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Campanian-Maastrichtian palynomorphs from the Duwi (Phosphate) Formation of the Hamrawein and Umm El Hueitat mines, Red Sea Coast, Egypt
| El-Beialy, S.Y. | |
| 1995 | |
| Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology volume 85 nos. 3/4: 303-318 | |
| Campanian-Maastrichtian palynomorphs from the Duwi (Phosphate) Formation of the Hamrawein and Umm El Hueitat mines, Red Sea Coast, Egypt |
El-Beialy, S.Y. , 1995; Campanian-Maastrichtian palynomorphs from the Duwi (Phosphate) Formation of the Hamrawein and Umm El Hueitat mines, Red Sea Coast, Egypt. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology volume 85 nos. 3/4: 303-318. Abstract Campanian-Maastrichtian dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, spores and pollen are described from the Duwi (Phosphate) Formation of the Hamrawein and Umm El Hueitat mines, Red Sea Coast, Egypt. Some of the palynomorphs discussed in the present paper have not been found previously in Egypt. These include dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs and angiosperm pollen. Newly discovered dinocysts and acritarchs include Alterbidinium? acutulum, Imbatodinium cf. inflatum, Fibradinium annetorpense, Florentinia deanei, Hystrichokolpoma cf. bulbosum, Lejeunecysta hyalina, Phelodinium magnificum, Ph. tricuspis, Veryhachium and Cymatiosphaera. Angiosperm pollen reported for the first time from Egypt include Tubistephanocolpites cylindricus, Retistephanocolpites sp. cf. R. williamsii. The Hamrawein and Umm El Hueitat dinocyst assemblage is assigned to the Campanian subtropical to tropical Malloy Suite sensu Lentin and Williams (1980). Peridinioids present in this suite include Andalusiella polymorpha, Cerodinium obliquipes, Phelodinium magnificum and Ph. tricuspis. The pollen flora of the Duwi (Phosphate) Formation is composed of generalized, long-ranging forms together with typical African-South American types characteristic to the Palmae Province. A few members of the northern Normapolles province have been observed. The presence of Nypa, Longapertites and Proteaceae pollen suggests that three different vegetational realms may have existed during the Late Cretaceous. There is a striking similarity between the Egyptian microfloras and others described from contemporaneous strata in North Africa and low latitude areas.