2023 - Full Presentation Schedule
Benthic Foraminifera as Indicators of Sea Level Change Between the Donoho and Peedee Formations in Florence, South Carolina
Start Date
31-3-2023 2:15 PM
End Date
31-3-2023 2:30 PM
Location
CASB 103 - Physical, Computer, and Chemical Science
Document Type
Presentation
Abstract
Microfossils, the fossilized calcareous remains of small or partial marine organisms, are useful for reconstructing past environmental and stratigraphic relationships. Previous studies have used macrofossils, microfossils, and nannofossils to support the likely paleoenvironmental and biostratigraphic layout of specific localities on the Eastern coast of both North and South America. However, little research has been done that focuses on the diversity of benthic foraminifera of the Peedee Formation, an important sedimentary layer that contains fossils (belemnites) that have been used in isotopic studies worldwide. This study seeks to qualitatively analyze the shape and ornamentation and to identify the genus of benthic forams between the older Donoho Formation and the younger Peedee Formation for the purpose of confirming a rise in sea level between the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages of the Cretaceous Period. To confirm this change in the paleoenvironment, sediments were first collected from the Donoho and Peedee formations at the Burches Ferry locality in Florence, SC. Samples were then sent to Global GeoLabs for microfossil and palynology processing. The returned samples were photographed using light microscopy to obtain images showing rough morphological features. Sediment from each layer was then prepared for SEM imaging for more detailed qualitative morphological analysis and identification. Morphological analysis revealed morpho-types in the Donoho layer that suggested a nearshore to outer shelf environment, whereas the morpho-types from the Peedee layer were suggestive of outer shelf to the abyssal range. Simultaneously, a small sample was taken from each processed Donoho and Peedee layer to remove all benthic forams for a quantitative analysis of genera, revealing that genera Globulina and Pseudovigerina appeared in higher layers of the Peedee formation, well into the Maastrichtian age. Taken together, this study provided a more precise biostratigraphic analysis of the Peedee and Donoho formations in Florence, SC, tracking a rise in sea level using the often-neglected diversity of benthic foraminifera.
Benthic Foraminifera as Indicators of Sea Level Change Between the Donoho and Peedee Formations in Florence, South Carolina
CASB 103 - Physical, Computer, and Chemical Science
Microfossils, the fossilized calcareous remains of small or partial marine organisms, are useful for reconstructing past environmental and stratigraphic relationships. Previous studies have used macrofossils, microfossils, and nannofossils to support the likely paleoenvironmental and biostratigraphic layout of specific localities on the Eastern coast of both North and South America. However, little research has been done that focuses on the diversity of benthic foraminifera of the Peedee Formation, an important sedimentary layer that contains fossils (belemnites) that have been used in isotopic studies worldwide. This study seeks to qualitatively analyze the shape and ornamentation and to identify the genus of benthic forams between the older Donoho Formation and the younger Peedee Formation for the purpose of confirming a rise in sea level between the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages of the Cretaceous Period. To confirm this change in the paleoenvironment, sediments were first collected from the Donoho and Peedee formations at the Burches Ferry locality in Florence, SC. Samples were then sent to Global GeoLabs for microfossil and palynology processing. The returned samples were photographed using light microscopy to obtain images showing rough morphological features. Sediment from each layer was then prepared for SEM imaging for more detailed qualitative morphological analysis and identification. Morphological analysis revealed morpho-types in the Donoho layer that suggested a nearshore to outer shelf environment, whereas the morpho-types from the Peedee layer were suggestive of outer shelf to the abyssal range. Simultaneously, a small sample was taken from each processed Donoho and Peedee layer to remove all benthic forams for a quantitative analysis of genera, revealing that genera Globulina and Pseudovigerina appeared in higher layers of the Peedee formation, well into the Maastrichtian age. Taken together, this study provided a more precise biostratigraphic analysis of the Peedee and Donoho formations in Florence, SC, tracking a rise in sea level using the often-neglected diversity of benthic foraminifera.