The systematics of selected pollen and spores from 3h-wells, offshore Niger delta basin, Nigeria

The study investigated the sporomorphs of three wells located within the shallow offshore of the Western Niger Delta Basin in Nigeria. The data utilised in the study were obtained from three wells named HA-001, HB-001 and HD-001. The study aimed at studying the systematics of some selected pollen and spores. Twenty-six, twenty-five and twenty-seven ditch cutting samples within the depth intervals of 750-11610 ft, 4100- 13160 ft and 4875-12090 ft in HA-001, HB-001 and HD-001 respectively were analysed. The standard acid palynological method of sample administration was employed for the recovery of the sporomorphs. The complex character and significant variety of Tertiary tropical pollen and spores often make microscopic identifications challenging. The sporomorphs (pollen and spores) preserved and recovered from three offshore wells in the Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria, are identified using relevant literature for description based on size, shape, structure, aperture and sculpture. The taxonomy of the pollen and spores of the Niger Delta Basin has not yet been studied in details and such publication of these groups of microfossils are hard to find. The importance of accurate and detailed taxonomy in biostratigraphy and paleoecology cannot be overemphasized. Precise taxonomic analysis is a necessary requirement for effective application of pollen and spores in biostratigraphy, geochronology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This study has been able to describe a detailed nomenclature of some index pollen and spore species recovered from three studied wells.