Pearson Paul N.

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Pearson
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Paul N.
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  • Article
    A revised tropical to subtropical paleogene planktonic foraminiferal zonation
    (Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, 2005-10) Berggren, William A. ; Pearson, Paul N.
    New biostratigraphic investigations on deep sea cores and outcrop sections have revealed several shortcomings in currently used tropical to subtropical Eocene planktonic foraminiferal zonal schemes in the form of: 1) modified taxonomic concepts, 2) modified/different ranges of taxa, and 3) improved calibrations with magnetostratigraphy. This new information provides us with an opportunity to make some necessary improvements to existing Eocene biostratigraphic schemes. At the same time, we provide an alphanumeric notation for Paleogene zones using the prefix ‘P’ (for Paleocene), ‘E’ (for Eocene) and ‘O’ (for Oligocene) to achieve consistency with recent short-hand notation for other Cenozoic zones (Miocene [’M’], Pliocene [PL] and Pleistocene [PT]). Sixteen Eocene (E) zones are introduced (or nomenclaturally emended) to replace the 13 zones and subzones of Berggren and others (1995). This new zonation serves as a template for the taxonomic and phylogenetic studies in the forthcoming Atlas of Eocene Planktonic Foraminifera (Pearson and others, in press). The 10 zones and subzones of the Paleocene (Berggren and others, 1995) are retained and renamed and/or emended to reflect improved taxonomy and an updated chronologic calibration to the Global Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) (Berggren and others, 2000). The Paleocene/Eocene boundary is correlated with the lowest occurrence (LO) of Acarinina sibaiyaensis (base of Zone E1), at the top of the truncated and redefined (former) Zone P5. The five-fold zonation of the Oligocene (Berggren and others, 1995) is modified to a six-fold zonation with the elevation of (former) Subzones P21a and P21b to zonal status. The Oligocene (O) zonal components are renamed and/or nomenclaturally emended.
  • Preprint
    Review and revision of Cenozoic tropical planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and calibration to the geomagnetic polarity and astronomical time scale
    ( 2010-09) Wade, Bridget S. ; Pearson, Paul N. ; Berggren, William A. ; Palike, Heiko
    Planktonic foraminifera are widely utilized for the biostratigraphy of Cretaceous and Cenozoic marine sediments and are a fundamental component of Cenozoic chronostratigraphy. The recent enhancements in deep sea drilling recovery, multiple coring and high resolution sampling both offshore and onshore, has improved the planktonic foraminiferal calibrations to magnetostratigraphy and/or modified species ranges. This accumulated new information has allowed many of the planktonic foraminiferal bioevents of the Cenozoic to be revised and a reassessment of the planktonic foraminiferal calibrations. We incorporate these developments and amendments into the existing biostratigraphic zonal scheme. In this paper we present an amended low-latitude (tropical and subtropical) Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal zonation. We compile 187 revised calibrations of planktonic foraminiferal bioevents from multiple sources for the Cenozoic and have incorporated these recalibrations into a revised Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal biochronology. We review and synthesize these calibrations to both the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS) of the Cenozoic and astronomical time scale (ATS) of the Neogene and late Paleogene. On the whole, these recalibrations are consistent with previous work; however, in some cases, they have led to major adjustments to the duration of biochrons. Recalibrations of the early middle Eocene first appearance datums of Globigerinatheka kugleri, Hantkenina singanoae, Guembelitrioides nuttalli and Turborotalia frontosa have resulted in large changes in the durations of Biochrons E7, E8 and E9. We have introduced (upper Oligocene) Zone O7 utilizing the biostratigraphic utility of ‘Paragloborotalia’ pseudokugleri. For the Neogene Period, major revisions are applied to the fohsellid lineage of the middle Miocene and we have modified the criteria for recognition of Zones M7, M8 and M9, with additional adjustments regarding the Globigerinatella lineage to Zones M2 and M3. The revised and recalibrated datums provide a major advance in biochronologic resolution and a template for future progress to the Cenozoic time scale.