48 UPPER CRETACEOUS-LOWER TERTIARY FORAMINIFERA 



flooding the Middle Maestrichtian of various parts of the world, with rare 

 occurrence in the upper part of the Lower Maestrichtian and in the basal 

 part of the Upper Maestrichtian (Bolli 1951, 1957a, 19596 ; Nakkady & 

 Osman 1954 ; Gandolfi 1955 ; Dalbiez 1955 ; Bronnimann & Brown 1956 ; 

 Olsson i960 ; Pessango i960 ; and Berggren 1962). This zone is also 

 flooded with forms of definite Maestrichtian age such as Globotruncana 

 contusa contusa, G. contusa patelliformis, G. area, G. conica, G. esnehensis, 

 G.fareedi, G. gagnebini, G. lugeoni, G. stuarti parva, G. aegyptiaca aegyptiaca, 

 G. aegyptiaca duwi, G. havanensis, Abathomphalus intermedia, Rugoglobi- 

 gerina rugosa, R. pustulata, R. pennyi, R. macrocephala, R. loetterli, R. 

 glaessneri, Hedbergella monrnouthensis, H. petaloidea, H. mattsoni, H. hessi 

 hessi and H. hessi compressiformis. 



Some of these species were recorded from the type Maestrichtian (Hofker 

 1962a), from the Maestrichtian rocks underlying the type Danian (Troelsen 

 1955 ; Berggren 1962) and from the Maestrichtian rocks of various parts of 

 the world. (See the discussion under each of the above-mentioned species.) 



(e) The Upper Sharawna shale member conformably overlies the " Middle 

 Sharawna marl member ", while its top is truncated by a marked strati- 

 graphical break. A conglomerate with reworked Maestrichtian ammonites, 

 gastropods and lamellibranchs, together with a typical Upper Danian 

 fauna, marks this break and indicates the dawn of the Cainozoic era. 



Analysis of the planktonic foraminiferal content of the " Upper Sharawna shale 

 member " has proved its Middle to Upper Maestrichtian age. It has also proved 

 that its lower part constitutes the top of the Middle Maestrichtian G. gansseri zone, 

 while its upper part constitutes the lower part of the Upper Maestrichtian G. esnehen- 

 sis zone. Worthy of mention in the latter zone are the following species : 



Abathomphalus mayaroensis, A. intermedia, Globotruncana contusa contusa, G. 

 contusa patelliformis, G. esnehensis, G. gagnebini, G. aegyptiaca aegyptiaca, G. 

 aegyptiaca duwi, G. mariei, G. havanensis, G. stuarti parva, Rugoglobigerina rugosa, 

 R. rotundata, R. pustulata, R. pennyi, R. macrocephala, Trinitella scotti, Hedbergella 

 monrnouthensis, and H. petaloidea. These were partly recorded from the Upper Maes- 

 trichtian at its type section (Hofker 1962a), from the Upper Maestrichtian rocks below 

 the type Danian (Berggren 1962 and Troelsen 1955), and from the same horizon 

 elsewhere (Bronnimann 1952a ; Bronnimann & Brown 1956 ; Bolli 195 1, 1957a, 

 19596 ; Dalbiez 1955 ; Pessango i960, 1962, etc.). However, the fact that in the 

 succession studied, the Upper Maestrichtian part is represented by a comparatively 

 small thickness of strata (about 13 m. only), and that reworked Upper Maestrichtian 

 macrofossils occur in the conglomeratic band which forms the base of the Upper 

 Danian strata above, clearly indicates that the uppermost Maestrichtian is missing. 

 Thus the upper part of the " Upper Sharawna shale member " corresponds to the 

 lower part of the Upper Maestrichtian only. 



The macrofauna of the Sharawna shale formation correlates it with equivalent 

 Maestrichtian strata in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa (Parnes 1956 ; 



