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From the end of the Late Cretaceous to the Early Eocene, the central-western part was interested
by argillaceous inputs of Tunisian origin (Fm. El Haria). In the Hyblean offshore, many volcanic
layers occur in the Scaglia Fm.. The most significant volcanic unit is the Porto Palo Fm.
(Maastrichtian in age). Because of its deposition, the environment evolved from basin into a
carbonate platform.
From Middle Eocene (Fig. 5) the carbonate platform extended from the Maltese domain
westwards to the Pelagian area (Halk el Menzel Fm.; BISMUTH et alii, 1981) and towards North-
East to the Hyblean one (Cozzo Cugni Fm.).

Fig. 5 – Areal distribution of the Middle-Upper Eocene facies
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Management of the ENI/Agip Division.

REFERENCES
ABATE, B., LO CICERO, G., RENDA, P. 1982. Facies carbonatiche ed evaporitiche del Trias
superiore di Marettimo. Rend Soc.Geol. It., 5, 71-76.
ANTONELLI, M., FRANCIOSI, R., PEZZI, G., QUERCI, A., RONCO, G.P. & VEZZANI, F.
1988. Paleogeographic evolution and structural setting of the northern side of the Sicily Channel.
Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 41, 141-157.
BISMUTH, H. & BONNEFOUS, J., 1981. The biostratigraphy of carbonate deposits of the
middle and upper Eocene in northeastern off-shore Tunisia, Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology,
Palaeoecology, 36, 191-211.
CATALANO, R. & D’ARGENIO, B., 1982. Guida alla Geologia della Sicilia Occidentale. Mem.
Soc. Geol. It.
FRIXA, A., BERTAMONI, M., CATRULLO, D., TRINCIANTI, E., MIUCCIO, G. Late
Norian-Hettangian paleogeography in the area between wells Noto 1 and Polpo 1 (S-E Sicily).
Mem. Soc. Geol. It. (in press).

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