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Cretaceous (Aptian-Maastrichtian) palynology of foraminifera-dated wells (KRM-1, AG-18) in northwestern Egypt
| Schrank, E. and Ibrahim, M.I.A. | |
| 1995 | |
| Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen, Reihe A, Band 177, 44 p. | |
| Cretaceous (Aptian-Maastrichtian) palynology of foraminifera-dated wells (KRM-1, AG-18) in northwestern Egypt |
Schrank, E. and Ibrahim, M.I.A., 1995; Cretaceous (Aptian-Maastrichtian) palynology of foraminifera-dated wells (KRM-1, AG-18) in northwestern Egypt. Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen, Reihe A, Band 177, 44 p. Abstract: The Aptian-Maastrichtian of the Kahraman-1 well (KRM-1), northwestern Egypt, is subdivided into nine informal pollen-spore and nine dinoflagellate zones. The Upper Cretaceous part of the succession, which is also investigated in a second section, the Abu Gharadiq-18 well (AG-18), has independent age control by foraminifera. Sediments and palynofloras reflect the transition from nearshore marine environments with predominantly siliciclastic sedimentation and strong terrestrial influence (Aptian-Cenomanian) to the development of a Late Cretaceous carbonate platform which received relatively weak terrestrial input. The corresponding palynofloras are rich and dominated by pollen and spores in the Aptian-Cenomanian, and impoverished and dominated by dinoflagellates in the Turonian-Maastrichtian. The transition between the two phases is represented by a late Cenomanian-early Turonian chlorococcalean algae interregnum. Pollen and spore floras generally show close relationships with contemporary assemblages from the African South American Province (ASA), but marginal Laurasian influence is documented by the presence of Dichastopollenites in Cenomanian, and Plicapollis in Campanian- Maastrichtian strata. The following four new combinations are proposed. Gemmatricolpites chmurae (BOLTENHAGEN) SCHRANK & IBRAHIM comb. nov., Microfoveotriporites subalveolatus (COUPER) SCHRANK & IBRAHIM comb. nov., Subtriporopollenites minutipori (MULLER) SCHRANK & IBRAHIM comb. nov. and Proteacidites africaensis (JARDINE & MAGLOIRE) SCHRANK & IBRAHIM comb. nov. In addition two new species, Afropollis kahramanensis IBRAHIM & SCHRANK sp. nov. and Cretacaeiporites densimurus SCHRANK & IBRAHIM sp. nov., are described.