Atlas of Maastrichtian Foraminifera

The Atlas of Boreal Maastrichtian Foraminifera is building up.
350+ images are added
They are accessible through the Atlas of Boreal Maastrichtian Foraminifera



The first goal will be to add about 600 images. In May 2013 the working group "Atlas of Boreal Maastrichtian Foraminifera" will meet and discuss how to move on. It is not clear, whether we have the capacity to add pages on single species with further explanations. There are several samples waiting to be processed. Lets see, which path we follow.

Michael

Google maps on foraminifera finds

Personalized google maps with flags on each locality of foram finds have been implemented. They have full functionality like zooming in and out, changing map-type ... A click on each flag opens an info-window from where a link leads to the locality-page with all images. Maps are available for the geological periods Carboniferous to recent. Please tell me, what you think about it and how it should be improved.

www.foraminifera.eu/locality.php

Maastrichtian Foraminifera Working Group

Bolivinoides draco draco The Foraminifera.eu Working Group "Maastrichtian Foraminifera" has started to operate.

A Maastrichtian sample from a core-drill from Hemmoor, Northern Germany has been processed. Stefan Raveling who provided the sample did also the washing, sieving and optical imaging. SEM-imaging was done by Dr. Rosenfeldt and Michael Hesemann.

First 60 images are online at www.foraminifera.eu/hemmoor.php The material is corroded but still shows important details and ornamentation to identify single specimens.

The Working Group "Maastrichtian Foraminifera" will continue to work on this sample, samples from the Laegerdorf Quarry, also Northern Germany and from a drill-core from the Baltic Sea. Other Maastrichtian material is welcome and the group is open for more members. In case of interest you may contact us via email: michael [at] foraminifera.eu

It is planned to meet in November 2012 on a Saturday in Hamburg, Germany to discuss the project and single species. The results will be used for the related "Index Foraminifera Cretaceous" Project.


Ramulina wrightii

Upper Cretaceous of the United States

As the number of foraminiferal images increases a new interface for their access is needed. The generalized map of the United States at Upper Cretaceous time - seen above - illustrates the localities, where the samples are from. Moving the mouse over the circles reveals the locality and a click brings you to the illustrations of its forams.

The stratigraphical chart - seen below - illustrates the stratigraphical setting and from which formation the samples are. A click on the coloured areas brings you to the illustrations of its forams.

Do you like this new features and what do you think, should be done better ?

Link to the full page
and its internal links

Field trip to the chalk-quarry Laegerdorf

In July our small group of hobby-micropaleontologists heads to the chalk-quarry Laegerdorf near Hamburg: doors are open, it its collectors Sunday. While our macropaleontological colleagues are already busy with their heavy equipment and first findings of belemnites are reported we discuss the stratigrafical setting:





















We soon skip our plan to match stratigrafical maps in the literature with sampling in the quarry. We do a chronological sampling and hope, that the micropaleontological content will tell us more.










After 7 hours of continous sampling we have 15 bags of 500g. Mircofossils are not observable, with a magnifying glas: 0,00.
What have you got ? is the question of our colleagues with the buckets full of belemnits, starfish, sponges ...
Yeah , oh my god - us ? - we don't know ...

Our field trip starts back home. After cleaning, washing, sieving of 1/3 of the first bag a residue with fraction > 63µm is left:




















In three such spoons we find hundreds of foraminifera and other microfossil specimens. Cleaning needs to be improved though.

Some prominent index foraminifera for the Lower Upper Campanian/ Upper lower Campanian found are these:


Neoflabellina buticula






Stensioeina pommerana







Bolivinoides decoratus (var. decoratus ?)





Learn more about our findings at
Laegerdorf Sample 22