Cenomanian–Turonian carbonate platform deposits in west central Jordan.

We studied upper Albian to Turonian shallow-marine shelf deposits (Ajlun Group) of west central Jordan along a NNE-SSW running transect. The carbonate-dominated succession includes few siliciclastic intercalations, claystones and shales, and can be subdivided into five formations. The Naur, Fuheis and Hummar Formations of upper Albian to upper Cenomanian age represent shallow subtidal to supratidal platform environments. The uppermost Cenomanian to middle Turonian Shueib Formation includes deeper water deposits of the inner/mid-shelf and locally TOC-rich black shales. Shallow-marine platform environments once again dominate the Wadi As Sir Formation (middle-upper Turonian). A new multibiostratigraphic framework is based on ammonites (mainly of the middle Cenomanian rhotomagense Zone to the middle Turonian woollgari Zone) and calcareous nannofossils (biozones CC 9–CC 11), supplemented by benthic and planktonic foraminifers and ostracods. It forms the base of a sequence stratigraphic subdivision, containing eight sedimentary sequences (S1–S8), which are separated by four Cenomanian sequence boundaries (CeJo1–CeJo4) and three Turonian sequence boundaries (TuJo1–TuJo3). This scheme allows the correlation of the platform succession from distal to proximal shelf areas in contrast to previous correlations using lithologic units. Furthermore, comparisons between the platform successions and sequence patterns of west central Jordan and those from neighbouring areas allow to differentiate local, regional, and global controlling factors of platform development within the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]