Eocene-Oligocene Microfossil Record from North Atlantic Ocean Drilling

North Atlantic Ocean Drilling Program Hole 647A provides a high-latitude sediment core with 57 new samples across the Eocene-Oligocene transition. The British Geological Survey compiled this microfaunal record of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils to document biotic and climatic change.

Use Cases

• Analyze foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil species composition changes across the 57 samples to model the Eocene-Oligocene biotic turnover.
• Correlate the microfaunal record with palaeoclimatic proxy data from the same sediment core to link faunal changes to climate drivers.
• Study the agglutinated foraminifera and nannofossil preservation quality to assess the high-latitude record's completeness for the critical transition interval.

Strengths

• Core from ODP Hole 647A is described as the only continuously-cored high-latitude record of biotic and climatic change in the northern North Atlantic.
• Dataset is built from 57 new samples specifically collected across the Eocene-Oligocene transition interval.
• Sediments contain well-preserved calcareous microfossils, nannofossils, and agglutinated foraminifera, enabling multi-proxy analysis.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 57 new samples, which may constrain statistical power for detailed temporal analysis.
• Data scope is restricted to a single drill hole (ODP 647A), limiting geographic representation of the North Atlantic.
• Input indicates this is a project proposal; the actual compiled dataset's availability and completeness are unknown.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS)

Collection Method

Compilation of a microfaunal record from 57 new samples collected across the Eocene/Oligocene transition in ODP Hole 647A.

Time Range

Eocene-Oligocene transition

Freshness

null

Geography

Labrador Sea, North Atlantic (ODP Hole 647A)