Asociaciones de foraminíferos del Messiniense y Plioceno del sector norte de la Cuenca del Bajo Segura

The Messinian and Pliocene stratigraphic record of the northern sector of the Bajo Segura Basin has been separated into three main allostratigraphic units (MI, MII and P). These units are composed of continental to marine depositional systems. The aim of this paper is study the foraminiferal assemblages belonging to lagoonal and marine systems. The distribution of these foraminiferal assemblages show two significantly paleoenvironmental changes: 1) an abrupt change from marine to lagoonal foraminifer assemblages at the MI/MII boundary, related with the beginning of the Lago Mare and Terminal Complex deposition; and 2) a significant marine foraminiferal repopulation at the beginning of the Pliocene as a consequence of the marine reflooding of the Mediterranean.