Planktonic foraminiferal extinction pattern, evolution, turnover, and geochemical anomalies across the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (K/Pg) in Izeh (Zagros Basin, SW Iran)

Abstract

In the Izeh section (Zagros Basin, SW Iran), about two third of the planktonic foraminiferal species, representing less than 20% of the individuals, present in the Maastrichtian polytaxic assemblages, became suddenly extinct at the K/Pg boundary. This mass species extinction testifies end-Cretaceous catastrophic bioevent. The Cretaceous species remain became apparently extinct gradually during the earliest Danian. In fact the unkeeled globotruncanids (Globotruncanella and Rugoglobigerina) as well as the small heterohelicids (Heterohelix and Pseudoguembelina) were also affected by extinction and they were reworked in the basal Danian. Except guembelitriids which persisted longer time. The sudden species extinctions were selective, eliminating geographically restricted large, complex, and deeper dwelling forms (i.e., globotruncanids and large heterohelicids). Contrary, few cosmopolitan small, simple surface-subsurface dwellers (i.e., guembelitriids among small heterohelicids and hedbergellids) crossed the K/Pg boundary and survived the catastrophic event. This selective bioevent is related to the end-Cretaceous bolide and produced ejecta impact inducing major environmental changes as decrease in temperature, collapse of nutriment, and flow breakdown in the water mass stratification. Our geochemical results (δ13C negative shift, δ 18O positive shift, and trace elements anomalies) are consistent with the cooling due to the collision winter triggering collapse of nutriment. Especially the δ 18O values across the upper Maastrichtian and the K-Pg transition in Izeh section although they are lower; they report similar fluctuations to those in El Kef section. Thus these lower values may be indicative of somewhat warmer water at the sea floor. Besides, like as elsewhere, in Izeh, this Cretaceous end catastrophic bioevent is followed by a delayed gradual recovery. Thus, immediately after the K/Pg boundary was created a nearly empty niche in which persisted few Cretaceous survivors with dwarf individuals. These survivors despite they suffered very stressful environmental conditions, they constituted the root stock of globigerinids from which the Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal species evolved and developed carnivorous food diet.