Birket Qarun Formation
| Birket Qarun Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Eocene ~ | |
| Type | Sedimentary |
| Underlies | Qasr el Sagha Formation |
| Overlies | Gehannam Formation |
| Thickness | up to 50 metres (160 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone, claystone, shale,limestone |
| Location | |
| Region | Faiyum Governorate |
| Country | Egypt |
The Birket Qarun Formation is an Eocene aged formation in Egypt. It is part of the famous Wadi al Hitan. Notable fossils include the ancient whales Basilosaurus and Dorudon as well as sirenians Eotheroides and Eosiren. It also contains the teeth of various sharks and reptiles. The area was likely a mix of both marine and freshwater area with many freshwater deposits being found alongside a marine influence from the Tethys Sea. Fossils here also preserve a shallow marine nursery for the whale Dorudon and it seems that this area would have also been the site of active predation from Basilosaurus as it attacked the newly born Dorudon calves.