ISSN: 2157-7617

Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change
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  • Research Article   
  • J Earth Sci Clim Change 2015, Vol 6(8): 302
  • DOI: 10.4172/2157-7617.1000302

Biostratigraphy and Geochemistry of Upper Paleocene - lower EoceneOceanic Red Beds from the Zagros Mountains, SW Iran

Manooseh P Khavari Khorassani1, Ebrahim Ghasemi-Nejad2*, Michael Wagreich3, Fatemeh Hadavi1, Sylvain Richoz4 and Reza Mousavi Harami1
1Department of Geology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2Department of Geology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
4Institute of Earth Sciences, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
*Corresponding Author : Ebrahim Ghasemi-Nejad, Department of Geology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, Tel: +98 (21) 66403672, Email: eghasemi@khayam.ut.ac.ir

Received Date: Aug 28, 2017 / Accepted Date: Sep 02, 2015 / Published Date: Sep 12, 2015

Abstract

Oceanic Red Beds studied are well known in the upper Cretaceous (CORBs, i.e. Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds), but their presence and genesis have hitherto not been intensively discussed for equivalent Paleogene deposits. We describe a red to purple shale interval from the Pabdeh Formation, Zagros basin, Iran, which can be assigned to Late Paleocene to Early Eocene age, nannofossil zones NP9-NP12. Parts of the purple marl interval within NP9/NP10 coincide with the PETM (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum) interval. Coccolithus pelagicus, Sphenolithus moriformis, Sphenolithus orphanknollensis, and Toweius ssp. are dominant in nannofossil assemblages in this interval, and PETM event taxa such as Discoaster araneus appear. Based on whole rock geochemistry and microfossil assemblages, the red to purple marls were deposited in an oligotrophic environment with low nutrient (Ba) values, and were accompanied by a shift to more oxic conditions and low amount of TOC in an oceanic basin. Low amount of major elements like Si, Al and Fe indicates low terrestrial input and relatively high amount of CaO (biogenic element) emphasizes the open sea and pelagic deposition of the shale. Warm deep water can be inferred by the presence of the dinoflagellate taxa Impagidinium and nannoplankton taxa, Discoaster. As a result, the purple shale can be considered as typical Paleogene ORBs in the Zagros basin deposited under very similar conditions as well studied Tethyan Cretaceous oceanic red beds.

Keywords: Oceanic red beds; purple shale; Tethyan realm; Zagros

Citation: Khorassani MPK, Ghasemi-Nejad E, Wagreich M, Hadavi F, Richoz S, et al. (2015) Biostratigraphy and Geochemistry of Upper Paleocene - lower Eocene Oceanic Red Beds from the Zagros Mountains, SW Iran. J Earth Sci Clim Change. 6: 302. Doi: 10.4172/2157-7617.1000302

Copyright: © 2015 Khorassani MPK. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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