Niall Paterson

Sponsor: Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET)

Embark Initiative Postgraduate Research Scholarship Scheme

PhD Project:

A palynological investigation of Mississippian strata in West Virginia and Kentucky, USA

Supervisor: Geoff Clayton

Co-supervisor: Dr. Cortland Eble (Kentucky Geological Survey)

Project Summary:

The main aim of this project is to attempt to resolve the problems currently associated with correlating the Mississippian stage boundaries in the eastern and midwest USA with those of Western Europe . This project has three primary objectives:

• To establish the ranges of fossil pollen and spores in selected rock sections in West Virginia and Kentucky
• To erect a zonal scheme for the Mississippian of the midwest and eastern USA based on these data
• To correlate the North American Mississippian stage boundaries with those used in Western Europe

This project is timely given the recent decision by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Subcommision on Carboniferous Stratigraphy to revise the stratigraphic classification of the Carboniferous System by introducing the North American divisions, Mississippian and Pennsylvanian worldwide. This decision has served to highlight the significant problems associated with correlating the constituent North American stages with those currently in use in Western Europe and. Since the chronostratigraphic classifications in use in the two regions developed independently from one another, the former North American Mississippian stages/substages are not correlatives of those erected in Western Europe. The problem of correlating the Mississippian sections in North America and Europe is currently hindering progress towards the establishment of (global) stages.

The eastern United States and Western Europe both belonged to the Carboniferous Euramerican Continent. Miospore assemblages of similar composition have previously been recorded from both regions, suggesting that palynological studies can make a significant contribution towards resolving the stratigraphic problem outlined above.