Alegret et al., 2015
| Author(s): | Alegret, L., RodrÃguez-Tovar, F. J., Uchman, A. |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2015 |
| Title: | How bioturbation obscured the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary record |
| Journal: | Terra Nova |
| Volume: | 27 |
| Number: | 3 |
| Pages: | 225-230 |
| Abstract | The Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K/Pg) boundary interval is often penetrated by burrows, which may obscure stratigraphic and micropalaeontological records, leading to misinterpretations of the sequence of events spanning the K/Pg boundary. Here, we assess the role of burrowing organisms in the redistribution of benthic foraminifera across the boundary at Bidart (France), and report a strong relationship between the behaviour represented by pre- and post-K/Pg trace fossils and their benthic foraminiferal content. We further infer a brief interval of eutrophic conditions at the seafloor, as reported from other locations, which disappeared from the lowermost Danian stratigraphic record and is represented only inside post-K/Pg trace fossils hosted in Cretaceous strata. The combined study of trace fossils and microfossils is a powerful tool in eco-stratigraphy and event-stratigraphy, and can yield important insights into the completeness of the K/Pg record, especially at locations such as Bidart where this interval has traditionally been assumed to be complete. |
| Keywords: | Bioturbation, Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, Foraminiferans, France, Paleontology, Trace fossils |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12151 |
| SARV-WB: | edit record |