Upper Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy from NW Turkey: calibration of the stratigraphic ranges of larger benthonic foraminifera

Abstract

Planktonic and larger benthonic foraminifers of the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian–Maastrichtian)‐Lower Tertiary (Danian) rock units from north, northwest and central Anatolian fore‐arc basins have been investigated in order to improve the biostratigraphic resolution of this time interval. Total abundance and diversity of planktonic foraminifers vary from rare (the sequence from the Haymana region) to high (the sequences from the Cide, Çaycuma, Hanönü and Yenikonak regions) and preservation is poor to moderate due to lithologic variation. First and last appearances of the planktonic foraminifera evaluated as major bio‐events have been used to establish the biostratigraphic framework. Planktonic foraminiferal zonation from bottom to top of the succession consists of zones defined by Dicarinella concavata, Dicarinella asymetrica, Globotruncanita elevata, Globotruncana ventricosa, Radotruncana calcarata, Globotruncanella havanensis, Globotruncana aegyptiaca, Gansserina gansseri, Abathomphalus mayaroensis and Morozovella pseudobulloides. Ten Orbitoides and Lepidorbitoides species have been identified. The different phylogenetic development stages of Orbitoides and Lepidorbitoides populations and other larger benthonic foraminifers, Pseudosiderolites vidali, Siderolites calcitrapoides, Siderolites denticulatus, Omphalocyclus macroporus, Cideina sözerii, Hellenocyclina beotica, and Clypeorbis mamillata have been calibrated with the planktonic foraminiferal zonation established in the same successions. Hence, an integrated zonational scheme composed of planktonic foraminifers and larger benthonic foraminifers has allowed a detailed stratigraphy of these successions to be erected. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Striking Variation in the Provenance of the Lower and Upper Cretaceous Turbidites in the Central Pontides (Northern Turkey) Related to the Opening of the Black Sea

“…Nannofossils and foraminiferal content constrain the depositional age of this volcaniclastic turbiditic sequence to the Campanian‐Maastrichtian (Aydın et al, ; Gedik & Korkmaz, ; Hippolyte et al, ; Leren et al, ; Okay et al, ; Özcan & Özkan‐Altıner, ; Özkan‐Altiner & Özcan, ; this study). The turbidites become gradually more calcareous upward and pass into white deep‐marine marl and calciturbidites of Akveren formation with depositional ages of Maastrichtian to Paleocene (Aydın et al, ; Leren et al, ; Okay et al, ; Figures and f).…”

Maastrichtian-Thanetian planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and remarks on the K-Pg boundary in the southern Kocaeli Peninsula (NW Turkey)

“…The Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary and related events were briefly evaluated in previous works on the Upper Cretaceous-Palaeocene biostratigraphy studies of the Kocaeli Peninsula and surrounding areas (e.g., Dizer and Meriç, 1981;Bargu and Sakınç, 1987;Tansel, 1989aTansel, , 1989bKırcı and Özkar, 1999;Özkan-Altıner and Özcan, 1999). It is partly based on the well-established concept that the K-Pg transition is conformable in the cited region, and on the monotonous pelagic limestone sequence representing the boundary transition.…”

“…Although axial sections of the Upper Cretaceous and Palaeogene planktonic foraminifera were well illustrated together with photographs of isolated specimens by classical work of Postuma (1971), biostratigraphic subdivisions based on thin section analysis have been subjected to relatively few studies, including those of Sliter (1989Sliter ( , 1999, Sliter and Leckie (1993), Premoli Silva and Sliter (1995), and Robaszynski et al (2000) for the Upper Cretaceous and van Konijnenburg et al (1998) for the Palaeogene. These pioneering works are commonly followed by various researchers to establish biostratigraphic zonation in some Upper Cretaceous and Palaeocene sections in Turkey and Northern Cyprus (e.g., Özkan-Altıner and Özcan, 1999;Sarı and Özer, 2002;Sarı, 2006Sarı, , 2009Sarı, , 2013Hakyemez and Özkan-Altıner, 2010).…”

Biostratigraphy and palaeoceanography of the early Turonian–early Maastrichtian planktonic foraminifera of NE Iraq

“…Although several authors (e.g. Robaszynski et al, 1984Robaszynski et al, , 2000Caron, 1985;Honigstein et al, 1987;Almogi-Labin et al, 1991;Premoli Silva & Sliter, 1994, 1999Ayyad et al, 1996;Mancini et al, 1996;Robaszynski, 1998;Özkan-Altiner & Özcan, 1999;Bauer et al, 2001;Premoli Silva & Verga, 2004;Sari, 2006Sari, , 2009Babazadeh et al, 2007;Farouk & Faris, 2012) have equated the earliest occurrence of D. asymetrica with the mid-Santonian, some recent studies have identified this species from the late Coniacian (Gale et al 2007;Lamolda et al, 2007). Based on the most recent calibration for the Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal biozonation by ogg & Hinnov (2012, pp.…”

“…Given the absence of supporting bivalve data in the Iraqi succession, the Lo of D. asymetrica is taken as the approximate marker for the base of the Santonian. The Ho of D. asymet rica is used to define the Santonian-Campanian boundary (Marks, 1984b;Caron, 1985;Honigstein et al, 1987;Dowsett, 1989;Gvirtzman et al, 1989;Sliter, 1989;Almogi-Labin et al, 1991;Gale et al, 1995;Ayyad et al, 1996;Mancini et al, 1996;Özkan-Altiner & Özcan, 1999;Sari, 2006Sari, , 2009Babazadeh et al, 2007;ogg & Hinnov, 2012;Kochhann et al, 2014) 7). In addition, the Lo of Globotruncanita elevata and G. stuarti formis also fall within this biozone ( Figs 6 and 7).…”