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Palynology of Site 1166, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica1

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Palynology of Site 1166, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica1 Cooper, A.K., O’Brien, P.E., and Richter, C. (Eds.) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results Volume 188 3. PALYNOLOGY OF SITE 1166, PRYDZ BAY, EAST ANTARCTICA1 M.K. Macphail2 and E.M. Truswell3 ABSTRACT Twenty-three core catcher samples from Site 1166 (Hole 1166A) in Prydz Bay were analyzed for their palynomorph content, with the aims of determining the ages of the sequence penetrated, providing informa- tion on the vegetation of the Antarctic continent at this time, and determining the environments under which deposition occurred. Di- nocysts, pollen and spores, and foraminiferal test linings were recov- ered from most samples in the interval from 142.5 to 362.03 meters below seafloor (mbsf). The interval from 142.5 to 258.72 mbsf yielded 1Macphail, M.K., and Truswell, E.M., palynomorphs indicative of a middle–late Eocene age, equivalent to the 2004. Palynology of Site 1166, Prydz lower–middle Nothofagidites asperus Zone of the Gippsland Basin of Bay, East Antarctica. In Cooper, A.K., southeastern Australia. The Prydz Bay sequence represents the first well- O’Brien, P.E., and Richter, C. (Eds.), dated section of this age from East Antarctica. Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 188, 1–43 Dinocysts belonging to the widespread “Transantarctic Flora” give a [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www-odp.tamu.edu/ more confident late Eocene age for the interval 142.5–220.5 mbsf. The publications/188_SR/VOLUME/ uppermost two cores within this interval, namely, those from 142.5 and CHAPTERS/013.PDF>. [Cited YYYY- 148.36 mbsf, show significantly higher frequencies of dinocysts than MM-DD] the cores below and suggest that an open marine environment pre- 2Department of Archaeology and vailed at the time of deposition. The spore and pollen component may Natural History, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National reflect a vegetation akin to the modern rainforest scrubs of Tasmania University, Canberra ACT 0200, and New Zealand. Australia. Below 267 mbsf, sparse microfloras, mainly of spores and pollen, are [email protected] equated with the Phyllocladidites mawsonii Zone of southeastern Austra- 3Department of Geology, Australian lia, which is of Turonian to possibly Santonian age. Fluvial to marginal National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia. marine environments of deposition are suggested. The parent vegeta- tion from this interval is here described as “Austral Conifer Woodland.” Initial receipt: 15 November 2002 The same Late Cretaceous microflora occurs in two of the cores above Acceptance: 14 August 2003 the postulated unconformity at 267 mbsf. In the core at 249.42 mbsf, Web publication: 29 January 2004 Ms 188SR-013 M.K. MACPHAIL AND E.M. TRUSWELL SITE 1166 PALYNOLOGY 2 the Late Cretaceous spores and pollen are uncontaminated by any Ter- tiary forms, suggesting that a clast of this older material has been sam- pled; such a clast may reflect transport by ice during the Eocene. At 258.72 mbsf, Late Cretaceous spores and pollen appear to have been re- cycled into the Eocene sediments. INTRODUCTION Site 1166 provides a key sequence for understanding the stratigraphy of Prydz Bay and adjacent regions. It was drilled to sample the earliest Cenozoic sediments, date the onset of glaciation, and provide informa- T1. Zonal summary, p. 25. tion on preglacial environments. Palynomorphs recovered from this site have in large part fulfilled the requirements of providing age con- trol on the sequences penetrated. They have also allowed the best T2. Basic sample data, p. 26. reconstruction yet attempted of the Tertiary preglacial vascular vegeta- tion of East Antarctica. Palynomorphs were recovered from both the Tertiary and Mesozoic sections encountered at this site. They are dis- cussed under separate headings below. Summary data for age and depo- T3. Age determination, p. 27. sitional environments and for yield and preservation of palynomorphs are presented in Tables T1 and T2. Age determinations are summarized in Table T3, vegetation and depositional environments in Table T4, and T4. Paleoenvironments, p. 28. detailed species distribution in Tables T5 and T6. Preliminary palyno- logical investigations from the site were described in two reports sub- mitted shortly after completion of the Leg 188 drilling (M.K. Macphail T5. Eocene plant microfossil taxa, and E.M. Truswell, unpubl. data). This review synthesizes, and devel- p. 29. ops, the preliminary findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS T6. Late Cretaceous plant micro- fossil taxa, p. 32. It was intended that Leg 188 should include a site to sample the Cen- ozoic section between intervals reached at Sites 739 and 742 during F1. Site 1166 and other Leg 188 Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 119 (Barron, Larsen, et al., 1991), in sites, p. 23. order to investigate the glacial–preglacial transition. The original site proposed for Leg 188 was on the western side of Prydz Bay. However, 1165 65° S persistent pack ice forced the drilling of an alternative site on the east- 1167 Shackleton 743 Ice Shelf 739 West ern side of the bay, Site 1166, which lies ~40 km southwest of Site 742 742 Ice Shelf Mawson 1166 741 Davis (see locality map, Fig. F1). Hole 1166A penetrated to a depth of 381.30 740 Mac. Robertson Amery Princess Elizabeth 70° Land meters below seafloor (mbsf). Recovery from the site consisted of a se- Ice Shelf Land Mountains ries of poorly sorted sands, fine-grained sediments, and diamicton. The Prince Charles 60°E80° sediments were divided into five lithostratigraphic units (see Fig. F2, from O’Brien, Cooper, Richter, et al., 2001). Four of these, Units II–V, were sampled in the present study and found to be palynologically pro- F2. Stratigraphic sequence in Hole ductive. 1166A, p. 24. Hole 1166A Gamma ray Density (core) 0 (gAPI) 250 1.2 (g/cm3) 2.5 Lithostratigrapic Briefly, from Unit II (135.63–156.45 mbsf) a glaciomarine sequence Hole Diameter Density (RHOM) units from core 0 (in) 20 1.2 (g/cm3) 2.5 Clay Silt Sand Diatoms Palynology Time-rock age 0 Core Recovery IA T. lentiginosa Quaternary 1R LWD 0.0-0.66 Ma 2R of dark gray claystones deposited during a period of marine transgres- Pipe 3R 4R 5R 50 6R sion was sampled. From Unit III (156.45–276.44 mbsf) beds of possible IB 7R 8R 9R 10R deltaic origin, laid down in a proglacial or preglacial environment, and 100 11R upper Pliocene 12R IC T. kolbei 1.9-2.3 Ma 13R ID upper Pliocene 14R s consisting of organic-rich silty clays were examined. Unit IV (276.44– T. vulnifica 2.3-3.2 Ma 15R 150 lower upper 16R II pstone ro Oligocene- Eocene 17R D upper Eocene 314.91 mbsf) consists of black carbonaceous clays and laminated sandy 18R 19R 20R Depth (mbsf) 34-37 Ma 21R 200 middle Barren (Diatoms 33-37 Ma, N. asperus silts and records deposition within a restricted marine or lagoonal envi- 22R III Pollen 34-39 Ma) 23R 24R 25R ronment. Unit V (342.80–342.96 mbsf) is represented by fragments of 26R 250 27R 28R 29R gray claystones with laminations and fine sandy silt. From regional seis- 30R IV 31R 300 32R 33R mic stratigraphic correlations, it appears to lie below a regional uncon- 34R lower P. mawsonii 35R 36R V 350 37R formity that can be traced to Site 741, some 110 km away. 38R 39R 40R M.K. MACPHAIL AND E.M. TRUSWELL SITE 1166 PALYNOLOGY 3 All samples were processed using standard techniques designed to recover spores, pollen, algal cysts, and other acid-resistant microfossils P1. Deflandrea and Tritonites, p. 34. (Traverse, 1988). This involved removal of inorganic sands, silts, and 1 2 clays using a combination of hydrofluoric acid and heavy liquid separa- tion (ZnBr2; specific gravity = 1.65) and oxidation of the more labile compounds using Schultze solution. The extracts were filtered through 50 µm a 5-µm Millipore sieve cloth and mounted on microscope slides using 3 4 Eukit. When possible, a minimum of 250 pollen and spores were counted using a Zeiss Photomicroscope II fitted with Planapo objec- 50 µm tives, allowing magnifications of up to 1250× (Tables T5, T6; Plates P1, 567 P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9, P10). The relative abundance of all iden- tifiable plant microfossils was calculated as a percentage of the pollen 25 µm and spore count excluding reworked taxa and modern contaminants. P2. Vozzhenikovia, Enneadocysta, CENOZOIC and Turbiosphaera, p. 35. 1 2 3 Age Control 50 µm Relatively abundant palynomorphs were recovered from the interval 45 142.5–267.18 mbsf. Spores, pollen, dinocysts, and foraminiferal test lin- ings were present in most cores examined. Age control is provided pri- 6 7 marily by the dinocysts, which indicate an age of middle–late Eocene for the interval as a whole. Spore and pollen species provide support for this age determination. Key taxa and age determinations are listed in Table T3. There is a marked increase in abundance of dinocysts in the 50 µm uppermost two cores, suggesting that there was a transition between marginal marine and open marine conditions (perhaps reflected in a flooding surface) between 148.36 and 156.99 mbsf. P3. Spinidinium, Hemicystodinium, Hystrichosphaeridium, Schemato- Dinocysts phora, Adnatosphaeridium, and Thalassiophora, p. 36. Dinocysts from cores in the interval from 142.5 mbsf to a probable 1 2 3 unconformity at ~267 mbsf can be assigned to the “Transantarctic 50 m Flora”—a flora whose major elements are restricted to high southern 4 5 latitudes. This suite was named by Wrenn and Beckmann (1982), and its composition and distribution was elaborated by Wrenn and Hart (1988). It was first identified in erratics from McMurdo Sound and is 67 now known from sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, the Ross and Wed- dell Seas, and the South Atlantic.
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