Correlation of Calcareous Nannoplankton and Planktonic Foraminifer Biostratigraphy off the Coast of Southern Chile

Abstract

The biostratigraphy established for ODP Leg 141 Sites 859 through 863, drilled off the coast of southern Chile, is based mainly on calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifers. Because of the scarcity of the fossils and the low diversity of the assemblages, the biostratigraphic resolution is quite low. The uppermost sediments contain well-preserved fossil assemblages that indicate warm surface water influences at the southern mid-latitudes. The oldest sediments may belong to the uppermost lower Pliocene. The Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary is determined by the first occurrence of the Gephyrocapsa oceanica group at 1.6 Ma.