The Role of Trinidad in the Study of Planktonic Foraminifera

• Main Author: Bolli, H. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Birkhäuser 1974
• Subjects: Trinidad; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/35650/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/35650/1/Bolli.pdf

Three phases can be distinguished during the past forty years in the study of planktonic foraminifera and their application to biostratigraphy. An early one during which a first attempt was made in the Alpine-Mediterranean area to describe and apply mainly Late Cretaceous forms to biostratigraphy. As the second phase may be regarded the work on planktonic foraminifera done in Trinidad, West Indies, which led to a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous to Middle Miocene into some 50 zones. The third phase is the subsequent interregional and world-wide application of the Trinidad and Alpine-Mediterranean systematic and biostratigraphic work. Most of the work of phase two was carried out by a small group of micropaleontologists at the Geological Laboratory of the former Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd. in Pointe-ä-Pierre, Trinidad, West Indies. Based on Trinidad material they erected 18 new planktonic foraminiferal genera and 127 new species, subspecies and varieties. Hans G. Ku g le r, being convinced of the value of planktonic foraminifera for biostratigraphy, constantly encouraged their study, and was instrumental in obtaining Company permission for publication of the results.