Top formation of the Continental Intercalaire in this area.

Compiler:

Jacques LeBlanc (2022), Stratigraphic Lexicon: The Sedimentary Formations of The Republic of Niger, Africa. Colnes Publishing (Tallin, Estonia), 365 pp. https://doi.org/10.47909/978-9916-9760-6-7 (or via https://sites.google.com/site/leblancjacques)