INTRODUCTION

The goal of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation, and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) project (global reconstruction of the mid-Pliocene) of the U.S. Geological Survey is to reproduce global sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) and other paleoceanographic parameters for the middle part of the Pliocene (herein referred to as mid-Pliocene). Material recovered during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 167 presents an excellent opportunity to expand coverage along the California margin in well-dated sediments. Samples were collected from Sites 1016, 1021, and 1022 for diatom and planktonic foraminiferal assemblage studies (Dowsett and Poore, Chap. 5, this volume).

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