Foraminifera in the Pliocene Barmur Group on Tjörnes, North Iceland

Foraminiferal assemblages have been studied in sediments from the Barmur Group (Tjornes beds), which is part of the most complete geological Plio-Pleistocene section in Iceland, situated on the west side of the Tjornes Peninsula in northern Iceland. The Barmur Group comprises the three biozones, the Tapes Zone, the Mactra Zone, and the Serripes Zone, which represent a major part of the Pliocene. The sediments in the Tjornes section are lithified, and the registered foraminiferal assemblages represent a paleocoenosis, consisting of a residual of the most chemically and mechanically resistant tests. The foraminiferal taxa found in the three biozones of the Barmur Group are presented with their systematic affiliations, as well as their ecological and stratigraphic indication, when possible. Despite the relatively bad preservation state of the foraminiferal tests, it has been possible to attain a rough estimate of the stratigraphy and the paleoenvironmental development through each of the biozones.