The lithostratigraphy of Miocene series from Tunisia, revisited

In the Mediterranean region, the Miocene is a rather particular tectonic, eustatic and climatic epoch. In Tunisia, the complex distribution of the sedimentary sequences has been controlled by the interaction of these factors. These sequences are composed mostly of silici-clastic packages filling usually rim-syncline, graben and half-graben basins. In the absence of a solid biostratigraphic framework, the dating and correlation of certain formations are not yet clearly perceived. In spite of the availability of some elements of dating (planktonic foraminifera, vertebrates), the solution remains as a whole unclear. The question thus remains as to the significance of the frequency and occurrence of discontinuities, and consequently of those hiatuses between Miocene Formations.Thus, in the light of the recent palynologic, sedimentological and vertebrate biostratigraphical data, a new reading of the paleogeography and paleoenvironment of the Miocene from Tunisia is essential. In this work, the results of multi-field studies supported by the compilation of the literature, enable sensible discussion of the proposed ages, analyze the depositional environments, and concomitantly support correlations between the Miocene Formations recognized to the South-East of the Eastern Dorsale of Tunisia. It is demonstrated that the Beglia and Saouaf Formations are partially equivalent rather than being superposed, as it has been previously surmised. A new, marine formation, the “Kef Ettir Formation”, is also proposed.