Abstracted/indexed

During the early Toarcian (Jurassic, 180 Ma) a hyperthermal event, the Jenkyns Event, occurred, affecting the oxygenation of the sea bottom. The integrated study of foraminiferal and ostracod assemblages with geochemical proxies allows us to interpret the incidence of this event in the Western Tethys, more exactly in the South Iberian Palaeomargin. Diminution of diversity, changes in abundance, and opportunist vs. specialist are coincident with the event.

The microfossils from a Cretaceous outcrop in southern Turkey are described and used to interpret the age of the rocks and their depositional setting and how sea level has changed. These results are compared both locally and regionally, identifying broad correspondence with regional sea level events. A new species of microfossil is described, confirming that many microfossils of Arabia are localised in their distribution.

Foraminifera are marine microorganisms with a calcium carbonate shell. Their fossil remains build up on the seafloor, forming kilometres of sediment over time. From analysis of the foraminiferal record we can estimate past climate conditions and the geological history of the Earth. We have developed an artificial intelligence system for automatically identifying foraminifera species, replacing the time-consuming manual approach and thus helping to make these analyses more efficient and accurate.