TY - JOUR A1 - Caus, Esmeralda A1 - Parente, Mariano A1 - Vicedo, Vicent A1 - Frijia, Gianluca A1 - Martinez, Ricard T1 - Broeckina gassoensis sp nov., a larger foraminiferal index fossil for the middle Coniacian shallow-water deposits of the Pyrenean Basin (NE Spain) JF - Cretaceous research N2 - The Upper Cretaceous shallow-water carbonates of the Pyrenean Basin (NE Spain) host rich and diverse larger foraminiferal associations which witness the recovery of this group of protozoans after the dramatic extinction of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval. In this paper a new, large discoidal porcelaneous foraminifer, Broeckina gassoensis sp. nov., is described from the middle Coniacian shallow-water deposits of the Collada Gasso Formation, in the Boixols Thrust Sheet. This is the first complex porcelaneous larger foraminifer of the Late Cretaceous global community maturation cycle recorded in the Pyrenean bioprovince. It differs from the late Santonian-early Campanian B. dufrenoyi for its smaller size in A and B generations and the less developed endoskeleton, which shows short septula. Broeckina gassoensis sp. nov. has been widely employed as a stratigraphic marker in the regional geological literature, under the name of "Broeckina", but its age was so far controversial. Its middle Coniacian age (lowermost part of the Peroniceras tridorsatum ammonite zone), established in this paper by strontium isotope stratigraphy, indicates that it took about 5 My after the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary crisis to re-evolve the complex test architecture of larger foraminifera, which is functional to their relation with photosymbiotic algae and K-strategy. KW - Larger Foraminifera KW - Biostratigraphy KW - Strontium isotope stratigraphy KW - Coniacian KW - Pyrenees KW - Spain Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2013.08.002 SN - 0195-6671 SN - 1095-998X VL - 45 SP - 76 EP - 90 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Caus, Esmeralda A1 - Frijia, Gianluca A1 - Parente, Mariano A1 - Robles-Salcedo, Raquel A1 - Villalonga, Raquel T1 - Constraining the age of the last marine sediments in the late Cretaceous of central south Pyrenees (NE Spain): Insights from larger benthic foraminifera and strontium isotope stratigraphy JF - Cretaceous research N2 - The uppermost Cretaceous (upper Campanian-Maastrichtian) marine deposits of the central south Pyrenees host a rich larger benthic foraminiferal fauna and several rudist-rich levels. These marine deposits are directly overlain by the continental facies of the Aren and Tremp Formations, which are famous for their fossil dinosaur remains. Larger benthic foraminiferal distribution documents an important faunal turnover in all the carbonate platform environments within the photic zone, from open marine to littoral areas. Biostratigraphy indicates that this turnover occurred close to the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary. This is also confirmed by strontium isotope stratigraphy which indicates an earliest Maastrichtian age for the appearance of the larger benthic foraminiferal assemblage constituted by Lepidorbitoides socialis, Clypeorbis mammillata, Wannierina cataluniensis, Orbitoides gruenbachensis, Siderolites aff. calcitrapoides, Fascispira colomi, Omphalocyclus macroporus and Laffiteina mengaudi. In particular, a numerical age of 71 Ma is obtained for the Hippurites radiosus level, just a few meters below the first continental deposits of the Aren sensu stricto Formation. The youngest marine sediments of the central south Pyrenees are early Maastrichtian in age. This is also an important constraint for the age of the end-Cretaceous dinosaur fossil localities of the Tremp basin. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Larger benthic foraminifera KW - Strontium isotope stratigraphy KW - Late Cretaceous KW - Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary KW - Tremp basin KW - Pyrenees KW - NE Spain Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2015.05.012 SN - 0195-6671 SN - 1095-998X VL - 57 SP - 402 EP - 413 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Boix, Carme A1 - Frijia, Gianluca A1 - Vicedo, Vicent A1 - Bernaus, Josep M. A1 - Di Lucia, Matteo A1 - Parente, Mariano A1 - Caus, Esmeralda T1 - Larger foraminifera distribution and strontium isotope stratigraphy of the La Cova limestones (Coniacian-Santonian, "Serra del Montsec", Pyrenees, NE Spain) JF - Cretaceous research N2 - The Upper Cretaceous La Cova limestones (southern Pyrenees, Spain) host a rich and diverse larger foraminiferal fauna, which represents the first diversification of K-strategists after the mass extinction at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. The stratigraphic distribution of the main taxa of larger foraminifera defines two assemblages. The first assemblage is characterised by the first appearance of lacazinids (Pseudolacazina loeblichi) and mean-dropsinids (Eofallotia simplex), by the large agglutinated Montsechiana montsechiensis, and by several species of complex rotalids (Rotorbinella campaniola, Iberorotalia reicheli, Orbitokhatina wondersmitti and Calcarinella schaubi). The second assemblage is defined by the appearance of Lacazina pyrenaica, Palandrosina taxyae and Martiguesia cyclamminiformis. A late Coniacian-early Santonian age was so far accepted for the La Cova limestones, based on indirect correlation with deep-water fades bearing planktic foraminifers of the Dicarinella concavata zone. Strontium isotope stratigraphy, based on many samples of pristine biotic calcite of rudists and ostreids, indicates that the La Cova limestones span from the early Coniacian to the early-middle Santonian boundary. The first assemblage of larger foraminifera appears very close to the early-middle Coniacian boundary and reaches its full diversity by the middle Coniacian. The originations defining the second assemblage are dated as earliest Santonian: they represent important bioevents to define the Coniacian-Santonian boundary in the shallow-water facies of the South Pyrenean province. By means of the calibration of strontium isotope stratigraphy to the Geological Time Scale, the larger foraminiferal assemblages of the La Cova limestones can be correlated to the standard biozonal scheme of ammonites, planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton. This correlation is a first step toward a larger foraminifera standard biozonation for Upper Cretaceous carbonate platform facies. KW - Larger Foraminifera KW - Biostratigraphy KW - Strontium isotope stratigraphy KW - Coniacian-Santonian boundary KW - Shallow-water carbonates KW - Pyrenees KW - Spain Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2011.05.009 SN - 0195-6671 VL - 32 IS - 6 SP - 806 EP - 822 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Albrich, Sergi A1 - Frijia, Gianluca A1 - Parente, Mariano A1 - Caus, Esmeralda T1 - The evolution of the earliest representatives of the genus Orbitoides: Implications for Upper Cretaceous biostratigraphy JF - Cretaceous research N2 - The biostratigraphy of Campanian-Maastrichtian carbonate platforms is largely based on the larger foraminiferal genus Orbitoides. However, while the taxonomy and the chronostratigraphic age of the younger species of this genus are well established, there are still many controversies on the earliest species. We have restudied their morphological characters using a large collection of samples from the type-localities and from continuous sections in the southern Pyrenees. Based on these new observations, the long forgotten species O. sanctae-pelagiae is reinstated, while O. dordoniensis is considered a junior synonym. Successive populations of O. hottingeri, O. sanctae-pelagiae and O. douvillei show gradual morphological changes in time marked by an increase in the size and complexity of the macrospheric embryonal apparatus, an increase of the size of the adult specimens of both generations and the progressive appearance and development of true lateral chamberlets. The Font de les Bagasses Unit in the southern Pyrenees preserves a high-resolution archive of the evolution of the earliest Orbitoides. Strontium isotope stratigraphy indicates that the oldest species, O. hottingeri, made its first appearance in the earliest Campanian, close to the Santonian-Campanian boundary, and was replaced by O. sanctae-pelagiae at a level closely corresponding to the boundary between the Placenticeras bidorsatum and Menabites delawarensis ammonite zones. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Larger foraminifera KW - Biostratigraphy KW - Strontium isotope stratigraphy KW - Late cretaceous KW - Orbitoides Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2014.04.013 SN - 0195-6671 SN - 1095-998X VL - 51 SP - 22 EP - 34 PB - Elsevier CY - London ER -