Palynology of the Permian succession in the Hilton Borehole, Vale of Eden, Cumbria, UK

Abstract

Summary Palynomorphs have been recovered from a 108.28 m sequence, comprising the upper 4.32 m of the Penrith Sandstone, and the lower 103.96 m of the succeeding Eden Shales from the Hilton Plant Beds to the Belah Dolomite inclusive, cored in the 234.54 m-deep Hilton Borehole. This is currently the longest palynological record from a continuous section of Permian rocks in Britain. The palynomorphs are predominantly miospores though remains regarded as algal in origin also occur, mainly in the Hilton Plant Beds and the Belah Dolomite. The miospores are principally bisaccate pollen but some monosaccate pollen and a few pteridophytic spores are also present. The pollen Crucisaccites cf. variosulcatus and possibly the spore Proprisporites pococki are reported for the first time from Britain. The palynomorph assemblages from the Penrith Sandstone Formation are similar to those from the Hilton Plant Beds, supporting the view that a passage exists between these formations, and that their boundary is diachronous. The miospores indicate an age within the range Mid- to Late Permian but the magnetostratigraphy of correlative successions constrains this to the latest Mid-and Late Permian, and other palaeontological evidence favours an early Late Permian age.

The use of spore–pollen assemblages to reconstruct vegetation changes in the Permian (Lopingian) Zechstein deposits of northeast England

“…Reduviasporonites in the British Permian has been correlated with brackish environments (Warrington, 2008). This is compatible with the pattern of recovery of these palynomorphs in this study.…”

“…The palaeobotany of the British Zechstein sequence is well documented and comprises a typical Euramerican flora dominated by gymnosperms (Stoneley, 1958;Schweitzer, 1986;Cleal and Thomas, 1995). Rich palynomorph assemblages have previously been described from the Zechstein of northeastern England (Wall and Downie, 1963;Clarke, 1965) as well as equivalent deposits from the Bakevillia Sea of northwest England (Clarke, 1965;Warrington, 2008) and the Kings Court outlier in Ireland (Visscher, 1971(Visscher, , 1972. The palynology of other Permian strata in the UK has been reviewed by Warrington and Scrivener (1988) and Warrington (2005).…”

“…Spore-pollen assemblages from the Hilton Plant Beds, Kimberley Railway Cutting and More recent work on the Permian palynology of the UK has tended to focus on equivalents of the Zechstein deposits (Warrington and Scrivener, 1988;Legler et al, 2005;Legler and Schneider, 2008;Warrington, 2005Warrington, , 2008. For example, the Lopingian of Devon yields poorly preserved bisaccate gymnosperm pollen (Warrington and Scrivener, 1988).…”

“…It is a typical Zechstein taxon recovered in the Baltic (Podoba, 1975), throughout Europe (e.g. Klaus, 1963;Clarke, 1965;Visscher, 1971;Massari et al, 1988;Warrington and Scrivener, 1988;Massari et al, 1994Massari et al, , 1999Pittau, 1999;Legler et al, 2005;Pittau, 2005;Legler and Schneider, 2008;Warrington, 2005Warrington, , 2008 and from age equivalent deposits in the U.S.A. (Wilson, 1962;Clapham, 1970). It is an important and distinct conifer signal throughout the Zechstein.…”

Lopingian (Late Permian) Palynomorphs From the Cadeby Formation, Cadeby Quarry, Yorkshire, Uk

“…Palynomorph assemblages have been described from the Bakevillia province of north west England and Ireland (Clarke 1965;Warrington 2008;Visscher 1971), from the Zechstein province of the English Midlands and the north east of England (Clarke 1965;Gibson & Wellman 2021), and from south west England (Warrington & Scrivener 1988).…”