Calcareous nannofossil assemblages of the family Noelaerhabdaceae have been studied in sediments of seventeen Quaternary cores raised from various climatic areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These sections display a regular, hiatus-free sedimentation for the last 500000 years. They have been dated using oxygen-isotopic measurements, variations of calcium carbonate content, variations of total nannofossil abundance, thorium measurements and volcanic ash horizons. Coccoliths of the genus Gephyrocapsa have been placed in three distinct taxonomic groups, based on morphological criteria inferred from light-microscope observations. Their acmes, as well as the acme of Emiliania huxleyi, are considered as stratigraphic markers. These markers characterize... |