Planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and datum planes in the Neogene sedimentary sequence in Taiwan

Abstract

The Neogene sequences are well developed in western Taiwan, and they form paleontologically the best known interval of the sedimentary column of the island. The succession of planktic foraminifera, datums, and epoch boundaries in the Taiwan Neogene are discussed, with reference to a generalized range chart and the lithostratigraphic units. Biostratigraphic ranges of these species in the Neogene sections of western Taiwan allow establisment of eighteen foraminiferal datum planes useful for intraregional as well as international stratigraphic correlations.