An integrated stratigraphic study across the Santonian/Campanian boundary at Bocieniec,southern Poland: A new boundary stratotype candidate

An integrated biostratigraphic (foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, crinoids), chemostratigraphic (stable carbon isotopes) and magnetostratigraphic study of the Bocieniec section (southern Poland) is presented here. The section presents a continuous and lithologically monotonous sedimentary record across the Santonian–Campanian boundary transition. A large number of macrofossil, foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil bioevents along with several well-identified carbon-isotope excursions of the upper Santonian and lowermost Campanian are documented. The base of the Campanian is well-constrained by the last occurrence (LO) of the crinoid Marsupites testudinarius, and correlates to the onset of the first δ¹³C positive peak of the Santonian–Campanian Boundary Event (SCBE peak a). A presumable primary Cretaceous paleomagnetic signal highlights the potential presence of the C34N/C33R magnetic reversal although its exact position remains uncertain between peaks a and b of the SCBE. The planktic foraminifer Dicarinella asymetrica is very rare at Bocieniec but a potential LO of this important marker may be recorded in coincidence with peak b of the SCBE. The first occurrence (FO) of calcareous nannofossil Broinsonia parca parca coincides with the lower part of chron C33R and with the early Campanian pilula zone event. A large set of additional nannofossil events and benthic foraminifer events further constrain the stratigraphy of the section and along with the carbon isotopes, allows for correlation with other important sections of the Boreal realm. Although the Bocieniec section is relatively thin and condensed (5.5 m), the successive order of events and presence of all past proposed stratigraphic criteria for the Santonian-Campanian boundary makes it the most complete reference section for this interval at the European and at the global scale. Moreover, this section allows for a precise correlation of the Tethyan and Boreal domains. The Bocieniec section fulfils the geological criteria to be a potential boundary stratotype candidate for the base of the Campanian Stage.     

Central Paratethys paleoenvironment during the Badenian (Middle Miocene): evidence from foraminifera and stable isotope (δ<Superscript>13</Superscript>C and δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O) study in the Vienna Basin (Slovakia)

Stable isotope data of the foraminiferal carbonate shells and bulk sediment samples from the Central Paratethys were investigated to contribute to better knowledge of the paleoenvironmental changes in Badenian (Middle Miocene). Five benthic (Uvigerina semiornata, U. aculeata, Ammonia beccarii, Elphidium sp. and Heterolepa dutemplei) and three planktonic taxa (Globigerina bulloides, G. diplostoma and Globigerinoides trilobus), characterising the bottom, intermediate and superficial layers of the water column, were selected from the Vienna Basin (W Slovakia). The foraminiferal fauna and its isotope signal point out to temperature-stratified, nutrient-rich and consequently less-oxygenated marine water during the Middle/Late Badenian. Negative carbon isotope ratios indicate increased input of ¹²C-enriched organic matter to the bottom of the Vienna Basin. Positive benthic δ¹⁸O implies that the global cooling tendency recorded in the Middle Miocene has also affected the intramountain Vienna Basin. In this time, the Central Paratethys has been in the process of isolation. Our stable isotope trend suggests that the communication with Mediterranean Sea has been still more or less active on the south of Vienna Basin (Slovak part) in the Late Badenian, whereas the seawater exchange towards north was apparently reduced already during the Middle Badenian.     

Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the Mobarak Formation (Lower Carboniferous) in Kiyasar Area,SE Sari,Northern Iran

The Mobarak Formation is near the town of Kiyasar in the south-east of Sari city, northern Iran. This formation conformably overlies the Geirud Formation (Upper Devonian). The lower part of the Mobarak Formation consisting of shales and thin- to medium-bedded limestone toward the top of these sequences changes into alternations of dark limestone and interbedded gray to black shales. Weathered yellow thick-bedded shales are observed at the top of the section. This formation is covered unconformably by sandstones attributed to the Dorud Formation (Lower Permian). The thickness of the formation in this region is 250 m. Four rock units have been recognized in this section. Foraminiferal biostratigraphy shows that the age of the Mobarak Formation in the Kiaysar region ranges from Lower Tournaisian to Early Middle Visean. The foraminifer Zones FAZ1 and FAZ2 are correlated with the Lower Tournaisian and Upper Tournaisian, whereas Zones FAZ3 and FAZ4 correlate with the Visean. Affinities exist between specimens recorded in the Kiyasar section with species known from other regions in eastern and Central Alborz, but there are important differences in their appearance.     

Benthic foraminifera distribution in a tourist lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a response to anthropogenic impacts

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, located in the Rio de Janeiro City, receives several types of polluted discharges. The knowledge of the sediment microfauna correlated with heavy metal and organic matter concentrations could supply important data about the conditions of the lagoon. The benthic foraminiferal assemblage presented larger diversity and more abundant samples in the lagoon entrance than in the inner area. The Ammonia tepida - Elphidiumexcavatum foraminiferal assemblage is characterized by dwarf, corroded and weak organisms. Agglutinated species were found only near the entrance. Low abundance values and sterility of five samples in the inner area (north/northeast) can be caused by high levels of heavy metals and organic matter. A. tepida shows negative correlation with increasing heavy metals values. PAHs and coprostanol high indexes, and the absence or low presence of microfauna in samples around the lagoon margin confirm illegal flows from gas stations and domestic sewage.     

Provenance of chalk tesserae from Brading Roman Villa, Isle of Wight, UK

Thin section petrographical analysis of chalk tesserae at Brading Roman Villa, Isle of Wight, England, identifies a range of planktonic foraminifera and the calcareous algal cyst Pithonella that identify the Late Cenomanian Rotalipora cushmani Biozone (BGS Foraminiferal Biozones 4iii to 7). The local chalk crop to the north of the villa includes rocks of R. cushmani Biozone age, and indicates a likely local, rather than long distance, source for the tesserae. Microfossils provide a powerful tool for identifying the provenance of artefacts in Roman Britain.     

Oceanographic Change and Terrestrial Human Impacts in a Post A.D. 1400 Sediment Record from the Southwest Iceland Shelf

Environmental proxies of soil erosion on Iceland, and oceanographic conditions on the adjacent shelf, were measured on a 50 cm box core taken from the southwest Iceland shelf in 1993 during cruise 93030 of the Canadian ship, CSS Hudson. These data, covering the last several centuries, are compared with the documentary record of sea-ice changes around Iceland since A.D. 1600. The site is under the influence of the Irminger Current, which carries warm, saline, Atlantic water northward along the shelf. Because of the relative warmth of this current, sea ice rarely occurs off southwest Iceland, even during the most severe sea-ice intervals of the historical record. In severe sea-ice years, however, the ice drifts clockwise around Iceland from the northeast and east and, in rare cases, reaches the southern coasts (Ogilvie, 1992). The chronology of the core was established by converting the basal radiocarbon date to calendar years and assuming a linear sedimentation rate from the base of the core to the year of collection, 1993. Organic carbon, stable C and O isotope ratios, planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, and sediment magnetic parameters were measured on samples from the core, plotted against calendar years and compared to the Icelandic sea-ice index. The environmental proxies suggest that increased soil erosion, reduced salinity, and, possibly, decreased marine productivity prevailed during the severe sea-ice interval lasting from the last quarter of the eighteenth century to around 1920. Such a situation could develop with climatic cooling, increased storminess, and loss of vegetation cover to stabilise the soil. Although the core site generally lies outside the sea-ice limits, the evidence clearly shows the influence of sea ice and fresh water, and is sensitive to the overall climatic deterioration manifested by the sea-ice record.     

The fossil record (calcareous nannofossils and foraminifers) in single intervals of the Upper Cretaceous flysch sequence of the West Carpathians, Czechoslovakia

Studies of calcareous nannofossils and microfossils and their distribution in different intervals of the flysch rhythms in the Kloko ník brook in the Bílé Karpaty Unit of the Magura Group of nappes in the West Carpathians gave the following results. The highest species diversity of calcareous nannofossils was found in the lower parts of the Bouma Te hemipelagic intervals. The Campanian marker species Ceratolithoides aculeus and Aspidolithus parcus were found in practically all layers studied. A stratigraphically important foraminiferal fauna was obtained from the upper parts of the Bouma Te intervals, including the Campanian-Maastrichtian planktic foraminifers Globotruncana arca and Globotruncanita stuartiformis. In the non-calcareous pelagites, agglutinated species with a range from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleogene dominate.     

Late Maastrichtian cephalopods,dinoflagellate cysts and foraminifera from the Cretaceous–Paleogene succession at Lechówka,southeast Poland: Stratigraphic and environmental implications

The Lechówka section comprises the most complete Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary succession in Poland and is among 29 sites worldwide with the youngest ammonite record. Here, cephalopods (ammonites and nautilids), organic-walled dinoflagellates (dinocysts) and foraminifera from the uppermost Maastrichtian interval are studied. In terms of ammonite biostratigraphy, the upper Maastrichtian Hoploscaphites constrictus crassus Zone is documented up to a level 120 cm below the K-Pg boundary. There is no direct, ammonite-based evidence of the highest Maastrichtian H. constrictus johnjagti Zone. However, the predominance of the dinocyst marker taxon Palynodinium grallator suggests the presence of the equivalent of the uppermost Maastrichtian Thalassiphora pelagica Subzone, which is correlatable with the H. c. johnjagti ammonite Zone. The planktonic foraminiferal assemblage is coeval with that from the H. c. johnjagti Zone as well. These data indicate that the top of the Maastrichtian at Lechówka is complete within the limits of biostratigraphic resolution, albeit slightly condensed. The dinocyst and foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by taxa that are characteristic of high-energy, marginal marine environments. A reduction in test size among the calcareous epifaunal benthic foraminifera is observed at a level 50 cm below the K-Pg boundary, which is possibly related to environmental stress associated with Deccan volcanism.     

Distribution of Living Larger Foraminifera NW of Sesoko-Jima, Okinawa, Japan

Abstract. Living, symbiont-bearing, larger foraminiferids restricted to the photic zone incorporate mechanisms blocking solar radiation and water current transportation. They can be divided in two groups according to their wall structure: 1, Families with opaque test walls, reducing light penetration: Peneroplids inhabit shallow-water environments from the intertidal ( Peneroplis in large numbers) down to 40 m ( Dendritina , preferring sandy substrates). Soritids are restricted to subtidal environments with less water turbulence and range from the reef moat down to 60 m. Amphisorus and Marginopora are common down to 30 m, whereas Parasorites is restricted to deeper parts of the reef slope. Alveolinella can be found in the upper 40 m of the reef slope. 2. Families with hyaline test walls, adjusted for light penetration: amphisteginids inhabit the whole photic zone, demonstrating a correlation of test flattening with increasing depth. Calcarinids cling with their spines to firm substrates such as algal thalli or macroids. Baculogypsina is restricted to high energetic regions on the reef flat. Calcarina inhabits similar environments, extending its distribution range within fore reefs down to 80 m. Baculogypsinoides is a dominant calcarinid genus from 30 to 70 m depth. Within nummulitids, Heterostegina prefers hard substrates on the reef slope, while Assilina (= Operculina ) is frequent in deeper parts and is independent of substrates. Sandy bottoms from 30 to 60 m are inhabited by the last living representative of the genus Nummulites, N. venosus . The giant foraminifer Cycloclypeus , with test sizes up to 7 cm, is restricted to fore reef areas below 50 m down to the base of the photic zone.     

Response of epiphytic foraminiferal communities to natural eutrophication in seagrass habitats off Man O'War Cay, Belize

Eutrophication from a variety of anthropogenic sources is an increasingly prevalent problem in coastal waters, and is one of the factors contributing to the decline of seagrass ecosystems worldwide. This study investigated the impact of natural nutrient enrichment derived from nesting seabird colonies on Man O'War Cay, Belize, on the epiphytic foraminiferal communities living on the seagrass Thalasssia testudinum. Man O'War Cay, a small mangrove island in the central region of the barrier reef complex, hosts nesting colonies of magnificent frigate birds and brown boobies. Epiphytic foraminiferans were surveyed from five stations spaced at 10‐m intervals along a 40‐m transect in a seagrass meadow located off the eastern end of the island (March 2004). Low species diversity and high dominance of the encrusting, dendritic species Cornuspiramia antillarum characterized the epiphytic foraminiferal biota. Species diversity, as measured by the Shannon's H, and evenness, as measured by Buzas–Gibson's E, decreased in an offshore direction. The density of individuals per square centimeter of blade, however, increased in an offshore direction, with the lowest values observed at the station closest to the island, and the highest values recorded at the station farthest from the shore. The results obtained in this study indicate that epiphytic foraminiferal populations respond to nutrient enrichment, and thus may be useful indicators of ecosystem decline in subtropical–tropical, oligotrophic marine habitats.