Palynostratigraphy, palynofacies, and thermal maturation of Cretaceous–Paleocene sediments from the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Transform Margin

Abstract

Cretaceous to Paleocene sediments from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 959 to 962 in the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Transform Margin yield a rich assemblage of dinoflagellate cysts, few acritarchs, spores and pollen, and 12 types of dispersed organic matter. Dinoflagellate cysts proved invaluable in the refinement of shipboard-generated age determinations for Turonian to Paleocene sediments and identification of the Cretaceous/Paleocene boundary at Site 959. A few spore and pollen taxa are of stratigraphic significance. All but two samples of the tectonized basal siliciclastic sediments are barren of dinoflagellate cysts at Sites 959 and 960, but a few samples yield a very low diversity assemblage of spores and pollen. Palynofacies analysis indicates that amorphous organic matter is the dominant organic component in the sediments. However, the tectonized siliciclastic sedments are richer in identifiable terrestrially derived components (wood, black debris, and cuticles) or amorphous organic matter of terrestrial origin. Samples immediately below post-Albian unconformity surfaces at Sites 959 to 961 are enriched in wood and black debris. Thermal alteration indices (TAI) were derived from semiquantitative assessment of spore and pollen colors and used to interpret the thermal maturation of the sediments. TAI values indicate (1) a mature to overmature stage (values >2.5, occasionally dark) for the tectonized basal siliciclastic sediments at all four sites; (2) a moderately mature stage (2− 2.5) for some Upper Cretaceous sediments at Sites 959, 960, and 962; and (3) an immature stage (<2) for the rest of the stratigraphic section. The most mature sediments were deposited during the syntransform phase of basin evolution. 1 Mascle, J., Lohmann, G.P., and Moullade, M. (Eds.), 1998. Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 159: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program).

Dinoflagellate cysts from the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary at Ouled Haddou, southeastern Rif, Morocco: biostratigraphy, paleoenvironments and paleobiogeography

“…The global acme of M. seelandica immediately below the Maastrichtian-Danian boundary has been observed in many locations (Oboh-Ikuenobe et al 1998;Yepes 2001;Habib and Saeedi 2007). In the Mediterranean region, the highest abundance of this species was recorded in the uppermost Maastrichtian deposits of the El Kef sections (Habib and Saeedi 2007;p.…”

“…tenella lies at the K-Pg boundary (Hansen 1977), or higher within the lowermost Danian in the Mediterranean region and southeastern USA, slightly below (Habib et al 1996) or above (Brinkhuis and Zachariasse 1988) the FO of C. cornuta, whereas, the FO of L. reinhardtii lies usually above the K-Pg boundary, within the lowermost Danian (Moshkhovitz and Habib 1993; Brinkhuis and Schiøler 1996). Kenleyia lophophora has been recorded above the KPg boundary (within the lowermost Danian) and also in the latest Maastrichtian (Oloto 1989) or just below the K-Pg boundary (Oboh-Ikuenobe et al 1998;Dupuis et al, 2001). At Ouled Haddou, M?…”

“…The tropical to subtropical -or Tethyan -province is characterized by Andalusiella, Cerodinium, Lejeunecysta, and Senegalinium (the Malloy suite of Lentin and Williams, 1980). These assemblages are recognized in Campanian to Danian deposits in the Mediterranean region (Rauscher and Doubinger 1982;Schrank 1987;Brinkhuis and Zachariasse 1988;Soncini 1990), Senegal (Jan du Cheˆne 1988), equatorial areas (Oloto 1989;Oboh-Ikuenobe et al 1998;Masure et al 1998;Yepes 2001;Willumsen et al 2004b), southeastern USA (Firth 1987(Firth , 1993Moshkovitz and Habib 1993;, Caribbean region (Helenes and Somoza 1999) and Mexico (Helenes and Te´llez-Duarte 2002). The temperate province is characterized by species of Alterbidinium, Chatangiella (smaller forms), Isabelidinium, Spinidinium, and Trithyrodinium (the Williams suite of Lentin and Williams 1980).…”

Les kystes de dinoflagelles et palynofacies de la transition Maastrichtien–Danien du stratotype El kef (Tunisie)

“…Par conséquent, le présent assemblage confirme un dépôt effectué dans une province tropicale à subtropicale ou téthysienne. Cet assemblage est reconnu dans les dépôts campaniens, maastrichtiens et daniens du bassin méditer-ranéen (Slimani et al, 2010 ;Soncini, 1990), au Sénégal (Jan du Chêne, 1988), dans les zones équatoriales (Masure et al, 1998 ;Oboh-Ikuenobe et al, 1998 ;Yepes, 2001) et dans le Moshkovitz et Habib, 1993a,b, échantillon Ka 4, lame L2, EF R49. 2 : Andalusiella mauthei Riegel, 1974subsp.…”

Palynofacies and Source Rock Potential of the ST-7H Well, Offshore Tano Basin, Western Region, Ghana

“…Some selected marine palynomorphs found in the interval which support this age include, Senegalinium bicavatum, Cerodinium spp, Phelodium magnificum, Spiniferites spp, Cordosphaeridium spp, Areoligera spp, Palaeocystodium australinum, and Andalusiella spp. These species have been reported extensively in Campanian -Maastrichtian sediments in tropical/subtropical regions { [32], [33], [34], [35], [36]}.…”