After the completion of J. P. H. KAASSCHIETER's monograph on the "Eocene
Foraminifera of Belgium" (1961), an extensive collection of smaller radiate
Nummulites from the Belgian Eocene remained without specific determination
in the collections of the Utrecht Geological Institute. KAASSCHIETERhad found
that naming these fossils on the basis of the existing literature would lead to
very unsatisfactory results. He felt that a tremendous lot of work in measuring
and counting should be needed to arrive at a still dubious ultimate result, for
which reason he preferred to leave his collections as an heritage to a later
generation.
Since a rapid survey of the material shows no clear pattern of development
within this group of Nummulites, no single student dared undertake the work.
It was not until early 1963, while A. PAPP stayed in Utrecht for three months,
that he and P. MARKSdeveloped a working scheme and put everybody available,
some fifteen people altogether, to worL.
At the end of these three months the results confirmed the previous opinion
that the Eocene and Early Oligocene smaller Nummulites of the North Sea
basin showed a peculiar evolutionary pattern and that they were of dubious
stratigraphic value. Because of these rather disappointing conclusions the work
slowed down, although at various time intervals additional data were gathered.
Eventually, however, the evolution pattern and the stratigraphic results were
considered to be certainly worth publishing in the context of renewed interest
and activities around the Nordic Paleogene