Capo Rossello Research Articles

A composite Pliocene record of sea surface temperature in the central Mediterranean (Capo Rossello composite section – South Sicily)

The Pliocene (5.33–2.58 Ma) was the last period in the Earth's history when atmospheric CO2 concentrations were similar to today (~400 ppm) and global mean temperatures were significantly warmer. In the Mediterranean, the Pliocene, and more particularly the Piacenzian (3.6–2.58 Ma), has been intensively studied but less is known about the Early Pliocene climate. This study aims at filling this gap with a high-resolution alkenone-derived sea surface temperature (SST) record of the Zanclean epoch obtained from the composite Capo Rossello section (South Sicily). This new dataset is combined with the previously published records of Beltran et al. (2011), Herbert et al. (2015) and Herbert et al. (2018), to document SST changes during major regional and global oceanographic re-organizations such as the connection with the Atlantic basin. Our SST record highlights the key transition between the warm and unstable conditions during the Zanclean and the more stable and cooler Piacenzian, around 3.8 Ma ago. We suggest that this transition results from the intensification of the Mediterranean outflow and the establishment of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be responsible for cooler, more seasonal and possibly dryer conditions in the Mediterranean.

Astronomical dating of two Pliocene alkaline volcanic ash layers in the Capo Rossello area (southern Sicily, Italy): implications for the beginning of the rifting in the Sicily Channel

Abstract Two volcaniclastic ash layers (AL1 and AL2) are intercalated throughout the middle Pliocene sedimentary sequences of Punta Piccola and Capo Rossello exposed along the south coast of Sicily (Italy). Astronomical calibration of the Punta Piccola section provided an age of 2.676 Ma for the deposition of the AL1 layer. The high-resolution bio-cyclostratigraphy of the Capo Rossello section, in combination with detailed correlations with previously astronomically calibrated coeval sequences, provided an age of 2.225 Ma for the deposition of the AL2 layer. Mineralogical, petrographical and geochemical results from the two volcaniclastic layers suggest a Na-alkaline differentiated magmatism for the volcanic source, similar to the one which formed the alkaline rocks of the island of Pantelleria (Sicily Channel). These results indicate that isolated volcanic activity and/or early differentiated magmatic events may have occurred in the area of the Sicily channel well before the well-known late Pleistocene volcanic activity.

Early Pliocene vegetation changes forced by eccentricity-precession. Example from Southwestern Romania

Repetitive changes in Early Pliocene marine and continental sediments were forced by astronomical cycles (eccentricity, precession) and related to low amplitude climatic fluctuations as demonstrated at Capo Rossello and Monte San Nicola (Sicily). This work aims to establish if such climatic fluctuations have also controlled changes in the vegetation during the warm Early Pliocene. High-resolution pollen analysis of the Lupoaia section (SW Romania) provides evidence of a clear response owing to its location within a delta system which constitutes a reliable area for pollen deposition near the Carpathians (i.e. capable of registering all the vegetation ecosystems from edaphic coastal associations up to the highest altitudinal belts), and owing to its Southeastern European longitude probably where warm–humid air masses arrived regularly, making the region a highly favourable refuge for thermophilous plants. Eccentricity appears to have controlled fluctuations in temperature (development of thermophilous elements during eccentricity minima, and descent of altitudinal trees during eccentricity maxima) while precession appears to have forced changes in humidity (expansion of cypress swamps related to precession maxima, and spread of herbaceous marshes requiring more humidity related to precession minima) with respect to increased precipitation and run-off.

Hannibal's Children: Immigration and Antiracist Youth Subcultures in Contemporary Italy

The night of September 14, 2002 was moonless. A stormy sea lashed the rocky coastline at Capo Rossello, a small town near Agri- gento on Sicily's southern coast. Shortly after midnight, the wind carried the sound of screams out of the darkness to the restaurants along the beachfront. The screams grew in intensity and then, sud- denly, stopped. Some time later, bodies began to wash up on the beach. As the townspeople learned the following morning, a Ximsy wooden boat carrying passengers from Liberia had foundered in the rough waves near shore. One hundred twenty-eight people were dumped into the heaving waves near Capo Rossello. At least thirty- six of these people drowned while trying to swim to shore. This mass drowning was not unique. Italy has been experiencing a sharp in- crease in immigration over the last few years. These immigrants are increasingly coming from various points in Africa rather than from Eastern Europe. Every month, hundreds of impoverished people set out in poorly equipped boats from Libya, Tunisia, and other sites along the Northern Africa coast. Every month, dozens die as they try to reach Italy and Spain. The Italian coast guard has contributed to this body count by aggressively pursuing and turning back boats loaded with immigrants Xeeing Africa (Bruni 2002). These horriWc deaths have sparked intense debate concerning immigration in Italy. Although news of immigrant deaths arrives with numbing regularity, the mass drowning at Capo Rossello made a particularly dramatic impact on the controversy surrounding clan- destine immigration to Italy as a result of its date. Five days earlier,

A high-resolution record of the last deglaciation in the Sicily Channel based on foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil quantitative distribution

Relative abundance fluctuations in planktic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil assemblages are reported on the basis of a high-resolution study of ODP Leg 160 Hole 963D, drilled in the Sicily Strait, near Capo Rossello (southern Sicily). With its 8 m of undisturbed sediments, the core covers the interval from 1.5 to 23 kyr, allowing a 50–100-yr sampling resolution. All the short warm and cold events and sub-events recorded in this time interval in the GRIP Greenland ice core and at several Mediterranean sites were recognized. On this basis, a total number of nine ecozones based on planktic foraminifera and seven ecozones based on calcareous nannofossils were identified. A short interval of climatic amelioration, identified above the base of the Holocene, precedes the segment contemporaneous with the deposition of sapropel S1, which has no lithological expression in the local sedimentary record. This segment has been subdivided into the two warm S1a and S1b phases, separated by a cold intermediate event. A gradual climatic deterioration is recorded above the top of the interval correlated with sapropel S1. It is interrupted by short cold spells, tentatively correlated with similar short duration cold events reported for this interval in the recent literature.

Sonic and gamma-ray astrochronology: Cycle to cycle calibration of Atlantic climatic records to Mediterranean sapropels and astronomical oscillations

Research Article| August 01, 2000 Sonic and gamma-ray astrochronology: Cycle to cycle calibration of Atlantic climatic records to Mediterranean sapropels and astronomical oscillations Francisco J. Sierro; Francisco J. Sierro 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Santiago Ledesma; Santiago Ledesma 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar José-Abel Flores; José-Abel Flores 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Susana Torrescusa; Susana Torrescusa 2Repsol Exploración, Paseo Castellana 280, 28046 Madrid, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wenceslao Martínez del Olmo Wenceslao Martínez del Olmo 2Repsol Exploración, Paseo Castellana 280, 28046 Madrid, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Francisco J. Sierro 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain Santiago Ledesma 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain José-Abel Flores 1Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain Susana Torrescusa 2Repsol Exploración, Paseo Castellana 280, 28046 Madrid, Spain Wenceslao Martínez del Olmo 2Repsol Exploración, Paseo Castellana 280, 28046 Madrid, Spain Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 28 Dec 1999 Revision Received: 11 May 2000 Accepted: 16 May 2000 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2000) 28 (8): 695–698. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<695:SAGACT>2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 28 Dec 1999 Revision Received: 11 May 2000 Accepted: 16 May 2000 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Francisco J. Sierro, Santiago Ledesma, José-Abel Flores, Susana Torrescusa, Wenceslao Martínez del Olmo; Sonic and gamma-ray astrochronology: Cycle to cycle calibration of Atlantic climatic records to Mediterranean sapropels and astronomical oscillations. Geology 2000;; 28 (8): 695–698. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<695:SAGACT>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A high-resolution analysis of cyclical patterns in gamma-ray and sonic logs of the lower Pliocene sediments from the Gulf of Cadiz (southern Spain) was carried out. Results suggest that these cycles can be successfully used for a bed to bed correlation with the global reference section for the astronomical time scale in Capo Rossello (Sicily). Cycle patterns were used to tune the logs to the astronomical solutions of J. Laskar. The gamma-ray and sonic cyclicity was interpreted in terms of precession-induced oscillations of annual rainfall in southern Spain that were, in part, responsible for the increasing input of freshwater into the Mediterranean at times of sapropel formation. We demonstrate that gamma-ray and sonic astrochronology can be successfully used for interregional correlation and astronomical dating with errors not higher than 20 k.y. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Pliocene Transgression in the Western Mediterranean Sea: Strontium Isotopes from Cuevas Del Almanzora (Se Spain)

The deposition of marine sediments in the deep Mediterranean basins following the Messinian salinity crisis (“Zanclean Deluge”) began at 4.9 Ma and continued until normal marine conditions prevailed at 4.6 Ma. The Betic Strait of southeast Spain, the Rif Strait of northern Morocco, and the Strait of Gibraltar have been postulated as possible entry ways for the marine waters into the Mediterranean. Two possible explanations have been offered for the timing of the deposition of marine hemipelagic marls in the Vera Basin (Cuevas del Almanzora section) within the Betic Strait: (1) early Pliocene, representing the “Zanclean Deluge” (Cita et al., 1980), (2) Messinian (∼5.7 Ma), representing the last marine stage before the Messinian salinity crisis (Benson and Rakic‐El Bied, 1991; Benson et al., 1991). The strontium isotopic ratio on mixed assemblages of foraminifers from these marine marls was determined in order to assess their ages. The average 87Sr/86Sr (0.709033±24) of the seven measured samples is, compared to the base of the Miocene/Pliocene boundary stratotype at Capo Rossello, Sicily, higher by 38 × 10−6 and yields an age of 4.6±0.5 Ma when compared to the established open ocean Sr seawater curve. The determined age indicates that (1) the first 3.6 m of marine deposits of the Cuevas del Almanzora section sensu Cita et al. (1980) including the passage zone are Pliocene, (2) the earliest marine Pliocene might not be represented at Cuevas del Almanzora indicating that this marginal basin at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, yet within the former Betic Strait, was filled progressively by a marine transgression originating from the Mediterranean Sea around 4.6 Ma. The absence of lowermost Pliocene sediments could suggest that the Betic Strait did not serve as a conduit for the water masses entering the Mediterranean basins during the early Pliocene; and (3) the presence of an early evolutionary stage of Globorotalia margaritae in the Moroccan Bou Regreg section (approximately 5.8–5.6 Ma) and in the Spanish Cuevas del Almanzora section (later than 4.6±0.5 Ma) are diachronous suggesting that straightforward correlations of micropaleontological events within the Mediterranean area with micropaleontologic events of open marine sections should be tested thoroughly by independent methods like Sr isotopes.

High resolution biochronology in the Monte Narbone Formation of the Capo Rossello section and the Mediterranean first occurrence of Globorotalia truncatulinoides

Quantitative analysis on the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in the Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene segment of the Capo Rossello section evidences the same number of relative abundance fluctuations of the Globigerinoides ruber taxonomic unit recorded in the same stratigraphic interval of other Mediterranean sequences. Between the Globorotalia inflata FO and the Discoaster brouweri LO 4 relative abundance fluctuations are present. Since the D. brouweri LO is recorded in the Mediterranean basin below the base of the Olduvai magnetic event and in coincidence of relative abundance fluctuation 73, the Gt. inflata FO is coincident with fluctuation 80. The first appearance ol Globorotalia truncatulinoides is recorded on the second fluctuation above the Gt . inflata FO and on the second fluctuation below the D. brouwueri LO. Therefore the Gt. truncatulinoides FO is coincident with fluctuation 77. The absolute age proposed for these 3 bio-events is 1.99,2.07 and 2.13 MA respectively. The most important calcareous nannofossil events, recognized by quantitative analysis, have been correlated to the abundance fluctuations of the Globigerinoides ruber taxonomic unit.

Pliocene-Early Pleistocene astronomically forced planktonic Foraminifera abundance fluctuations and chronology of Mediterranean calcareous plankton bio-events

The absolute age estimates for calcareous plankton events proposed by the writer in a recent paper are discussed according to the new proposed paleomagnetic time scales. A re-interpretation of the sequence of lithological cycles recognized in the composite makes their number perfectly comparable with the number of planktonic foraminifera abundance fluctuations in the same stratigraphic interval. An absolute age of 5.33 MA is estimated for the base of the Pliocene, as defined in the Capo Rossello section. Periodicity of the relative abundance fluctuations of the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages during the Early Pleistocene stratigraphic interval is estimated at about 41 kyr, well comparable with the periodicity of the obliquiry astronomical cycles. By correlation of the sequence of biostratigraphic events recorded in the Early Pleistocene interval in the Mediterranean sections with the sequence of abundance fluctuations, their absolute ages have been obtained, as well as the absolute age of chronostratigraphic boundaries. The base of the Pleistocene is at 1.83 MA and the top of the Early Pleistocene, coincident with the top of the Sicilian, is at 0.89 MA. A re-evaluation of the Oxygen isotopic Stages of the upper Singa section is proposed, on the base of paleomagnetic and calcareous plankton biostratigraphic data reported for this section. Correlation with the North Atlantic Site 607 proved that rhe G. oceanica s.l. FO, the C. macintyrei LO and rhe Gephyrocapsa sp.3 FO are slightly diachronous between the Mediterranean and the mid-North Atlantic high latitudes.

The age of the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in the Capo Rossello area (Sicily)

Detailed correlations of magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy reveal that the basal Pliocene is equally complete in the Eraclea Minoa and Capo Rossello sections (Sicily) and the Singa section (Calabria), and that, in accordance with the model of the Pliocene flooding event in the Mediterranean, the deposition of the pelagic marls of the Trubi Formation started synchronously on Sicily and in adjacent Calabria. In addition, the data obtained from the Trubi in the Eraclea Minoa section allows the age of the Miocene-Pliocene boundary to be adjusted slightly from 4.83–4.84 [1] to 4.86 Ma because downward extrapolation of both sedimentation rate and average duration of small-scale sedimentary cycles in the Trubi yields this age for the boundary in this section. Linearly interpolated ages for the top of the Sphaeroidinellopsis acme and the first substantial increase in Globorotalia margaritae (the FOD of this species is non-existent in the Mediterranean Pliocene) at Eraclea Minoa arrive at 4.74 and 4.63 Ma respectively. Because of the detailed magnetostratigraphy and the very accurate dating of the Miocene-Pliocene boundary, it is preferable to select the Eraclea Minoa section as the boundary stratotype rather than the Capo Rossello section. Finally, this age of 4.86 Ma for the Miocene-Pliocene boundary suggests that the beginning of the Pliocene is connected with the termination of a series of latest Miocene glaciations and that the re-establishment of open marine conditions in the Mediterranean might be of glacio-eustatic origin.

Application of strontium isotopes to late Miocene-early Pliocene stratigraphy

Measurements of {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios of planktonic foraminifers from paleomagnetically dated Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) cores indicate that the {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratio of seawater increased linearly between 6 and 4 Ma with a slope of 87 {times} 10 {sup {minus}6}/m.y. This suggets that {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr variation in this time interval are useful for estimating ages in marine sequences. The theoretical stratigraphic resolution of the technique is 0.23 m.y., but the practical resolution is estimated to be 0.3-0.5 m.y. Strontium isotope ratios of five samples at the base of the Miocene/Pliocene (M/P) boundary stratotype at Capo Rossello, Sicily, have a mean {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr value of 0.708995 {plus minus} 0.00002. Applying the regression equation derived from our {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr vs. age data set for deep-sea sequences yields an age of 4.94 {plus minus} 0.50 Ma (95% confidence interval) for the M/P boundary stratotype, similar to ages estimated by biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic methods. Correlation of this mean {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratio to the section at DSDP Site 519 suggests that the boundary is coincident with the onset of a major early Pliocene transgression, as recorded by a decrease in oxygen isotope values for benthic foraminifers. This studymore » demonstrates the potential application of strontium isotope stratigraphy for correlating and dating problematic sequences, such as those deposited in restricted, shallow-water, or high-latitude environments.« less

Late Miocene–Early Pliocene stratigraphy and paleoceanography of the South Atlantic and southwest Pacific oceans: A synthesis

The stratigraphy and paleoceanography of the late Miocene and early Pliocene have been examined at six sites in the South Atlantic and southwest Pacific oceans: Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites 284, 516A, 519, 588, and 590 and two piston cores from Chain cruise 115. A consistent stratigraphy was developed among sites using graphic correlation, which resulted in age models for all sites that are tied to the revised paleomagnetic time scale of Berggren et al. (1985). Applying these chronologies, we assessed latitudinal and interocean contrasts in the stratigraphic ranges of late Miocene‐early Pliocene planktonic foraminiferal and nanno ‐ fossil datums. Salient stratigraphic results include (1) The last appearance datum (LAD) of Globoquadrina dehiscens is a late Miocene (∼6.4 Ma) event in the subtropics and is not useful for the placement of the Miocene/Pliocene (M/P) boundary in this biogeographic province. (2) The first appearance datum (FAD) of Globorotalia crassaformis occurred at ∼5.1 Ma in the South Atlantic near the M/P boundary, suggesting that Gr. crassaformis may have first evolved in the South Atlantic and later migrated to other regions. (3) In the southwest Pacific, the FADs of Gr. margaritae (5.97 Ma), Gr. puncticulata (5.09 Ma), and Gr. crassaformis (4.87 Ma) are significantly time transgressive between temperate and warm subtropical regions. Time lags of ∼1.0 m.y. were required for these species to adapt to physical and/or biotic conditions peripheral to their endemic biogeographic provinces. (4) Between the subtropics of the South Atlantic and southwest Pacific, many planktonic foraminiferal datums (FAD of Dentogloboquadrina altispira, Gr. cibaoensis, Gr. conomiozea, Gr. margaritae, and Gq. dehiscens and LAD of Gr. cibaoensis) markedly depart from the correlation suggested by magnetostratigraphy, indicating that these datum levels are unreliable for correlation between these ocean basins. (5) In contrast, available calcareous nannofossil datum levels fall on or near the paleomagnetic correlation line, indicating synchroneity of events within the subtropics. (6) Biostratigraphic, magnetic, and 87Sr/86Sr correlation between sites 588 and 519 and the M/P neostratotype at Capo Rossello, Sicily, suggests that the base of the Zanclean stratotype occurs at 5.1–5.0 Ma in the lower reversed subchron of the Gilbert, about 2–3 × 105 years above the Gilbert/Chron 5 boundary. Oxygen isotopic results from DSDP sites 284, 519, and CH115 piston cores confirm a prolonged benthic ∂18O increase in the latest Miocene between ∼5.6 and 5.0 Ma, as originally proposed by Shackleton and Kennett (1975). At DSDP site 588, the benthic ∂18O record in the latest Miocene is marked by high‐frequency fluctuations with amplitude variations of ∼0.5‰, and a long‐period wavelength component of ∼400,000 years. Maximum ∂18O values, however, occurred during the late Miocene (Kapitean Stage) between 5.5 and 5.1 Ma. The late Miocene ∂18O changes resulted from mid‐ and high‐latitude cooling and pulses of ice sheet expansion and contraction. Glacial events were most intense during the latest Miocene (Kapitean Stage), and occurred at 5.50–5.35 Ma and at 5.10 Ma. Glacial events are estimated to have lowered sea level by ∼40 to 60 m and contributed to the isolation and desiccation of the Mediterranean Basin during the late Messinian. Interglacial conditions prevailed at 5.2 Ma and between 5.0 and 4.1 Ma ihe early Pliocene. The beginning of the Pliocene was marked by changes in many proxy climatic indicators at all sites, suggesting a prolonged interval of warm, interglacial conditions between 5.0 and 4.1 Ma during the earliest Pliocene.Supplementary tables are available with entire article onmicrofiche. Order from American Geophysical Union, 2000Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009. DocumentP86‐001; $2.50. Payment must accompany order.

Calcareous plankton biostratigraphy and biochronology of the Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene succession of the Capo Rossello area, Sicily

In the first part of this paper we present the calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Capo Rossello section (Sicily), which suggests that a sedimentary gap exists at the contact between the “Trubi” and the overlying Monte Narbone Formation, close to the top of the proposed Zanclean stratotype. This suggestion is supported by the planktonic foraminiferal results and field observations. In contrast, the transition from the “Trubi” to the Monte Narbone Formation is well exposed, gradational and biostratigraphically continuous in the nearby section of Punta Piccola. A composite of the Capo Rossello and Punta Piccola sections serves as a good biostratigraphic reference for the Pliocene of the Mediterranean. In a second part of this paper, we have attempted to update the Mediterranean Pliocene time framework by integrating all of the available biostratigraphic, biochronologic, chronostratigraphic, paleomagnetic and radiometric data.

Globorotalia truncatulinoides (d'Orbigny) in the Mediterranean Upper Pliocene Geologic Record

Globorotalia truncatulinoides (d'Orbigny) in the Mediterranean Upper Pliocene Geologic Record

Sedimentation in the latest Messinian at Capo Rossello (Sicily)

ABSTRACTTen samples from a Late Messinian section measured at Capo Rossello, a few hundred metres laterally from and stratigraphically immediately below the Miocene/ Pliocene boundary stratotype, have been investigated by various techniques: carbonate content, grain‐size analysis, loss on ignition, clay mineral composition, frequency of euryhaline ostracods. Two lithological sub‐units. with different palaeoenvironmental implications, are recognized. Both sub‐units were deposited after the termination of evaporitic conditions, and immediately after deposition of an ash fall tuff. The lower unit is the Congeria marl which yields the ‘lago‐mare’faunal assemblage, the autochthony of which is supported by biometrical analysis of Cyprides agrigentina, indicating brackish, shallow‐water conditions with Paratethyan affinities, and the upper, the Arenazzolo, a thin sandy unit indicating a higher energy environment whose duration is estimated at some thousand years. Marine faunas yielded by the Arenazzolo are interpreted as allochthonous. Sedimentary structures suggest a littoral setting at the edge of the lake, or a delta lobe.The main environmental change occurs at the base of the immediately overlying Trubi Formation, where open marine conditions indicative of oceanic depths mark the termination of the Messinian salinity crisis.

Neogene calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy in eastern Mediterranean deep-sea sediments (DSDP Leg 42A, Sites 375 and 376)

Calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy has been worked out in the eastern Mediterranean utilizing deep-sea sediments recovered from DSDP Leg 42A Sites 375 and 376. These two drill sites were located approximately 55 km west of Cyprus on the Florence Rise. Sediments, ranging in age from early Miocene ( Helicosphaera ampliaperta Zone) through Holocene, contain sufficient age-diagnostic species to recognize essentially all of the lowlatitude nannoplankton zones described by Bukry, although regional, secondary marker species are needed to define some zonal boundaries. Reworked Cretaceous and Paleogene nannoplankton occur throughout the stratigraphic interval studied, but not in quantities large enough to mask indigenous species. Sedimentation rates at Sites 375 and 376 were highest in the late Miocene and late Pleistocene. Open-marine, warm-water species of discoasters are present in significant numbers throughout the Miocene and Pliocene. Earliest Pliocene assemblages contain numerous specimens of ceratoliths. Nannoplankton in post-Messinian sediments at the drill sites and the Zanclean stratotype at Capo Rossello, Sicily, indicate that the base of the Amaurolithus tricorniculatus Zone (base of Triquetrorhabdulus rugosus Subzone) corresponds with the Miocene-Pliocene boundary.

Neogene Calcareous Nannoplankton Biostratigraphy in Eastern Mediterranean: ABSTRACT

Calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy has been worked out in the eastern Mediterranean using deep-sea sediments recovered from DSDP Leg 42A Sites 375 and 376. These two drill sites were located approximately 55 km west of Cyprus on the Florence Rise. Sediments, ranging in age from early Miocene (Helicosphaera ampliaperta Zone) through Holocene (Emiliania huxleyi zone), contain sufficient age-diagnostic species to recognize essentially all of the low-latitude nannoplankton End_Page 443------------------------------ zones described by D. Bukry, although regional, secondary marker species are needed to define some zonal boundaries. Nannoplankton zonation established at these two deep-sea localities provides a standard of reference for much of the Neogene in the eastern Mediterranean. Reworked Cretaceous and early Cenozoic nannoplankton are present throughout the stratigraphic interval studied, but not in quantities large enough to mask indigenous species which are used for the determination of zonal boundaries. Sedimentation rates at Sites 375 and 376 were highest in the late Miocene and late Pleistocene. Open-marine, warm-water species of discoasters are present in significant numbers throughout the Miocene and Pliocene. Earliest Pliocene assemblages contain numerous specimens of the deep-water genera Amaurolithus, Ceratolithus, and Triquetrorhabdulus, evidence of the rapid marine transgression immediately following Messinian evaporite deposition. Nannoplankton in post-Messinian sediments at the drill sites and the Zanclean stratotype at Capo Rossello, Sicily, indicate that the base of the Amaurolithus tricorniculatus Zone (base of Triquetrorhabdulus rugosus Subzone) corresponds to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. End_of_Article - Last_Page 444------------