Dinocyst Biostratigraphy of Seymour Island, Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica. (Volumes I and II)
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1982 Dinocyst Biostratigraphy of Seymour Island, Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica. (Volumes I and II). John Harry Wrenn Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Wrenn, John Harry, "Dinocyst Biostratigraphy of Seymour Island, Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica. (Volumes I and II)." (1982). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3781. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3781 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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International 300 N.Zaeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8229524 Wrenn, John Harry DINOCYST BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF SEYMOUR ISLAND, PALMER PENINSULA, ANTARCTICA. (VOLUMES I AND II) The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical PH.D. Col 1982 University Microfilms International 300 N . Zeeb Road, Ann Aibor. M I 48106 Copyright 1983 by Wrenn, John Harry All Rights Reserved PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages ^ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print_____ 3. Photographs with dark background ^ 4. Illustrations are poor copy ______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy ______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page ______ 7. indistinct, broken or small print on several pages ^ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements ____ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine _____ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print _____ 11. Page(s)__________ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s)__________ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered___________ . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages______ 15. Other________________________________________________________ _________ University Microfilms International Dinocyst Biostratigraphy of Seymour Island, Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica Volume 1 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geology by John Harry Wrenn A.S. William Rainey Harper College, 1972 B.S. Northern Illinois University, 1974 M.S. Northern Illinois University, 1977 August, 1982 Dedication This work is dedicated to my best friend, Allison, my wife. (She made me say that!) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank George F. Hart, my advisor, for his direction and constant sup port during this investigation. Sincere thanks is extended to the mem bers of my dissertation committee, Drs. James M. Coleman, Clyde H. Moore, Judith A. Schiebout, and Willem A. Van den Bold, for their con sideration and constructive criticism. Evan J. Kidson was kind enough to review my taxonomic determinations and provide many suggestions which improved the final report; I thank him for his time and effort. 1 thank Lewis E. Stover for his comments and for facilitating the preparation of some samples at the Exxon Production Research Company. Thanks are extended to Edde Griffin and Paco Ricalo for preparing the palynological slides at Exxon Production Research Company. 1 thank Peter N. Webb and the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs for providing the samples from Seymour Island and partial financial assistance to con duct this investigation. (Funds were provided from the National Science Foundation Grant DPP79-07043, directed by Peter N. Webb.) I wish to thank Rosemary A. Askin and Scott W. Beckman for their assistance during my research. Many others, too numerous to name, provided helpful com ments for which I am grateful. The support provided by the Department of Geology (LSU), the Cartographic Section (LSU), and the Amoco Produc tion Company (Research Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma) is gratefully acknow ledged. Special thanks are tendered to Charles F. Upshaw and Richard W. Hedlund for their support, consideration, and patience. Par ticular thanks are extended to Karen S. Bushyhead for typing the many drafts of this manuscript. I wish to thank everyone who has assisted in the production of Appendix D (Dinocyst Descriptive Manual) and in particular Richard W. Aurisano, John H. Bair, Scott V. Beckman, Richard W. Hedlund, and Evan J. Kidson for their critical readings of the manuscript. Thomas T. LeFebre and James Kennedy, Jr. are responsible for the artwork and photography, respectively. Special thanks is extended to the Amoco Production Company for its support and to Karen S. Bushyead and J. Maxine Kirkham of Amoco Production Company for typing the various drafts of this manual. Finally, hut not lastly, I thank my wife, Allison K. Wrenn, for her unflagging support and encouragement during the execution of this inves tigation. CONTENTS VOLUME I Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................... iii LIST OF TAB L E S .......................................................vii LIST OF TEXT F I G U R E S .............................................. ix LIST OF PLA T E S .................... xiii ABSTRACT ............................................................. xiv INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1 General statement ................... 1 Scope of this i n v e s t i g a t i o n ................................. 1 SEYMOUR ISLAND .................................................... 3 Location and physiography .................................... 3 History of exploration ........................................ 7 Geologic setting .............................................. 9 Stratigraphy .................................................. 10 Paleoenvironmental setting ............................... 15 PALEONTOLOGIC BACKGROUND .......................................... 18 Previous paleontologic investigations on Seymour Island . 18 Palaeogene Period palynological studies pertinent to Seymour Island .............................................. 22 Maceral analysis .............................................. 23 Maceral and TOC analyses related to source rock analysis . 28 RESULTS OF THE GENERAL LITH0L0GIC EXAMINATION ..................... 34 RESULTS OF THE PALYNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION ....................... 41 General statement ............................................ 41 General palynology of the sections ..................... 46 The distribution of reworked palynomorphs..................... 71 RESULTS OF THE MACERAL AND TOC A N A L Y S E S ........................... 79 General statement ............................................ 79 General maceral and TOC analyses of the sections............ 79 INTERPRETATIONS .................................................... 100 Age determinations..................................... 100 Reworked palynomorph distribution related to the regional g e o l o g y ....................................................... 122 Paleoenvironmental analysis .................................. 125 Comparison of the Seymour Island and high southern latitude floras ............................................ 131 Source rock analysis.............................................135