The 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption and Eastern South China Sea foraminifera:occurrence, composition and recovery

Analysis of the 12 samples taken from two horizons (the pre-1991 Mount Pina tubo eruption and the post-1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption layers) of the six deep water cores that were collected along the Eastern South China Sea show s that the absolute abundance of Recent benthic foraminifera (total assembl age) in the post-eruption layer is much lower compared to the pre-eruption layer. The post-eruption layer also shows lower diversity with relative hig h abundance of Quinqueloculina spp., which probably form part of the recolo nization fauna. These observations suggest that environmental stability pla ys a vital role in the distribution of foraminifera in the eastern margin o f the South China Sea. The disturbance created by the immense amount of pyr oclastic materials that originated from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo has resulted in the dilution and, eventually, the decimation of most of th e benthic foraminifera. The species that were able to survive might have ta ken advantage of the small amounts of available nutrient supply. These migh t also be the species that were able to adapt quickly to the changes in the environmental conditions.