Early to Middle Miocene Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of Well 03, Shallow Offshore, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Ditch-cutting samples obtained from well-03, shallow offshore, Niger Delta, Nigeria were analyzed for foraminifera to establish age, biozonations and paleoenvironments of deposition. 20 g of each of 112 cuttings were subjected to a processing technique for their foraminifera content using kerosene, biofacies data generated were inputted into strata bug software to produce foraminiferal distribution chart. Lithologically, the studied sequences were composed of greyish shales, siltstones and mudstones with intercalation of sandstones. A fairly diverse foraminiferal assemblage was recovered. Also, three planktic foraminiferal biozones comprising Globorotalia peripheroacuta zones,Orbulina universa, and an undiagnostic zones were established based on the distribution of the index taxa. The establishment of these zones aided the assignment of the early Miocene - middle Miocene age range to the studied section. The environment of deposition of the strata ranged from inner neritic to outer neritic based on the occurrence of Quinqueloculina inornata, Ammonia becarrii, Lenticulina inornata, Eponides eshira, Brizalina mandoroveensis and Uvigerina sparsicostata species