International Geological Journal - Official Journal of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association

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Biostratigraphy of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in the Sirwan Valley (Sulaimani Region, Kurdistan, NE Iraq)

Published: Oct 2009

Pages: 381 - 396

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10096-009-0028-x

Authors: KHALID MAHMOOD SHARBAZHERI, IMAD MAHMOOD GHAFOR, QAHTAN AHMAD MUHAMMED

Abstract: The Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary sequence, which crops out in the studied area is located within the High Folded Zone, in the Sirwan Valley, northeastern Iraq. These units mainly consist of flysch and flysch-type successions of thick clastic beds of Tanjero/Kolosh Formations. A detailed lithostratigraphic study is achieved on the outcropping uppermost part of the Upper Cretaceous successions (upper part of Tanjero Formation) and the lowermost part of the Kolosh Formation. On the basis of the identified planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, five biozones are recorded from the uppermost part of Tanjero Formation and four biozones from the lower part of the Kolosh Formation (Lower Paleocene) in the Sirwan section. The biostratigraphic correlations based on planktonic foraminiferal zonations showed a comparison between the biostratigraphic zones established in this study and other equivalents of the commonly used planktonic zonal scheme around the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in and outside Iraq.

Keywords: Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, Iraq, Kurdistan region, Sulaimani, biostratigraphy

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