Aptian-Turonian palynology of the Ghazalat-1 Well (GTX-1), Qattara Depression, Egypt

Palynomorphs were studied in nineteen Cretaceous samples obtained from the Ghazalat-1 Well, Qattara Depression, northwestern Egypt. Well-preserved and diverse assemblages comprise at least 125 species of spores, pollen, dinocysts and other phytoplankton. Five new pollen species are described: Droseridites baculatus, Foveomorphomonocolpites rashadi, Retimonocolpites eckarti, R. saadii and Dichastopollenites ghazalatensis.

Five palynological assemblage zones, with ages ranging from Aptian to early Turonian, are recognized; these correlate well with other contemporaneous associations. The palynological results confirm previous datings of the Alamein, Kharita, Bahariya and Abu Roash Formations. Palynofacies analysis shows that the chlorococcalean-rich basal part of the Abu Roash Formation (G and F Members) was deposited in restricted shallow brackish water; it is considered as a high-potential source rock for oil in the site of Ghazalat-1 Well.