Palynological Evidence of a Campanian-Maastrichtian Age of the Shendi Formation (Shendi Basin, Central Sudan)
This paper presents for the first time, palynological results from the subsurface part of the Shendi Formation, in central Sudan. The study is based on eight samples of grey mudstones collected from three shallow water wells penetrated the Shendi Formation. Standard palynological preparation technique, which involves inorganic acids was used to extract the organic matter from the enclosed sediments. The recovered material is characterized by well preserved and fairly diversified miospores in which angiosperm pollen form the major constituent; gymnosperms and bryophyte/ptridophyte spores are relatively fewer. The coexistence of marker species such as Monocolpopollenites spheroidites Zlivisporis blanensis, Longapertites sp. 3, Proteacidites sigalii, Echitriporites trianguliformis, Syncolporites schrankii, Retidiporites magdalenensis indicates a Campanian-Maastrichtian age for the subsurface part of the Shendi Formation. The palynomorph assemblage encountered herein, is characteristic of the Senonian Palmae province.
Palynostratigraphy, Spore/Pollen, Campanian-Maastrichtian, Shendi Formation, Central Sudan
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