Migration of Neogene marine environments, southwestern Dominican Republic

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Geology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0222:MONMES>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:5611342

McLaughlin, Jr, P P ^[1]; Sen Gupta, B K ^[2]

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1. Exxon Production Research Co., Houston, Texas (USA)
2. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge (USA)

The Azua Basin contains a 4000-m-thick regressive Neogene sedimentary sequence that records the effects of neotectonic activity along the northern bounary of the Caribbean plate. Shifts of benthic foraminiferal depth zone boundaries between stratigraphic sections demonstrate a southeastward migration of paleoenvironments in the Miocene and early Pliocene which suggest that the Hispaniola restraining bend was activated near the beginning of the late Miocene. In the morthwestern part of the Azua basin, the boundary between the middle and upper bathyal biofacies is in the uppermost Miocene Globorotalia humerosa Zone; the bathyal-neritic boundary is near the top of the same zone. In contrast, toward the southeastern (i.e., seaward) end of the basin, the middle bathyal/upper bathyal boundary is just above the base of the lower Pliocene Globorotalia margaritae margaritae Subzone, and the bathyal-neritic transition falls within the upper part of the same zone or in the overlying Globorotalia margaritae evoluta Subzone. The diachroneity of biofacies boundaries spans a time interval of ca. 1 m.y. The foraminiferal trends are corroborated by the disposition of time-transgressive lithofacies.

• OSTI ID: 5611342
• Journal Information: Geology; (USA), Vol. 19:3; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
STRATIGRAPHY
AGE ESTIMATION
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
DEFORMATION
DEPTH
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FORAMINIFERA
FOSSILS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
MIOCENE EPOCH
PALEONTOLOGY
PLIOCENE EPOCH
TECTONICS
TERTIARY PERIOD
THICKNESS
ANIMALS
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIMENSIONS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GREATER ANTILLES
HISPANIOLA
INVERTEBRATES
ISLANDS
LATIN AMERICA
MASS TRANSFER
MICROORGANISMS
PROTOZOA
SARCODINA
WEST INDIES
580000* - Geosciences