Titre
The Paleocene-Eocene transition in the southern Tethys (Tunisia): climatic and environmental fluctuations
Type
article
Institution
Externe
Périodique
Auteur(s)
Bolle, M.P.
Auteure/Auteur
Adatte, T.
Auteure/Auteur
Keller, G.
Auteure/Auteur
Von Salis, K.
Auteure/Auteur
Burns, S.
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
ISSN
0037-9409
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
1999
Volume
170
Première page
661
Dernière page/numéro d’article
680
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Langue
anglais
Résumé
This study, based on a multidisciplinary approach including
micropaleontology, sedimentology, mineralogy and geochemistry, evaluates
the Paleocene-Eocene transition in Tunisia. At Foum Selja, sediment
deposition occurred in the shallow, restricted Gafsa Basin influenced by
the adjacent Saharan platform. During the early Paleocene this area
experienced a warm and humid climate that changed to warm but arid
climatic conditions during the Paleocene-Eocene transition. At Elles the
sediment deposition in the EI Kef Basin occurred in an open marine
environment connected to the Tethys. During the late Paleocene, the
Tethyan region was submitted to a seasonal warm climate changing to a
warm and humid climate across the P/E transition and becoming
seasonal/arid in the early Eocene. From Africa to northern Europe,
kaolinite, a strong marker of warmth and humidity disappeared
diachronously suggesting a latitudinal shift in the source area of this
mineral and consequently in the climatic zones, from lower to higher
latitudes. The P/E transition observed at Elles corresponds to a 2.7 m
thick clay layer and is marked by a drastic decrease in carbonate
sedimentation, a negative delta(13)C excursion of 1.3 parts per thousand
and increased detrital input. The presence of a condensed interval, the
accumulation of phosphate deposits after the P/E event, which obliterate
the original isotopic signal and strong dissolution of the planktic
fauna and flora in these phosphatic layers, all are criteria that
prevent the Elles section to be a potential GSSP candidate for the P/E
boundary.
micropaleontology, sedimentology, mineralogy and geochemistry, evaluates
the Paleocene-Eocene transition in Tunisia. At Foum Selja, sediment
deposition occurred in the shallow, restricted Gafsa Basin influenced by
the adjacent Saharan platform. During the early Paleocene this area
experienced a warm and humid climate that changed to warm but arid
climatic conditions during the Paleocene-Eocene transition. At Elles the
sediment deposition in the EI Kef Basin occurred in an open marine
environment connected to the Tethys. During the late Paleocene, the
Tethyan region was submitted to a seasonal warm climate changing to a
warm and humid climate across the P/E transition and becoming
seasonal/arid in the early Eocene. From Africa to northern Europe,
kaolinite, a strong marker of warmth and humidity disappeared
diachronously suggesting a latitudinal shift in the source area of this
mineral and consequently in the climatic zones, from lower to higher
latitudes. The P/E transition observed at Elles corresponds to a 2.7 m
thick clay layer and is marked by a drastic decrease in carbonate
sedimentation, a negative delta(13)C excursion of 1.3 parts per thousand
and increased detrital input. The presence of a condensed interval, the
accumulation of phosphate deposits after the P/E event, which obliterate
the original isotopic signal and strong dissolution of the planktic
fauna and flora in these phosphatic layers, all are criteria that
prevent the Elles section to be a potential GSSP candidate for the P/E
boundary.
PID Serval
serval:BIB_1EB1E4208781
Date de création
2012-09-28T09:02:21.568Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T17:42:02Z