Larger foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Maastrichtian-Ypresian Wadi Mashib succession (South Hadramaut Arch, SE Yemen)

The present paper summarizes the biostratigraphy of a shallow-water succession cropping out at Wadi Mashib (SE Yemen). The ca. 440-m-thick profile comprises formations dated as Maastrichtian (Sharwayn), Paleocene (Umm er Radhuma), and Early Eocene (Umm er Radhuma; Jeza'). The bulk (ca. 420 m) of the investigated profile is of Thanetian-Ypresian age and consists of shallow-water limestones and marly limestones, dolomitized in places. Larger foraminifera, which often occur in rock-forming amounts, play a prominent role in this interval and provide reliable age assignments for the succession. Integration of larger foraminiferal evidence provides a means for refining biostratigraphic correlation, and sorting out vertical ranges and taxonomic problems of individual taxa.