University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2015-03-16 Quantitative palynological analyses of Albian-Cenomanian (Lower to Upper Cretaceous) strata in the Sverdrup Basin: Insights into paleoecology, paleoclimatology and palynostratigraphy Sulphur, Kyle Sulphur, K. (2015). Quantitative palynological analyses of Albian-Cenomanian (Lower to Upper Cretaceous) strata in the Sverdrup Basin: Insights into paleoecology, paleoclimatology and palynostratigraphy (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27507 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2118 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Quantitative palynological analyses of Albian-Cenomanian (Lower to Upper Cretaceous) strata in the Sverdrup Basin: Insights into paleoecology, paleoclimatology and palynostratigraphy by Kyle Christopher Sulphur A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GEOSCIENCE CALGARY, ALBERTA MARCH, 2015 © Kyle Christopher Sulphur 2015 Abstract Multivariate statistical analyses of terrestrial palynomorphs from Albian to Cenomanian (Lower to Upper Cretaceous), Sverdrup Basin strata reveal a landscape with wet lowlands inhabited by Pteridophytina and Bryophyta, with cooler, moist uplands inhabited by a variety of conifer plants. A humid and temperate climate prevailed at this time. Three sites from eastern Sverdrup Basin contain similar palynofloras with long-ranging taxa, but quantitative palynological analyses reveal important differences in relative abundances between localities. A total of eleven early angiosperm pollen were recovered, providing further evidence of a delay in the dispersal and diversification of angiosperms into the Sverdrup Basin relative to more southern locations. This latitudinal diachroneity may potentially be due to paleogeographic barriers, such as, the Arctic Ocean, the extent of the Western Interior Seaway, or due to limited insect pollination dispersal strategies. i Acknowledgements I would first and foremost like to thank my co-supervisors: Drs. Jennifer Galloway (GSC- Calgary), Federico Krause (University of Calgary), Len Hills (University of Calgary) and committee member Keith Dewing (GSC-Calgary) for their continued dedication and support throughout the writing of this thesis. I would next like to thank Art Sweet for lending his enormous inventory of books, encouraging ideas, and taxonomic support, James White for introducing me to the world of palynology, and Ashton Embry (all three GSC-Calgary) for his great insights into the geology of the Sverdrup Basin. I thank Andrew MacRae (Saint Mary’s University) for discussing Albian-Cenomanian stratigraphy with me, and along with Rob Fensome (GSC-Atlantic) for help with the world of dinoflagellate cysts. I thank Len Hills and Koldo Núñez-Betelu for collecting palynological samples from Strathcona and Cañón fiords and Claudia Schröder-Adams for palynological sample collection at Glacier Fiord. Thank you to Linda Dancey for palynological preparation and for curation support. Financial support, lab equipment and office space was contributed by the Geological Survey of Canada-Calgary under the GEM (Geomapping for Energy and Minerals) and Western Arctic project, headed by Keith Dewing and Jennifer Galloway, to which I am extremely grateful. And finally, I dedicate this thesis to Len V. Hills, to whom I owe so much. ii Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iii List of Plates and Tables.................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 REGIONAL CONTEXT .....................................................................................................7 STRATIGRAPHY ...............................................................................................................8 Christopher Formation...................................................................................................10 Hassel Formation ...........................................................................................................11 Bastion Ridge Formation ...............................................................................................14 Kanguk Formation .........................................................................................................16 METHODS ........................................................................................................................17 Palynological preparation ..............................................................................................19 Palynology .....................................................................................................................23 Taxonomic Notes...........................................................................................................23 Multivariate Statistical Analyses ...................................................................................25 RESULTS ..........................................................................................................................26 Angiosperm Pollen.........................................................................................................26 R-Mode Cluster Analysis...............................................................................................29 Multidimensional Scaling Ordination............................................................................33 CONISS .........................................................................................................................33 Q-mode Cluster Analysis...............................................................................................39 DISCUSSION....................................................................................................................42 Stratigraphic Palynology................................................................................................42 Angiosperms in Context ................................................................................................43 Angiosperm Biostratigraphy..........................................................................................45 Paleoecology and Paleoclimate......................................................................................49 R-Mode Cluster Analysis...............................................................................................54 Multidimensional Scaling Ordination............................................................................56 CONISS .........................................................................................................................59 Q-Mode Cluster Analysis ..............................................................................................61 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................63 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................67 APPENDIX I: Glacier Fiord count data ............................................................................78 APPENDIX II: Strathcona Fiord count data......................................................................80 APPENDIX III: Cañón Fiord count data...........................................................................84 iii List of Tables Table 1: Time constraints by formation.......................................................................................... 9 Table 2: GSC Curation sample numbers ...................................................................................... 20 Table 3: Taxonomic authorities .................................................................................................... 24 Table 4: Further taxonomic information....................................................................................... 51 List of Figures Figure 1: Map of the Sverdrup Basin and sample locations found in this study ............................ 2 Figure 2: Regional Stratigraphy...................................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Stratigraphy and location of palynomorph samples at Glacier Fiord............................ 15 Figure 4: Location of Glacier Fiord section.................................................................................. 18 Figure 5: Location of Cañón Fiord section ................................................................................... 21 Figure 6: Location of Strathcona