Abstract:
Field observations and sedimentological analyses of alluvial terraces of the O. Gourzi (Batna, NE Algeria) lead us to consider sediments as dominated by clayey and silty-sandy fractions overlain by gravel and calcareous coarser fractions. Moderate CaO
3 contents would have resulted from the dissolution of the nearby carbonate relieves. They are mainly composed of Maastrichtian limestones. The distribution of the mineral fraction led us to identify 07 levels including horizons of coarse fractions alternating with layers rich in sand and silt with a roughly constant clay fraction through the stratigraphic column. Kurtosis values, frequency histograms of a prokurtic type, rarily mesokurtic, mark a constant power mode for the transport agent. Classification indices indicate poorly- to moderately sorted material, indicating a turbiditic depositional environment. Quartz grain nature and morphoscopy refer to Miocene sandstones as a potential origin. The ferruginous coating is due to the initiating pedogenesis.
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