Upper Cretaceous planktic foraminiferal biozonation for the Austral Realm

A new planktic foraminiferal zonal scheme is presented for subdivision of Upper Cretaceous pelagic carbonate sequences in the circum-Antarctic region. Definition of the zones and subzones is based study of foraminifera from 13 deep-sea sections that were poleward of 50 °S paleolatitude and within the Austral Biogeographic Realm during Late Cretaceous time. The proposed biostratigraphic scheme includes seven Upper Cretaceous zones, with an average stratigraphic resolution of 4.4 m.y., and six subzones, which are all within the Maastrichtian Stage, with an average stratigraphic resolution of 1.4 m.y. The considerably higher resolution in the Maastrichtian Stage is a result of good foraminiferal preservation, availability of high quality magnetostratigraphic sections, and complete composite stratigraphic recovery in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sectors of the Antarctic Ocean. Diminished resolution in the pre-Maastrichtian sediments of southern high latitude sections results from: (1) incomplete recovery of the middle Campanian, lower Santonian and most of the Cenomanian-lower Coniacian intervals, (2) presence of local and regional hiatuses, (3) paleobathymetric shallowing with increasing age at some sites, resulting in impoverished older planktic assemblages, and (4) poorer preservation with increasing burial depth. Cross-latitude correlation of the Campanian and older austral sequences may be improved with future drilling by recovery of sections that span existing stratigraphic gaps. Correlation of high latitude bioevents with chemostratigraphic events and their intercalibration with the magnetostratigraphy and the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale are needed for better chronostratigraphic resolution in existing high latitude sequences.