Shane, J.D., 1984, The palynology, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the Umiat Delta complex (middle Albian-early Cenomanian), North Slope, Alaska: Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State University, Ph.D. dissertation, 359 p., illust., maps.
One hundred and eighty-seven core samples from ten test wells drilled in the Umiat Delta Complex of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) were examined for their plant microfossil content. Conventional isolation techniques were used to prepare the acid insoluble microfossils. One hundred nine genera and 214 species of palynomorphs were recovered; of these, 32 species are new. A comparison of the stratigraphic ranges of previously-reported taxa indicates the age of the Grandstand Formation is late middle Albian, the Killik Tongue of the Chandler Formation is late Albian and the Ninuluk Formation is early Cenomanian. The microfloral evidence indicates that the Grandstand Formation is correlative with the Loon River Formation of northwestern Alberta, the 'pretricolpate' suite of western Canada and the Horton River Formation of Arctic Canada. The Killik Tongue of the Chandler Formation is correlative with the Shaftesbury Formation of northwesten Alberta, the Upper Shale Unit of the Colorado Group from western Canada, and perhaps the Hassel Formation from Arctic Canada. The Ninuluk Formation does not appear to have a closely correlative formation in North America. The Nanushuk Group rocks were apparently deposited in a river-dominated, prograding delta containing marine, brackish marine and terrestrial environments. Evidence from the palynofloral assemblage suggests a warm temperate climate existed in the Alaskan Arctic during the late middle Albian-early Cenomanian.
Theses and Dissertations
