Late Cainozoic environmental changes in Kashmir (33°30' to 34°30' N: 74°10' to 75°30' E) have been reconstructed using a range of techniques. The sedimentary record in Kashmir consists of a thick (>1000m) basin-fill sequence known as the Karewa group, together with glacial and related sediments in the surrounding mountain flanks. The Karewa sediments are fluviolacustrine in origin and comprise alternations of conglomerates, sands and clayey silts. Work on the lower Karewa formation, which has previously been dated palaeomagnetically to between 4 and 0.4 MaBP, involved the semi- quantitative analysis of clay-mineral assemblages by X-ray diffraction.The clay minerals in the lower Karewa mudstones are interpreted as detrital clays which reflect weathering within Kashmir basin. The analyses showed a change in clay mineralogy between about 2.5 and 2.3MaBP, from abundant kaolinite to abundant smectite. Work on the upper Karewa formation involved field description and mapping of facies, sedimentological analysis, dating using thermoluminescence (TL) and amino-acid racemization, and analysis of ostracod assemblages from lacustrine sediments. Areal restriction of the lake in Kashmir occurred about 0.4MaBP with the rapid uplift of the Pir Panjal Range. Sedimentological data show that aeolian dust formed a major input into the lake. Ostracod assemblages show that the lake itself was cool, shallow, alkaline and had abundant plant macrophytes, The lake drained between 120 and SOkaBP. Stratigraphical, sedimentological and faunal evidence suggests that this was a result of tectonically-induced drainage rather than climatically-induced desiccation. The glacial history of the surrounding mountain flanks was reconstructed by field mapping of glacial sediments and dated using TL and radiocarbon methods. Present and past patterns of glaciation wore assessed by the determination of equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs), glaciation thresholds (GTs) and cirque aJtitudes. Glaciers extended to 2150 m a.s.l in the Great Himalayan flank and 2600 m a.s.l. in the Pir Panjal. There is evidence for only 2 pre-Holucene advances in Kashmir, the older of which predates 35kaBP. Present patterns of glacierization indicate a SW to NE rise in the height of ELAs and GTs suggesting topographic and precipitation control. An apparent reversal of trends during the past is explained by Quaternary uplift of the Pir Panjal Range.

Foraminiferal faunas across the early to middle Eocene transition (EMET) were studied from three locations in the western Caribbean: Calle G section in Cuba, ODP site 998 B the Cayman Rise, and ODP site 999 B the Colombian basin. There were three primary objectives of this project 1) to observe changes in physical and biological paleoceanographic parameters in the Western Caribbean, more directly in the Cayman Ridge and the Colombian Basin, by the use of planktonic foraminifera data, 2) determine the cause of an oxygen isotope anomaly seen in Cuba by Fluegeman (2007) and that is expected to be present in the Western Caribbean, and 3) determine if the anomaly is a local or a more widespread regional event. The Calle G section in northwestern Cuba consists of early to middle Eocene age foraminiferal chalks. The planktonic foraminiferal fauna at this section is characterized by subbotinids and acarininids but does not contain morozovellids. Oxygen isotopes were obtained across the EMET from the planktonic foraminiferan Acarinina collactea. The resultant curve shows widely fluctuating values during the early portion of the EMET with more stable values occurring in the middle Eocene. The foraminiferal paleoecologic index tau curve at the Calle G section produced is similar to the oxygen isotope curve. ODP site 998 B, Cayman Rise, contains a series of foraminiferal limestones across the EMET. Unlike the Calle G section, this interval contains an abundant planktonic foraminifera fauna including Morozovella. The Morozovella:Acarinina ratio studied at ODP site 998 shows high, fluctuating values in the early part of the EMET with low, stable values during the middle Eocene.ODP site 999 B in the Colombian Basin consists of a series of foraminiferal chalks throughout the EMET. Similar to ODP site 998 this location also has an abundant assemblage of planktonic foraminifera including Morozovella. Evidence supporting turbidities have been observed at this locale as layers of shell hash and large benthic foraminifera. The Morozovella:Acarinina ratio studied at ODP site 999 is similar to that of ODP site 998 showing a high fluctuating values in the early part of the EMET with low, stable values in the middle Eocene. The presence of fluctuating values of oxygen isotopes, tau, and the Morozovella:Acarinina ratio followed by stable values across the EMET may be related to a change in circulation patterns through the Caribbean caused by a developing oceanic gateway. The widely fluctuating oxygen isotope values in the latest Ypresian may also be related to an influx of freshwater in the North Atlantic associated with the coeval Azolla event in the Arctic Ocean. / Department of Geological Sciences