LATE NEOGENE PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY OF THE GULF OF ADEN REGION BASED ON CALCAREOUS NANNOFOSSILS

Quantitative study of climatically sensitive nannofossils in the sediments of the Gulf of Aden has providead climatic and oceanograph sceenari for rt he northwester Indian Ocean during the late Neogene T. he surface water temperature was relatively cold during the latest middle Miocene to late Miocene (10.7 to 6.32 Ma) with a probable warm interval in the early late Miocene(9.82 to 8.49 Ma). This cooling is attributed to increased up welling in the northwestern Indian Ocean. T he surface water was relatively warm from the latest late Miocene to the middle of the late Pliocene (6.32 to 2.59 Ma). The most intense cooling took place during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocen(2.59 to 1.69 Ma). Intense upwelling during this interval coincides with worldwide climatic deterioration A. probable short warm interval (1.69 to 1.59Ma) followed this cold interval. In the Pleistocene the surface water was cold from 1.59 to 1.00 Ma and from 0.61 to 0.24 Ma and warm from 1.00 to 0.61 Ma and after 0.24 Ma.