Foraminiferal zonations on the Fraser River delta and their application to paleoenvironmental interpretations

Well-defined elevational zonations of foraminiferal species were found over the intertidal surface of the sand-rich Fraser River delta. A zonation of foraminiferal species according to depth is also apparent on the delta foreslope, although data here are more limited. Application of these findings to the interpretation of depositional environments within drill-cores from the delta provided independent evidence of a 4 to 5 m lower sea-level during the mid-Holocene. This finding is in good agreement with a sea-level curve developed for the Fraser Lowland region.