http://france.elsevier.com/direct/GEOBIO

Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454

Original article

New biostratigraphic data from Cretaceous planktic foraminifera in

Sahlabad province, eastern Iran

´ `

Nouvelles donnees biostratigraphiques des foraminiferes planctoniques

du Cretace dans la province de Sahlabad, Iran oriental

Seyed Ahmad Babazadeh a,*, Francis Robaszynski b, Marie Denis Courme c

a Birjand Payame-noor University, Birjand, Iranb Faculte polytechnique de Mons, 9, rue de Houdain, 7000 Mons, Belgium

c 6, rue Porte-Vendomoise, 45190 Beaugency, France

Received 14 March 2006; accepted 1 August 2006

Abstract

The foraminiferal content of two stratigraphic sections, located in eastern Iran within the Sahlabad province, between the Lut and Afghan

blocks and ranging in age from Turonian to Campanian is investigated. Previous studies were general and only indicated the presence of planktonic

foraminifera in this province. This paper presents a detailed study of planktonic foraminifera of the Shirshotor unit and establishes for the first time

a local biostratigraphy consisting of five biozones. Biozones from the upper Turonian to lower Campanian are recognized, but the upper lower

Campanian to lower upper Campanian strata are missing, as demonstrated by the lack of the Globotruncana ventricosa biozone. Tectonic activity

in this region during the late early Campanian and mid-Campanian resulted in the presence of an unconformity together with debrites (debris flow

deposits) in the lower upper Campanian. About twenty-five planktonic foraminiferal species are reported and illustrated. The largest faunal

diversity is encountered in the upper Santonian. The planktonic foraminiferal biozones are precisely defined in selected stratigraphic sections and

allow age determinations for the deepest marine sediments (pelagic limestones and bedded cherts) before the collision of the Lut and Afghan

blocks.

# 2007 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Resume

Des series stratigraphiques situees en Iran oriental, dans la province de Sahlabad entre le bloc de Lut et le bloc afghan, ont livre des

foraminiferes. Leur etude, dans deux coupes, a permis de les dater du Turonien au Campanien. Les travaux anterieurs signalaient seulement la

presence de foraminiferes planctoniques dans cette zone de suture. Cet article presente une etude detaillee des foraminiferes planctoniques de

l’unite de Shirshotor et definit, pour la premiere fois, une biostratigraphie locale comportant cinq biozones. Les biozones du Turonien superieur au

Campanien inferieur sont en continuite, mais l’absence de la biozone a Globotruncana ventricosa atteste d’une lacune depuis les niveaux

superieurs du Campanien inferieur jusqu’aux niveaux de base du Campanien superieur. L’activite tectonique de cette region, durant le Campanien

inferieur terminal et le Campanien moyen, se manifeste par la presence d’une discordance associee a des debrites (coulees boueuses ou debris-

flows) au cours du Campanien superieur basal. Environ 25 especes de foraminiferes planctoniques sont signalees et illustrees. La plus grande

diversite s’observe dans le Santonien superieur. Les biozones de foraminiferes planctoniques sont definies de facon precise dans des coupes

stratigraphiques choisies et permettent de dater les sediments les plus profonds (calcaires pelagiques et cherts lites), avant la collision des blocs de

Lut et Afghan.

# 2007 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Keywords: Planktic foraminifera; Cretaceous; Sahlabad province; Eastern Iran

Mots cles : Foraminiferes planctoniques ; Cretace ; Province de Sahlabad ; Iran oriental

* Corresponding author.

E-mail address: Ababazadeh2001@yahoo.fr (S.A. Babazadeh).

0016-6995/$ – see front matter # 2007 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2006.08.002

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454446

1. Introduction

The studied area (Shirshotor region) is situated in eastern

Iran within the Sistan Ocean that is between two blocks: the Lut

in the west and Afghan in the east. The Sistan Suture Zone

(Tirrul et al., 1983), is part of Cenozoic Alpide suture of Sengor

et al. (1988), and is subdivided into two provinces: Gazik and

Sahlabad provinces in north-central part of Sistan Ocean

(Babazadeh, 2003). The Shirshotor region is situated in the

northern part of this suture at the Sahlabad Province. The study

area is located between 598560 to 598580E longitude and 328140

to 328170N latitude (Fig. 1).

The planktic foraminifera in the Upper Cretaceous

sections of eastern Iran were rarely studied in previous

works (Stocklin et al., 1972; Tirrul et al., 1983; Fauvelet and

Eftekhar-nezhad, 1990). In this paper the stratigraphy and

micropalaeontological investigation of outcrop samples,

collected in measured sections from the Tethyan Sistan Ocean,

in the Shirshotor region, are presented and discussed. The

material is composed of 55 samples which all have been

examined in thin section.

The aim of this paper is to present Upper Cretaceous

biostratigraphic data that allows reconstruction of the

palaeogeography of this region during the Late Cretaceous.

Fig. 1. Geologic map of Shirshotor region and the location of studied sections (Eft

2. Regional setting

Iran is a part of short sections of the Alpine orogenic belts

that is located between the Arabian–African Block (Gondwana

margin) and the Asian Plate (Eurasia margin). It is interpreted

as an assemblage of marginal Gondwana fragments detached

from the Gondwanian–Arabian plate during the late Paleozoic

(Permian) or early Triassic (Stocklin, 1977). It has been

attached to the Turanian (Eurasia) Plate at the end of middle or

late Triassic (Stocklin, 1974, 1977; Sengor and Kidd, 1979;

Wensink and Varekamp, 1980; Soffel and Forster, 1980;

Davoudzadeh and Schmidt, 1982). In the late Cretaceous, Iran

again rejoined with the Gondwanian Afro–Arabia plate, but the

ocean area was not completely closed as evidenced by the

presence of Cretaceous-Tertiary flysch deposits in eastern Iran

(Babazadeh, 2003).

Three major tectonic units (Turanian, Iranian and Arabian

plates) recognized by Lensch et al. (1984) in Iran, are separated

from each other by ophiolitic complexes (Stocklin, 1977)

(Fig. 2). These are subdivided into smaller elements, such as

Kopet Dagh, Southern Caspian Sea, Zagros Thrust, Zagros

folded Belt, Alborz mountain and Central Iran. The Central Iran

comprises Sanandaj–Sirjan Belt, Orumiyeh–Dokhtar Belt,

Central-East-Iran microplate (Davoudzadeh and Schmidt,

ekhar-nezhad and Stocklin, 1974), Ksh: Shirshotor section; Ch: Chatot section.

Fig. 2. Modified sketch map of Iran showing the major tectonic units, the inner nucleus and the positions of the main ophiolites (Lensch et al., 1984; Sengor et al.,

1988; Stocklin, 1977; Dilek and Delaloye, 1992; Babazadeh, 2003).

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454 447

1981), the latter is subdivided into Yazd, Tabas and Lut blocks

(Fig. 2).

There are the remnants of oceanic basin that separated

segments of the Alpine belt. The three components of the inner

microcontinental nucleus (formerly termed the Lut block by

Stocklin, 1968), including the Yazd, Tabas, and Lut blocks, are

separated by fracture zones and have been rearranged from their

original position (Sengor et al., 1988).

In Central Iran, there are two ophiolite belts that include

melanges and deep marine sedimentary rocks: (I) one of these

ophiolite complexes extends from Esfandagheh to the Nain area

and along the Great Kavir Fault to the extensive ophiolitic

melange exposures around Sabzevar and (II) the second major

belt, the Sistan Suture Zone (Sistan Ocean), branches from the

central Makran Ranges northward to the Birjand area, but does

not join the melange of the Sabzevar Zone (Stocklin, 1977)

(Fig. 2). The ophiolite-flysch range in the Sistan suture zone

belonging to the second belt is subdivided into two provinces:

the Gazik and Sahlabad provinces in the north-central part of

the Sistan Ocean. The studied area is situated within this ocean,

at the Sahlabad Province (Babazadeh, 2003).

3. Lithology

Most sedimentary outcrops across the Upper Cretaceous in

eastern Iran consist of three facies: a mixture of deep and

shallow sedimentary rocks, turbidites (flysch) and reefs. This

paper discusses the deep oceanic sedimentary rocks as basin

facies and sedimentation depends on the amount of influx of

fine argillaceous, calcareous and siliceous material together

with the plankton rain. In the Shirshotor unit (informal

lithostratigraphic subdivision), these rocks were deposited

Fig. 3. Correlation chart for the two studied sections in the Shirshotor region.

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454448

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454 449

during the opening of an oceanic area between the Lut and

Afghan blocks. In order to develop a comprehensive biostrati-

graphic record of the planktonic foraminifera, the Shirshotor

and Chatot sections located in this area, were examined (Ksh

and Ch, respectively in Fig. 1).

In general, the Shirshotor unit is divided in two members:

Member I consists of sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary

lithologies and Member II is made of re-sedimented deposits.

3.1. Shirshotor section

In this section, the Shirshotor unit includes only Member I,

which is mainly composed of sedimentary and volcano-

sedimentary lithologies (Fig. 3).

Above tuffs and diabases, the sequence begins with a

succession of gray to cream bedded micritic limestones and

argillaceous limestones contains radiolaria and planktonic

foraminifera. It passes upward to the limestones and red

radiolarian cherts with the intercalated layers of volcano-

sedimentary rocks. The volcano-sedimentary rocks consist of

green vitric tuffs, radiolarian tuffs and tuffaceous sandstones.

The upper part consists of gray to cream fine-grained

limestones without volcano-sedimentary rocks. The thickness

of the Shirshotor section reaches about 64 m. This unit

conformably overlies the tuffs and diabases of Late Cretaceous

age (Cenomanian?) and is covered by a conglomerate layer.

3.2. Chatot section (Fig. 3)

In contrast with the preceding one, the Chatot section is

composed of both Members I and II. At the base of Member I,

there are bedded volcano-sedimentary rocks (green tuffs) with

underlying breccia and intercalations of red radiolarian cherts.

This sequence continues with gray limestones containing

radiolaria and planktonic foraminifera. The upper part of

Member I is dominated by the bedded limestone, such as in the

Shirshotor section. The thickness of Member I is 85 m. The top

of the sequence is unconformably overlain by a conglomeratic

horizon passing upward to a debris flow deposit (debrite)

assigned to Member II. The latter consists of mixed lithologies

ranging from sandy mudstones to boulder-sized clasts to a

bouldery mass containing mud. This deposit is an ‘‘olistos-

trome’’. The planktonic foraminifera are found in the

mudstone. The thickness of Member II attains 115 m; it is

composed of three parts. Each part begins with a muddy gravel

body resulting from proximal currents with high density (Lowe,

1979), changes to medium grained carbonate turbidites

(Meischner, 1964), and is terminated by argillaceous lime-

stones and biomicrites. This cycle is repeated three times in this

resedimented unit. The lower and upper contacts of the section

are faulted. The total thickness of the Shirshotor unit is 200 m in

the Chatot section.

4. Biostratigraphy

The Shirshotor unit was deposited in a deep marine

environment and it is more accurately dated with the succession

of index planktonic foraminiferal species. Also, the presence of

a well-preserved globotruncanid assemblage makes this region

important for biostratigraphic studies.

4.1. Zonal subdivisions

Five biozones have been identified on the occurrence of

index planktonic foraminifera in the Shirshotor unit (Figs. 4 and

5). Four biozones are recognized from the upper Turonian to the

Lower Campanian in the Shirshotor section and five biozones

are distinguished in the Chatot section. Identification of

specimens is based on microscopic observations of thin

sections (Fig. 6). The definitions of the biozones are given

following the works of Caron (1985), Sliter (1989), Premoli

Silva and Sliter (1994) and Robaszynski and Caron (1995).

� B

iozone A: Marginotruncana sigali Zone

Age: Late Turonian.

Definition: Interval zone between the last occurrence

(LO) of Helvetoglobotruncana helvetica (supposed) and the

first occurrence (FO) of Dicarinella concavata.

Remarks: The diversification of Marginotruncana and the

presence of the large, compressed marginotruncanids

(Marginotruncana undulata) (Sliter, 1989) fall within this

zone. This interval is also known as Marginotruncana

schneegansi zone (Sliter, 1989; Robaszynski and Caron,

1995). This zone includes: Hedbergella delrioensis, Margin-

otruncana sigali, Marginotruncana schneegansi and Margin-

otruncana renzi.

In the Shirshotor section, from bed of nos. k-sh-1 to k-sh-8,

this interval contains Marginotruncana cf. renzi, M. cf.

schneegansi, M. sigali, Dicarinella cf. primitiva and

Hedbergella cf. simplex.

In the Chatot section, from bed of nos. Ch1 to Ch2, this

interval contains Marginotruncana sigali, Dicarinella cf.

primitiva, Gavellinella sp.

� B

iozone B: Dicarinella concavata Zone

Age: Latest Turonian to Early Santonian.

Definition: Interval zone between the FO of Dicarinella

concavata and the FO of Dicarinella asymetrica.

Remarks: This zone contains the LO of Marginotruncana

sigali and the FO of Contusotruncana near the upper

boundary. In this zone, the dominant taxa belong to the genus

Marginotruncana (e.g., M. marginata, M. renzi, M. sinuosa,

M. pseudolinneiana) and Dicarinella concavata. The species

Contusotruncana fornicata and Hedbergella sp. are rare.

In the Shirshotor section, from bed of nos. k-sh-9 to k-sh-

11. The age of this succession is given on the basis of the

assemblage Dicarinella concavata, Marginotruncana sigali,

M. sinuosa, M. cf. pseudolinneiana and Contusotruncana

fornicata.

In the Chatot section, from bed of nos. Ch3 to Ch5. This

interval yields Dicarinella concavata, Marginotruncana

sinuosa, M. sigali, M. marginata, M. cf. pseudolinneiana

and M. coronata.

� B

iozone C: Dicarinella asymetrica Zone

Age: Santonian.

Fig. 4. Planktonic foraminiferal distribution from the Shirshotor section.

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454450

Fig. 5. Planktonic foraminiferal distribution from the Chatot section.

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454 451

Fig. 6. Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera from Shirshotor unit. All materials are from the two sections. 1. Globotruncana arca (Cushman), K-sh-16, early

Campanian, �55. 2. Globotruncana bulloides Vogler, Ch8, early Campanian, �55. 3. Globotruncana linneiana (D’Orbigny), Ch9, early Campanian, �55. 4.

Globotruncanita cf. calcarata (Cushman), Ch20, middle-late Campanian, �55. 5. Globotruncanita stuartiformis (Dalbiez), Ch20, middle Campanian, �45. 6.

Globotruncanita stuarti (De Lapparent), Ch19, middle Campanian, �45. 7. Globotruncanita cf. elevata (Brotzen), Ch20, middle Campanian, �45. 8. Margin-

otruncana coronata (Bolli), Ch3, Coniacian, �45. 9. Marginotruncana sigali (Reichel), K-sh-5, late Turonian, �55. 10. Dicarinella asymetrica (Sigal), Ch6,

Santonian, �55. 11. Marginotruncana cf. pseudolinneiana Pessagno, Ch3, Coniacian, �45. 12. Dicarinella concavata (Brotzen), Ch7, Santonian, �55. 13.

Hedbergella holmdelensis Olsson, Ch7, early Campanian, �55. 14. Marginotruncana cf. schneegansi (Sigal), Ch3, Coniacian, �80, 15. Dicarinella cf. primitiva

(Dalbiez), K-sh-8, late Turonian, �80.

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454452

Definition: The total range of the nominal species (Sigal,

1977; Sliter, 1992; Robaszynski and Caron, 1995).

Remarks: The upper boundary of this zone coincides

with the extinction of Dicarinella. The marginotruncanids

tend to become rare except for M. pseudolinneiana and

M. coronata, whereas M. renzi and M. sigali become extinct

before this zone. In this zone: Dicarinella asymetrica,

D. concavata, Contusotruncana fornicata, Marginotruncana

S.A. Babazadeh et al. / Geobios 40 (2007) 445–454 453

coronata, M. marginata and M. pseudolinneiana can be

found.

In the Shirshotor section, from bed of nos. k-sh-12 to

k-sh-15. The faunal assemblage observed in the entire interval

is as follows: Dicarinella asymetrica, Contusotruncana

fornicata, Marginotruncana coronata, M. undulata and

M. marginata.

In the Chatot section, from bed of nos. Ch6 to Ch7-2. The

faunal assemblages is represented by Dicarinella asymetrica,

D. concavata, Marginotruncana marginata, M. cf. pseudo-

linneiana, Contusotruncana fornicata, Hedbergella flandrini

and H. holmdelensis.

� B

iozone D: Globotruncanita elevata Zone

Age: Early Campanian.

Definition: Zone defined by the FO of Globotruncanita

elevata.

Remarks: This zone is characterized by the presence of

Globotruncanita elevata, Globotruncanita stuartiformis

associated with Globotruncana arca, Globotruncana linnei-

ana, Globotruncana bulloides and Contusotruncana for-

nicata.

In the Shirshotor section, from bed of nos. k-sh-16 to

k-sh-22. This interval yields Globotruncanita elevata,

Globotruncanita stuartiformis, Globotruncana arca, Globo-

truncana lapparenti, Globotruncana bulloides, Globotrun-

cana linneiana and Contusotruncana fornicata.

In the Chatot section, from bed of nos. Ch7-3 to Ch9. This

interval contains Globotruncanita elevata, Globotruncanita

stuartiformis, Globotruncana arca, Globotruncana bul-

loides, Globotruncana linneiana and Contusotruncana

fornicata.

� B

iozone E: Globotruncana ventricosa Zone

As the succession is truncated by an olistostrome this

biozone is lacking.

� B

iozone F: Globotruncanita calcarata Zone

Age: Early Late Campanian.

Definition: It is defined as total range zone of

Globotruncanita calcarata.

Remarks: The planktonic foraminifera assemblage of this

zone includes Globotruncanita stuarti, Globotruncanita

calcarata, Globotruncana arca and Contusotruncana for-

nicata.

In the Chatot section, from bed of nos. Ch10 to Ch25. It is

dated by the presence of Globotruncanita calcarata and

Globotruncanita stuarti.

5. Conclusions

The planktonic foraminifera assemblages from the upper

Cretaceous of eastern Iran belong to the Tethyan warm water

bioprovince, which is characterized by diverse keeled associa-

tions rich in thick-walled species. This assemblage is composed

of representatives of the genera Marginotruncana, Globotrun-

cana and Globotruncanita.

Five planktic foraminiferal biozones have been identified in

the Shirshotor area. In ascending order they are Biozone A

(Marginotruncana sigali Zone), Biozone B (Dicarinella

concavata Zone), Biozone C (Dicarinella asymetrica Zone),

Biozone D (Globotruncanita elevata Zone) and Biozone F

(Globotruncanita calcarata Zone). A distinct unconformity has

been identified in the Shirshotor unit (section B). This

unconformity is here correlated with a major tectonic activity

of the Laramide Orogeny.

The succession of planktic foraminiferal assemblages in

the Shirshotor unit shows a continuity of the sedimentation

during the Late Cretaceous from the late Turonian to early

Campanian, but during the late-early Campanian and middle

Campanian, there is sedimentary gap evidenced by the lack of

the Globotruncana ventricosa Zone. There is no record of

Maastrichtian biozones such as: the Gansserina gansseri and

Abathomphalus mayaroensis Zones in any of the two studied

sections.

The age of the resedimented deposits or Member II in the

section B formerly attributed to the Eocene (Eftekhar-nezhad

and Stocklin, 1974), on the basis of the new data is changed to

early late Campanian.

Acknowledgements

The first author thanks M.F. Hassani, chairman of Birjand

Payame-noor University for fieldwork facilities. We are

grateful to Dr. J.P. Bellier for helpful suggestions and his

critically reading of the manuscript.

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