PALYNOSTRATIGRAPHY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS OF DELTA -32H WELL NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Twenty-five ditch cutting samples from Delta – 32H well was analyzed for their lithologic and
palynologic content.Four distinct lithofacies have been demarcated from the well that show
alternations of the sandstone, siltstone and shale suggesting that the studied well penetrated the
Agbada Formation of the Niger Delta. An Early Middle Miocene to Middle Miocene age was
recorded for the well based on the recovery of a combination of spores and pollens including;
Zonocostites ramonae, Retibrevitricolporites obodoensis, Psilatricolporites crasus,
Retitricolporites irregularis and Pachydermites diederixi. The palynological zones; Monoporites
annulatus taxon range zone Zonocoltites ramonae interval zonewas proposed for this study and
they conform to the P680 and P720 subzones of Evamy et al. (1978). The presence of
Magnastriatites howardi, Pachydermites diederixi,Zonocostites ramonaeand Monoporites
annulatus as well as foram test linings suggests that the interval studied represents mainly
deposition in a coastal to marginal marine setting, this marine influence and high percentage of
Zonocostites ramonae suggests deposition in mangrove environments. Due to the dominance of
mangrove pollens over the occurrence of the single savanna species (Monoporites annulatus),
the sediment of the studied well was most likely deposited in mangrove environment under a wet
climatic conditions during the Miocene.