Palaeocene to Miocene southern Tethyan carbonate factories: A meta‐analysis of the successions of South‐western and Western Central Asia

One hundred and forty-four published successions of shallow-water carbonates, deposited between the Palaeocene Miocene, from Levant to Himalayas, have been re-analysed using a standardised approach investigate distribution carbonate facies carbonate-producing organisms. Large benthic foraminifera were found be volumetrically most important group producers during whole period, with peak in abundance Eocene. Colonial corals are relatively abundant their peaks Oligocene has minimum Red calcareous algae similar pattern although covers both Miocene. Green decrease onward. Facies related very shallow and/or restricted marine conditions Miocene particular Aquitanian. Both large colonial seems temperature, warm periods favouring former cool latter group. display that suggesting favourable for one are, on scale, also other. The progressive green alga could tentatively preservation bias connected transition Palaeogene assemblages included presumably calcitic taxa Neogene entirely constituted by aragonitic limited potential. Aquitanian is likely narrowing Tethys collision Arabia Eurasia. These results denote an overall agreement various types large-scale environmental geological processes, highlighting potential palaeoenvironmental reconstruction locked record.