Palaeoenvironmental significance of a late Miocene benthic foraminifera fauna from Apostoli Formation, Central West Crete, Greece


Published: Aug 1, 2018
Keywords:
Crete Late Miocene Benthic foraminifers palaeoenvironment
H. DRINIA
Abstract

The palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological reconstruction of the Apostoli Basin (Crete, Rethymnon Region) during early Late Miocene by means of benthic foraminifers is given. Biologically important factors, such as oxygen and nutrient content of sea-water, played a great role in the evolution of the palaeoecosystem. A gradual deepening took place during the deposition of the Apostoli Formation. The sediments of the lower part of the formation document a shallow-marine environment with vegetation in the neighborhood. In the middle part of the formation sediments are characterized by intermediate oxygenated conditions, whereas the upper part of it is characterized by the establishment of a restricted envrironment, where organic matter accumulates and infaunal opportunistic species capable of surviving in stressed conditions dominate, being favoured by abundant nutrients.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Stratigraphy
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
BOLTOVSKOY, E. & WRIGHT, R. 1976. Recent Foraminifers. Dr. W. Junk, the Hague, 515 pp.
BOLTOVSKOY, E. & TOTAH, V. 1985. Diversity, similarity and dominance in benthic foraminifersl fauna along one transect of the Argentine shelf. Revue de Micropaleontologie, 1(28), 23-31.
CORLISS, Β.H. & CHEN, C. 1988. Morphotype patterns of Norwegian Sea deep-sea benthic foraminifers and ecological implications. Geology, 16, 716-719.
DE BRUJIN, H. & JE. MEULENKAMP, 1972. Late Miocene rodents from the Pandanassa Formation (prov. Rethymnon), Crete, Greece. Proc. Koninklijke nederlanden Akademie van Wetenschappen, 75, 54-60.
DERMITZAKIS, M.D., 1978. Stratigraphy and sedimentary history of the Miocene of Zakynthos island. Annales Géologiques des Pays Helléniques, 29, 47-186.
DRINIA, H., 1996. Late Cenozoic clastic sedimentation in West Crete - Apostoli Basin (Rethymnon Province). PhD Thesis, University of Athens, 187p., Athens.
DRINIA, H., TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M.V. & DERMITZAKIS, M.D. 1997. Cyclic sedimentation and biostratigraphic-paleoecological analysis of the marine sediments of Potami section (Apostoli Basin-Rethymnon Province, Crete). Proceedings of the 5th Hellenic Symposium of Oceanography and Fishery, vol. 1, 419-422.
DRINIA, H., TRIANTAPHYLLOU, M.V. & DERMITZAKIS, M.D. 1998. Sedimentary facies analysis and biostratigraphical implications of the fluvio-marine sediments of central-west Crete. R.C.M.N.S. Congress, May 27-29, 1998, Patras, Coll. Abstr., p. 26.
DROOGER, C.W. & KAASSCHIETER, J.P.H. 1958. Foraminifers of the Orinoco-Trinidad-Paria Shelf. Rep. Orinoco Shelf Exp., Verh. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wet., afd. nat., ser. 1, vol. 22, 108pp.
FRYDAS, D. & H. KEUPP, 1992. Kieseliges und Kalkiges Phytoplankton aus dem Neogen von NW - und W Kreta/Griechenland. Berlin geowiss. Abh., E3 :97-lll, Berlin.
KEUPP, H. & R. KOHRING, 1999. Kalkige Dinoflagellaten-Zysten aus dem Ober-Miozan (NN11) W von Rethymnon (Kreta). Berlin geowiss. Abh., E30: 33-53.
FRYDAS, D. & H. KEUPP, 2000. Biostratigraphical and paleontological research of Lower Pliocene diatoms and silicoglagellates from northwestern Crete, Greece. Berlin geowiss. Abh., E34.
GEORGIADES-DIKEOULIA, E. 1974. Les brachiopodes du Miocene moyen de Γ ile de Crete (Aghii Assomati, Rethymnon). Annales géologiques des Pays helléniques, Athens, tome hors serie, fase. I, 449-455.
KAMINSKI, MA., BOERSMA, A.,TYSZKA, J. & HOLBOURN, A.E.L. 1995. Response of deep-water agglutinated foraminifera to dysoxic conditions in the California Borderland basins. In: MA. Kaminski et al. (Eds). Proceedings of the Fourth International Workshop on Agglutinated Foraminifera. Krakow Poland. Grzybowski Foundation Special Publication, 3, 131-140.
MARGALEF, R. 1968. Perspectives in Ecological Theory. Chicago. University of Chicago Press, lllp.
MARTINI, E. 1971. Standard Tertiary and Quaternary calcareous nannoplankton zonation. In: Farinacci, A. (Ed.) Proc. II Plankt. Conf. Roma, 1970: Roma (Technoscienz), 2, 738-785.
MELENTIS, J.K., 1974.Palaontologische Ausgrabungen in den Hohlen des Gebietes von Rethymnon, Kreta. SciAnnSciFacUn Thess, 14, 17-24.
MEULENKAMP, J.E. 1969. Stratigraphy of Neogene deposits in the Rethymnon province, Crete, with special reference to the phylogeny of uniserial Uvigerina from the Mediterranean Region. Utrecht micropaleontological bull, 2, 168p.
MEULENKAMP, J.E., 1979. Lithostratigraphy and relative chronostratigraphic position of the section Apostoli and Potamidha 1 and 2. Utrecht micropaleontological bull, 21.
MURRAY, J.W. 1991. Ecology and Palaeoecology ofBenthic Foraminifers. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 397pp.
NINI, C. 1996. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages as indicators of restricted conditions in the Lower Miocene (Aquitanian) of the Eastern Tuscany Basin, Lonnano (Arezzo) section. Palaeopelagos, 6, 311-327.
OKADA, H. & BUKRY, D. 1980. Supplementary modification and introduction of code numbers to the low latitude coccolith biostratigraphic zonation. Marine micropaleontology, 5, 321-325.
SEIGLE, G.A. 1968. Foraminifersl assemblages as indicators of high organic carbon content in sedimentsand of polluted waters. American Association of Petroleum Geology Bulletin, 52, 2231-2241.
SEN GUPTA, B.K. & MACHAIN-CASTILLO, M.L. 1993. Benthic foraminifers in oxygen-poor habitats. In: Langer, M.R. (Ed.), Foraminiferal Microhabitats. Marine Micropaleontology, 20, 183-201.
SYMEONIDIS, N.K. 1969. Das Miozän in Bereich von Boliones (Landkreis Rethymnon-W. Kreta). Annales géologiques des Pays helléniques, Athens, ser. 1, t. XXI, 30-34.
SYMEONIDIS, N. & P.Y. SONDAAR, 1975. A new otter from the Pleistocene of Crete. Ann. Geol. Pays Hellen., XXVII, 11-24.
THOMAS, E. 1986. Changes in composition of Neogene benthic foraminifersl faunas in equatorial Pacific and north Atlantic. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 53, 47-61.
VAN MORKHOVEN, F.P.C.M., W.A. BERGGREN & EDWARDS, A.S. 1986. Cenozoic Cosmopolitan Deep- Water Benthic Foraminifers. Bull. Cent. Rech. Explor. Prod., Elf-Aquitaine, Mem. 11, 421pp.
VERHALLEN, P.J.J.M. 1991. Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene mediterranean mud-dwelling foraminifers influence of a changing environment on community structure and evolution. Utrecht Micropaleontological Bulletin, Utrecht, 40, 1-219.
ZWAAN V.D., G.J. 1982. Paleoecology of Late Miocene Mediterranean Foraminifers. Utrecht Micropaleontological Bulletin, 25, Utrecht.
ZWAAN V.D., G.J., JORISSEN, F.J. & DE STIGTER, H.C. 1990. The depth dependency of planktonic/benthic foraminifersl ratios: Constraints and applications. Marine Geology, 95, 1-16.
Most read articles by the same author(s)