SUMMARY

Stable isotope records based on analyses of the benthic foraminifers N. truempyi and Cibicidoides spp., as well as bulk carbonate records spanning the P/E boundary, have been produced at a high-resolution interval. The magnitude of the ¹³C excursion is much smaller in Hole 1221C when compared to Hole 1220B, a difference we attribute to a pervasive diagenetic overprint in Hole 1221C. However, the visually good preservation of foraminifers in Hole 1220B and the consistency of the benthic foraminifer isotope results for species of both N. truempyi and Cibicidoides spp. suggest that these data record seafloor chemistry through the P/E boundary interval. Furthermore, the overall similarity of our benthic foraminiferal isotopic results for Hole 1220B and those of previously published records suggest that the new Pacific record captures at least part of the core of the P/E carbon isotope excursion. The PETM is only recorded in benthic foraminifers from Hole 1220B, an indication that ¹⁸O from Hole 1221C may be overprinted by a secondary signal.