Preliminary paleopalynology of the Kanguk Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Remus Creek, Canadian Arctic Archipelago: I. Marine Palynomorphs

Abstract

A 39 m section of the Kanguk Formation (Upper Turonian to Lower Campanian) on Remus Creek, Ellesmere Island, was sampled at about one inetre intervals to provide stratigraphic control on palynomorph taxa present. These samples yield well-preserved marine and terrestrial palynofloras represented by a total of 181 taxa, of which 103 are dinocysts and acritarchs and represent 51 % of the population. Based on the abundance and type of taxa present the section can be divided into a lower, dinocyst dominated interval, and an upper interval, where dinocysts are present in lower numbers and terrestrial palynomorphs dominate. In the lower part dinocysts are abundant, diverse and well-preserved. Chorate cysts are the most abundant in terms of species diversity and numbers of specimens, however, cavate dinocysts are common also. In turn, in the upper part of the section, marine palynomorphs are much less common, poorly preserved and sporadic in occurrence. Acritarchs account for a small but significant proportion of the marine assemblages. Small numbers of taxa of Albian-Cenomanian age are considered to be reworked from the underlying Hassel Formation. This indicates an unconformity between the Hassel and Kanguk formations.