We describe the upper Paleocene-lower Eocene planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy at Qreiya (southeastern exposure of Gebel Abu Had), about 50km ENE of Qena, Egypt. The ~54m thick section spans the Tarawan Chalk (~8.6m thick; Zone P4a+b) and the Esna Shale (~45m thick; Zones P4c-P7, partim). The Tarawan/Esna contact is paraconformable, and coincident with the NP8/NP9 and P4a+b/P4c zonal boundaries. The Esna Shale is subdivided into units, and the Dababiya Quarry Beds (=CIE-interval) lie at the base of Unit Esna 2, whereas Unit Esna 3 is much reduced in thickness owing to an unconformity that separates Zones P6/P7 cutting out ~ 40+m of the upper Esna Shale. The Esna Shale/Thebes Limestone contact is probably also unconformable inasmuch as it lies within Zone P7, whereas at Dababiya it lies within Zone P8. The ~2.4m thick CIE-interval is located in the lower part of the Esna Shale, 7.2m above the top of the Tarawan Chalk and is divided into three distinct lithic components as at Dababiya. Quantitative analysis of the planktonic foraminifera spanning the interval from 2.6m below, through, and to 1m above the CIE, has revealed significant assemblage change patterns and enabled precise inter-locality correlation with the Dababiya Quarry and Owaina sections.

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