Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits

In Buenos Aires coasts, sedimentary processes were particularly active during the Quaternary owing to eustatic fluctuations in sea level. As a result, during the late Quaternary transgressions, marine and marginal marine sediments were deposited in the coastal plain. In order to interpret these Hol...

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Main Authors: Cecilia Laprida, Damián Diego Enrique Chandler, Josefina Ramón Mercau, Rubén Alvaro López, Silvia Marcomini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2018-01-01
Series:Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas
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Online Access:https://rmcg.unam.mx/index.php/rmcg/article/view/609
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author Cecilia Laprida
Damián Diego Enrique Chandler
Josefina Ramón Mercau
Rubén Alvaro López
Silvia Marcomini
author_facet Cecilia Laprida
Damián Diego Enrique Chandler
Josefina Ramón Mercau
Rubén Alvaro López
Silvia Marcomini
author_sort Cecilia Laprida
collection DOAJ
description In Buenos Aires coasts, sedimentary processes were particularly active during the Quaternary owing to eustatic fluctuations in sea level. As a result, during the late Quaternary transgressions, marine and marginal marine sediments were deposited in the coastal plain. In order to interpret these Holocene littoral sequences, we analyzed the distribution, diversity, species composition and taphonomic features of total benthic foraminifera assemblages from modern littoral settings, from the top of the dune to the lower shoreface, in two close but geomorphologically different transects located in the Atlantic coast of Northern Buenos Aires Province (Argentina, South America). Total benthic foraminiferal assemblages from subtidal and supratidal environments are distinguishable in terms of composition, diversity and taphonomic features. In upper shoreface, foreshore, backshore and foredune environments, assemblages are clearly dominated by three species: Buccella peruviana, Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium discoidale (the BAE group). This feature is the result of taphonomic processes that favor the selective preservation of such species. The study of taphonomic modifications of shells in modern assemblages allows a better discrimination between subenvironments than the analysis of taxonomic composition. Although Holocene assemblages have no strict counterparts between total modern assemblages, taxonomic composition and taphonomic modification of shells allow us to infer that the Holocene sequence was deposited between the upper shoreface and the backshore.
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spelling doaj-art-1eeea5c55cb34b9592595f20e156fa502025-08-20T03:20:30ZengUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoRevista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas1026-87742007-29022018-01-01281Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral depositsCecilia Laprida0Damián Diego Enrique Chandler1Josefina Ramón Mercau2Rubén Alvaro López3Silvia Marcomini4Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDepartamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Buenos Aires coasts, sedimentary processes were particularly active during the Quaternary owing to eustatic fluctuations in sea level. As a result, during the late Quaternary transgressions, marine and marginal marine sediments were deposited in the coastal plain. In order to interpret these Holocene littoral sequences, we analyzed the distribution, diversity, species composition and taphonomic features of total benthic foraminifera assemblages from modern littoral settings, from the top of the dune to the lower shoreface, in two close but geomorphologically different transects located in the Atlantic coast of Northern Buenos Aires Province (Argentina, South America). Total benthic foraminiferal assemblages from subtidal and supratidal environments are distinguishable in terms of composition, diversity and taphonomic features. In upper shoreface, foreshore, backshore and foredune environments, assemblages are clearly dominated by three species: Buccella peruviana, Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium discoidale (the BAE group). This feature is the result of taphonomic processes that favor the selective preservation of such species. The study of taphonomic modifications of shells in modern assemblages allows a better discrimination between subenvironments than the analysis of taxonomic composition. Although Holocene assemblages have no strict counterparts between total modern assemblages, taxonomic composition and taphonomic modification of shells allow us to infer that the Holocene sequence was deposited between the upper shoreface and the backshore. https://rmcg.unam.mx/index.php/rmcg/article/view/609benthic foraminiferamodern beachespaleoenvironmental reconstructionHoloceneArgentina.
spellingShingle Cecilia Laprida
Damián Diego Enrique Chandler
Josefina Ramón Mercau
Rubén Alvaro López
Silvia Marcomini
Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas
benthic foraminifera
modern beaches
paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Holocene
Argentina.
title Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
title_full Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
title_fullStr Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
title_full_unstemmed Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
title_short Modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern Argentina: implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of Mid Holocene littoral deposits
title_sort modern foraminifera from coastal settings in northern argentina implications for the paleoenvironmental interpretation of mid holocene littoral deposits
topic benthic foraminifera
modern beaches
paleoenvironmental reconstruction
Holocene
Argentina.
url https://rmcg.unam.mx/index.php/rmcg/article/view/609
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