Palaeoenvironments of the Continental Intercalaire fossil from the Late Cretaceous (Barremian-Albian) in North Africa: a case study of southern Tunisia

Through the Late Cretaceous, the southern shore of the Tethys Ocean migrated north and south over short distances. These vicissitudes are documented in the Continental Intercalaire, a long series of mainly non-marine sediments deposited in which dinosaur or other reptiles tracks and floral fossils are common across southern Tunisia (North Africa). A combined taxonomic, climatological, and palaentological studies provides independent lines of evidence for reconstruction of palaeoenvironments. The Bou Hedma/Boulouha and Sidi Aich/Douiret Formations from southern Tunisia span the later part of the Late Cretaceous. During the Late Cretaceous the Tunisian territory was an archipelago, thus a particularly suitable area for a more detailed study. We investigated the area's plant palaeobiogeography, using fossil wood, with information from both a literature survey and investigation of new samples. The presence of fossils at great depths and distances from the present coastline, without signs of abrasion and far from areas of fluvial discharges does indicate that these remains have not been transported from the continent to the shelf, but have been preserved directly on the area that today correspond to the continental shelf. The climate during the accumulation of Barremian-Albian deposits in this region is inferred to have been warm and humid.