Organic Sediment and Sedimentary Environment Using Palynomorphs from Bonny Coastal Area of Niger Delta

Fifteen sedimentary cores were collected on the sedimentary shale deposits of Bonny area, in the Niger Delta region, where palynological analysis was performed to infer the history of the palynofacies and paleoenvironmental changes in the study area. The results revealed diatoms species among benthic and planktonic life forms. The age of the well can be determined with the presence of some diagnostic palynomorph which include Aspitia nodulifer, Thalassiosira ferelinate, Thalassiosira oestriupii, Chactoceros, Nitzschi apaerenheildii and Actinocyculus undulotus, which is a diagnostic form of Miocene to Pliocene that indicated more energy than in present days. Palynofacies analysis identified types of kerogen: palynomorphs, and kerogen components in the sediments, followed by equipdimensional brown debris (60%), equipdimensionl black (20%), bladed black (15%), and palynomorphs (5% or less). We note here that the overwhelming amounts of degraded and comminuted phytoclasts cover up palynomorphs and other components on the slides. And their paleoenvionments ranges from swamp to fresh water and near shore marine sedimentary environment, under erosive conditions, unfavorable to the colonization of vegetation. The intermediate grey shale which was observed only in the core showed the prevalence of planktonic diatoms, providing evidence of a deeper and calmer environment, located in a probably protected area, with intense sedimentation of shale particles with abundant plant remains, colonized by mangrove forest and alluvial palm forest. The lower organic-shale within depth 20-30cm and of the organic-shale much younger than depth 0-10cm, showed more agitated and erosive sedimentary conditions, however, with less energy than that of the middle part depth 10-20cm, indicated by higher abundance of Thalassioira ferelinate. The sedimentary environment allowed colonization by which persists on the coastal to swamp near shore to foreshore.