US-Morocco Cooperative Research: Cenomanian-Turonian Paleoenvironment of Morocco

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0115357KellerDescription: This project is to support a cooperative research project by Dr. Gerta Keller, Department of Geosciences, Princeton, Princeton, New Jersey and Dr. El Hassane Chellai, Department of Geology, University of Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco. They plan to conduct a high-resolution study of the organic carbon rich pelagic carbonates of the Cenomanaian-Turonian transition exposed along NW Atlantic margin of Morocco. The primary target will be the Cenomanaian-Turonian transition interval represented by planktic foraminiferal zones R. cushmani, W. archaeocretacea and H. helvetica, an interval that is represented by up to 160m of sediments along the Atlantic margin. This study will provide the most detailed record of these global anoxic event and greenhouse conditions and serve as analogue for a potential future greenhouse event. Scope: The PI plans to carry out a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary study that documents the Cenomanian-Turonian anoxic event and greenhouse conditions in terms of climate, sea level and productivity fluctuations and their effect on marine plankton (e.g. planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton). This study will bring together experts in sedimentology and stratigraphy, mineralogy stable isotopes, geochemistry, calcareous nannofossils and planktic foraminifera. The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students in the field work and laboratory analyses thus exposing them to working in a foreign country. An Egyptian scientist, Dr. A. A. Tantawy from South Valley University, Aswan, Egypt will also participate in the research based on his expertise in high-resolution age and biostratigraphy. This project meets INT criteria for supporting meritorious collaborative research of mutual benefit to the US and the foreign country. This project is funded by the Division of International Programs and the Division of Earth Sciences.