Miocene Coral Diversity and their Paleobiogeographical Significance from Ar’Rahlah Member of the Maradah Formation in Jabal Zaltan, Sirt Basin, Libya

Miocene Coral Diversity and their Paleobiogeographical Significance from Ar’Rahlah Member of the Maradah Formation in Jabal Zaltan, Sirt Basin, Libya | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Miocene Coral Diversity and their Paleobiogeographical Significance from Ar’Rahlah Member of the Maradah Formation in Jabal Zaltan, Sirt Basin, Libya Ahmed M. Muftah, Belkasim Khameiss, William Hoyt, Muetaz A. Makhlouf This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9442016/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents the first comprehensive documentation of Miocene corals from the Ar’Rahlah Member of Marádah Formation in the Jabal Zaltan area, Sirt Basin, Libya. The coral specimens were thin-sectioned using standard petrographic techniques. Three coral species have been recorded for the first time from Libya: Favites neglecta , Tarbellastraea reussiana , and Dipsastraea speciosa . The findings enhance our understanding of the paleobiogeographical distribution of these coral species. The three identified species indicate ages ranging from Aquitainian to Tortonian; therefore, the suggested age accordingly herein can be integrated as a Middle Miocene (Langhian) for this Marádah Formation in Libya. The documented coral assemblages provide valuable insights into past climate conditions and environmental dynamics, paleobiogeography during the Miocene era. Coral reefs serve as indicators of marine environmental health and climate change, reflecting ecological interactions of that time. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Biological sciences/Evolution Earth and environmental sciences/Ocean sciences Coral Favites neglecta Marádahh Sirt Basin Libya Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 05 May, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 May, 2026 Editor invited by journal 04 May, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 27 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9442016","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":635449211,"identity":"ade7c0c7-449a-4733-a35e-a727e37a4fd3","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmed M. 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The coral specimens were thin-sectioned using standard petrographic techniques. Three coral species have been recorded for the first time from Libya: \u003cem\u003eFavites neglecta\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTarbellastraea reussiana\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eDipsastraea speciosa\u003c/em\u003e. The findings enhance our understanding of the paleobiogeographical distribution of these coral species. The three identified species indicate ages ranging from Aquitainian to Tortonian; therefore, the suggested age accordingly herein can be integrated as a Middle Miocene (Langhian) for this Mar\u0026aacute;dah Formation in Libya.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe documented coral assemblages provide valuable insights into past climate conditions and environmental dynamics, paleobiogeography during the Miocene era. 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