Upper Paleocene-lower Eocene calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy at the Misheiti Section, Central Sinai, Egypt

Abstract

Calcareous nannofossil, δ13C, δ18O, and carbonate content data were used to define and reveal the variations across thelatest Paleocene-earliest Eocene interval at the Misheiti Section, Central Sinai, Egypt. The upper part of Tarawan Formation, the EsnaFormation, and the lowermost Thebes Formation were included in this study. In this study, the Esna Formation is informally dividedinto Hanadi/Mahmiya and Abu Had members. Four calcareous nannofossil zones (NP9, NP10, NP11, and NP12) and four subzones(NP9a, NP9b, NP10a, and NP10b) were recognized. The biostratigraphic importance of significant calcareous nannofossil bioeventsassociated with the P/E boundary was discussed. The LOs of Rhomboaster spp., Discoaster araneus, and/or D. anartios were used todelineate the base of earliest Eocene Subzone NP9b within the lower part of the Esna Formation. The global decreases of δ13C, δ18O, andcarbonate contents at the P/E boundary were documented in the study section.