Scholars' Mine Doctoral Dissertations Student Theses and Dissertations Spring 2009 The Cretaceous-Paleogene transition in the northern Mississippi Embayment, S.E. Missouri: palynology, micropaleontology, and evidence of a mega-tsunami deposit Tambra L. Eifert Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations Part of the Geology Commons, and the Geophysics and Seismology Commons Department: Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Recommended Citation Eifert, Tambra L., "The Cretaceous-Paleogene transition in the northern Mississippi Embayment, S.E. Missouri: palynology, micropaleontology, and evidence of a mega-tsunami deposit" (2009). Doctoral Dissertations. 2291. https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/doctoral_dissertations/2291 This thesis is brought to you by Scholars' Mine, a service of the Missouri S&T Library and Learning Resources. This work is protected by U. S. Copyright Law. Unauthorized use including reproduction for redistribution requires the permission of the copyright holder. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i THE CRETACEOUS-PALEOGENE TRANSITION IN THE NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI EMBAYMENT, S.E. MISSOURI: PALYNOLOGY, MICROPALEONTOLOGY, AND EVIDENCE OF A MEGA-TSUNAMI DEPOSIT by TAMBRA L. EIFERT A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS 2009 Approved by Francisca E. Oboh-Ikuenobe, Advisor John P. Hogan John M. Holbrook Robert L. Laudon J. David Rogers ii 2009 Tambra L. Eifert All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Upper Cretaceous to lower Paleogene sedimentary rocks in Southeastern Missouri record the northwest extension of the Mississippi Embayment, yet very little information exists about them due to lack of exposures. Access to borehole and trench material and well logs provided an opportunity to study the sedimentology, palynology and micropaleontology of the three formations spanning the Cretaceous- Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary interval: Owl Creek (Cretaceous) and Clayton and Porters Creek (Paleocene). Lithologic features, palynomorphs (mainly spores, pollen, dinoflagellate cysts), dispersed organic matter, and foraminifera were used to interpret biostratigraphy, paleovegetation, paleoclimatic and depositional conditions, thereby creating a framework upon which further questions involving the K-Pg boundary transition could be addressed. Three hundred and seventy-nine palynomorph taxa have been identified; most are angiosperms and six taxa (one pollen and five dinoflagellate cysts) are potentially new. Seventeen of the 18 foraminifera identified are benthic. These microfossil assemblages contain Late Cretaceous and Paleocene taxa, and confirm a Danian age for the Clayton Formation, which rests unconformably on the Owl Creek. Thus, the K-Pg boundary itself is missing. The characteristics of four distinct graded Clayton units, i.e., basal Coquina Zone containing rip-up clasts with microtektites, reworked Cretaceous macrofossils, microfossils and palynomorphs, Glauconite Zone, Gray Zone, and upper Hardground Zone, and driller’s log information suggest that the Clayton Formation was deposited as a single megatsunami following the K-Pg Chicxulub impact event. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, and foremost, I dedicate my work and talent to the Creator who is my source of life and strength, and the giver of love and all knowledge. I thank all the people who have touched my life in so many different ways. To the spirit of abundance that is in each of you, may you recognize your greatness, discover and follow your path, and make the contribution you came here to make. I give special acknowledgement and gratitude to my loving mother Delores Eifert for her constant encouragement, understanding and unfailing support in this endeavor. To my sister Lori Martin and brother David Eifert, I give my heartfelt thanks for their prayers and love. I offer my loving appreciation to Betty Walker and her son Logan Venohr; this dissertation could not have been completed without their love, support, and encouragement. I am deeply grateful for the love and support of my dear friends Debbie Daws, Janet Thomason and Dewey Millay, whose countless hours of love and encouragement gave me that extra boost of energy to help me complete my research. For the unconditional love of my two little canine friends Tiny and Keyma who spent countless hours by my side, day and night, while writing this dissertation; I am grateful. I am indebted to my Ph.D. advisor Dr. Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe for her patience, encouragement, support and guidance during my years of study. It has been an honor to work with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic palynologist such as Dr. Oboh- Ikuenobe. Thanks to my dissertation committee members for their comments and suggestions. Special thanks to Carl Campbell of St. Louis Community College – Meramec for his enthusiastic support and guidance during this journey. Hernan Antolinez and Mohamed Zobaa helped me tremendously with morphological identification of palynomorphs. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources provided access to the U.S. Geological Survey borehole cores at the McCracken Core Repository in Rolla, and USGS provided slides from New Madrid test well 1-X. Thanks to the Nestle-Purina Company for permission to excavate the four trenches in the “kitty litter” quarry Stoddard County. I am gratefult to Tom Lee and Rick Poropat for their financial and physical assistance, and to the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and the Missouri S&T Geology and Geophysics Radcliffe Graduate Scholarship for financial assistance. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………...iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS………………………………………………………. xi LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………. xv SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….. 1 1.1. BACKGROUND……………………………………………………… 1 1.2. STUDY AREA ……………………………………………………….. 2 1.3. OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………… 4 2. GEOLOGIC SETTING.…………………………………………………… 6 2.1. OVERVIEW………………………………………………………….. 6 2.2. SEDIMENTATION HISTORY………………………………………. 8 2.2.1. Gulfian Series……………………………………………….. 9 2.2.2. Paleocene Series (Midway Group) …………………………. 12 2.2.3. Eocene Series (Wilcox Group)..…………………………….. 12 3. LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………… 13 4. METHODS………………………………………………………………….. 17 4.1. FIELD WORK………………………………………………………… 17 4.1.1. Stoddard County……………………………………………. 17 4.1.2. New Madrid County………………………………………… 18 4.1.3. Scott County………………………………………………… 19 4.2. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES……………………………… ……... 22 vi 5. RESULTS…………………………………………………………………… 25 5.1. LITHOLOGIC DESCRIPTIONS……………………………………. 25 5.1.1. Owl Creek Formation……………………………………….. 25 5.1.2. Clayton Formation………………………………………….. 26 5.1.2.1 Coquina Zone……………………………………… 26 5.1.2.2. Glauconite Zone…………………………………… 27 5.1.2.3. Gray Zone…………………………………………. 27 5.1.2.4. Hardground Zone...……………………………….. 28 5.1.3 Porters Creek…...………………………………………….. 32 5.2. PALYNOMORPHS ……………….…………………………………. 33 5.2.1. Overview…………………………………............................. 33 5.2.2. Nonmarine Palynomorphs ………………………………….. 34 5.2.3. Marine Palynomorphs ………………………………………. 34 5.3. SYSTEMATIC PALYNOLOGY…………………………………….. 42 5.4. DISPERSED ORGANIC MATTER………………………………….. 65 5.5. FORAMINIFERA…………………………………………………….. 75 6. INTERPRETATIONS………………………………………………………. 77 6.1. PALYNOMORPHS…………………………………………… ……... 77 6.1.1. Palynostratigraphy…………………………………………... 77 6.1.1.1 Test Well I-X (New Madrid County)……………… 77 6.1.1.2 BH-1, BH-9, and BH-10 (Scott County)…………... 81 6.1.1.3 Trenches 1 and 2 (Stoddard County)………............ 82 6.1.2. Species Diversity and Paleoenvironments…………………... 82 vii 6.1.2.1 Owl Creek Formation……………………………… 83 6.1.2.2 Clayton Formation…………………………...…….. 83 6.1.2.3 Porters Creek Formation…………………………… 83 6.1.3. Paleovegetation……………………………………………… 84 6.1.3.1 Owl Creek Formation……………………………… 84 6.1.3.2 Clayton Formation……………. …………………... 85 6.1.3.3 Porters Creek Formation…………………………… 88 6.2. PALYNOFACIES ASSEMBLAGES………………………………… 103 6.3. FORAMINIFERA……………………………………………………. 105 6.3.1. Biostratigraphy……………………………………………… 105 6.3.2. Assemblages………………………………………………… 105 6.3.2.1 Percent Planktonics………………………………… 106 6.3.2.2 Species Diversity…………………………………... 107 6.3.2.3 Shell-type Ratios…………………………………… 108 7. DISCUSSIONS………………………………………………………………… 110 7.1. FLORISTIC PATTERNS AND PALEOCLIMATIC CONDITIONS.. 110 7.1.1. Latest Cretaceous…………………………………………..... 110 7.1.2. K-Pg Boundary…………………………………………….... 112 7.1.3. Paleocene ……..…………………………………………….. 113 7.2. PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION………………… 114 7.2.1. Introduction……...............…...............…...............…............. 114 7.2.2. Depositional Environments..………………………………… 116 viii 7.2.2.1 Proximal-distal Trends of Dinoflagellates…………. 116 7.2.2.2 Regional Sequence Stratigraphy………………….... 117 7.3. STRATIGRAPHY AND PLACEMENT OF THE K-PG BOUNDARY…………………………………………………………..121 7.3.1. Introduction…...............…...............…...............…................. 121 7.3.2. Alabama (USA)……………………………………………... 122 7.3.3. Texas (USA)………………………………………………… 123 7.3.4. Cuba………………………………………………………..... 124 7.3.5. Northeastern Mexico.......…...............……………………….. 125 7.3.5.1 Basal Unit 1: Spherule-rich layer…………………. 125 7.3.5.2 Unit 2: Laminated Sandstone……………………… 126 7.3.5.3 Unit 3: Interlayered Sand-silt Beds………………... 126 7.3.6. Northeastern Mexico, Parras and La Popa Basins……………127 7.3.7. Gulf