Estudo palinológico e palinofaciológico da formação Santana, Bacia do Araripe, nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

This work was based on palynological and palynofaciological studies carried out on samples of the Araripe Basin, spanning the lower Cretaceous (Late Aptian to Early Albian). The representative sediments of this age are components of the lithostratigraphic unit named as Santana Formation, notorious sedimentary package for its richness in macrofossils and gypsum deposits. Fifty-five cuttings samples of the 4-BO-1-PE well were processed, encompassing the entire Santana Formation deposits in the area, and the organic residue slides were utilized to identify palynomorphs, make counts of them, and palynofaciological studies. The examination of the total organic residue allowed the individualization of four palynofacies, where it was possible to characterize different environmental zones (Palynofacies I, and II, linked to high energy environments and palynofacies III, and IV associated to low energy deposits. The systematics study permitted the identification of 75 species. The qualitative and quantitative classifications allowed proposing 4 sucessive palynozones (A-D, in ascending order) and that the Palynozone B corresponds to the Sergipea variverrucata Zone, one of the most conspicuous palynozone of the standard biozonation of the Brazilian cretaceous deposits. Accordingly, the lower to middle portions of the Santana Formation could be precisely aged as Late Aptian. Palynological and lithological data indicate a continental paleoenvironment for these deposits, which are composed by fluvial and deltaic-lacustrine systems. Also are suggestive of an arid to semi-arid climate in a relatively calm tectonic activity time. The identified palynoflora composition fits very well which ones observed on the lower cretaceous deposits of the northeastern Brazilian basins. Additionally, have close affinities with the palynological assemblages characteristis of the North Gondwana Province.