GLACIAL INTERGLACIAL CHANGES IN THE EQUATORIAL PART OF THE SOMALI BASIN (NW INDIAN-OCEAN) DURING THE LAST 355 KYR/

Planktonic foraminiferal and radiolarian signatures are analyzed in th e 355 kyr record of a core from the equatorial part of the Somali Basi n in order to reconstruct the amplitude of oceanographic processes and to test the reproducibility of the biological response to the glacial /interglacial changes over four climatic cycles. The correspondence an alysis applied to the faunal data set reveals that the dominance of mi xed layer foraminifera observed during isotope transitions 10/5), 6/5, and 2/1 does not occur during transition 8/7 but appears later within isotope stage 7. This specific signature, interpreted as related to t he overflow of water from the South China Sea, can be related to the m agnitude of sea level rises in this part of the Indian Ocean. These de ep oceanic records of high sea level stands are correlated with occurr ences of emerged coral reef terraces in shallow environments.