Lower Tertiary planktonic biostratigraphy of the Salt Range, Northern Pakistan

Planktonic foraminifera from closely sampled sections of the Patala Formati on and the Nammal Formation from the western Salt Range, namely the Patala Nala, the Nammal Gorge, the Khairabad and the Chichali Pass have been exami ned to establish the planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and its integ ration into the standard planktonic zonation. Six planktonic foraminiferal Zones: Muricoglobigerina soldadoensis Zone, Acarinina wilcoxensis berggreni Zone, Morozovella formosa Zone, Morozovella aragonensis Zone, Subbotina in aequispira Zone and Subbotina frontosa Zone have been established. The Pale ocene-Eocene boundary straddles the Muricoglobigerina soldadoensis Zone and the Acarinina wilcoxensis berggreni Zone. The Patala Formation, essentiall y of Upper Paleocene age, extends into the Lower Eocene.