Dick van Harten; Use of ostracodes to recognize downslope contamination in paleobathymetry and a preliminary reappraisal of the paleodepth of the Prasás Marls (Pliocene), Crete, Greece. Geology ; 14 (10): 856–859. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1986)14<856:UOOTRD>2.0.CO;2
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Benthic ostracodes are well suited as tracers of downslope contamination: the transportation toward greater depth of organic remains used in the paleobathymetric analysis of ancient fossiliferous sediments. The method of analysis consists of two steps: (1) establishing displacement and (2) ascertaining its downward nature. The first step is based on common sense and does not require any specialist skills. The second step relies on ostracode biobathymetry, and therefore some expert knowledge is needed; the main virtue of this step lies in the option to detect paleoslope instability. As a case in point, a preliminary reappraisal is given of the paleodepth of the late Pliocene Prasás Marls near Iraklion, Crete, Greece.