Plio-Pleistocene foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the eastern Kendeng Zone (Java, Indonesia): The Marmoyo and Sumberingin Sections

The Plio-Pleistocene of the eastern Kendeng Zone (Java, Indonesia) consists of a >1250 m thick series, passing upwards from diatomaceous laminated mudstones to blue clays and deltaic sandstones. The fine-grained marine beds have received little attention from researchers. Age assumptions are based on correlations with better-studied sections in the western Kendeng Zone. In contrast, the deltaic sandstones at the top of the series have received ample attention. These beds are renowned for their fossil vertebrate fauna, including Homo erectus. Lately, doubts have arisen concerning the age and stratigraphic position of the fossiliferous sandstones. The aim of this study is to establish a detailed biostratigraphy of the fine-grained marine beds, which may also provide new age indications for the overlying fossil-bearing sandstones.