RT Journal Article
T1 Impact of the Paleocene‑Eocene thermal maximum on the evolution of larger foraminifera: a new look at an old problem
A1 Pujalte, Victoriano
A1 Payros, Aitor
A1 Orue Etxebarria, Xabier
A1 Tosquella Angrill, Josep
A1 Schmitz, Birger
A1 Martínez Braceras, Naroa
AB A global larger foraminiferal turnover (LFT), first identified in the Pyrenees in 1960, occurred around the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. It is characterized by the replacement of Paleocene assemblages dominated by Glomalveolina and Lockhartia (west and east Tethys, respectively), with others typified by Eocene Alveolina and Nummulites. Its relationship with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a brief interval of global warming, has been debated at length. This study confirms that the LFT was triggered by the PETM. In the Pyrenean Basin the primary driver of the LFT was the influx of over 100 km3 of predominantly fine-grained siliciclastic sediment into the sea during the PETM, which disrupted the previous long-lasting oligotrophic conditions. Unlike other K-strategists, Alveolina and Nummulites adapted to the new ecological conditions, radiating and expanding during the Eocene. Although no comparable siliciclastic influx occurred in the Tethys Ocean, the LFT also coincided with the PETM in Slovenia and Egypt (western Tethys). The link between both events is attributed to adaptations to fluctuating nutrient levels and increased coastal water productivity. In Pakistan and the Himalayas (eastern Tethys), the replacement of Paleocene assemblages appears to have been gradual, leading to the notion that the LFT was not linked with the PETM, but rather resulted from natural evolution. A re-evaluation of the data demonstrates that before the global warming Alveolina and Nummulites were minor components of the assemblages, but that they rapidly evolved and diversified during the relatively short interval of the PETM, a shift also observed in the Pacific Ocean.
PB Springer
SN 0172-9179
SN 1612-4820 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27417
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27417
LA eng
NO Pujalte, V., Payros, A., Orue-Etxebarria, X., Tosquella, J., Schmitz, B., & Martínez-Braceras, N. (2025). Impact of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum on the evolution of larger foraminifera: a new look at an old problem. Facies, 71(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-025-00709-1
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Agencia Estatal de Investigación, PID2019-105670 GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Aitor Payros, Eusko Jaurlaritza, IT602-22, Aitor Payros
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026