Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Pleistocene Sediments from the Indian Ocean

Two deep-sea cores containing Cretaceous, Paleocene, and Pleistocene sediments from an oceanic rise approximately 500 miles southeast of Cape Town contained well-preserved fossil foraminiferal ooze made up of about 97 percent planktonic forms, including species of Guembelina and Hedbergella. High percentages of particles less than 53 micro in diameter in the Cretaceous and Paleocene sediments indicate a deep-water open-ocean depositional environment. These sediments are the oldest recovered so far from the Indian Ocean.