Brady (1884) was the first to undertake a comprehensive taxonomic study of Recent benthic foraminifera, dredged from the World Ocean during the Challenger Expedition
(1873-1876). His study was the foundation for later work, though many of his taxa have since been emended (Barker, 1960). During the first half of this century other significant contributions to the development of the taxonomy of Recent benthic foraminifera were made by Cushman. His investigation of Equatorial Pacific foraminifera (Cushman, 1917, 1921, 1926, 1932, 1933a, 1933b, 1934 and 1942) established a basic taxonomy utilised by many later studies.
Hofker (1927,1951) presented extensive taxonomic studies on foraminifera collected during the Siboga Expedition (1899-1900). More recently Hofker (1978) reported on benthic foraminifera from bottom samples collected during the Snellius-I Expedition (1929-1930) in the Indonesian Archipelago. In this report he quantitatively related the general distribution of some of his species to temperature patterns.
A comprehensive taxonomic study on fossil benthic foraminifera in eastern Indonesia was produced by Belford (1966), who worked on Miocene-Pliocene smaller
foraminifera from Papua New Guinea and Irian Jay a. Belford described species
belonging to two suborders (Rotaliiina and Robertinina). His taxonomic concepts were adopted and amended by other workers in this region.
Frerichs (1970) analysed the distribution of benthic foraminifera in sediments from the Andaman Sea and related his assemblages to five faunal provinces, which are defined by ecological factors such as salinity, substrate, sediment accumulation rates and active calcium carbonate solution. Biswas (1976) established a bathymetric zonation for Holocene foraminifera of the Sunda Shelf area to the north of Kalimantan and
suggested that temperature and waterdepth were the most important factors controlling the distribution of both benthic and planktic foraminifera of this region. Boltovskoy (1978) illustrated Late Cenezoic foraminifera from the Ninety-East Ridge (Indian Ocean), which has a similar fauna to the Indonesian region.
Saint-Marc & Suminta (1979) divided Late Miocene-Pliocene deep water sediments of east Java into four biozones, each with a rich bathyal benthic microfauna.
Moore et a l 1980, gave palaeobathymetric interpretations for Late Tertiary trench-slope
deposits of Nias Island, western Indonesia.They quantitatively organised the common benthic foraminifera into four faunal groups and assigned probable paleodepths to these groups based on previously published work on the 'Upper Depth Limits' of living species (Bandy, 1960; Bandy & Amal, 1960; Phleger, 1960; Frerichs, 1970; Pflum & Frerichs, 1976). Burke (1981) analysed Recent benthic foraminifera from the Ontong
Palaeobathymetry
Java Plateau (western Equatorial Pacific) and reported that the topographie effect of the Ontong Java Plateau, the deep watermasses, the lysocline, terrigenous sediments derived from the Soloman Islands and the upwelling of deep water all influenced the distribution of benthic foraminifera.
Coustillas (1983) reported on the distribution of modem benthic foraminifera from the
Mahakan Delta (between Kalimantan and Sulawesi). Boichard et al. (1985) examined
samples from the Pater Noster Platform in the same area and related the distribution of foraminifera to the build-up of sediment. Peterson (1984) studied samples deeper than 2000mBSL of the eastern Equatorial Indian Ocean and related the distribution of the benthic foraminifera in these samples to Indian Ocean Bottom Water and Indian Ocean Deep Water.
Van Marie, Van Hinte and Nederbragt (1987) used Plankton percentages calculated from box-core material collected during the Snellius-II Expedition (1984-1985) from the Australian-Irian Jaya Continental Margin. Based on the relationship of these percentages to waterdepth a regional model for the estimation of palaeowaterdepth in eastern Indonesia was constructed (Figure 5.1).
100] Q) O) (Q
1
I
C 1000 0 2000 3000 Depth (metres)F igu re 5.1. Scatter diagram show ing waterdepth against the percentage o f plankton o f the total foraminiferal fauna (Van Marie,Van Hinte & Nederbragt, 1987), A linear regression model for palaeowater depth is given by the curve (see equation 2).
Van Marie (1988), again using box-core samples from the Snellius-II Expedition (1984-1985) found that the bathymetric distribution pattern of the benthic foraminiferal faunas is related to the oceanographic setting o f the region, where watermasses of the Indian and Pacific Oceans collide. He distinguished four faunal depth-zones and four subzones using cluster analyses and empirical depth-ranges of isobathyal taxa, and associated these with the different Indonesian watermasses present.
Van Marie (1989a) published his thesis on the 'Benthic foraminifera of the Banda Arc Region, and their significance for geological interpretations of the late Cenozoic
Sedimentary record.' This incorporated his previously published and forthcoming work on the region.
Quantative studies of Recent benthic foraminifera of the Banda Arc were carried out by Van Marie (1989b). He applied Z-Score analysis to his Recent benthic foraminifera data set (Van Marie, 1988). The assumption behind this analysis is that the positions of high Z-scores for a taxon in a Recent distribution significantly indicate the actual depth range for that taxon. Sixty four significant taxa were identified and applied to sections on the island of Seram in eastern Indonesia. From these data five depth-zones were identified together with intermediate transition zones. Principal Component Analysis and plankton percentages were also used.
De Smet et al. (1990) utilised quantitative and qualitative techniques of benthic
foraminiferal analysis on Late Cenozoic sections on the island of Timor. Five assemblages, each considered to represent a certain biofacies were identified. This information was integrated with planktic and other geological data and a geohistory diagram for the region was constructed. A similar geohistory analysis and
palaeobathymetrical study for Central West Timor was also undertaken by Van Marie (1991a).
Van Marie (1991b) published an atlas of eastern Indonesian, Late Cenozoic smaller benthic foraminifera. This atlas gives a comprehensive overview of the taxonomy and distribution of Early Miocene to Recent smaller benthic foraminifera from this region.