Ten benthic larger foraminifera species Cisalveolina cf. lehneri (Reichel, 1941), C. frassi (Gűmbel, 1872), Sellialveolina viallii
Colalongo, 1963, Reticulinella reicheli (Cuvillier et al., 1969), Orbitolina (Mesorbitolina) texana (Roemer, 1849), Spiroloculina
cenomana Chiocchini, 2008, Spirosigmoilina sp., Cuneolina cylindrica Henson, Palaeosigmoilopsis apenninica Chiocchini, 2008,
and Praechrysalidina infracretacea Luperto Sinni, 1979 have been recorded from the Cenomanian sediments of west-central Sinai
for the first time. Due to the scarcity of index fossils such as ammonites and planktonic foraminifera and the high-diversity of the
larger foraminifera species, three biozones have been recorded during Cenomanian based on larger foraminifera. In addition, two step
patterns extinctions of larger foraminifera have been observed in the Late Cenomanian shallow-water carbonates of the studied area.
The first step (E1) occurs at the middle part of the larger foraminifera Praealveolina cretacea Zone and the second one (E2) occurs
near the top of the same latter zone with low-diversity of miliolids and textularids. The latter two extinction events (E1 & E2) are
correlated with the record of sea-level change of eustatic curve of Haq et al. (1988). |
