Antarctic Paleogene planktonic foraminifera

• Main Authors: Stott, Lowell D, Kennett, James P
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 1990
• Subjects: 113-689B; 113-690B; 113-690C; DRILL; Drilling/drill rig; Joides Resolution; Leg113; Ocean Drilling Program; ODP; South Atlantic Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.754445; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.754445

ODP Leg 113 drilled the first nearly continuous pre-Neogene calcareous biogenic sequence from the Antarctic Ocean at Sites 689 and 690. At 65∞S, these are probably the highest latitude calcareous sequences available in the Southern Hemisphere deep oceans. Together these two sites provide a nearly complete planktonic foraminifer history for the Late Cretaceous through late Oligocene. Planktonic foraminifers are abundant and generally well preserved from the Upper Cretaceous to the Eocene. Abundances and the quality of preservation are reduced during the Oligocene as calcareous microfossil groups are progressively replaced by siliceous groups. The Neogene is marked by only rare, isolated occurrences of planktonic foraminifers, the most conspicuous of which are of Quaternary age. The diversity of planktonic foraminifers was low following the mass extinction event at the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. The lowermost Paleogene fossil assemblages following the mass extinction event closely resemble those of lower latitudes. During the middle Paleocene, a "high latitude" assemblage developed that lacked species found at lower latitudes, particularly the early morozovellids. The diversity increased during the late Paleocene through evolutionary radiation in conjunction with warm conditions at high latitudes. Diversity remained high in the Antarctic throughout most of the early and early middle Eocene. Subbotinids and acarininids dominated the assemblages along with various Planorotalites species. At no time, however, did any of the large-keeled morozovellids, the hantkeninids, or the globigerapsids characteristic of the low latitudes inhabit the Antarctic Ocean. Beginning in the late middle Eocene, planktonic foraminifer diversity was reduced due to the extinction of the acarininids and several Subbotina and Planorotalites species. In the upper Eocene the fossil assemblages exhibit even lower diversity and are dominated by three to four species. These changes correspond to the beginning of a long-term climatic cooling ...