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Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and paleoenvironment of the Danian/Selandian in west-central Sinai (Egypt), implications from the Nukhul section

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Abstract

The foraminiferal analysis at the Danian/Selandian boundary of the Nukhul section (Egypt) enabled us to determine the biozones of Praemurica uncinata (P2); Morozovella angulata (P3a); Igorina albeari (P3b), and Acarinina soldadoensis/Globanomalina pseudomenardii (P4c). Thus, the base of Selandian is defined by the first occurrence of I. albeari and the P4c subzone covers unconformably the P3b subzone. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the planktonic and benthic foraminifera assemblages and the isotopic analysis permitted characterization of the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment. Thus, at the middle to upper Danian, the environment was marine intertidal under a relatively cold climate. At the lower Selandian base of the Thanetian, a rise in the sea level was recorded and the warmer climatic conditions seem to be settling. In the upper Thanetian, we note the installation of colder weather conditions and a further sudden drop in sea level.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Gerta Keller and Thierry Adatte who have made available the samples and the isotopic analysis of the Nukhul section. We thank warmly the reviewers for their critical comments that have greatly improved the final text.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département des Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, Jarzouna, Bizerte, 7021, Tunisia

    Narjess Karoui-Yaakoub, Moncef Saïd Mtimet, Chaima Grira, Wafa Guesmi & Semeh Bejaoui

  2. Unité de Recherche: Pétrologie Sédimentaire et Cristalline, Université de Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia

    Narjess Karoui-Yaakoub & Chaima Grira

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  1. Narjess Karoui-Yaakoub
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  2. Moncef Saïd Mtimet
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Correspondence to Narjess Karoui-Yaakoub.

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Karoui-Yaakoub, N., Mtimet, M.S., Grira, C. et al. Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and paleoenvironment of the Danian/Selandian in west-central Sinai (Egypt), implications from the Nukhul section. Arab J Geosci 9, 487 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2513-8

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