BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE SUPRA-OPHIOLITE SEDIMENTS OF THE TROODOS MASSIF, CYPRUS - THE CRETACEOUS PERAPHEDHI, KANNAVIOU, MONI AND KATHIKAS FORMATIONS

The Troodos Massif of Cyprus exposes a classic and much-studied ophiol ite sequence representing oceanic crust of Late Cretaceous age. K-Ar d ating of the sheeted dykes and of the overlying pillow lavas gives a r ange of 83 +/- 3 Ma (earliest Campanian) and 75 +/- 5 Ma (late Campani an) respectively. for the formation of the upper levels of the ophioli te. An authochthonous sequence of Late Cretaceous to Recent age sedime nts is exposed resting on the ophiolite, the oldest part of which refl ects sedimentation in an apparently deep marine, oceanic setting. Litt le biostratigraphical information is available to constrain the chrono stratigraphy of these sediments in relation to the complex geological history of the island, including the uplift and unroofing of the ophio lite, despite their richness in microfauna and flora. This paper provi des an integrated biostratigraphical study based on radiolaria, plankt onic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils of the oldest part of th e supra-ophiolite succession, of the Cretaceous Perapedhi, Kannaviou, Moni and Kathikas formations. For the first time, well-defined micropa laeontological evidence establishes the relative ages of these formati ons. The umbers of the Perapedhi formation are no younger than Campani an in age while the volcaniclastic sediments of the Kannaviou formatio n were also deposited during Campanian times. The matrix of the Moni f ormation contains a microfauna consistent with the hypothesis that it is derived from the Kannaviou. In contrast, the Kathikas formation is composed of sediment derived mainly from the allochthonous Mamonia com plex, but autochthonous pelagic interbed horizons demonstrate that it was deposited probably within a very short time interval during the la te Maastrichtian. Key index species are figured, including the first p ublished micrographs of Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera from Cyprus .