Foraminiferal stratigraphy and depositional history in the area of the Ontong Java Plateau

Abstract

Foraminifera from 54 cores from the surface and slopes of the Ontong Java Plateau were used to identify Tertiary outcrops as old as Late Eocene on some of the slopes. Using the direct relationship between radiolarian concentrations and bathymetry, it was determined that the Tertiary deposits from the slopes accumulated in deeper water than the synchronous deposits sampled through the plateau surface (Deep Sea Drilling Project, Site 64), indicating that the topographic high has existed at least since early Tertiary time. Comparison of assemblages from several foraminiferal zones of the plateau and certain of the adjacent Solomon Islands supports the conclusion of a genetic connection between those islands and the plateau.