Why a new volume on Non-Pollen Palynomorphs?

Here we introduce SP511, Applications of Non-Pollen Palynomorphs: from Palaeoenvironmental Reconstructions to Biostratigraphy. The study of Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) has a long and rich history that is interwoven with that of pollen-based studies. NPPs are among the oldest fossils on record, and are instrumental in determining the origin and evolution of life, as well as studying origination and extinction events prior to the origin of pollen-producing angiosperms. This new volume on NPPs provides an up-to-date and seminal overview of the subject, linking deep-time and Quaternary study of the subject for the first time

Biostratigraphy of the Lower Palaeozoic Haima Supergroup, Oman : its application in sequence stratigraphy and hydrocarbon exploration

The siliciclastic Haima Supergroup (Cambrian-Silurian) on the west flank of the Ghaba Salt Basin in Oman is currently a target for gas exploration following the discovery of significant gas reserves. An understanding of stratigraphical and facies relationships within the Haima is crucial for their exploration and exploitation, and biostratigraphy is one of the more powerful and cost-effective tools that can be deployed to aid such understanding. The biostratigraphy of the Haima Supergroup is based primarily on palynomorphs. The preexisting biozonation, comprising conventional interval zones, is of low resolution and incorporates misconceptions over the ranges of key species. The work reported here explicitly considered the biostratigraphy of the Haima Supergroup in the context of genetic sequence stratigraphy. It shows that each of the postulated marine flooding events in the Haima Supergroup is characterised by a unique assemblage of marine palynomorphs. Intervening strata are characterised by low diversity and sometimes sparse marine palynomorph assemblages, often comprising only sphaeromorph acritarchs, accompanied by terrestrial cryptospores. These low diversity assemblages indicate proximal marine to nonmarine conditions, consistent with progradation following each marine flood. The sandy prograding deposits in the Haima Supergroup form reservoirs, which are sealed by the shales and mudstones deposited by the succeeding marine flooding event. Lateral changes in marine assemblages indicate onshore-offshore relationships, and have contributed towards mapping the extent of each marine flooding event, critical for evaluation of the potential areal extent of seals. The result is improved biostratigraphical resolution, which enables more precise correlation between wells, and which has contributed to more detailed palaeogeographical maps and to a better assessment of the distribution of reservoir-seal pairs

Stages of palaeoenvironmental evolution, climate, and sea level change of the Niger Delta - East Equatorial Atlantic: Novelty from elemental tracers, sedimentary facies, and pollen records

This Study Used the Comparative Analysis of 3 Gravity Cores (GCs) Obtained from the Shallow Offshore at ~40 M Water Depth to Reconstruct the Morphological Evolution of the Delta (East Equatorial Atlantic). the Focus of This Study is on the Interpretation of Elemental Tracers and their Justification between These Tracers and Microfossil Data to Understand the Impact of Climate-Sea Level Controls on the Evolution of the Niger Delta during the Late Quaternary. Key Elemental Tracers Comprising Ti, Zr, Fe and S Were Explored to Strengthen This Concept. High Ti/Zr Ratio Values Down-Hole Indicate Fluvial Transport of Terrestrial Components to the Marine Setting (20–11.7 Ka), Whereas High Values of Fe/S Ratio Up-Hole Provide an Extent of Inherent Marine Shale of the Niger Delta (11.7–6.5 Ka). in Addition, the Integrated Multiple Proxy (Mangrove and Hinterland Pollen, Planktonic Foraminifera and Sedimentary Facies) with Elemental Tracer Ratios Provided Robust and Coherent Information for Delineating the Late Glacial (MIS2) Prograding and Interglacial (MIS1) Retrograding Deltaic Transition, Respectively. the overall Trends of the Two Elemental Tracer Ratios (Lower and Mid-Upper Depths of the GCs) Provide a New Distinction on the Depositional Patterns (Prograding and Retrograding Delta) to Determine the Proximal/upper (Clay, Silt and Very Fine Sand) and Distal Offshore/lower Shorefaces (Coarse-Medium Sand), and Gross Palaeoenvironments based on Planktonic Foraminifera Records. These Sequential Records Provide a New Clue as Evidence of the Morphological Evolutionary Stages (Delta Plain, Delta Front and Prodelta) of the Niger Delta Landscape, Gross Palaeoenvironments, and Vegetation Dynamics (Pollen Data) during Two Distinct Time-Bound Intervals (20–6.5 Ka), Which Potentially Delineate the Climate and Sea Level Regime of the Coastal Offshore