Foraminifera from borehole 63 -01/08 were found to be very similar throughout, although there

was a slight increase in diversity towards the top of the hole. Cold water sinistrally coiled

Neogloboquadrina pachderma are abundant throughout and the benthos is characterised by

Planulina ariminensis and Oridorsalis umbonata with Epistominella exigua in some samples.

These deeper water species are characteristic of water depth in excess of c. 500

Wilkinson, I.P.

English

NERC Open Research Archive

     Foraminifera from the Holocene of Borehole 63 -01/08 Northern North Sea (Møre Sheet)    Internal Report IR/03/064        BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INTERNAL REPORT IR/03/064   Foraminifera from the Holocene of Borehole 63 -01/08 Northern North Sea (Møre Sheet) I.P. Wilkinson   The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ordnance Survey licence number GD 272191/1999 Key words Foraminifera, Quaternary. Front cover Globigerina bulloides from the Møres area. Bibliographical reference WILKINSON, I.P. 2003 Foraminifera from the Holocene of Borehole 63 -01/08 Northern North Sea (Møre Sheet). British Geological Survey Internal Report, IR/03/064.  2pp.  © NERC 2003  Keyworth, Nottingham   British Geological Survey   2003 The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS Sales Desks at Nottingham and Edinburgh; see contact details below or shop online at  www.thebgs.co.uk The London Information Office maintains a reference collection of BGS publications including maps for consultation. The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and other publications; this catalogue is available from any of the BGS Sales Desks. The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter as an agency service for the government of Northern Ireland), and of the surrounding continental shelf, as well as its basic research projects. It also undertakes programmes of British technical aid in geology in developing countries as arranged by the Department for International Development and other agencies. The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council.  Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG  0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 e-mail: sales@bgs.ac.uk www.bgs.ac.uk Shop online at: www.thebgs.co.uk Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA  0131-667 1000 Fax 0131-668 2683 e-mail: scotsales@bgs.ac.uk London Information Office at the Natural History Museum (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DE  020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270  020-7942 5344/45 email: bgslondon@bgs.ac.uk Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU  01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 20 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BS  028-9066 6595 Fax 028-9066 2835 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB  01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU  01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 www.nerc.ac.uk  BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY   IR/03/064  Contents Contents........................................................................................................................................... i Summary ......................................................................................................................................... i 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 1 References ...................................................................................................................................... 2    Summary Foraminifera from borehole 63 -01/08 were found to be very similar throughout, although there was a slight increase in diversity towards the top of the hole.  Cold water sinistrally coiled Neogloboquadrina pachderma are abundant throughout and the benthos is characterised by Planulina ariminensis and Oridorsalis umbonata with Epistominella exigua in some samples.  These deeper water species are characteristic of water depth in excess of c. 500m   i   IR/03/064 1 Introduction Borehole 63 -01/08 was located north of the continental shelf in 2320m water depth at latitude 63° 38.51'N longitude 00° 46.32'W.  Foraminifera were examine in order to provide a biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental analysis 2 Conclusions Foraminifera throughout the borehole were dominated by planktonic species.  So much so that if the first 300 specimens had been included in the analysis, most of the benthonic taxa would have bee missed, and even the more common taxa would have been considered rare.  For his reason, the benthonic and planktonic elements of the fauna were considered separately. The lowest sample collected was from a depth of 0.33-0.36m below sea bed.  Of the planktonic species, sinistrally coiled specimens of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma were flood proportion, almost to the excusion of other taxa. A single dextral specimen was recorded and Globorotalia inflata was found to be rare.  Of the benthonic elelment of the fauna. Planulina ariminensis was common, Oridorsalis umbonata was frequent and Pyrgo depressa, Saccammina sphaerica, Lagena distoma, Cassidulina reniforme and Cribrostomoides subglobosa were rare or very rare.  ERICSON (1959) pointed out that sinistrally coiled Neogloboquadrina pachyderma dominates in water temperatures below the 7.2°C Spring (April) isothem.  This has been accepted by many authors, although some would associate the boundary with the 10°C isothem.  Its domination over all other species of planktonic foraminifera is characteristic of the Arctic Faunal Province (BÉ, 1977), in the Subarctic Faunal Province, Globigerina bulloides would be expected to be the dominant form with N. pachyderma reduced in numbers. Planulina ariminensis is a member of the Cassidulina laevigata association of MURRAY (1991) at depths between 100 and 2500m in the Møre area after data by MACKENSEN et al. (1985) and it is also present at depths below 500m around the Azores in the Epistomina exigua association (HERMELIN & SCOTT, 1985).  It is often found associated with sponges.  Oridorsalis umbonata is a geographically widespread species. It is found living off Newfoundland at depths of 2695m and temperatures of 3-3.5°C (SCHAFER & COLE, 1982) and off northern Europe (North East Atlantic, Norwegian-Greenland Sea and Møre area (WESTON & MURRAY, 1984; BELANGER & STREETER, 1980; Mackensen et al., 1985) noteably at depths of 1734-1877m and temperatures between -1 and +4°C, although it is often found living below 1000m off in the Møre area. Very similar faunas are present throughout the rest of the core.  Epistominella exigua is present at 0.21-0.24m depth, another geographically widespread species that is recorded below 500 m water depth in the Atlantic and Pacific (MURRAY, 1991 and references). Cribrostomoides subglobosa is added to the fauna at 0.15-0.18m below sea bed and found throughout the remainder of the borehole.  Off Northwest Europe and in the Faroes Channel, this species is a characteristic element in the warmer NAW water mass.  Benthonic faunal diversity is increased at 0.03-0.06 m and in the top sample at 0.0-0.03m, although the additional species are either rare or very rare.  The planktonic diversity is increased at 0.09-0.12m, although sinistral N. pachyderma continues to be abundant and G. bulloides remains rare.  It must be assumed that the locality remains influenced by Arctic surface waters in which the planktonic taxa live.   1   IR/03/064  References BÉ, A.W.H. 1977. An ecological, zoogeographic and taxonomic review of Recent Planktonic foraminifera. In: Ramsey, A.T.S. (ed.) Oceanic Micropalaeontology, Volume 1, 1-100 [Academic Press, London] BELANGER, P.E. & STREETER, S.S. 1980. Distribution and ecology of benthic foraminifera in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea.  Marine Micropalaeontology, 5, 401-528. ERICSON, D.B. 1959. Coiling direction of Globigerina pachyderma as a climatic index. Science, 130, 219-220. HERMELIN, J.O.R. & SCOTT, D.B. 1985. Recent benthic foraminifera from the central North Atlantic.  Micropaleontology, 31, 199-220. MACKENSEN, A., SEJRUP, H.P. & JANSEN, E. 1985.  The distribution of Recent benthic foraminifera on the continental slope and rise southwest Norway. Marine Micropaleontology, 9, 275-306. MURRAY, J.W. 1991. Ecology and palaeoecology of benthic foraminifera. 397pp. [Longman Scientific & Technical] SCHAFER, C.T, & COLE, F.E. 1982.  Living benthic foraminifera distribution on the continental slope and rise east of Newfoundland.  Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 93, 20-217 WESTON, J.F. & MURRAY, J.W. 1984. Benthic foraminifera as deep sea water-mass indicators.  In: Oertli, H. (ed.) Benthos '83, 605-610.  2 

Foraminifera from the Holocene of borehole 63 -01/08 northern North Sea (Møre Sheet)

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Foraminifera from the Holocene of borehole 63 -01/08 northern North Sea (Møre Sheet)

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