Maastrichtian-Early Eocene ostracodes from west-central Sinai, Egypt - taxonomy, biostratigraphy, paleoecology and paleobiogeography

Abstract

Detailed study of ostracodes from the Maastrichtian-Early Eocene sections at Gebel Nukhul and Wadi Feiran in west-central Sinai yielded 38 ostracode species and subspecies belonging to 26 genera. Biostratigraphically, they are divisible into five kinds : taxa restricted to the Maastrichtian, taxa crossing the K/P boundary, taxa restricted to the Paleocene, taxa crossing the P/E boundary, and taxa only found in the Early Eocene. The recorded faunas have a wide geographic distribution throughout North Africa and the Middle East. They are generally assigned to outer shelf - upper bathyal settings of normal marine environments and belong to the type of species termed as the "South Tethyan Type" that wandered along southern shores of the Tethys during this time. The presence of taxa which are also found in West Africa emphasizes faunal exchange between the Southern Tethys and the West African basins during the Maastrichtian - Early Eocene.