Mid-Cretaceous Palynoflora from Central Mid-Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Albian (late Early Cretaceous) pollen and spores were used to reconstruct the floral history of Allison Guyot in the Albian period, to better understand pollen and spore distributions on mid-oceanic islands, to investigate whether Allison Guyot supported land plants in the Albian, and to test previous hypotheses about the development of the guyot. Albian spores found in Allison Guyot sediments from ODP Leg 143 Site 865 include: Laevigatosporites ovatus, Cyathidites minor, Cicatricosisporites sp., Baculatisporites comaumensis, Ceratosporites equalis, Gleicheniidites senonicus, Leptolepidites verrucatus, Retitriletes circolumenus, Lycopodiacidites dettmannae, Osmundacidites wellmanii, Cicatricosisporites hughesii, Impardecispora excavate, and others. Albian pollen from these samples include Callialasporites dampieri, Ephedra, and others occur in Albian samples. The high abundance of terrestrial palynomorphs in these samples suggests that Allison Guyot was exposed in the Albian and supported land plants. The high frequency of spores (more than 90 percent) reflects a flora dominated by ferns.