Morphological changes of the large foraminiferal genus Loftusia during the Maastrichtian and its palaeogeographical inferences from the Zagros and Neotethys basins

Abstract

This study examines the morphological changes of the Loftusia genus from the Zagros Belt of southern Iran using quantitative data. Eight Tarbur Formation outcrops were investigated in the High Zagros and the Lurestan sub zones. The observed Loftusia species are of mid Maastrichtian age in the High Zagros and the mid to late Maastrichtian age in the Lurestan and Murak areas, and they are often observed in deposits of the lagoon environments with high nutrient conditions. Two (Tang-e Shabi Khoon area) and four (Murak area) cycles were recognized based on the morphological parameter changes of Loftusia species. The correlation of the number of cycles of Loftusia species between the Zagros basin and the different areas of the Neotethys basin indicates that Loftusia species sizes change in time. The obtained data shows that the number of the sedimentary cycles (alternating shale and limestone layers) in the High Zagros zone is more different than the Lurestan zone. The High Zagros zone comprises rich terrigenous shale with higher nutrient flux in comparision to the Lurestan zone and other areas of the Neotethys basins. The number of cycles decreased from the southeast toward the northwest of the Neotethys basin. It is thought changes in Loftusia species in the Zagros basin are related to nutrient input during the Maastrichtian age and were independent of evolutionary trends.The genus Loftusia disappeared in the High Zagros zone at the end of the late Maastrichtian. The subsidence of the basin is associated with the Dena and High Zagros Faults. Due to the activities of those faults, the Tabur Formation was not deposited in the High Zagros zone areas. The genus Loftusia appeared in the southeast region of the Arabian plate during the early Maastrichtian, and migrated to the northwest of the Neotethys during the Maastrichtian.