Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2003. / Vita. Includes appendixes. Includes bibliographical references (leaves : [60]-65).

Marine palynomorph assemblages from the Campanian-Maastrichtian Bearpaw Formation, consisting of 34 genera and 69 species of dinoflagellate cysts and 8 forms of acritarchs, were recovered from a composite section in the Cypress Hills and the Research Council of Alberta Castor borehole in southern Alberta, Canada. Correlation of the sections with magnetostratigraphy and radiometric dates of bentonites within the Bearpaw Formation provided a chronostratigraphic control that enabled correlation between the two sections and the Campanian-Maastrichtian Boundary Global Stratotype Section and Point at Tercis les Bains, France. Correlation of first and last occurrence data of key taxa in the boundary section at Tercis with the same taxa in the studied sections support the placement of the Campanian-Maastrichtian Boundary at the transition between magnetochrons 32n.1n and 31r within the <i>Baculites baculus</i> ammonoid range zone of the Western Interior of North America.<p>Semi-quantitative analyses of the assemblages record the transgressive-regressive episodes of the Bearpaw cyclothem. Increases in the relative abundances of gonyaulacacean cysts, numbers of dinocysts compared to terrestrial palynomorphs and assemblage diversity correlate with transgressive episodes, with the richest assemblages occurring during periods of open, offshore to neritic conditions correlated with the cyclothems transgressive peak.<p>Two new species of dinoflagellate cyst are described. The first, Dinoflagellate sp. 1, is a novel taxon, while the second, Downiesphaeridium sp. A, is a chorate cyst similar to Mesozoic forms previously ascribed to <i>Cleistosphaerdium diversispinosum</i> Davey et al. emend. Eaton et al.

Marine palynomorph assemblages from the Campanian-Maastrichtian Bearpaw Formation, consisting of 34 genera and 69 species of dinoflagellate cysts and 8 forms of acritarchs, were recovered from a composite section in the Cypress Hills and the Research Council of Alberta Castor borehole in southern Alberta, Canada. Correlation of the sections with magnetostratigraphy and radiometric dates of bentonites within the Bearpaw Formation provided a chronostratigraphic control that enabled correlation between the two sections and the Campanian-Maastrichtian Boundary Global Stratotype Section and Point at Tercis les Bains, France. Correlation of first and last occurrence data of key taxa in the boundary section at Tercis with the same taxa in the studied sections support the placement of the Campanian-Maastrichtian Boundary at the transition between magnetochrons 32n.1n and 31r within the <i>Baculites baculus</i> ammonoid range zone of the Western Interior of North America.<p>Semi-quantitative analyses of the assemblages record the transgressive-regressive episodes of the Bearpaw cyclothem. Increases in the relative abundances of gonyaulacacean cysts, numbers of dinocysts compared to terrestrial palynomorphs and assemblage diversity correlate with transgressive episodes, with the richest assemblages occurring during periods of open, offshore to neritic conditions correlated with the cyclothems transgressive peak.<p>Two new species of dinoflagellate cyst are described. The first, Dinoflagellate sp. 1, is a novel taxon, while the second, Downiesphaeridium sp. A, is a chorate cyst similar to Mesozoic forms previously ascribed to <i>Cleistosphaerdium diversispinosum</i> Davey et al. emend. Eaton et al.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-09-21T15:45:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo do Monte Guerra_.pdf: 12842392 bytes, checksum: b6db9de51a65dd59c144edac22f16cab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-21T15:45:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo do Monte Guerra_.pdf: 12842392 bytes, checksum: b6db9de51a65dd59c144edac22f16cab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-01-19 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Milton Valente / O final do período Cretáceo é caracterizado por uma gradual transição climática de escala global, fator que modificou a composição das assembleias de nanofósseis calcários e por conta disso vem causando problemas nas interpretações bioestratigráficas entre diferentes faixas latitudinais. Apesar de possuir alguns estudos realizados principalmente entre as décadas de 1980 e 1990, existe uma carência na avaliação do Atlântico Sul como um todo. Desta forma, este estudo objetiva descrever as assembleias de nanofósseis calcários comuns em cada faixa latitudinal e testar o sincronismo dos principais bioeventos. Foram analisadas 649 amostras provenientes de doze seções testemunhadas pelos projetos Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) e Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) nas proximidades da margem brasileira e africana, além de um afloramento na Península Antártica. O estudo taxonômico possibilitou a identificação de 197 espécies de nanofósseis calcários do Campaniano e Maastrichtiano. Através do uso conjunto da bioestratigrafia e magnetoestratigrafia, foram reconhecidos diacronismos em eventos de primeira e última ocorrência de espécies do Campaniano superior e Maastrichtiano superior. Este diacronismo está relacionado a migrações de espécies entre baixas e médias latitudes, decorrentes de mudanças na circulação oceânica e temperatura das águas superficiais. Com base na variação latitudinal das assembleias de nanofósseis calcários, um detalhado estudo bioestratigráfico possibilitou a divisão de três zoneamentos para o Atlântico Sul (baixas, médias e altas latitudes). Além disso, foram definidos os padrões de distribuição de diversas espécies, mostrando uma clara divisão paleobiogeográfica entre espécies que ocorrem somente em latitudes altas e outras limitadas a latitudes médias a baixas. Este padrão possivelmente foi controlado por variações na temperatura das massas de água superficiais. Outras espécies possuem sua distribuição variada em todas as faixas latitudinais, tendo sua distribuição relacionada provavelmente à disponibilidade de nutrientes. / The Late Cretaceous period is characterized by global climatic transition that influenced calcareous nannofossil assemblages posing a challenge for biostratigraphic interpretation between different latitudinal degrees. There are a few studies on South Atlantic calcareous nannofossils from 1980 and 1990 decades, but none of them evaluate the South Atlantic as a whole. Therefore, this study aims to describe the calcareous nannofossils assemblages in each latitudinal zone and test the bioevents synchroneity. It were selected 649 samples from twelve cored sections coming from DSDP (Deep Sea Drilling Project) e ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) close to the Brazilian and African margins, in addition to an outcrop in the Antarctic Peninsula. The taxonomic study allowed the identification of 197 calcareous nannofossils species from the Campanian and Maastrichtian. Using the correlation between the biostratigraphical data and magnetostratigraphy, it was possible to identify diachronism in some bioevents of first and last occurrences during the late Campanian and late Maastrichtian. This diachronism is related to species migration between low and mid-latitudes, due to changes in the ocean circulation and surface water temperature. Based on the latitudinal variation in the calcareous nannofossils assemblages, a detailed biostratigraphic study enabled the South Atlantic division in three zonations (low, medium and high-latitudes). We also defined the distribution pattern of some species, indicating a clear paleobiogeographical division between high latitude species and some species limited to low and mid-latitudes. This pattern was possibly controlled by surface water temperature variation. Other species have a wide distribution across the latitudes probably related to nutrient availability.

Well-preserved and diverse assemblages of late Campanian-Maastrichtian age (76.5-65.5 Ma) planktic foraminifera from Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1209 and 1210 on Shatsky Rise provide an excellent source of data to better understand the environmental and biotic changes of the end-Cretaceous Period in the tropical Pacific. A thorough taxonomic and biostratigraphic study of planktic foraminifera has revealed significant differences in species ranges when compared to detailed studies from the western North Atlantic and eastern South Atlantic. These observations are attributed to site locations with different ocean current and productivity conditions. During the globally recognized “mid-Maastrichtian Event”, inoceramid clams, rare at Shatsky Rise, dramatically increased (~69.3 Ma) before suddenly going extinct (69.1 Ma). This Inoceramid Acme Event (IAE), occurs during high sedimentation rates (~21.8-m/myr) and is indicated in planktic foraminifera by a 0.50‰ positive shift in δ18O values (~2 °C cooling), a 0.24‰ negative shift in δ13C values of and high species richness. A simultaneous decrease in both the δ18O and δ13C gradients between surface and thermocline dwelling planktic foraminifera indicate the IAE was possibly initiated by an increase in surface productivity due to the upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich waters. A dissolution event was identified at ~66.1 Ma lasting to the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (65.5 Ma) and is characterized by chalky, highly fragmented planktic foraminifera, increased dissolution of larger Globotruncanids, increased small (< 63 μm) planktic foraminifera, large and increasingly abundant benthic foraminifera, a sharp decrease in species richness and increased sedimentation rates (~19.9-m/myr). This event follows a transitional interval at ~66.7 Ma where preservation is highly variable. The dissolution event, reported in previous studies at Shatsky Rise (Caron, 1975; Premoli Silva et al., 2005), is not reported in the North and South Atlantic but may help to explain the high diachroneity in species occurrences between ocean basins. These events may indicate that the calcite carbonate compensation depth (CCD) shoaled to shallower depths than previously reported (Theirstein, 1979) due to changing deep or intermediate water mass sources. Alternatively, the timing the dissolution is approximately coincident with the main pulse of Deccan Trap volcanism on the Indian subcontinent suggesting a possible link through ocean acidification.