Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene planktic foraminifera from the Bandar Abbas hinterland, southern Iran: Biostratigraphy and sea-level changes

Rupelian planktic foraminifera were studied from outcrop sections in the Zagros Basin near Khamir and Gachestan (Pabdeh Formation, S Iran). The study area is situated in the hinterland of Bandar Abbas and comprises mainly Eocene and Oligocene deposits. We have identified 40 species of planktic taxa that belong to 15 genera of the families Globigerinidae, Globigerinitidae and Chiloguembelinidae. Their biostratigraphic ranges cover a total of five planktic foraminiferal biozones (E16 to O3) and provide a baseline for correlation. The planktic foraminiferal assemblages comprise a suite of surface-, intermediate- and deep-dwelling taxa, and a comparison of their abundances shows them to correlate with global eustatic sea-level curves.