Calcareous nannofossil counting in the Avdat section, Northern Negev, Israel

Assemblage of calcareous nannofossil from the Avdat section in Israel was analyzed and compared to other oceanic sites. 161 samples were taken from seven subsections in the Avdat gorge along the Zin Valley (30.8N, 34.8E, WGS84) with a 1m sampling resolution. The integrated section represents the Ypresian / Lutetian transition of the Eocene. Ages and rates of sedimentation were calculated after Geological Time Scale 2012 (GTS; Schmitz, 2012). The error for age values is ±0.1 Myr. Calcareous nannofossil were counted under polarized microscope based on the total number of specimens per View Field (pVF). 5-10 slide-replicates were made for a sample, inspecting 60 view fields from each. The current data allows tracking the response of calcareous nannofossil assemblage to palaeoceanographic changes in the proximal basins of the Levant region, southern Tethys.