Distribution of palynomorphs in Miocene sediments of ODP Site 188-1165 in the Prydz Bay, East Antarctica (Table 1) ...

• Main Author: Hannah, Mike J
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA - Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data 2006
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica; Arctic; East Antarctica; Prydz Bay
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.15468/9g4xps; https://www.gbif.org/dataset/8c344454-f762-11e1-a439-00145eb45e9a

ODP Site 1165 recovered around 1000 m of Early to Late Miocene mixed hemi-pelagic sediments from the Wild Drift, offshore Prydz Bay. Samples from between the bottom of the hole and 110 m below sea floor yielded distinctive palynomorph assemblages, ranging in age from 22.2 Ma at the base to 8 Ma at 110 mbsf. Many assemblages contain large numbers of reworked terrestrial pollen and spores varying in age from Devonian to Early Eocene. In situ palynomorph assemblages are dominated by the acritarch Leiosphaeridia. Other components of the assemblages are dinoflagellate cysts, prasinophyte algae and acanthomorph acritarchs. Comparison with modern Arctic assemblages suggests that the presence of these forms implies significant fresh water input, resulting in complex, stratified water masses unlike the situation in Prydz Bay today. Based on the palynomorph assemblages, which are alternately dominated by glacially derived reworked terrestrial miospores and in situ leiospheres typical of ice edges, the interval between ...