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The Oligocene-Miocene Boundary in the South Pacific

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The Oligocene-Miocene Boundary in the South Pacific The Oligocene-Miocene boundary in the South Pacific M. S. SRINIVASAN* Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 J. P. KENNETT ABSTRACT sydrax, the last important forms of which During the last two decades, there have disappeared during earliest Miocene. been several attempts to biostratigraphi- Qualitative and quantitative planktonic Evolution of Gq. dehiscens effectively cally define the Oligocene-Miocene bound- foraminiferal trends have been examined heralds the beginning of major evolutionary ary, but no widely accepted criteria have across the Oligocene-Miocene transition in radiations in planktonic foraminifera that yet emerged. To some extent, this has three Deep Sea Drilling Project sites led to the distinctive Neogene phylogenies. resulted from inadequacies of the type (DSDP 289, 208, 206) in the South Pacific Appearance of this form was followed by European sections of latest Oligocene and ranging from the equator to temperate evolutionary radiation of Globigerinoides earliest Miocene age. There is no stratotype regions. Primary objectives were to deter- into a number of species; initial evolution of boundary section; the latest Oligocene mine main changes in planktonic foraminif- Globorotaiia (Globoconella) incognita, Chattian Stage is located in the Chattian eral assemblages over the Oligocene-Mio- which forms the earliest ancestral form of region of Kassel-Doberg, Germany, with no cene transition. Globoconella: evolution of the Globigerina directly overlying lower Miocene sequence, Of available planktonic foraminiferal woodi group; Sphaeroidinellopsis disjuncta and the earliest Miocene Aquitanian Stage datums in the South Pacific sequences, (the ancestral stock of the Sphaeroidinel- is located in southern France, with no Globoquadrina dehiscens is the most useful lopsis-Sphaeroidinelìa lineage); Globorota- underlying continuous Oligocene sequence. for designation and correlation of the iia (Fohsella) peripheroronda from Gr. (F.) Instead, the base of the Aquitanian strato- Oligocene-Miocene boundary. The strato- kugleri (representing the continued devel- type (within planktonic foraminiferal zone type Aquitanian stage (earliest Miocene) in opment toward the classic Fohsella forms); N4) is marked by an unconformity resting France contains Gq. dehiscens. Although and typical forms of the Dentoglobigerina directly upon middle Oligocene strata. Fur- the base of the Aquitanian stratotype is stock represented by Dentoglobigerina thermore, the sequences are represented by marked by an unconformity, biostrati- altispira. These evolutionary radiations are shallow-water facies and contain few plank- graphic data elsewhere within the basin reflected by a general increase in simple spe- tonic microfossils of value in international suggest that the evolutionary appearance of cies diversity through early Miocene. At all correlation. Little wonder, therefore, that Gq. dehiscens occurred close to the time of three sites, species diversity is lowest in the precise correlation is very difficult with the the oldest stratotypic sediments. Therefore, interval near the Oligocene-Miocene bound- European type stages and that placement of the evolutionary appearance of Gq. dehis- ary. Among the three sites examined, the boundary outside Europe has been cens seems to represent one of the most reli- diversity is highest in warm-subtropical Site tentative. able datums for interregional correlation of 208, because at this latitude faunas include Availability of deep-sea sequences from the Oligocene-Miocene boundary, one that both tropical and temperate forms. the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) has occurs within the biostratigraphic range of The earliest Miocene is marked by high led to an extraordinary increase in biostra- Glohorotalia (Fohsella) kugleri and marks frequencies of Gr. (F) kugleri in tropical tigraphic study of microfossils. Biostrati- the boundary between zones N4A and N4B. areas and Gq. dehiscens in warm-subtrop- graphic sequences are now becoming better Globigerinoides first evolved during the late ical to temperate areas. known over the Oligocene-Miocene transi- Oligocene and is not coincident with the tion and a firmer placement of the bound- Oligocene-Miocene boundary. INTRODUCTION ary is required, even if it cannot be Unlike the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, accurately correlated with the European the Oligocene-Miocene boundary is not Biostratigraphic placement of the Olig- succession. marked by a crisis in the Oligocene plank- ocene-Miocene boundary is of interest in In recent years, a number of workers have tonic foraminiferal assemblages. Most international correlation and chronology. examined late Oligocene through early Oligocene forms continue their range up- The transition from Oligocene to Miocene Miocene sequences recovered by the DSDP ward into the early Miocene, where most represents a time of increasing diversity of from the Atlantic (Blow, 1970; Berggren are replaced by typical Neogene forms. planktonic microfossils and of development and Amdurer, 1973; Bolli and Premoli The only important Oligocene phylogenetic of assemblages characteristic of the Neo- Silva, 1973; Boersma, 1977; Jenkins, 1978; lineage to be essentially eliminated during gene. After a long interval of global plank- Poore, 1979; Krasheninnikov, 1979), Pacific the Oligocene-Miocene transition is Catap- tonic biogeographic sameness, paleoceano- (Beckmann, 1971; Jenkins and Orr, 1972; graphic and paleoclimatic conditions began Bronnimann and Resig, 1971; Kennett, *Present address: Geology Department, Baña- to change to those of the Neogene, marked 1973; Saito, in Andrews, Packham, and ras Hindu University, Varanasi. India. by more distinct latitudinal differentiation. others, 1975; Ujiie, 1975; Quilty, 1976; Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94, p. 798-812, 5 figs., 1 table, June 1983. 798 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/94/6/798/3434654/i0016-7606-94-6-798.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 OLIGOCENE-MIOCENE BOUNDARY IN SOUTH PACIFIC 799 Keller, 1980, 1981a, 1981b; Srinivasan and nition of the Oligocene-Miocene boundary gren, 1971; Groupe français d'Étude du Kennett, 1981a, 1981b; Bizon and Muller, (Berggren, 1969; Blow, 1969). The base of Néogenè, 1974). Consequently, the Globige- 1979), and Indian Oceans (McGowran, the Aquitanian has since been accepted as rinoides datum (base of zone N4) does not 1974; Fleisher, 1974, 1975, 1977; Vincent, the base of the Miocene (George and others, mark the base of the Miocene but is of latest 1977; Bizon and Muller, 1979). However, 1969). The designated stratotype of the Oligocene age. only a few DSDP sites contain a complete Aquitanian Stage is located in the Aqui- In summary, the stratotype Aquitanian carbonate sequence across the Oligocene- taine basin along the Saucat River at Mou- contains both Globoquadrina dehiscens and Miocene boundary. Keller (1980, 1981a, lin de Bernachon, France, where Mayer- Globigerinoides (Jenkins, 1966). Its base is 1981b) provided the first quantitative data Eymer (who established the Aquitanian) an unconformity that normally is taken as on planktonic foraminiferal assemblages reported the best outcrops (Berggren, 1971; the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. Else- across the Oligocene-Miocene boundary in Van Couvering, 1978). where in the Aquitaine basin are the Escor- equatorial Pacific sites, but he made no firm Blow (1969) correlated the base of foram- nebeôu assemblages that contain Globiger- placement of the boundary. We have gener- iniferal zone N4, defined by the first evo- inoides but lack Gq. dehiscens and that are ated further quantitative planktonic foram- lutionary appearance of Globigerinoides considered by Eames ( 1970) to be older than iniferal data across the Oligocene-Mio- primordius (the Globigerinoides datum), the stratotype Aquitanian and younger than cene boundary in three South Pacific with the base of the Aquitanian Stage. Fol- zone PI9. According to the zonation of Sri- DSDP sequences ranging from the equator- lowing Blow (1969), the Globigerinoides nivasan and Kennett (1981b), based on ial to cool-subtropical areas (Sites 289, 208, datum (base of zone N4) came to be equated South Pacific sequences, the presence of 206). These data have been critically re- with the Oligocene-Miocene boundary in Globigerinoides and lack of Gq. dehiscens viewed in terms of placement of the Olig- oceanic sequences (Berggren, 1971; Bizon indicate zone N4A. The presence of both ocene-Miocene boundary. and others, 1972; McGowran, 1974; Stain- Globoquadrina dehiscens and Globigeri- Taxonomic and phylogenetic schemes forth and others, 1975). noides in the stratotype Aquitanian is indic- follow those of Kennett and Srinivasan A different view was presented by Eames ative of an age no older than N4B. There- (1983). (1970), who suggested the presence of Mio- fore, the Escornebeôu assemblages fall cene beds (but which are not of Oligocene within zone N4A, whereas the stratotype Oligocene-Miocene Boundary in Europe age) in Europe that are older than the Aqui- Aquitanian correlates with zone N4B. This tanian stratotype. These sediments repre- suggests that little time is unrepresented in The primary subdivisions of the Tertiary sent the Bormidian Stage of northern Italy sediment between the upper part of the including the Miocene (Lyell, 1833) and the (Lorenz, 1965). Both Blow (1969) and Escornebeôu assemblages and the base of Oligocene (Beyrich, 1854) were initially Eames (1970) recognized
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