Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 8-27-2010 Larger Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy, Systematics And Paleoenvironments of The vonA Park Formation and Ocala Limestone, Highlands County, Florida Jacqueline Bowen Powell Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI10120306 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Bowen Powell, Jacqueline, "Larger Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy, Systematics And Paleoenvironments of The vA on Park Formation and Ocala Limestone, Highlands County, Florida" (2010). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 288. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/288 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida LARGER FORAMINIFERAL BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, SYSTEMATICS AND PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE AVON PARK FORMATION AND OCALA LIMESTONE, HIGHLANDS COUNTY, FLORIDA A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in GEOSCIENCES by Jacqueline Bowen Powell 2010 To: Dean Kenneth Furton College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Jacqueline Bowen Powell, and entitled Larger Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy, Systematics and Paleoenvironments of the Avon Park Formation and Ocala Limestone, Highlands County, Florida, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. ____________________________________ Timothy Collins ____________________________________ Grenville Draper ____________________________________ Kevin Cunningham ____________________________________ Florentin Maurrasse ____________________________________ Edward Robinson ____________________________________ Laurel Collins, Major Professor Date of Defense: August 27, 2010 The dissertation of Jacqueline Bowen Powell is approved. ____________________________________ Dean Kenneth Furton College of Arts and Sciences ____________________________________ Interim Dean Kevin O’Shea University Graduate School Florida International University, 2010 ii © Copyright 2010 by Jacqueline Bowen Powell All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my parents and family. Their patience and support made it possible to complete this work. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee for their support and patience. Dr. Kevin Cunningham was instrumental in helping us obtain the material for this study. Professor Edward Robinson’s help was invaluable, and his expertise on larger foraminifera helped immensely, especially towards the end of the journey. Dr. Maurrasse, Dr. Draper and Dr. T. Collins were helpful in reviewing the manuscript and providing useful pointers. Roger Portell was nice enough to identify the echinoids from the Avon Park Formation. Jonathan Bryan provided expert knowledge on the Avon Park Formation and Ocala Limestone in the form of advice and offprints. Mark Jiang identified the calcareous nannofossils present in the Ocala Limestone. Ozlem G. Orhun’s sample preparation and moral support were greatly appreciated. To all those who encouraged me to continue, thank you. Last and but not least I would like to thank my major professor Dr. Laurel Collins for her unwavering presence and guidance that kept me going; I could not have finished this work without out her dedication. v ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION LARGER FORAMINIFERAL BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, SYSTEMATICS AND PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE AVON PARK FORMATION AND OCALA LIMESTONE, HIGHLANDS COUNTY, FLORIDA by Jacqueline Bowen Powell Florida International University, 2010 Miami, Florida Professor Laurel Collins, Major Professor This study investigates the use of larger foraminifera in determining the biostratigraphy of the Avon Park Formation and the Ocala Limestone in central Florida. Sedimentary rocks of the Avon Park Formation are the oldest exposed deposits in the state of Florida, and together with the Ocala Limestone comprise a part of the confining unit of the Floridan Aquifer, a major source of Florida’s water supply. Material from the ROMP 29A core collected by the U. S. Geological Survey was evaluated and compared to previous studies of the biostratigraphy of the formations. The larger foraminifera of the Avon Park Formation were examined in thin section, and those of the Ocala Limestone were free specimens. The larger foraminifera from both units were described and identified, and the biostratigraphy determined. The morphological features of the larger foraminifera of the Ocala Limestone were measured and analyzed at various depths within the ROMP 29A core. vi The Avon Park Formation contains predominantly the shallow-water, conical foraminifera Fallotella cookei, Fallotella floridana, Pseudochrysalidina floridana, Coleiconus christianaensis, Coleiconus sp. A, Coskinolina sp. A, Coskinolina sp. B, Fallotella sp. A, Fallotella sp. B, Fabularia vaughani and larger miliolids. The Ocala Limestone contains a different, deeper water assemblage that included the larger foraminifera Heterostegina ocalana, Lepidocyclina ocalana varieties, Lepidocyclina chaperi, Lepidocyclina pustulosa, Nummulites willcoxi, Nummulites striatoreticulatus, Nummulites floridensis and Pseudophragmina spp. A, B, and C. The age of the Avon Park Formation was corroborated by the occurrence of the biomarker echinoid Neolaganum dalli as Eocene, and the Ocala Limestone also contained Eocene larger foraminifera with Eocene to possibly Oligocene calcareous nannofossils. The distribution of the larger foraminifera of the Avon Park Formation was correlated with the subtidal and peritidal zones of the continental shelf. Analyses of variance showed that the changes in measurements of the morphology in Heterostegina ocalana, Lepidocyclina spp. and Nummulites spp. were correlated with change in the depositional environments. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Location of Study Area ............................................................................................. 2 1.3 Regional Geologic Setting ........................................................................................ 3 1.4 Lithostratigraphy ....................................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Lithology of the Cedar Keys Formation ................................................................... 4 1.4.2 Lithology of the Oldsmar Formation ........................................................................ 4 1.4.3 Lithology of the Avon Park Formation ..................................................................... 5 1.4.4 Lithology of the Ocala Limestone ............................................................................ 6 1.4.5 Lithology of the Suwannee Limestone ..................................................................... 7 1.5 Introduction to Larger Foraminifera ......................................................................... 8 1.6 Content of Dissertation Chapters 2 - 5 ...................................................................... 9 2 LARGER FORAMINIFERAL TAXONOMY AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE AVON PARK FORMATION, CENTRAL FLORIDA ........................... 14 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Historical Review of Lithology and Age of the Avon Park Formation .................. 15 2.3 Review of Morphological Terms Used to Describe Larger Foraminifera of the Avon Park Formation ....................................................................................... 18 2.4 Methods................................................................................................................... 20 2.4.1 Sampling Methods .................................................................................................. 20 2.4.2 Specimen Preparation and Identification ................................................................ 21 2.5 Results ..................................................................................................................... 22 2.5.1 Systematic Paleontology ......................................................................................... 22 2.6 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 35 2.6.1 Biostratigraphy of the Avon Park Formation in the ROMP 29A Core ................... 35 2.6.2 Paleogeography in the Avon Park Formation ......................................................... 38 2.6.3 The Occurrence of Larger Foraminifera in Paleoenvironments of the Avon Park Formation ....................................................................................................... 39 2.7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 41 viii 3 BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND LARGER FORAMINIFERAL SYSTEMATICS