Holes 904A, 902D, 903C, and 903A provide a cross-slope transect of the New Jersey Margin that is well suited to address the basic objectives of Leg 150 of the Ocean Drilling Program. Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy, most complete at Site 904, correlates well with other approaches to Leg 150 stratigraphy (e.g., Sr-isotope analyses), despite problems with reworking (upper Eocene strata) and poor preservation (upper Miocene and portions of middle Miocene strata). The biostratigraphic framework provided by planktonic foraminifers at Sites 902-904 also agrees with and supplements interpretations on a broader regional scale, such as shore-based studies on the New Jersey Coastal Plain. However, the most striking feature revealed by biostratigraphic analyses is how different these three sites are from one another, despite their geographic proximity. These differences reflect the complex oceanographic and depositional history of the New Jersey Margin and its localized responses to both regional and global phenomena.

Date of initial receipt: 28 February 1995
Date of acceptance: 26 July 1995

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