Abstract
Twenty-one outcrop samples collected from a 28-m-thick section from the Safranbolu Formation of the southwestern part of the Safranbolu Basin, Anatolia, Turkey yielded well-preserved benthic foraminifera belonging mainly to the genera Alveolina, Nummulites, Assilina, Rotalia, Disclocyclina and Orbitolites. Alveolina is the most diversified genus that is represented by sixteen species: Alveolina archiaci, A. axiampla, A. barattoloi, A. carantana, A. colatiensis, A. cuspidata, A. distefanoi, A. histrica, A. lehneri, A. oblonga, A. polatliensis, A. rakoveci gueroli, A. ruetimeyeri, A. rugosa, A. safranboluensis and A. sirelii. Alveolina safranboluensis and A. sirelii are described new. Comparison of the fossil assemblage with those assemblages previously reported from both Turkey and other Tethyan sub-basins revealed that the deposition occurred during the Cuisian (Eocene) and corresponded to Shallow Benthic Foraminiferal Zones (SBFZ) 10–12. The abundance and diversity of the larger benthic foraminifera indicated that the Safranbolu Formation was deposited under transgressive conditions.
Highlights
The temperature-sensitive, larger benthic foraminifera were among the most common microfossils in the Tethyan region and have been used successfully as index markers in establishing the marine stages of the late Paleocene–middle Eocene period
4.1 Systematic palaeontology Samples collected from the Safranbolu Basin yielded Alveolina archiaci, A. axiampla, A. barattoloi, A. carantana, A. colatiensis, A. cuspidata, A. distefanoi, A. histrica, A. lehneri, A. oblonga, A. polatliensis, A. rakoveci, A. ruetimeyeri, A. rugosa, A. safranboluensis, A. sirelii, A. aff. ruetimeyeri, A. cf. ruetimeyeri, A. cf. carantana, A. aff
Remarks: The test size of Alveolina archiaci is similar to A. barottoloi, A. archiaci differs from the latter by possessing a larger elongation index and smaller axial thickness containing more whorls
Summary
The temperature-sensitive, larger benthic foraminifera were among the most common microfossils in the Tethyan region and have been used successfully as index markers in establishing the marine stages of the late Paleocene–middle Eocene period. Micropalaeontological investigations revealed that the Safranbolu Formation comprised a prolific assemblage of Alveolina species together with the genera Nummulites, Assilina, Discocyclina, Orbitolites and Rotalia. Alveolins, with their short stratigraphic range of the upper Paleocene–middle Eocene and wide geographical distribution around the entire Tethyan region, have been effectively used as index fossils in the assessment of palaeoenvironments and in solving biostratigraphical problems (Serra-Kiel et al 1998; Sirel 1998; Dinçer and Avşar 2004; Özgen-Erdem et al 2007; Sirel and Acar 2008; Drobne et al 2011). The members of the genus were important sediment contributors to shallowwater carbonate platforms
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