Miscellaneidae: A biostratigraphic tool for hydrocarbon exploration in Paleocene carbonate platform deposits of Tethys: An example from Upper Indus Basin, Pakistan

The family Miscellaneidae of larger foraminifera is restricted to the Paleocene and earliest Eocene of the Tethyan carbonate platforms. The two species (Miscellanea miscella and Miscellanea juliettae) of this family are common in the Paleocene of the Indus Basin. Due to the small size, light ornamentation and thin walls, the M. juliettae can be easily distinguished from the M. miscella. The M. juliettae is restricted to the shallow benthic Zone 3 (SBZ3) and it is the diagnostic larger foraminifera of the hydrocarbon bearing Lockhart Formation in the Upper Indus Basin. However, M. miscella almost double of the size of M. juliettae and having dense ornamentation and thick walls representing shallow benthic zones 4 and 5 (i.e. SBZ 4 & 5). M. miscella commonly occurs in the limestone beds of the Patala Formation, Upper Indus Basin, Pakistan.