The magnetostratigraphic and stable carbon and oxygen isotopic dataset for the Zarzur Formation in Wadi ash Shati, Libya

The Fazzan Basin, south-west Libya, is one of the few regions to document North Africa’s palaeohydrological history in the form of lacustrine-related sedimentary deposits. These belongs to the Al Mahruqah Group, deposited by the hypothesised Lake Megafazzan.
To develop and extend knowledge of the basin during the Neogene, magnetostratigraphic, geochemical and sedimentological analyses have been conducted on sediments from four stratigraphic sections from the Wadi ash Shati area (southern Libya), which cover the Zarzur Formation of the Al Mahruqah Group. Magnetostratigraphic dating demonstrates these units range through the Messinian into the early Pliocene. The stable isotope data and sedimentology suggests the lacustrine units developed in fresh to hypersaline lake systems caught between linear dune systems much like in this part of the modern Awbari Sand sea. The isotope data from carbonates associated with groundwater formed cements and the lacustrine carbonates hints at the strong groundwater control on the carbonate systems.
This dataset contains the entire magnetostratigraphic dataset plus, the stable isotope data and the age model assessments.