Nannostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental study of the lower boundary of the Kalat Formation in East and West of Kopeh- Dagh, Northeast Iran

This study presents the nannostratigraphy and nannofossil events in the lower boundary of Kalat Formation in the East and West of the Kopeh- Dagh basin. The Kalat Formation comprises of coarse grained detritus limestone with subordinate sandstone intercalations. In the current study, six sections have been chosen in the East and West of the basin which are as follow: Dobaradar section, Kalat section, Chahchaheh section, Sheikh section, Qaleh Zoo section and Jozak section. In the Dobaradar section 22 species have been determined, in the Kalat section 25 species, in the Chahchaheh section 32 species, in the Sheikh section 28 species, in the Qaleh Zoo section 20 species, and in the Jozak section 18 species have been determined. The boistratigraphy based on calcareous nannofossils allows the identification of nannofossil standard zones CC25- CC26 in the East, and CC21 and CC26 in the West of the Kopeh- Dagh Basin in all of the sections, indicating that the investigated deposits are Late Maastrichtian – late Late Maastrichtian in age in all sections in the East, and early Late Campanian – late Late Maastrichtian in all sections in the West of the Kopeh- Dagh Basin. The nannofossils response to the Maastrichtian climate evolution is investigated in the lower boundary of Kalat Formation. Warm water indicators (Uniplanarius sissinghii, Micula murus and Micula prinsii) suggest warm surface water conditions in the studied thickness. In the lower boundary of the Kalat Formation, based on Lithraphidites spp. and Watznaueria barnesae, lower fertility conditions with low productivity at the end of the Maastrichtian were suggested.