SURVIVAL OF THE LATE PERMIAN FORAMINIFERA FROM THE P-TR CRISIS: EVIDENCE FROM THE TAURIDE CARBONATES, HADIM, SOUTHERN TURKEY

Upper Permian rocks in the Hadim area (Central Taurides, Turkey) are subtidal carbonates characterized by a diverse assemblage of calcareous algae, benthic invertebrates and fusulinide foraminifera. The overlying P-Tr boundary is a minor disconformity. The truncation surface in turn is overlain by Lower Triassic stromatolites containing morphologically simple miliolide foraminifers. The disconformable surface was caused by continuous shallowing of the Late Permian Sea. The Upper Permian subtidal carbonates represent a high-stand systems tract deposit, whereas the accretion of Lower Triassic stromatolites occurred in response to slight deepening during the pursuant transgressive systems tract. The Late Permian foraminiferal fauna is dominated by morphologically complex fusulinides (Biseriamminidae, Staffellidae), with subordinate lagenides (Geinitzinidae, Pachyphloiidae) and simple miliolides (Hemigordiopsidae). A previous study of the P-Tr succession in the Hadim area concluded that all morphologically complex forms became extinct at the erathem boundary (Unal et al. 2003). Additional work now suggests that certain biseriamminids survived the mass extinction because they are found in situ with the Early Triassic marker Rectocornuspira kalhori in stromatolites immediately above the P-Tr disconformity.