Stratigraphy, sedimentary environment and depositional evolution of the Khuff Formation in south-central Saudi Arabia

The Upper Permian Khuff Formation has been studied in outcrops south of lat 23°N in south-central Saudi Arabia. Fifteen stratigrafic sections were studies and measured; the maximum thickness of the Khuff Formation in this area is about 148 m. The Khuff Formation is composed of alternating sequences of carbonates and siliciclastic rock, and the proportion of siliciclastics increases southwards. The transgressive Khuff carbonates mark a significant change in the pattern of sedimentation from dominantly siliciclastic to dominantly carbonate. The sedimentation of the Khuff Formation involved four third-order depositional cycles, which reflect relative changes in sea-level.