Publication Date:
2020-05-04
Description:
Fifty-two species of Ostracoda are distinguished in the Palaeogene succession of Soekor borehole Jc-1 on the continental shelf off Natal. Two species and one new genus are described, and the ostracod faunas can be grouped into four well-defined assemblages. Vertical variations in the make-up of the ostracod faunas, together with various parameters measured in the forminifera populations, are used to discriminate changes in the conditions of deposition and rates of sediment accumulation. These can be summarized: lower Palaeocene environments were hyposaline, restricted circulation, with rapid accumulation; upper Palaeocene through Eocene conditions were normal marine, alternating restricted and open water circulation, with rapid accumulation in the Palaeocene, and slower accumulation in the Eocene; Oligocene conditions were normal marine, with open water given way to restricted circulation, shallow water environments in the upper part. Sediment accumulation rates in the Oligocene vary rapidly, major changes in the composition of the ostracod populations are recognized as important local biostratigraphical events.
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
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