Masters Theses

Keywords and Phrases

Bahamian Platform

Abstract

"One hundred drill core samples were from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Sites 94, 98, and 540 were investigated for their palynological contents (pollen, spores, acritarchs, dinoflagellate cysts, and dispersed organic matter) to infer the paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic history of the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamian Platform during the middle Eocene to middle Miocene interval. At Sites 94 and 540, abundant dinoflagellate cysts (chiefly Operculodinium centrocarpum, Lingulodinium machaerophorum, Impagidinium sp., Nematosphaeropsis sp., and Spiniferites spp.) were used as paleoenvironmental indicators. Two alternating palynofacies assemblages were identified from dispersed organic matter analysis: terrestrially influenced assemblage A and marine dominated assemblage B. The palynofacies and dinoflagellate cyst data indicated shallowing from oceanic to inner neritic environment from the Eocene to early Oligocene as global sea level dropped. Alternating neritic and oceanic depositional conditions prevailed during the late Oligocene and the Miocene. Palynomorphs recovered from these deep-water DSDP Sites were evaluated against 11 published studies of the Gulf coastal region and northern Colombia to infer the paleovegetation and/or depositional conditions on the adjacent landmasses. The drill core samples from Site 98 on the Atlantic side of the Bahamian Platform yielded a low diversity palynomorph assemblage. Terrestrially derived palynomorphs were extremely rare, and the dominance of amorphous organic matter indicated is consistent with deposition in marine environments."--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Oboh-Ikuenobe, Francisca

Committee Member(s)

Hogan, John Patrick
Yang, Wan

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Geology and Geophysics

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2015

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Palynomorph and palynofacies analyses of DSDP sites 94 and 540 in the deep Gulf of Mexico: Paleogene to early Neogene paleoenvironmental implications
  • Palynomorph and palynofacies analyses of deep sea drilling project site 98 Northeast Providence Channel, preservation in a deep-water trough

Pagination

x, 72 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references.

Geographic Coverage

Bahamas
Mexico, Gulf of

Rights

© 2015 Adam Patrick Barron, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Palynology -- Bahamas
Palynology -- Mexico, Gulf of
Dinoflagellate cysts
Paleoceanography

Thesis Number

T 10664

Electronic OCLC #

913478833

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