Biostratigraphic Study of the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary in Northern Tunisia, North Africa

A new section at Jebel Gorraa, in northern Tunisia, contains the Paleocene-Eocene transition interval. Sample analysis of the section delivers abundant and diverse microfauna of planktonic and benthic foraminifera. Biostratigraphically, the Acarinina sibaiyaensis index-species is identified for the first time in this region, which allows us to specify the location of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary as well as the first E1 biozone of the lower Eocene. Samples from this biozone contain calcitic tests poorly preserved with an enrichment of iron oxide signifying a period of upheaval in local marine environments linked to the global warming of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the marker for the P/E boundary.