The Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in Tunisia: general overview

The Latest Cretaceous–Paleocene paleogeography of Tunisia is characterized by two subsident troughs in the north, the NW Tunisian Trough and the NE Tunisian Basin, and the Gafsa Gulf in the southwest. The Gafsa Gulf, adjacent to the Saharian Platform, is separated from the northern basins by the Kasserine Island. From the three domains, typical successions covering the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition are described in the present paper. In the northern basins, the Cretaceous–Paleogene or K–T boundary lies within the continuously deposited marine El Haria Formation, which attains a thickness of 700–1000 m. The GSSP (stratotype) of the K–T boundary at El Kef lies in the NW Tunisian Trough.