CONTRIBUTION OF BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA TO THE STUDY OF FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS IN EARTH´S HISTORY (Invited Presentation)

Benthic foraminifera are excellent proxies for environmental conditions, and they provide the best fossil record of deep-sea Cenozoic organisms. Their application in environmental assessment and paleoecology was highlighted in the seminal works produced by David Scott, John Murray, and Johan Haynes, the three renowned micropaleontologists to whom this session is dedicated. Their legacy showcased the multiple applications of foraminifera and their contribution to solve many of the fundamental problems of Earth's history.

The study of benthic foraminifera has significantly contributed to the understanding of Earth's geological history, climate change and the evolution of past non-analog oceans and ecosystems. Here I present several case studies to illustrate how benthic foraminifera have been applied to solve some of Earth's fundamental questions, which range from plate tectonics and the evolution of continents, ocean circulation and sea-level changes, to gradual vs. rapid climate change events of the past and even the effects of impacts of extraterrestrial bodies on Earth.

In particular, and within the framework of International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 371 in the Tasman Sea, benthic foraminifera have been a key fossil group to document large vertical movements (1-3 km) of Zealandia since it separated from Australia and Antarctica 80 Ma, showing that subduction initiation profoundly changed the geography of this now mostly submerged continent. They have helped locate the earliest signs of tectonic activity related to subduction initiation in the western Pacific. Additionally, their response to Paleogene rapid warming events (hyperthermals) of different magnitude, or to the enigmatic Late Miocene - Early Pliocene Biogenic Bloom, will provide insights into the effects of global events in this largely unexplored region, and to better understand the potential consequences of the current global changes.