Quantitative Biostratigraphic Analysis upon the Upper Cretaceous in Tethyan Himalaya

Biostratigraphic analysis is an essential element for understanding global tectonics and the evolution of life on Earth. Quantitative analysis of sedimentary sequences provides the precise age constraints on timing of significant events in Earth's history. This paper presents results from quantitative stratigraphic analysis of Upper Cretaceous Tethyan Himalayan sequences. This analysis resulted in a new composite stratigraphic section for the Cretaceous strata of Tibet (TIBETKCS). The eight Upper Cretaceous sections were analyzed in this study and 12 planktonic foraminifera zones were recognized based on available data. Quantitative measurements were made using a Graphic Correlation with Graphcor 3.0 software and correlated to the world standard Cretaceous Composite Section (MIDKCS). The sections were also examined using Constrained Optimization software by CONOP9. Level Penalty was applied as the rule to measure misfit among automatically correlated sections. The new TIBETKCS correlates well with planktonic foraminifera ages from previous work in southern Tibet. A fitting equation of y=-0.19x+305 with a correlation coefficient of 0.94 was obtained from this work The ages of the first and last appearances of 64 planktonic foraminifera can be calculated with this equation with +/- 0.3 Ma precision. This level of precision is approximately 10 times higher than age determinations with traditional methods. Two extinction events were resolved within this analysis at approximate to 93.5 Ma and approximate to 85.5 Ma corresponding to the Ocean Anoxic Events at Cenomanian-Turonian and Coniacian-Santonian boundaries respectively.