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Moose River Basin: geology and mineral potential - Geology Ontario

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Mesozoic Palynology<br />

Upper Albian<br />

A distinctive palynoflora comprising 25 species was obtained by Norris et<br />

al. (1976) from outcrop on the east bank of the Mattagami <strong>River</strong> in Kipling<br />

Township, 0.8 km north of the foot of Long Rapids which is 9.7 km north of<br />

Smoky Falls.<br />

Apart from long-ranging species, the following are noteworthy:<br />

Appendicisporites problematicus (Burger) Singh (Plate 4, fig. 21, 22)<br />

Cicatricosisporites augustus Singh<br />

Cicatricosisporites australis (Cookson) Potonie (Plate 3, fig. 17,18)<br />

Cicatricosisporites hughesi Dettmann (Plate 3, fig. 16)<br />

Cicatricosisporites sp. cf. C. hallei Delcourt <strong>and</strong> Sprumont (Plate 4, fig. 3)<br />

Costatoperforosporites foveolatus Beak (Plate 3, fig. 32-34)<br />

Cupuliferoidaepollenitesparvulus (Groot <strong>and</strong> Penny) Dettmann<br />

Distaltriangulisporites perplexus (Singh) Singh (Plate 2, fig. 23)<br />

Ornamentifera baculata Singh<br />

Pristinuspollenites inchoatus (Pierce) B.D. Tschudy<br />

Retitricolpites vulgaris Pierce<br />

Rugubivesiculites reductus Pierce (Plate 10, fig. 9-12)<br />

Tricolpites sagax Norris<br />

Trilobosporites minor Pocock<br />

Similarities with the I. purverulenta-C.annulatus Zone (late Middle <strong>and</strong><br />

early Late Albian) are evident. In addition, however, Pristinuspollenites<br />

inchoatus, Rugubivesiculites reductus, Cupuliferoidaepollenites parvulus,<br />

Retitricolpites vulgaris <strong>and</strong> Tricolpites sagax characterize this sample. These<br />

species occur together in the Upper Albian of Alberta (Norris 1967; Singh<br />

1971).<br />

Norris, Jarzen, <strong>and</strong> Awai-Thorne (1975) have also reported the occurrence<br />

of these species together with marine dinoflagellate assemblages in the upper<br />

part of their Early Tricolpate Suite <strong>and</strong> higher subsurface Cretaceous horizons<br />

in southern Alberta, suggesting an age of Late Albian for the base of this inter<br />

val. Furthermore, the latter three angiosperm species occur together only near<br />

the Subzone IlC-Zone III boundary of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, <strong>and</strong> placed by<br />

Doyle <strong>and</strong> Robbins (1977) at the Upper Albian/Cenomanian boundary. Thus a<br />

Late Albian age is considered probable for this sample, although further work<br />

on the outcrop is required to confirm this.<br />

CORRELATIONS<br />

Correlations between the <strong>Moose</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>Basin</strong>, the Atlantic Coastal Plain<br />

<strong>and</strong> Western Canada are shown in Figure 4.1. These correlations are based on<br />

spore-pollen distributions as indicated in the previous discussion.<br />

The Mattagami Formation was deposited principally during the Middle<br />

<strong>and</strong> Late Albian <strong>and</strong> represents part of a major phase of cratonic sedimentation<br />

recognizable also in Alberta, Saskatchewan, <strong>and</strong> Manitoba. These Albian sedi<br />

ments are entirely non-marine in the <strong>Moose</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>Basin</strong> but farther west they<br />

interdigitate with marine sediments (Singh 1971), e.g. Loon <strong>River</strong> Formation,<br />

105

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