Two new marine cyst genera from Upper Cretaceous Brookian megasequence strata in the North Slope of Alaska

ABSTRACT

Two new genera, comprising three new species, of marine algal cysts are described here. The extinction horizons of all three occur with a high degree of consistency in many petroleum wells in the Alaska North Slope region. These horizons provide useful correlation events within the overall progradational sediments which filled a large and complex depositional basin during Cenomanian–Turonian time. The newly described taxa are Paranelsoniella woodii gen. et sp. nov., P. minuta gen. et sp. nov. and Xanthocysta ovata gen. et sp. nov.

KEYWORDS:

• New dinoflagellate taxa
• Alaska North Slope
• Upper Cretaceous
• biostratigraphy

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Curator Kurt Johnson and Geologist Jean Riordan, of the Alaska State Geologic Materials Center, Anchorage, Alaska, for their assistance in providing materials central to this paper, and Merrell Miller, Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his patient and thorough editorial help throughout the publication process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert L. Ravn

ROBERT L. RAVN currently performs palynostratigraphic consulting with the irf group, in Anchorage, Alaska, and also teaches geology at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He is a former president and holder of other offices with AASP. He lives in Anchorage, generously allowed to do so by the three cats which own and manage his residence.

David K. Goodman

DAVID GOODMAN is president of the irf group, inc., an international stratigraphic consultancy based in Anchorage, Alaska, that he established in 1999 (Gordon Wood was a senior scientist in the group from its start). Dave earned his BS and MS degrees in geology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and his PhD from Stanford University working under Bill Evitt. His primary research interests are Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene dinoflagellates and their application to sequence biostratigraphy. He was a stratigrapher at Exxon Production Research Company in Houston from 1978 to 1983, and at several Arco affiliates in Dallas, Midland (Texas) and Anchorage from 1983 until he retired from Arco in 1999. Dave was a long-time managing editor for The Palynological Society, and editor of the journal Palynology from 1987 to 2000. He lives in Alaska and fishes throughout North America. On a clear day from his office (750 ft elevation) he can see 140 miles north to Denali (20,310 ft), and 130 miles southwest to the Iliamna Volcano (10,016 ft)…when not asleep at the scope, tying steelhead flies, or playing with sharp knives.

Both authors have been professional associates and, more importantly, close friends of Dr. Gordon Wood since the earliest days of all our careers. We mourn his absence, but celebrate his career, and fondly remember and miss, most of all, his eternally warm and generous person. No one ever had a better and more sincere smile.