Albian - Cenomanian Echinoids from Noor-Abad area, Fars Province

Kazhdumi Formation has been noticed as a hydrocarbon mother rock. On the other hand, it contains very diverse fauna such as corals, bivalves, gastropods, ammonites and echinoids, but there are a few investigations on these groups. Some researchers as Bulot (2010), Kennedy et al. (2009); Asadi et al. (2015) studied ammonites of Kazhdumi Formation. Dehghani et al. (2012) introduced some bivalves and echinoids from northern Shiraz. Kamyabi-Shadan et al. (2014) implicated the stratigraphic position of genus Macraster.

Studied section is located in the eastern flank of Kuh-e-Gurgen, 21 km NW Noor-Abad, West of Fars Province. Kazhdumi Formation with 194.7 m of shale and a few limestone beds is studied here. A rich echinoid fauna (126 speciements) of regular and irregular echinoids is collected from 11 beds (N1 to N9 and N9a to N10) of the Kuh-e-Gurgen section. Echinoid species are identified based on their general characteristics and diameter ratios as well as fine structures and sculptures. Eighteen thin sections have been provided for age determination.  

Eight species belonging to five genera are identified as: Anorthopygus orbicularis, Cidaris (Dorocidaris) taouzensis, Coenholectypus planatus, Macraster douvillei, Macraster longesulcatus, Macraster obtritus, Pedinopsis aff. sinaica and Toxaster granosus. One species, Dorocidaris taouzensis has been reported from Iran for the first time. Presence of the mentioned species shows the age of Cenomanian for the top of Kazhdumi Formation in the Kuh-e-Gurgen section.