The Quseir Formation is an Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposit in the Kharga oasis of the Southwestern Desert (Egypt). This formation comprises a clastic sequence of bioturbated mudstone and sandstone intercalations, including rare scattered and fragmented vertebrate remains such as shark teeth, dinosaur remains, and turtle plates. These deposits indicate a supratidal marsh environment. A complete shell of a turtle discovered from the Quseir Formation, at the Kharga oasis, is attributed here to Bothremydini (Pleurodira, Bothremydidae), and determined as a new taxon: Khargachelys caironensis gen. et sp. nov. This form represents the only Bothremydini member currently identified in the Campanian record not only of Egypt but also of North Africa. Therefore, it helps fill the missing evolutionary gap from the Late Cretaceous pleurodires in Egypt and in North Africa.

The Dakhla Formation in the Western Desert of Egypt comprises a thick Cretaceous–Paleocene, ranging from light gray to dark gray, that represents an underexplored geological resource relevant to sustainable energy and environmental conditions. The present study integrates mineralogical and geochemical data based on samples collected from outcrop at Mut-Manflout and subsurface core samples from Abu Tartur (62–150 m depth) to evaluate depositional environments, paleoclimate, chemical weathering, and organic carbon accumulation. Major and trace element geochemistry, clay mineralogy, total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and calorific values are used to assess hydrocarbon potential while minimizing exploration uncertainty. Mineralogical analyses indicate that smectite and kaolinite dominate the Mut-Manflout shales; in contrast, significant relationships among primary oxides and trace elements indicate a source from detrital materials, and elevated Chemical Alteration Index (CIA) values are indicative of intense chemical weathering under humid paleoclimatic conditions. The geochemical results show that Abu Tartur shale core samples contain higher TOC values (0.73–2.08 wt%) and oil-prone kerogen (types I–II to II–III), while Mut-Manflout outcrop samples exhibit lower TOC contents (0.23–1.15 wt%) and gas-prone kerogen (types III–IV). Both successions are thermally immature, with a strong relationship between TOC and S₁ values indicating the presence of indigenous hydrocarbons. By comparing surface and subsurface shales, the present study highlights the importance of site-specific characterization in reducing environmental and economic risks associated with unconventional resource exploration. The results support sustainable resource planning by improving understanding of organic carbon storage, paleoclimate controls, and the responsible evaluation of black shale systems in arid regions such as the Western Desert of Egypt.

Mosasaurs were diverse in the Upper Cretaceous in Africa, but relatively little is known about the mosasaur fauna of Egypt. Here, associated teeth and postcranial skeletal elements are reported for a mosasaur from the Maastrichtian Dakhla Shale of the Dakhla Oasis. The specimen includes tooth crowns, cervical, dorsal, and caudal vertebrae, and ribs. Teeth and bones exhibit features allowing referral to Prognathodontini. The teeth are relatively straight and blunt, suggesting affinities with Prognathodon overtoni or P. currii. Prognathodontins were important predators in the Maastrichtian of Africa, previously being recorded in Morocco, Congo, and Angola.