Palynological Investigation of TTtex-1 Well, coastal marsh depobelt of Eastern Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria

Abstract

Palynofacies analyses of the strata penetrated by TTtex-1 Well were carried out with the aim of investigating the stratigraphic sequence penetrated by the Well to establish palynostratigraphic zones, the relative age and the paleoenvironment of deposition. Sixty-two ditch cutting samples within the interval of 2179 – 3523 m were analyzed. The use of acid in the sample preparation for palynofacies analyses were used. The result of the analyses produced relatively low to abundant occurrences of pollen and spores shows abundance of small, medium, and large sizes of palynomacerals I and II, few occurrences of palynomacerals III and IV. The lithology consists of intercalations of shale and sandstone units with few intercalations of argillaceous sandstone units, this designates the studied interval to be Agbada Formation. The interval studied were dated to be middle Miocene to late Miocene based on the recovered age indicative marker species such as Multiareolites formosus, Zonocostatites ramonae, Crassoretitriletes vanraadshoveni Verrutricolporites rotundiporus, and Racemonocolpites hians. A taxon range zone: Ainipollinite verus zone and Two interval range palynostratigraphic zones: Multiareolites formosus – Zonocostatites ramonae, Verrutricolporites rotundiporus - Crassoretitriletes vanraadshoveni were proposed. The stratigraphic interval studied was deposited in the Coastal-marsh (marginal marine) environments based on paleoenvironmental interpretation of the palynofacies associations and the lithology.