The utility of Deep-Water Agglutinated Foraminiferal acmes for correlating Eocene to oligocene abyssal sediments in the North Atlantic and Western Tethys

Quantitative analysis of Deep-water Agglutinated Foraminifera (DWAF) assemblages from key ODP sites in the North Atlantic reveal the presence of stratigraphically-significant abundance maxima, that may be useful for correlating sedimentary sequences deposited beneath the CCD. The DWAF record from ODP Hole 647A in the Labrador Sea was re-studied and abundances were recalculated by excluding calcareous benthic foraminifera. This hole is a key locality, as it provides direct calibration of the DWAF biostratigraphy to the standard chronostratigraphy. Eight DWAF acmes are recognised in the Eocene to lower Oligocene at Site 647 and at other North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea sites. These are: The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) Glomospira Acme, a lower Eocene N. excelsa acme, an early/middle Eocene Glomospira Acme, a Karrerulina acme, a middle Eocene Reticulophragmium amplectens acme, a middle/late Eocene Spiroplecta-mmina acme, a latest Eocene-early Oligocene Ammodiscus latus acme, and an early Oligocene Spirosigmoilinella acme. Some of these acmes can be correlated with similar events occurring at onshore localities in the Western Tethys (northern Spain, Moroccan Rif, Italian Appenines, Western Carpathians). The occurrence of these DWAF acines is caused by variations in the trophic continuum which is a consequence of the profound climatic and oceanographic changes that took place in the deep ocean during the Eocene and early Oligocene.