<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article  PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "http://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">OJG</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Open Journal of Geology</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="epub">2161-7570</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Scientific Research Publishing</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4236/ojg.2014.45016</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">OJG-45731</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="Discipline-v2"><subject>EARTH &amp; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Early Cretaceous Index Benthic Foraminifera from Northeast of Torbat-e-Heydarieh Area (Esfiyukh Section)</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Nahid</surname><given-names>Khodashenas</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1"><sup>*</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Ali</surname><given-names>Asghar Aryaei</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>AliReza</surname><given-names>Ashouri</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sup>1</sup></xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1"><addr-line>Department of Geology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran</addr-line></aff><author-notes><corresp id="cor1">* E-mail:<email>wpu.gama@gmail.com(NK)</email>;</corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>02</day><month>05</month><year>2014</year></pub-date><volume>04</volume><issue>05</issue><fpage>206</fpage><lpage>209</lpage><history><date date-type="received"><day>2</day>	<month>February</month>	<year>2014</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>2</day>	<month>March</month>	<year>2014</year>	</date><date date-type="accepted"><day>10</day>	<month>March</month>	<year>2014</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement>&#169; Copyright  2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2014</copyright-year><license><license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>
	The first study of early
cretaceous succession in Northeast of Torbat-e-Heydarieh, led to recognition of
30 genera and 25 species of benthic foraminifera such as Rectodictyorbitolina sp., Dictyoconus
arabicus, Orbitolina
discoidea,Palorbitolina lenticularis, Mesorbitolina parva, Orbitolina kurdica,Praeorbitolina sp., Valvullammina picardi, Pseudocyclamina lituus, Charentia cuvillieri, Lenticulina sp., Nezzazata
picardi, Quinqueloculina
robusta,Nautiloculina oolitica, Subaudia
minuta, Praechrysalidina
infracteracea,Rumanoloculina sp., Choffahella decipiens, Vercorsella arenata. Regard to Stratigraphy range of
above mentioned, the Barremian–Aptian age suggested for this succession. 
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Torbat-e-Heydarieh</kwd><kwd> Cretaceous</kwd><kwd> Benthic Foraminifera</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><sec id="s1"><title>1. Introduction</title><p>Stratigraphic cuts located in Razavi Khorasan, 5 km from NE Torbat Heydarieh, in the Esfiyukh section region have been studied; and the geographical characteristics of this cut with the longitude 5915 and the latitude of 35 20; 60 thin sections are studied [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.45731-ref1">1</xref>] .</p></sec><sec id="s2"><title>2. Discussion</title><p>Sediments thickness in this cut is about 175 m, and consists of Alternatives lime including medium thick layer to very thick layer. This section with a few meters of conglomerates is held on the Jurassic or older sediments and contains red dark red sand stone to brown sand stone with angular conformity; this section is also covered in the same format with the cretaceous sediments or younger ones.</p><p>Target sequence from bottom to top are:</p><p>1) Massive gray limestone containing microfossil orbitolina (5/21 m).</p><p>2) Brown) gray fossiliferous limestone containing abundant rudist (5/1 meter).</p><p>3) Massive gray limestone containing microfossil orbitolina (71 meters).</p><p>4) Dolomite (5/0 mm).</p><p>5) Thick limestone layer containing a light gray and brown algae and calcareous microfossil orbitolina (80 meters).</p><p>Microscopic study of thin sections led to the identification of 30 genera and 25 species of fossil benthic foraminifera as below:</p><p>Choffatella decipiens, Vercorsella arenata, Cuneolina camposaurii, Pseudocyclamina hedbergi, Cuneolina pavonia, Maynsina sp., Debarina hahounerensis, Pseudocyclamina lituus, Charentia cuvillieri, Lenticulina sp., Nezzazata picardi, Quinqueloculina robusta, Nautiloculina oolitica, Subaudia minuta, Praechrysalidina infracteracea, Rumanoloculina sp. Valvullammina picardi, Orbitolina conoidea, Rectodictyorbitolina sp., Dictyoconus arabicus, Orbitolina discoidea, Palorbitolina lenticularis, Mesorbitolina lotzei, Orbitolina kurdica, Praeorbitolina sp., Chrysalidina gradata, Everticyclammina hedbergi, Mesorbitolina parva, Praeorbitolina cormeyi, Dictyoconus pachymarginalis [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.45731-ref2">2</xref>] -[<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.45731-ref6">6</xref>] .</p><p>The age of foraminifera Barremian-Aptian is proposed for the sequence which is shown in the <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref> and <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref>. Some of benthic foraminifera cutting Esfiyukh Mountain are listed and shown in the <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref>. The names of these cuttings is also referred in the below based on A, B, … X.</p><fig id="fig1"><label>Figure 1</label><caption><p> Stratigraphic column of time developing benthic foraminifera in cutting Esfiyukh</p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\4-1210177x\ac1cffe0-c684-43c4-bf34-fc53eda20237.png"/></fig><fig id="fig2"><label>Figure 2</label><caption><p> Geographical map of Esfiyukh</p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\4-1210177x\dc823f3a-a129-4008-9301-5145451a0832.png"/></fig><fig id="fig3"><label>Figure 3</label><caption><p> Some of benthic foraminifera cutting Esfiyukh [2] -[6] . Plate 1 A. Praeorbitolina sp. cf. P. cormeyi (&#215;100); B. Mesorbitolina lotzei (&#215;100); C. Palorbitolina lenticularis (&#215;100); D. Dictyoconus pachymarginalis (&#215;100); E. Dictyoconus arabicu (&#215;100); F. Mesorbitolina parva (&#215;100); G. Dictyoconus ichnusae (&#215;100); H. Rectodictyorbitolina sp. (&#215;100); I. Everticyclammina hedbergi (&#215;120); J. Debarina sp. (&#215;120); L. Chrysalidina gradate; M. Cuneolina camposaurii (&#215;120); N. Choffahella decipiens (&#215;120); O. Nautiloculina oolitica; P. Charentia cuvillieri (&#215;120); Q. Cuneolina pavonia (&#215;120); R. Pseudocyclamina lituus (&#215;120); S. Subaudia minuta (&#215;120); T. Valvullammina picardi (&#215;120); U. Maynsina sp. (&#215;120); V. Lenticulina sp. (&#215;120); W. Praechrysalidina infracterace (&#215;120); X. Vercorsella arenata (&#215;120)</p></caption><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://file.scirp.org/Html/htmlimages\4-1210177x\cc349dc5-dde0-4a39-8bd3-b6114f5284ea.png"/></fig></sec><sec id="s3"><title>3. Conclusion</title><p>In this research, for the first time biostratigraphic characteristics of Esfiyukh Mountain located 5 km north of East Torbat Heydarieh have been studied. The sediment thickness is 175 m and involves cuttings Medium to very thick layer alternatively limestone. This section with a few meters of conglomerates is held on the Jurassic or older sediments and contains red dark to brown sand stone with angular conformity; this section is also covered in the same format with the cretaceous sediments or younger ones. Study of microfossils in this section led to 30 genera and 25 species of fossil of benthic foraminifera as mentioned in passage. The age of the sequence is proposed Barremian-Aptian.</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="scirp.45731-ref1"><label>1</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">AVE, K. (2007) MICRO FACIES. 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