The Cenozoic was a time of climatic, tectonic and eustatic change in the Southern Hemisphere. Cooling at the pole, glaciation and substantial sea ice formation occurred as latitudinal temperature gradients increased and tectonics altered Southern Hemisphere circulation patterns. During this same time frame, the tectonic regime of the New Zealand continental block transitioned from a passive margin to an active plate boundary, resulting in the reversal of a long-standing transgression and an influx of terrigenous sediment to marine basins. In this transition, depositional basins in the South Island became more localized; however, the influence of oceanographic and tectonic drivers is poorly understood on a local scale. Here we apply sedimentological, biostratigraphic and geochemical analyses to revise understanding of the effects of the changing climatic regime and active tectonics on the development of Oligocene and Miocene rocks in the Northern Canterbury Basin. The Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene sedimentary rocks of the northern Canterbury Basin record oceanographic and tectonic influences on basin formation, sediment supply and deposition. The Palaeocene to Late Eocene Amuri Formation in the basin are micrites and biogenic cherts recording deepwater, terrigenous-starved environments, and do not show any influence of active tectonics. The Early Oligocene development of ice on the Antarctic continent and the associated global sea level response is reflected in this basin as the Marshall Paraconformity, an eroded, glauconitized and phosphatised firm ground and hardground atop the Amuri. Sedimentation above this unconformity resumed in the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene with cleaner, deep-water, bathyal planktic foraminifera packstones and wackestones in eastern areas and Late Oligocene inner shelf volcaniclastic packstones in parts of the western basin. Post-unconformity sedimentation resumed earlier in western areas, as the currents responsible for scouring the sea floor moved progressively to the east. The development of tectonic uplift in terrestrial settings is first seen in the northwestern basin in Lower Miocene fine quartz-rich sandstones, and by the Middle Miocene, bathyal sandstones and quartz-rich wackestones appear in the basin, replacing earlier, more pure carbonates. The uplift caused shallowing to the west, in the form of shelf progradation due to sediment influx. This shallowing is not observed to the east; instead, the palaeoenvironments show a deepening as a result of sea level rise.

Bibliography: leaves 254-267. / Microfiche. / xiii, 267 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Loose sheets comprise of profiles of the Oligocene. / Bibliography: leaves 89-158. / 158, [60] leaves, [16] leaves of plates : ill., maps ; 30 cm. + seven charts (some folded) / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This study investigates a late Eocene to Miocene succession of diverse mid-latitude assemblages of foraminifera from carbonates and calcareous muds and sands on the southern Australian margin. It contrasts foraminiferal profiles from the restricted St. Vincent and Murray Basins with the Otway Basin that is more exposed to oceanic conditions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, 1995

Twenty four folded leaves of ill. in pocket inside the back cover of v. 2 / Bibliography: leaves 146-164 (v. 1) / 2 v. : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology and Mineralogy, 1983

Includes bibliographical references. / [320] leaves, [29] leaves of plates : ill. (some col., folded), maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, 1993

[Truncated abstract] The Northern Bonaparte Basin and adjacent Darwin Shelf form part of a major petroleum province on the northwestern margin of Australia. The middle to Late Cretaceous Bathurst Island Group consists of siliciclastic and pelagic carbonate strata that form the regional seal to underlying Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous reservoir sandstones. The Bathurst Island Group has previously been subdivided into four stratigraphic sequences or ‘play intervals’ bound by regional disconformities in the Valanginian (KV horizon), Lower Aptian (KA horizon), upper Lower Cenomanian (KC horizon), Middle Campanian (KSC horizon), and at the CretaceousPaleocene boundary (T horizon). Correlation of these sedimentary packages and stratigraphic surfaces requires high-resolution calcareous microfossil biostratigraphy, while palaeobathymetric determinations based on benthonic foraminiferal assemblages are important for determining the subsidence history of the area and relative sea-level changes. This study presents the first detailed stratigraphic distributions, taxonomic lists and illustrations of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils from the Bathurst Island Group of the Northern Bonaparte Basin and Darwin Shelf. A biostratigraphic framework has been constructed for the study area incorporating ‘standard’ (Tethyan) Cretaceous planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil events where applicable, and integrating locally defined events where necessary. This framework allows Cretaceous strata to be correlated regionally across the study area and to the global chronostratigraphic scale. Correlation of the Northern Bonaparte Basin and Darwin Shelf strata to the Cretaceous Stages and international time scale is based on recent ties of nannofossil and foraminiferal events to macrofossil zones and palaeomagnetic polarity chrons at ratified and proposed Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs). Calcareous nannofossil events recorded in the study area that are critical for defining stage boundaries include the lowest occurrences of Prediscosphaera columnata, Micula decussata, Lithastrinus grillii, and Aspidolithus parcus parcus, and the highest occurrences of Helenea chiastia, Lithastrinus moratus, Aspidolithus parcus constrictus, and Eiffellithus eximius. Important planktonic foraminiferal events for correlation include the lowest occurrences of Rotalipora gr. globotruncanoides, and Dicarinella asymetrica, and the highest occurrences of Planomalina buxtorfi, Rotalipora cushmani, and Dicarinella asymetrica. During the middle to Late Cretaceous the Northern Bonaparte Basin and Darwin Shelf occupied mid-high palaeolatitudes between 35ºS to 45ºS. These palaeolatitudes are reflected in the transitional character of the planktonic microfossil assemblages, which combine elements of the low-latitude, warm-water Tethyan Province to the north and the cool-water high-latitude Austral Province to the south. ‘Standard’ Tethyan zonations are most applicable for uppermost AlbianMiddle Campanian strata because equator-to-pole temperature gradients were weakly developed, and global climate was warm and equable during this interval. These conditions resulted in broad latitudinal distributions for Tethyan marker species, and consequently most UC calcareous nannofossil zones and European-Mediterranean planktonic foraminiferal zones are recognised. In contrast, the EarlyLate Albian and the late Middle CampanianMaastrichtian were intervals of greater bioprovinciality and stronger palaeotemperature gradients. In these intervals application of the Tethyan zonations is more difficult, and a number of the Tethyan biostratigraphic markers are absent from the study area (e.g. Ticinella species in the Albian and Radotruncana calcarata in the Late Campanian). Cretaceous palaeobathymetric reconstruction of the study area is based on comparison of the foraminiferal assemblages with those of previous Cretaceous palaeobathymetric studies. Marginal marine assemblages consist solely of low diversity siliceous agglutinated foraminifera (e.g. Trochammina). Inner and middle neritic water depths (0-100 m) contain rare to common planktonic foraminifera (mainly globigerine forms), robertinids (e.g. Epistomina), siliceous agglutinates, lagenids, buliminids (e.g. Neobulimina), and rotaliids. The outer neritic zone (100-200 m water depth) contains abundant planktonic foraminifera (keeled and globigerine), calcareous agglutinates (e.g. Dorothia), and diverse lagenids, buliminids, and rotaliids. Upper-middle bathyal water depths (200-1000 m) are characterised by abundant planktonic foraminifera, common siliceous agglutinated taxa (e.g. Glomospira), rare to common Osangularia, and globular species of Gyroidinoides, Pullenia, and Paralabamina.

This thesis investigates sea-level changes in order to test the hypothesis that the main contribution to early 20th century sea-level rise was Northern Hemisphere land-based ice melt. Multiproxy sea-level reconstructions were established for the Falkland Islands, a location where models suggest sea-level rise from Northern Hemisphere ice melt produces the largest signal. The Falklands reconstruction indicated sea levels in the early 20th century accelerated compared to the long-term rate, synchronous with accelerations observed globally. The magnitude of the acceleration in the Falklands reconstruction was greater than Northern Hemisphere rates, consistent with the spatial pattern from a Northern Hemisphere melt source, but likely less than in New Zealand and Australia. It is therefore not possible rule out other contributions to the observed sea-level acceleration. The Falklands reconstruction indicated a rapid sea-level jump around 8.4 ka BP, synchronous with a jump observed in the Northern Hemisphere, which has been attributed to the sudden drainage of Laurentide proglacial lake Agassiz-Ojibway associated with the 8.2 ka BP climatic downturn. A maximum estimate of 0.89 ± 0.22 m for this jump in the Falklands is considerably less than estimates from Northern Hemisphere records. This difference could indicate additional contributions from the Southern Hemisphere are being recorded in the Northern Hemisphere signal. This thesis also focused on developing testate amoebae as sea-level indicators. In the Falklands, testate amoebae transfer functions were able to reconstruct sea level with precision (±0.08 m) comparable to diatoms (±0.07 m). However, preservation issues were indicated in the fossil testate amoebae assemblages which limits their use as tools for sea-level reconstruction. In addition, contemporary distributions of salt-marsh testate amoebae were investigated over one annual cycle. Seasonal variations in the live assemblages were observed to be asynchronous between taxa. Variations in the death assemblages were also observed which were correlated with variations in the live assemblages. This observation suggests the commonly applied assumption in palaeoenvironmental studies that analysing the death population negates temporal bias is invalid. Further research is required to investigate the impact these observed variations have on reconstructive performance.

O presente trabalho tem como enfoque o estudo de foraminíferos planctônicos, na margem continental Sudeste Brasileira, entre São Sebastião, SP e Cabo de São Tomé, RJ através do levantamento das espécies existentes no plâncton. Buscou conhecer a distribuição sazonal e vertical na coluna d?água (0 a 100 m de profundidade) das espécies de foraminíferos planctônicos, correlacionar a presença desses organismos a fatores abióticos e bióticos no meio ambiente. Comparar a composição da biocenose e da tanatocenose assim como, realizar análise tafonômica das carapaças depositadas no fundo oceânico, a fim de avaliar o registro sedimentar desses organismos e considerar a utilização de assinaturas tafonômicas em carapaças de foraminíferos planctônicos na compreensão dos processos hidrodinâmicos na área de estudo. Para isso, foram analisadas amostras de plâncton, coletadas no verão/2002 e inverno/2002, e amostras de sedimento. Foram aplicadas metodologias usuais em análises de foraminíferos planctônicos. Foi possível reconhecer que há grande diferença sazonal na abundância e no tamanho de foraminíferos planctônicos na margem continental Sudeste Brasileira. A distribuição vertical desses organismos no verão parece estar relacionada à profundidade da camada de mistura, variação da temperatura na água, e à cadeia alimentar. No intervalo de profundidade entre 0 m e 40 m, predominam Globigerinoides ruber (pink) e Globigerinoides ruber (white). As espécies Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei e Globigerinella siphonifera predominam entre 40 m e 60 m de profundidade, ao passo que entre 60 m e 80 m de profundidade ocorrem Globorotalia menardii, Orbulina universa e Globigerina falconenis. O registro sedimentar das espécies de foraminíferos planctônicos encontrado na área de estudo reflete a biocenose, podendo assim ser utilizado em análises ambientais e paleoceanográficas. As assinaturas tafonômicas observadas refletem as condições hidrodinâmicas locais. / The present work focuses on the study of planktonic foraminifera on the southeast Brazilian continental margin between São Sebastião, SP and São Tomé, RJ. This was done by means of a survey of the existing species in the plankton. The seasonal and vertical distribution in the water column (0-100 m depth) of the planktonic foraminifera species was also determined. In addition, a comparison of the biocenose and of the tatocenose was carried out as well as a tafonomic analysis of the tests deposited in the bottom. This was done in order to evaluate the sedimentary record of these organisms and consider the possibility of using tafonomic signatures in planktonic foraminifera tests in order to better understand the hydrodynamic processes in the study area. For this, plankton samples collected in the summer and winter of 2002, as well as sediment samples, were analyzed. Methodologies common to planktonic foraminfera analysis were applied. The results show that there is a great seasonal difference in abundance and size of the planktonic foraminifera on the southeast Brazilian continental margin. The vertical distribution of these animals in the summer seems to be related to the depth of the mixture layer, variations in water temperature, and to the food chain. In the depth interval between 0 m and 40 m, there was a predominance of Globigerinoides ruber (pink) and Globigerinoides ruber (white). The species Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and Globigerinella siphonifera are predominate between 40 and 60 m. On the other hand, between 60 and 80 m Globorotalia menardii, Orbulina universa and Globigerina falconenis occur in greater quantities. The sedimentary record of the species of planktonic foraminifera found in the study area reflect the biocenose, being therefore appropriate for the usage in environmental and paleoceanographic analyses. The tafonomic signatures observed reflect the local hydrodynamic conditions.

As assembléias dos foraminíferos planctônicos fósseis de dois testemunhos amostrados do Atlântico tropical oeste representativo dos últimos 30.000 anos foram analisadas junto com estimativas de paleotemperatura superficial e ∂18O e ∂13C do foraminífero planctônico Globigerinoides ruber \'branca\'. Estes resultados mostraram que durante o Último Máximo Glacial e durante os eventos de resfriamento de curta duração Heinrich 1 and Younger Dryas o Atlântico tropical oeste manteve altas paleotemperaturas superficiais. Este estudo sugere que durante este período o Atlântico tropical oeste ocorreu uma acumulação de sal e clor nesta porção do Atlântico como conseqüência do enfraqueciemnto do transporte de calor e sal através do equador. Ao final destes eventos a intensificação do transporte de calor e sal foi restabelecido, baixando a temperatura superficial aos valores conhecidos atuamente. Este estudo sugere que o Atlântico tropical oeste atuou como um reservatório de calor e sal durante a deglaciação. / The planktonic foraminiferal assemblages of two piston cores from western tropical Atlantic covering the last 30,000 years have been analysed together with paleoceanographic ANN sea surface temperature reconstruction and ?18O and ?13C of the shallow dwelling planntonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber \'white\'. These proxies reveal that during the Last Glacial Maximum and during the Heinrich 1 and Younger Dryas cold events, the western tropical experienced warm periods. This study suggest that during these warm intervals a pronounced accumulation of heat and salt occurred at western tropical Atlantic, as a result of cross-equatorial heat and salt transport decrease. At the end of these events, the intensification of cross-equatorial heat and salt transport cooled and freshened the western tropical surface waters. This study suggests the western tropical Atlantic served as a heat and salt reservoir during deglaciation.

O conhecimento das preferências ecológicas de espécies de foraminíferos planctônicos tem sido muito utilizada em investigações paleoceanográficas obtendo bons resultados. O presente estudo realizou inferências sobre as condições oceanográficas das águas superficiais da porção sudoeste do Atlântico Sul nos últimos 450.000 anos através da variação da abundância de foraminíferos planctônicos em dois testemunhos da Bacia de Campos. A partir da Análise de Correspondência foram identificados os três principais fatores responsáveis pela variação dos foraminíferos planctônicos encontrados em cada um dos testemunhos. No testemunho KF-13 os três fatores principais foram interpretados como temperatura, espessura da camada de mistura e sazonalidade; enquanto para o testemunho KF-14 os fatores foram definidos como espessura da camada de mistura, produtividade e sazonalidade. Com esses fatores foram identificados os intervalos de maior intensidade de ventos e produtividade na região. As principais mudanças climáticas do Atlântico Sul encontram-se relacionadas às mudanças de intensidade de ventos e dos sistemas dependentes deles como o Giro Subtropical do Atlântico e a Zona de Convergência Subtropical. / Paleoceanographic investigations based on planktonic foraminifera ecologic preferences are widely and succesfully applied. The present study infered surface waters oceanographic conditions from the South Atlantic southwest margin in the past 450.000 years through the planktonic foramifera abundance variation in two cores from Campos Basin. Correspondence Analysis defined three principal factors responsible for the planktonic foraminifera abundance variation in each core. The three KF-13 main factors were interpreted as temperature, mixed layer thickness and sazonality; KF-14 principal factors were defined as mixed layer thickness, productivity and sazonality. These factors made it possible to identify higher wind stress and higher productivity intervals in this region. The main climatic variations in South Atlantic are due to changes in wind stress and the systems which depend on it such as the Atlantic Subtropical Gyre and the Subtropical Convergence Zone.