Foraminiferal biofacies and depositional environments of the Burdigalian mixed carbonate and siliciclastic Dam Formation, Al-Lidam area, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

The high percentage of calcareous porcelaneous taxa and the absence of planktonic foraminifera indicate that the Dam Formation was deposited in a restricted carbonate platform environment, very shallow hypersaline shallow marine, gently sloping ramp (inner ramp to mid ramp) which ranges from supratidal to subtidal with local reef patches towards the basin. The formation was deposited in an arid subtropical climatic environment with water temperatures ranging from 20 to 35 °C. Based on the observed assemblage composition, the present day Arabian Gulf can be considered as a modern analogue for the Dam Formation during Miocene times.