ABSTRACT
The sedimentary basins of north to northwest Khartoum are filled with predominantly continental sediments of Cretaceous age. One aim of sedimentological, structural and palaeontological investigations is the reconstruction of the basin evolution. The stratigraphic position of the outcropping sediments is based on macroflora and vertebrates, the age of the subsurface sediments on palynomorphs. The exposed sediments are generally flat-lying, only locally deformed by postsedimentary faulting. Geological and geophysical investigations confirm the existence of several deep graben structures. These structures are located north of the central and northern Sudanese rift segments within the region of the Central African Fault Zone. The lateral distribution patterns of the lithofacies assemblages reflect the palaeogeography of the basins during deposition. In the Humar Basin, the meandering river flood plain sediments can be traced for 10's of km. These sediments were deposited on a large, gently northward dipping alluvial plain within a low paleorelief.
