ABSTRACT: Micropaleontologic studies on newly discovered, isolated occurrences of carbonate strata at Risan Aneiza, Northern Sinai, identified six corallinacean taxa,five larger foraminifera taxa and two smaller foraminifera, among the larger foraminifera, one genus, Risananeiza (type species: Risananeiza pustulosa) and one species: Nephrolepidina sinaica n.sp. are believed to be new. The larger foraminifera are classified, described and illustrated. Among them Miogypsinoides complanatus is an index taxon according to Cahuzac and Poignant (1997), for shallowwater Oligocene deposits of western European basins. This species indicates SB 23 (SB=shallowwater benthic) - a late Oligocene, Chattian age (24.5Ma, Gradstein et al. 2004). The exposures are the first documented shallowmarine strata of Upper Oligocene (Chattian) age for the region. Their location between coeval continental strata to the south and fine-grained siliciclastics found in offshorewells is clear evidence of the position of the contemporaneous shoreline, and adds an important segment to the paleogeography of the final stage of Tethys evolution.

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