Studies of benthic foraminiferal assemblages: Implications for sediment transport dynamics and seafloor morphology
Abstract

Presenter : Jen-Chu Yeh  Adviser : Andrew T. Lin
Benthic foraminiferal assemblages are valuable environmental indicators for marine settings. Before any application for marine geology, background assemblages of the study area must establish. First we refer a micropaleontological study at south Spanish to understand the process of retrieving samples and confirming the background assemblages. Another case study from off SE Australia is reported in this presentation to show how benthic foraminiferal assemblages can be used to understand sediment transport and seafloor physiography. Assemblages from Harvey Bay estuary to Tasman abyssal plain along the south-east margin of Australia were studied. By using an efficient software pack designed for paleontological data analysis called “PAST” (Paleontological Statistics), assemblages presented no matter the shells was transported or in-situ. After comparing assemblages of different core site, whether the site impacted by sediment transporting flow were verified; influence of seafloor morphology also observed in this study.

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