Towards a Predictive Model for the Palynologic Response to Sea-Level Changes

Abstract

A model of the predicted palynologic response to sea-level changes was formulated and tested in 3 different depositional areas. Both the subsurface Mancos Shale-Tocito Sandstone interval of New Mexico and the St. Stephens Quarry section in Alabama show a correspondence between systems tracts and the composition of the palynoflora. These intervals are not directly associated with deltaic sedimentation. The third area is a subsurface Wilcox section studied in southwestern Louisiana that lay on the distal edge of a major deltaic system