Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

Geobiology; Biostratigraphy; Central American Seaway; Colombia; Marine palynology; Paleoceanography

Abstract

"Marine palynomorphs, mainly dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs, constitute excellent proxies for biostratigraphic and paleoceanographic studies in neritic sequences. Neogene marine palynological studies have mostly focused on the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the scarcity of dinoflagellate cysts and acritarchs from tropical latitudes. Forty samples encompassing the late Chattian-late Burgidalian time interval (~24.1- 17.3 Ma) in the Southern Caribbean were analyzed for their marine palynological contents. A biostratigraphic scheme for the region is proposed and includes the upper Chattian-lower Aquitanian Minisphaeridium latirictum Interval Zone (~23.9-22.0 Ma), the upper Aquitanian Achomosphaera alcicornu Interval Zone (~22.0-20.3 Ma), and the Burdigalian Cribroperidinium tenuitabulatum Interval Zone (~20.3-17.5 Ma). Two peridinioid dinoflagellate cyst species, Cristadinium lucyae sp. nov., and Trinovantedinium uitpensis sp. nov., and the acritarch Quadrina? triangulata sp. nov. are formally described. A conspicuous shift from a peridinioid-dominated dinoflagellate cyst assemblage to a gonyaulacoid-dominated assemblage occurs near the Aquitanian- Burdigalian boundary (~20.7 Ma), indicating a reduction in marine primary productivity. This paleoproductivity shift is linked to the initial constriction of the Central American Seaway -- the oceanic pathway along the tectonic boundary between the South American plate and the Panama microplate"--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Oboh-Ikuenobe, Francisca

Committee Member(s)

Edwards, Lucy
Hogan, John Patrick
Obrist-Farner, Jonathan
Yang, Wan

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Geology and Geophysics

Comments

The author acknowledges partial funding from the Missouri S&T Geology and Geophysics Program (Alfred Spreng Research Award), the Geological Society of America (GSA Graduate Student Research Grant), and the Paleontological Society (Yochelson Student Research Award).

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2021

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Early Miocene marine palynology of the Colombian Caribbean Margin: Biostratigraphic and paleoceanographic implications
  • New acritarch and peridinioid dinoflagellate cysts species from the Oligocene-Miocene of Colombia

Pagination

ix, 66 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographic references.

Rights

© 2021 Damian Cardenas Loboguerrero, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 11830

Electronic OCLC #

1262322021

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Included in

Geology Commons

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