THE FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLASES IN THE SURFACE SEDIMENTS FROM THE CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN

As a result of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of foraminifcra from 18 surface scdi-ment samples taken from the Central Pacific Ocean, three assemblages of benthonic foraminrfera in different water depths are preliminarily recognized, namely, (i) shelf assemblage of Amphistegina cenosa (Fichtel and Moll) and Calcarina hispida Brady, inhabiting areas with water depths less than 100 m, (ii) bathyal assemblage of Globocassidulina subglobosa (Brady) and Osangtilaria bengalensis (Schwager), with water depths ranging from 900 to 4800 m, and (in) abyssal assemblage of Cribrostomoides subglobosum (Sars) and Cystammina galeata (Brady), characteristic of water depths greater than 4800 in. However, the assemblage of the planktonic foraminifera in all 18 sediment samples is quite similar and consists mainly of 26 species, such as Globigtrinoides ritbrr (d'Orbigny), C. sacculifer (Brady), G. congloatus (Brady), Globoquadrina dutertrei (d'Orbtgny), Pttllerntina obliquiloculata(Parker and Jones), etc.