Reevaluation of Gulf Coast Pliocene-Pleistocene Boundary: ABSTRACT

A reexamination of the sequences of planktonic foram and calcareous nannoplankton in the Plio-Pleistocene sediments beneath the Louisiana continental shelf has been undertaken to modernize correlation schemes that were established 10-20 years ago. As a consequence it can be shown that (1) a new correlation of marine micropaleontological and continental glacial events is necessary; (2) the Gulf Coast faunal events can be correlated reliably with those in the type Italian Pleistocene section and in the deep sea cores; (3) some species, the limits of whose ranges have been relied upon for isochronous boundaries (e.g., Globoquadrina altispira) appear to have persisted in some areas for a considerably longer time than in other areas; and (4) it is increasingly evident that it s invalid to correlate the Plio-Pleistocene boundary, as defined by paleontology, with a climatically defined boundary. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1698------------