Mokattam Formation

The Mokattam Formation^[1][2] is a Middle Eocene-aged geological formation in northern Egypt. Consisting of nummulitic marine limestone outcropping across the Mokattam Hills, it has been extensively quarried from Ancient Egypt to the present day, and represents the source material for most of the famous archeological sites of Greater Cairo, most notably the Giza pyramid complex, the Great Sphinx, and much of Historic Cairo.^[3]

Mokattam Formation
Stratigraphic range: Middle Eocene (Late Lutetian to Bartonian) PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
A limestone quarry in the Mokattam Hills
Type	Sedimentary
Sub-units	Building Stone Member, Giushi Member
Underlies	Maadi Formation
Overlies	Minia Formation
Lithology
Primary	Limestone
Location
Coordinates	30.0°N 31.3°E / 30.0; 31.3
Approximate paleocoordinates	17.1°N 33.0°E / 17.1; 33.0
Country	Egypt
Type section
Named for	Mokattam Hills
Mokattam Formation (Egypt)

The age of the formation is thought to span from the late Lutetian to the Bartonian, depending on the member (Building Stone or Giushi). However, some authors treat the Giushi Member as its own geologic formation, which would restrict the Mokattam to just the Lutetian.^[2][4][5][6]

The Great Sphinx was carved entirely out of the Mokattam Formation^[7]

Numerous fossil fishes are known from this formation.^[4][8] Sirenian bones have been reported. This formation is the type locality of the early whales Protocetus atavus, and the sirenians Eotheroides aegyptiacus and Protosiren fraasi.^[6][9]

Paleobiota

Cartilaginous fish

Based on Leriche (1921):^[10]

Genus	Species	Member	Locality	Notes	Image
Galeocerdo	G. latidens		Gebel Mokattam	A relative of the tiger shark.[11]
Isurus	I. desori			A mako shark.[12]
Myliobatis	M. goniopleurus			An eagle ray.[13]
Nebrius	N. blanckenhorni			A relative of the tawny nurse shark.[14]
Otodus	O. obliquus			A megatooth shark.[15]
Physogaleus	P. alabamensis (=Galeocerdo aegyptiacus)			A ground shark.[16]

Bony fish

Genus	Species	Member	Locality	Material	Notes	Image
Arius	A. fraasi				A sea catfish.[17]
Blabe	B. crawleyi		Tura	Full specimen	A percomorph of uncertain affinities, possibly a serranid.[18]
Cylindracanthus	C. gigas			Spine	A ray-finned fish of uncertain affinities. Identified from the rocks of the Great Sphinx.[19]
Eobuglossus	E. eocenicus		Tura	Full specimen	A sole.[20][21]
Mylomyrus	M. frangens		Tura	Full specimen	An eel.[20]
"Perca" (Smerdis?)	"P." lorenti			Incomplete specimen	A percomorph of uncertain affinities.[22]
Pomadasys	P. sadeki (=Kemticthys sadeki)		Tura	Full specimen	A grunt.[18]
Pycnodus	P. mokattamensis[10]			Tooth plate	A pycnodont.
Trigonodon	T. laevis			Pharyngeal teeth	A wrasse, taxonomic assignment uncertain.[23]
Turahbuglossus	T. cuvillieri		Tura	Full specimen	A sole.[21]

Reptiles

Genus	Species	Member	Locality	Material	Notes	Image
'Tomistoma'	T. cairense			Skull	A gavialoid crocodilian.[24]

Mammals

Genus	Species	Member	Locality	Material	Notes	Image
Eotheroides	E. aegyptiacus				A sirenian.[9][25]
Protocetus	P. atavus		Gebel Mokattam		A protocetid whale.[6]
Protosiren	P. fraasi		Gebel Mokattam		A sirenian.[6][25]