Paleobathymetry in the backstripping procedure: Correction for oxygenation effects on depth estimates

To assess whether the effect of sea-floor oxygenation impairs depth reconstructions, we studied the percentage of planktonic foraminifera (%P) in five well-dated sedimentary successions from the Lower Pliocene of Crete, Corfu and Milos in Greece. Additionally, we assessed whether different foraminiferal size fractions and counting methods affect the determination of the percentage of planktonic foraminifera. The palaeobathymetric evolution calculated for each basin was confirmed for all successions by an independent check on depth-related occurrences of benthic foraminifera. After correction for bathymetry changes of the basin due to sedimentation, compaction and eustatic sea level variations, the vertical movement history of the basin floor was inferred. We propose a standard methodology for reconstructions of palaeobathymetry of marine sedimentary successions from foraminiferal associations.