Late Campanian to early Maastrichtian planktonic foraminiferal assemblages from Cretaceous oceanic red beds (CORBs) in the Yongla section, Gyangze, southern Tibet

Abstract

Well-preserved and abundant planktonic foraminifera have been recovered from limestones of the Cretaceous oceanic red beds (CORBs) from the Yongla section in Gyangze, southern Tibet. This foraminiferal assemblage is dominated by species of Contusotruncana, Globotruncana, and Globotruncanita. The assemblage contains 21 species belonging to 7 genera and suggests a late Campanian to early Maastrichtian age, which permits amore precise age constraint for CORBs in the Gyangze area. This planktonic assemblage provides an important biostratigraphic datum for the correlations of theCORBs in theHimalayan region of the northern Tethys. The interval yielding foraminifers in the Yongla section may be the youngest known CORB in the Gyangze area.