Biostratigraphy and geometry of the Lower Cretaceous Tirgan and Taft formations from NE and Central Iran (Northern Tethyan margin): Critical discussion of recently published comments

Abstract

Biostratigraphy of the Tirgan and Taft formations (Lower Cretaceous successions) from the Kopet-Dagh Basin (NE Iran) and Yazd Block (Central Iran) has been described using the benthic foraminifera and colomiellids, which calibrated with the stable isotope records. They have demonstrated that ages at the base and top of the formations are diachrone, and these successions start in the Berriasian? or the lower Valanginian and end in the upper Aptian or the Albian. Evidence for this diachrony in ages has been provided by geometry of the Tirgan and Taft formations, showing explicit onlap patterns for the deposits. Furthermore, comments have been recently published on some benthic foraminifera and age models of the Tirgan and Taft formations by Schlagintweit (2021). Here, we explain about accuracy of the palaeontology of these species and demonstrate that discussion on the age models is wrongly addressed.