Ostracod, Diatom and Radiolarian Biostratigraphy of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Ditch cuttings from seven wells and foraminiferal slides of three wells have been analyzed for diatoms, ostracods and radiolaria. The wells penetrated Eocene to Miocene strata in the Niger delta. A taxonomic study of the ostracod assemblages has been undertaken. The paleobiogeography of the ostracods indicates their affinity to the coeval assemblages from Sierra Leone, Benin Republic and Gabon. Paleoecological interpretations of the ostracod assemblages suggest inner to middle neritic depositional environments. Diatoms and radiolarians were identified, with the majority of them being placed in open nomenclature. This was a pilot study to determine the stratigraphical and paleoenvironmental potential of the three fossil groups in the Niger delta.