ISSN: 2642-1283
Authors: Dairo VA*, Olumide I and Lydia F
Biostratigraphic studies of foraminifera were carried out on two exploratory wells drilled in the Eastern Niger Delta to establish the age, biozonation and paleoenvironment of the foraminifera present in the strata penetrated by the wells. A total of 80 ditch cutting samples retrieved at 60ft intervals from AX-1 and AX-2 Wells at the depth of 3,600ft to 6,000ft and 4,200ft to 6500ft. respectively were subjected to micropaleontological analysis which involves picking and identification of the foraminifera present. The resulting data were loaded into the Stratabug software and interpreted. The foraminifera recovered and identified from the two wells are made up of both benthic and planktic species. The marker species, whose stratigraphic range are well established were used to describe the biozonation and these includes Heterostegina sp, Catapsydrax stainforthi, Chiloguembelina victoriana, Orbulina universa/suturalis, Praeorbulina sicana, Buliminella subfusiformis, Nonion centrosulcatum, Catapsydrax dissimilis, Globigerinoides bisphericus and Globigerinoides sicanus. Four biozones of foraminifera made up of N8, N7-N8, N6-N7 and N5-N6 were recognised based on the zonation scheme of Grandstein; with their stratigraphic age ranging from early Miocene to middle Miocene. Furthermore, the environment of deposition prevailing in the Formations penetrated by the two wells are predominantly middle neritic with similarity in their ages as observed from the correlation of the biozones from the two wells.
Keywords: Foraminifera; Biozonation; Early Miocene-Middle Miocene; Marker Species; Correlation
