Field Trips

Immediately prior and after the conference, 3 (three) field trips to some of the geological wonders of Tunisia are planned, offering the attendees the chance to explore the wonders of Tunisia and discover new experiences and sensations.

Participants will be able to explore and uncover many mysteries of local geological history. All field trips are fun and educational, so accompanying persons are also welcome to join in. However, some of our trips may not be suitable for children younger than 10 years old.

Notes on field trips:

  • Field-trip guides will be available in August 2018.
  • Online registration to the field trips will open on 1 June 2018 (see Registration).
  • Registration will remain open until the field trips fill up.
  • Payment is due immediately after receipt of field trip registration confirmation.
  • Your field trip slot(s) will not be confirmed until payment is received before the deadline of 1 October 2018.
  • All payment must be made by bank transfer to the account on the registration confirmation.
  • If you prefer pay cash on-site at the conference desk, please send a scanned copy of your airline ticket before 20 October 2018.
  • Field trips do not involve extended walking.
  • Each field trip can accommodate a fixed number of people.
  • We reccommend registering as soon as possible after 1 June 2018 since some field trips fill up fast.
  • When the maximum number has been reached, you will be placed on a waiting list.
  • If the minimum number of participants is not reached, we reserve the right to cancel the trip.
  • If you cancel before 1 October 2018, we will return payment to you at the conference registration desk.
  • If a field trip is cancelled we will return payment to you at the conference registration desk.
  • No refund will be granted to no-shows.
  • Participants in Field Trip 1 must provide their own transportation to Djerba Island (e.g. connecting flight from Tunis-Carthage airport or direct flight to Djerba airport).
  • For Field Trip 1, there will be a free shuttle service for participants between Djerba airport and the hotel on the island (30 mins, see Registration).
  • For Field Trip 2, there will be a free shuttle service for participants between the airport of Tunis–Carthage and the conference venue in Hammamet (45 mins, see Registration).
  • Field-trip registration fee covers hotel stay for all field-trip nights.
  • Meals and drinks will be included during all field-trip days.
  • We will provide a list of items you should bring on the day of the trip after the registration deadline of 1 October 2018.
  • We maintain a fleet of at least five specially equipped vehicles (per field trip) with professional drivers for exclusive use during field trips and excursions.
  • Please contact us for more information if you have further questions (contact@cajg.org).

Please click below to get more information about each field trip:


Field Trip 1

Tectono-stratigraphic history of the Saharan domain, southern Tunisia

08-11 November 2018

Participation Fee :

550 Euros (student)
650 Euros (academic)
750 Euros (professional)


Leaders:

Samir Bouaziz, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
Mohamed Soussi, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia

This two-day field trip will take place in the beautiful natural setting of the Saharan platform of southern Tunisia, which occupies a special position within the northern African margin. It is a privileged area for geodynamic reconstruction since the Paleozoic, because of the well identified morphotectonic domains and important sedimentary basin. Participants will learn about the complete stratigraphic sequences, which range in age from Late Permian to Quaternary, and the structural records characteristic of southern Tunisia. The sites have been carefully selected to better understand the Paleozoic orogenic cycle (paleotethys evidence), the Mesozoic tectonics cycle (Tethyan rifting) and the Cenozoic tectonics (evidence of Alpine-Atlasic orogeny). The circuit will also cover the only marine sequences of Late Permian in Africa outcropping at Djebel Tebaga of Medenine and the Mesozoic/Cenozoic subsidence basin (Tataouine, Chott, Jeffara). The complex uplift zone of Telezane and the fault system of Jeffara will be presented in particular in the context of the history of the Ghadames basin. This field trip welcomes senior and early-career scientists from all fields of the geosciences. The field trip guidebook will be available for download in summer 2018. The itinerary will include the following stops


Day 1 (8 November 2018): Arrival to Djerba Island

  • 12:00 Arrival of international flights to Tunis airport and departure of connecting flights from Tunis to Djerba Island / Arrival of European flights to Djerba airport
  • 14:00 Check into Djerba hotel (TUI BLUE Palm Beach Palace)
  • 18:00 Dinner in the hotel
  • 19:00 Meeting with the field-trip co-leaders


Day 2 (9 November 2018): Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic orogenic cycle of Saharan domain

  • 07:00 Checkout and departure from Djerba hotel (TUI BLUE Palm Beach Palace)
  • 08:00 Jorf-Boughrara Lagune: Djerba cultural heritage, geographical, geological and structural framework of S. Tunisia (morphostructural features, Dahar plateau, Jeffara fault system / Lagune of Boughrara: Communication with the Mediterranean Sea and sea level changes
  • 09:30 Jebel Tajera: Structural geometry and Bathonian nonconformity
  • 10 :30 Jebel Tebaga of Medenine: Permian rocks, marine character, reef bodies, Fusilinidea, major nonconformities, deformation style, structural geometry, uplift zone, paleogeographic reconstruction, and paleotethys evidence
  • 11.30 Coffee break in the field 
  • 12 :00 Halk Jmal: Permian-Triassic transition and Vraconian-Permian nonconformity
  • 12:30 Sidi Stout: Intra-Triassic nonconformity and structural geometry
  • 13:00 Field lunch at Restaurant "Le Bedouin" in Zammour 
  • 14:30 Sidi Stout: Intra-Triassic nonconformity and structural geometry
  • 15:00 Kef El Aneba: Jurassic stratigraphic sequences, basin border, and Triassic nonconformity
  • 16:00 Col of Bir Miteur: Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic sequences and Albian nonconformity
  • 16:30 Oued Zaafrane: Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and Callovian bioherms
  • 18:00 Arrival to Hotel Sangho in Tataouine
  • 19:00 Dinner in the hotel and overnight stay
  • 21:00 Roundtable discussion: Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic orogenic cycle of Saharan domain
  • 21:30 Local traditional musical party

Day 3 (10 November 2018): Tectono-stratigraphy evolution of southern Tunisia

  • 08:00Checkout and departure from Hotel Sangho in Tataouine
  • 08:30 Visit to Museum “Memory of the Earth”
  • 09:30 Merbah El Asfer: Continental series, flaura, sea level changes, and filling up of the basin
  • 10:00 Chenini: Landscape description, Dahar plateau, Albian nonconformity and fossil vertebrates / Visit to the Berber archeological site of Chenini (Troglodyte)
  • 11:00 Visit to the Old city of Ghomrassene / Visit of the prehistoric shelters (Aïn Sefri), Engrave Rupestre and Neolithic civilization.
  • 11:30 Coffee break in Haddada Ksar / Visit to the ancient buildings of Ksours and filming location of “Star Wars” movie
  • 12:00 Beni Ghdir: Callovian stratigraphic sequences, Dinosaurs tracks, deformation style, Tatatouine subsident basin, and Tethyan rifting evidence
  • 13:00 Lunch in “Relax Coffee Lounge”
  • 14:00 Zemlet El Ghar: Mestaoua plain, Liassic evaporites, Tectonic control, E-W Zemlet El Ghar Fault, subsident basin, and Triassic-Liassic transition
  • 15:00 Smar / J. Rehach: Triassic stratigraphic sequences (Germanic character), Norian nonconformity, tectono-sedimentary record, and structural geometry
  • 16:30 Sum-up: Tectono-stratigraphy evolution of S. Tunisia, basin development (Ghadames, Tataouine, Jeffara), tectonic inversion, role of tectonic inheritance, and geodynamical reconstruction
  • 17:00 Return to Djerba Island via the Roman road
  • 19:00 Arrival and overnight stay at Djerba hotel (TUI BLUE Palm Beach Palace)


Day 4 (11 November 2018)

  • 06:30 Checkout from Djerba hotel (TUI BLUE Palm Beach Palace)
  • 07:00 Departure from Djerba to Sfax onboard the ferry “BABOUR express”
  • 10:00 Guided tour in the city of Sfax, founded in AD 850 on the ruins of Taparura during the Roman Empire
  • 12:00 Lunch in the old city of Sfax at Dar Baya Hotel
  • 13:00 Departure to El Jem with its impressive ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa illustrating the grandeur of Imperial Rome
  • 15:00 Departure to Hammamet
  • 17:00 Check into Hammamet conference hotels and registration at the conference

 

Field Trip 2

Geoheritage and geotourism of northern Tunisia

08-11 November 2018

Participation Fee :

550 Euros (student)
650 Euros (academic)
750 Euros (professional)


Leaders:

Mabrouk Boughdiri, University of Carthage, Bizerte, Tunisia
Ridha Maamri, The National Office of Mines, Tunis, Tunisia
Néjib Bahrouni, The National Office of Mines, Tunis, Tunisia

This guided field trip is dedicated to the geoheritage and geotourism of northern Tunisia. Three main stops have been chosen.

The first stop is at the majestic hydraulic complex of Jebel Zaghouan where the Temple of Water and Andalusian heritage meet. The temple is related to a 123-km long aqueduct, a magnificent achievement of Roman genius supplying water to Carthage.

The second stop at Jebel Serj offers varied perspectives on the wonders of geology with the amazing disguised Aptian carbonates buried beneath your feet. Caves with incredible speleothems are worth visiting before reaching El Kef town. A night will be spent there to allow you to rest. After a quick relaxing shower and a tasty traditional dinner, you will enjoy a party, dancing to the popular local Gasba music which reflects the history and cultural heritage of El Kef and its vicinity. The second day is reserved for the third main stop in the El Kef area, which includes three parts. The first is dedicated to the Bahra phosphate successions and the Dyr El Kef perched syncline, a northernmost window into the phosphate sedimentary history of the North through the emergent domain of “Kasserine Island” and its overlying records.

The second and most important stop is at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary global stratotype section and point (GSSP) as designated at the XXVIIIth International Geological Congress of Washington in 1989. This is a continuous and expanded stratigraphic record whose excellent preservation of microfossils and clear geochemical and mineralogical markers make this stratotype particularly relevant for worldwide correlations.

The last step leads us to Kalaat Senane with its large mesa Jugurtha Tableland, a Nummulite-rich Eocene cliff that stretches over 80 hectares and is 50-m thick. This natural fortress served as a shelter against enemy attacks for many civilizations. It was in this attractive geological structure that the Amazigh (Berber) hero, Jugurtha, took refuge with his Numidian army. At the end of the day, we’ll drive back to the old city of Tunis to spend the night there bringing with us some fossil souvenirs and many good memories! The itinerary includes the following stops:


Day 1 (8 November 2018)

  • 14:00 Check into the conference hotel in Hammamet
  • 19:00 Dinner 
  • 21:00 Meeting with the field-trip leaders

Day 2 (9 November 2018): Temple of Water in Zeghouane, Upper Jurassic/Upper Cetaceous nonconformity of HammamZriba and Oudna Roman Ruins

  • 08:00 Departure from the conference hotel in Hammamet
  • 09:30 Visit to the Oudhna Roman Ruins
  • 11:30 Departure to Zeghouane
  • 12:15 Visit of the Temple of  Water, Zeghouane
  • 13:15 Lunch (les Nymphées Hotel, Zaghouan
  • 15:00 Departure to Hammam Zriba
  • 15:30 Arrival to the Upper-Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous nonconformity ancient mine
  • 17:00 Departure to conference hotels in Hammamet
  • 19:00 Dinner at the hotel

Day 3 (10 November 2018): Speleothems and caving in Jebel Serj

  • 7:00 Breakfast before departure to Siliana
  • 9:00 Arrival to Sidi Ameur (Dar Khlifa): Coffee break before exploration walk for regional geology
  • 10:30 Jebel Serj and Speleo preparations
  • 11:00 Visit to the Speleothems of  J. Serj
  • 13:00 Field lunch (Barbecue MECHWI in Jebel Serj Park)
  • 16:30 Departure to El Kef
  • 18:30 Arrival to the hosting house in El Kef (Guest house Sidi Abdallah)
  • 20:30 Gala dinner with local traditional music

Day 4 (11 November 2018): Dyr El Kef syncline, Cultural heritage of El Kef Medina, K/T boundary GSSP and Jughurta Tableland

  • 08:00 Departure from the hosting house in El Kef
  • 08:30 Dyr El Kef perched syncline
  • 09:30 Sites of Cultural Heritage of El Kef / Coffee break at Dar El Kehia
  • 11:30 K/T reference section of OuedMellegue
  • 13:00 Lunch at El Kef hosting house before checking out
  • 15:30 Visit to Jughurta Tableland
  • 17:00 Departure to Hammamet
  • 20:00 Arrival and dinner at the conference hotels in Hammamet

 


Field Trip 3

Thrust belt systems of northern Africa - Petroleum implications

15-19 November 2018

Participation Fee:

550 Euros (student)
650 Euros (academic)
750 Euros (professional)

Leaders:

Sami Khomsi, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
François Roure, IFP – Energies Nouvelles, France
Dominique Frizon de Lamotte, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, France
Fouad Zargouni, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia

This field trip is supported by The International Lithosphere Program ( ILP).

This field trip is intended to underline the major structural domains of the Atlas and Tell fold and thrust belt structures from the eastern foreland domains in Hammamet, throughout the Zeghouane thrust system of the Atlas to the Medjerda Valley-Tell domains of the eastern portion of the Maghrebides. This will allow an overall structural view of the fold and thrust belts of eastern Maghreb, with observations of major significative structures. A summary transect will be performed, highlighting the structural styles and major regional structures with particular interest for future developments in oil/gas exploration. This field trip welcomes senior and early-career scientists from all fields of geosciences. The field trip guidebook will be available for download in Summer 2018.  The itinerary includes the following stops:


Day 1 (15 November 2018)

  • 18:00 Meeting with the field-trip leaders in the conference hotel in Hammamet
  • 19:00 Dinner in the conference hotel

Day 2 (16 November 2018): Foreland domain of the Atlas and Zeghouane thrust system

  • 07:00 Departure from the conference hotel
  • 08:00 Major unconformities/structural styles and reservoir fracturation in the foreland domain of Enfidha/Bouficha
  • 11:00 Major thrust system of Zeghouane in the Fkirine/Ben Saidane mountains
  • 12:30 Field lunch at 1295 m a.s.l. in Zeghouane mountain
  • 13:30 Major thrust system of Zeghouane (salt tectonics/thrusting of the Atlas belt, structural style and seismic/structural cross sections, oil occurrence)
  • 15:30 Departure to Ain Draham on the highway with a general view to the Medjerda valley
  • 19:00 Arrival at Ain Draham and overnight stay at the cosy hotel of Royal Rihana

Day 3 (17 November 2018): Foreland domain of the Tell and Kasseb overthrust key area

  • 08:00 Departure from Ain Draham hotel
  • 09:00 Tectonic contact of Kasseb Unit overhanging the foreland of the Tell in Kasseb/Jebel Sabbah
  • 10:30 Miocene unconformities on the autochthonous series and Numidian contact in Jebel Ben Amara/Kef Ettayeh
  • 12:00 Tectonic imbricate, oil seeps and seismic interpretations at Kasseb Dam
  • 13:30 Field lunch at the beautiful Kasseb lake/syncline
  • 15:00 Numidian contacts at Ain Bida (white spring)
  • 16:00 Discussion (seismic sections/structural cross sections)
  • 17:30 Return to Ain Draham hotel
  • 19:00 Dinner in the hotel
  • 20:00 Workshop/Lectures on oil exploration in the Tell (regional transects from the Tell to the Pelagian structures) and future research directions on the Maghreb Tell

Day 4 (18 November 2018): Transition between the Tell thrust belt and Medjerda valley

  • 08:00 Checkout and departure from Ain Draham hotel
  • 09:30 Salt tectonics in the late Miocene series of Medjerda/thrust tectonics/seismic sections in Jebel Rebia
  • 11:30 Guided visit of the beautiful archaeological Roman city of Bulla Regia
  • 13:30 Field lunch before departure to Tunis
  • 17:00 Arrival to Tunis hotel and dinner in La Goulette, the port of Tunis, with its fish restaurants and Kasbah fortress built in 1535 by Charles I of Spain

Day 5 (19 November 2018)

  • 08:00 Breakfast and checkout from Tunis hotel
  • 09:30 Departure to Tunis-Carthage airport