The Late Permian (Changhsingian) age of the Umm Irna Formation, Dead Sea region, Jordan. Comment on: Triassic sporomorph data for the Umm Irna Formation: Age constraints from the northwestern part of Jordan by F. Ahmad, S. S. Tahoun, I. Makhlouf, K. Al-Kahtany, M. Ibrahim & A. S. Zaky (Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 310/3, 239–250)

Kerp, H; Abu Hamad, A.; Stephenson, M.H.; Jardine, P.E.; Blomenkemper, P.; Bomfleur, B.

Abstract

Based on palynological data from a section in the Dead Sea region (Jordan), Ahmad et al. (2024) recently published an article in which the Umm Irna Formation was dated as Triassic. We strongly doubt that the studied samples are indeed from the Umm Irna Formation. Moreover, several of the identifications in ahmad et al. cannot be confirmed. Some of the illustrated palynomorphs were clearly misidentified, while others were very poorly preserved and unidentifiable. A correct age assessment of the Umm Irna Formation is of crucial importance because of the unique composition of the macroflora.