Palynology Volume 27 (2003)

PALYNOLOGY VOL. 27 (2003)

CONTENTS & ABSTRACTS OF ARTICLES

• AASP Medal of Scientific Excellence to Svein B. Manum p. 1-4
  
  
• Oligocene–Miocene palynomorph assemblages from eastern Venezuela
  JAVIER HELENES and DIANA CABRERA p. 5-26. abstract
  
  
• Stratigraphic palynology in porous soils in humid climates: an example from Pouerua, northern New Zealand
  MARK HORROCKS and DONNA M. D’COSTA p. 27-38. abstract
  
  
• Late Carboniferous palynology from the Itararé subgroup (Paraná Basin) Ataraçoiaba Da Serra, São Paulo State, Brazil
  PAULO ALVES SOUZA, SETEMBRINO PETRI and RODOLFO DINO p. 39-74. abstract
  
  
• Contributions of quantitative ecological methods to the interpretation of stratigraphically homogeneous pre-Quaternary sediments: a palynological example from the Oligocene of Venezuela
  VALENTÍ RULL p. 75-98. abstract
  
  
• An illustrated key for the identification of pollen from Pantepui and the Gran Sabana (eastern Venezuelan Guyana)
  VALENTÍ RULL p. 99-134. abstract
  
  
• Palynological records from Bay of Islands, Newfoundland: direct correlation of Holocene paleoceanographic and climatic changes
  ELISABETH LEVAC p. 135-154. abstract
  
  
• Paleogene palynostratigraphy of the eastern Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia
  ANDRES PARDO-TRUJILLO, CARLOS A. JARAMILLO and FRANCISCA E. OBOH-IKUENOBE p. 155-178. abstract
  
  
• Biostratigraphy, provincialism and evolution of European Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian to Early Toarcian) dinoflagellate cysts
  RAFFAELLA BUCEFALO PALLIANI and JAMES B. RIDING p. 179-214. abstract
  
  
• The Authors, PALYNOLOGY, Volume 27 p. 215.
  
  
• Abstracts of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting, London, England. p. 217.
  
  
• Group photograph of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting, London, England. p. 269.
  
  
• Instructions for Authors p. 273.
  
  
• List of AASP Publications p. 279.
  
  

OLIGOCENE–MIOCENE PALYNOMORPH ASSEMBLAGES FROM EASTERN VENEZUELA

JAVIER HELENES Departamento de Geología, C.I.C.E.S.E.
Km 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada
Ensenada, Baja California, 22860, México
and
CICESE, Geology Department
P.O. Box 434843,
San Diego, CA 92173-4843.
e-mail: jhelenes@cicese.mx

DIANA CABRERA
PDVSA INTEVEP
Apartado Postal 76343
Caracas, 1070A, Venezuela

Palynological analyses of several subsurface sections in eastern Venezuela, show varied and abundant Oligocene–Miocene palynomorphs overlying a Cretaceous–Oligocene unconformity. Two palynomorph assemblages are recognized in the Cretaceous interval, and two more in the Tertiary strata. The Cretaceous strata contain the spores Foveotriletes margaritae, Buttinia andreevi and elateres of Ariadnasporites sp., together with the dinoflagellates Dinogymnium, Andalusiella, Cerodinium, Senegalinium, and locally Isabelidinium and Odontichitina. The terrestrial assemblage represents the undifferentiated Auriculiidites reticularis (Campanian to lower Maastrichtian) to Crassitricolporites subprolatus (Maastrichtian) zones, and the Proteacidites dehanii (Maastrichtian) zone of Müller et al. (1987), while the dinoflagellates indicate a Campanian to Maastrichtian age, depending on the location within the area. The lowermost Tertiary rocks are late Oligocene in age and contain the terrestrial palynomorphs Cicatricosisporites dorogensis, Jandufouria seamrogiformis, Polypodiisporites usmensis and Mauritiidites franciscoi, together with the dinoflagellates Cordosphaeridium spp., Polysphaeridium congregatum, Homotryblium spp. and Tuberculodinium vancampoe. The terrestrial assemblage represents the Magnastriatites–Cicatricosisporites dorogensis zone of Müller et al. (1987), while the dinoflagellates indicate a late Oligocene age. Higher in the section, the early Miocene strata contain the pollen Psilatricolporites pachydermatus, P. maculosus, Bombacacidites brevis and Bombacacidites noremii together with the dinoflagellates Cribroperidinium tenuitabulatum and Diphyes latiusculum. The terrestrial assemblage represents the Verrutricolporites rotundiporis–Echidiporites barbeitoensis zone of Müller et al. (1987), and the concurrent presence of the dinoflagellates indicate an early Miocene age.

STRATIGRAPHIC PALYNOLOGY IN POROUS SOILS IN HUMID CLIMATES: AN EXAMPLE FROM POUERUA, NORTHERN NEW ZEALAND

MARK HORROCKS
Centre for Archaeological Research and
School of Geography and Environmental Sciences
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92-019
Auckland
New Zealand

DONNA M. D’COSTA
School of Geography and Environmental Sciences
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92-019
Auckland
New Zealand

Palynological data are presented for a basaltic soil from an archaeological site in northern New Zealand. The profile encompasses two successive soils at the base of Pouerua crater where the initial soil was buried during an erosion and depositional event. The soils have not been disturbed directly by people, and mixing by bioturbating invertebrates has been minimal resulting in a crude stratification of percolated pollen and microscopic charcoal. Forest in the base of the crater escaped the large-scale anthropogenic burning on the outer slopes of the cone and its surrounds indicated by earlier studies. Despite high soil porosity in a humid climate at Pouerua, the rate of pollen percolation in the crater soils is low, occurring at < 1 cm in 17.86 years (< 0.056 cm per year). These preliminary results show that soils with high infiltration rates in humid climates are potentially stratified and thus useful in providing records of local environments.

LATE CARBONIFEROUS PALYNOLOGY FROM THE ITARARÉ SUBGROUP (PARANÁ BASIN) AT ARAÇOIABA DA SERRA, SÃO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

PAULO ALVES SOUZA
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500
CEP 91.540-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
e-mail: paulo.alves.souza@ufrgs.br

SETEMBRINO PETRI
Universidade de São Paulo
Rua do Lago, 562
CEP 05508-900, São Paulo-SP, Brazil
e-mail: spetri@usp.br

RODOLFO DINO
Petrobrás/Cenpes and Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Cidade Universitária, Quadra 7, Ilha do Fundão
CEP 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
email: dino@cenpes.petrobras.com.br

Core samples from the A-IG-85 well and four outcrops located in South Araçoiaba da Serra, São Paulo State, Brazil, have been palynologically investigated. Diverse and well-preserved palynomorphs, including seventy-three species of spores, monosaccate, disaccate and taeniate pollen grains, and one species of incertae sedis have been recognized. Among them, sixty species are systematically described including thirty-four species of spores, twenty-five pollen grains and one incertae sedis. Eleven species from the Brazilian Paraná Basin are published for the first time: Granulatisporites triconvexus Staplin 1960, Dictyotriletes muricatus (Kosanke) Smith & Butterworth 1967, Vallatisporites punctatus (Marques-Toigo) comb. nov., Cristatisporites rollerii Ottone 1989, Bascaudaspora canipa Owens 1983, Spelaeotriletes triangulus Neves & Owens 1966, Psomospora detecta Playford & Helby 1968, Florinites occultus Habib 1966, Potonieisporites barrelis Tiwari 1965, Costatascyclus crenatus Felix & Burbridge emend. Urban 1971, Limitisporites luandensis Bose & Maheshwari 1968 including a new combination proposed herein [Vallatisporites punctatus (Marques-Toigo) comb. nov.]. The palynofossiliferous beds come from the Ahrensisporites cristatus Interval Zone, in the basal portion of the Itararé Subgroup, and are considered to be late Carboniferous (Westphalian) in age. Changes in the composition of the assemblages and the previous record of marine fossils in the studied beds are interpreted as resulting from minor variations of a transgressive/ regressive cycle, under glacial climatic conditions.

CONTRIBUTION OF QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGICAL METHODS TO THE INTERPRETATION OF STRATIGRAPHICALLY HOMOGENEOUS PRE-QUATERNARY SEDIMENTS: A PALYNOLOGICAL EXAMPLE FROM THE OLIGOCENE OF VENEZUELA

VALENTÍ RULL
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Dept. Biologia Animal, Vegetal i Ecologia
U. Botànica (Paleopalinologia)
08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona
Spain
e-mail: valenti.rull@uab.es

This paper deals with an Oligocene section that is stratigraphically homogeneous from both a lithological and palynological point of view. It has been impossible to subdivide it into discrete units, using either taxon-range analysis or assemblage-zone approach based on the relative abundance of palynomorphs. Furthermore, the common multivariate numerical methods used so far with success in the region (Cluster Analysis, Principal Components Analysis, etc.) gave no useful results in this case. The search for cyclicity using palynocycles and ecologs has been also unsuccessful. Instead of considering the section of low interest, an alternative, high-resolution ecological approach was attempted to extract the information contained in these sediments. Paleoecological trends were deduced from statistical methods commonly used in modern and Quaternary ecology, mainly TWINSPAN and gradient analysis, combined with diversity analysis. As a result, the fine-scale stratigraphic variability of the data could be successfully explained in terms of paleoecological succession taking place in upper delta environments, characterised by a complex mosaic vegetation including morichales, herbaceous fern swamps, and gallery forests. The succession could be reconstructed in detail, and would be of indirect stratigraphic value for highresolution correlation. This is an example of how the search for narrow or biased objectives can hidden significant information. It is more fruitful to have a wider perspective, and to be open to any information that sediments can provide us, without a priori limitations.

AN ILLUSTRATED KEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF POLLEN FROM PANTEPUI AND THE GRAN SABANA (EASTERN VENEZUELAN GUAYANA)

VALENTÍ RULL
Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona
Dep. Biologia Animal, Vegetal i Ecologia
Unit Botànica (Paleopalinologia)
08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona
Spain
e-mail: valenti.rull@uab.es

This work consists of a key, descriptions and illustrations, to identify the most significant angiosperm pollen types (85 genera/ species, belonging to 36 families), from a paleoecological point of view, of the Gran Sabana and the ‘tepui’ (table mountains) summits from eastern Venezuelan Guayana. The pollen key and plates contain the most frequent and abundant pollen types found so far by the author in the Holocene sediments, as well as the significant medium and minor elements. This is enough to carry out a standard, successful palynological analysis in the area with a small percentage of unknown taxa, and can be considered a first step to be enhanced with future studies, especially from the ‘tepui’ summits of the western Venezuelan Guayana.

PALYNOLOGICAL RECORDS FROM BAY OF ISLANDS, NEWFOUNDLAND: DIRECT CORRELATION OF HOLOCENE PALEOCEANOGRAPHIC AND CLIMATIC CHANGES

ELISABETH LEVAC
Department of Earth Sciences
St. Francis Xavier University
PO Box 5000
Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5
e-mail: elevac@stfx.ca

A palynological record from Bay of Islands (western Newfoundland) was used to investigate differences in timing between paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic events, and episodic cold sea surface temperature (SST) intervals. Sea surface conditions were reconstructed from dinocyst proxy-data and paleobioclimatic transfer functions. Correlation of onshore–offshore pollen records was used to determine ocean–atmosphere interactions.
Between 9.5 and 8.6 ka, cold and lower salinity sea surface conditions and a cold climate may be the result of a large influx of glacial meltwater through the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The marine optimum followed with SST up to 5°C warmer than today until 6.8 ka and coincides with an expansion of boreal forest trees, probably resulting from a climatic amelioration. The terrestrial hypsithermal started only around 6 ka, however, possibly due to the lingering effect of the remaining ice sheet on the regional climate. It coincides with lower summer SST than today.
Increased proportions of spruce and sedge after 3.7 ka suggest a regional cooling trend, which was recorded later in the surface waters of the Bay (800 years ago) and was preceded by an interval of SST warmer than today between 4 and 1 ka.
These results suggest that sea surface conditions in the bay are controlled by the position of the major currents and influx of meltwater, while Newfoundland climate remained under the influence of the Lauren tide ice sheet until 6 ka, after which it was probably controlled by the position of air masses rather than by conditions in the adjacent sea surface.

PALEOGENE PALYNOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE EASTERN MIDDLE MAGDALENA VALLEY, COLOMBIA

ANDRES PARDO-TRUJILLO
Universidad de Caldas, Facultad de Ciencias
Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas
Calle 65 No. 26-10
Manizales, Colombia
apardo66@hotmail.com and apardo66@yahoo.com

CARLOS A. JARAMILLO
Biostratigraphy Team
Instituto Colombiano del Petroleo
AA 4185
Bucaramanga, Colombia
carlos.jaramillo@ecopetrol.com.co

FRANCISCA E. OBOH-IKUENOBE
Department of Geology and Geophysics
University of Missouri-Rolla
Rolla, Missouri 65409-0410, U.S.A.
ikuenobe@umr.edu

This work presents a detailed study of the pollen and spore distribution in the Paleocene–Eocene Lisama and La Paz Formations on the eastern border of the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia. One hundred and forty-seven samples obtained from cores and outcrops were prepared for palynological research, fifty-nine of which were rich in pollen and spores. Three hundred spore and pollen taxa were identified. The studied stratigraphic interval is a 2000 m thick coastal and fluvial deposit formed in a variable subsiding tectonic setting. The Lisama Formation is characterized by the dominance of the Proxapertites group. Some typical Paleocene forms start to disappear toward the upper part of the Lisama Formation (e.g. Bombacacidites annae, Ephedripites vanegensis, Retidiporites magdalenensis), and are followed by a barren interval probably linked to intense oxidation during paleosol development (the uppermost 266 m of the Lisama Formation). In the La Paz Formation there is a progressive appearance of early and middle Eocene species (e.g. Cyclusphaera scabrata, Foveotriporites hammenii, Monoporopollenites annulatus, Perfotricolpites digitatus, Spirosyncolpites spiralis, Striatopollis catatumbus, Bombacacidites gonzalezii). This biostratigraphic evidence indicates that an early–middle Eocene hiatus in the eastern area of the Middle Magdalena Valley basin is not present, as many authors have previously suggested. One new pollen genus, Foveomonoporites, and two new pollen species, Foveomonoporites variabilis and Psilamonocolpites operculatus are described and illustrated.

BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, PROVINCIALISM AND EVOLUTION OF EUROPEAN EARLY JURASSIC (PLIENSBACHIAN TO EARLY TOARCIAN) DINOFLAGELLATE CYSTS

RAFFAELLA BUCEFALO PALLIANI
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Perugia
06100 Perugia
Italy
e-mail: Rbucefa@tin.it

JAMES B. RIDING
British Geological Survey
Keyworth
Nottingham NG12 5GG
United Kingdom
e-mail: jbri@bgs.ac.uk

New and previously published dinoflagellate cyst data from the Pliensbachian and early Toarcian of northern and southern Europe have been compared in order to define successions of Boreal and Tethyan bioevents respectively. Significant stratigraphical differences between these two regions indicates that strong provincialism affected dinoflagellates in Europe during the Early Jurassic. This therefore precludes the erection of a pan-European palynostratigraphy for the Pliensbachian to early Toarcian interval. Early Jurassic dinoflagellate cyst provincialism has been quantitatively assessed using the Koch Index of biotal dispersity and the Simpson Coefficient of biotal similarity. These methods conclusively demonstrate that marked provincialism occurred at this time, and that the Boreal and Tethyan realms represent two distinct phytoprovinces, based on their respective dinoflagellate cyst assemblages. The Boreal Realm was characterised by relatively high diversity and the dominance of Luehndea spinosa, Mancodinium semitabulatum and Nannoceratopsis spp. Valvaeodinium may also be abundant and diverse. The Parvocysta suite first appears in the Bifrons Zone and becomes relatively diverse. During the Pliensbachian and early Toarcian, the Tethyan Realm was characterised by low diversity dinoflagellate cyst floras. Mancodinium semitabulatum and Mendicodinium spp. typically dominate the assemblages. Valvaeodinium spp. are present in the early Toarcian (Tenuicostatum Zone) and the Parvocysta suite is extremely rare, represented only by Susadinium scrofoides. The transition between the two realms was diffuse. The intermediate area, between palaeolatitudes 25° and 30°, was characterised by mixed Boreal and Tethyan biotas. Dinoflagellate cyst distributions appear to have been strongly controlled by palaeolatitude, indicating that sea water temperature was a major controlling factor. This phenomenon is best exemplified by the distribution of Valvaeodinium. Dinoflagellate cyst distributions were also strongly sensitive to both coastal/oceanic settings and palaeosalinities. The relationship between Early Jurassic dinoflagellate cyst evolution and global palaeoceanographical changes have been investigated via the evaluation of diversity and the rates of speciation, extinction, and turnover. The differing patterns of evolutionary rates in the Boreal and Tethyan realms are explained as interplay between the two dinoflagellate cyst provinces and palaeogeographical changes.

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