Larger foraminiferal biostratigraphy of lower Paleogene successions of Zanskar Tethyan and Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zones, Ladakh, India in the light of additional data

Detailed biostratigraphic investigations were carried out in several sections of the lower Paleogene successions in the Zanskar Tethyan Zone (Ladakh), which lies at northern margin of the Indian Plate, and in the northerly Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone (Ladakh) situated between the Indian and Asian plates. Based on additional palacontological data, a revised and more precise zonal scheme, than was available earlier, has been proposed for these sediments. The revised biozones are correlated with the shallow benthic zones (SBZ) established earlier for the Tethyan realm by Serra-Kiel et al. (1998). A comprehensive chart showing correlation of lower Paleogene biozones, based mainly on larger foraminifera, in the Zanskar Tethyan and Indus-Tsangpo Suture zones and the Himalayan foothill belt, and the shallow benthic zones of the Tethyan realm is also presented.