RESPONSE OF RADIOLARIA TO THE OLIGOCENE PALEO-OCEANOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN, ODP SITE 1138A, KERGUELEN PLATEAU

Abstract

Southern Oceanic region is one of the most unique regions in the world. It is a greatly I burgeoning area of interest since water in this region can travel without any hindrance almost across the entire globe connecting Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Thus it is vital to understand the oceanographic set up and faunal distribution across the Southern Ocean. Present dissertation is an attempt directed towards the same goal. The area of study is the Central Kerguelen Plateau site I 138A of ODP !eg 138 in the Southern Ocean and the microfossils used are radiolarians. Radiolarians were chosen since !esser is known about radiolarians, compared to other microplankton groups such as planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nanoplanktons. Further, radiolarians possess siliceous tests which increase their preservation potential. They are thus an excellent tool for paleoceanographic study in all oceans. The main objectives of the dissertation are targeted towards: Documenting systematically, the encountered Oligocene radiolarian species while learning the methods of fossil recovery and undertaking taxonomic identification. Performing radio larian bio-diversity, correlation and quantitative studies to understand the paleo-environment.