Sedimentary Organic Matter

Preface. Introduction: The importance of sedimentary organic matter. The nature of organic matter in sediments. Production and delivery flux of planktonic organic matter. Biological degradation and consumption of organic matter. Abundance of organic matter in sediments: TOC, hydrodynamic equivalence, dilution and flux effects. Organic matter preservation: the effects of oxygen deficiency. Origin and nature of the phytoclast group. Origin and nature of the amorphous group. Origin and nature of the palynomorph group, phytoplankton subgroup. Origin and nature of the zoomorph subgroup, and the origin, nature and distribution of the zooclast group. Distribution of the phytoclast group. Distribution of the amorphous group. Distribution of the palynomorph group: sporomorph subgroup. Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, marine dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts). Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, marine prasinophyte phycomata. Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, chlorococcale algae. Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, acritarcha. Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, cyanobacteria and rhodophyta. Distribution of the palynomorph group: zoomorph subgroup. Palynological kerogen classification. Bulk geochemical characterisation and classification of organic matter: elemental analysis and pyrolysis. Bulk geochemical characterisation and classification of organic matter: carbon:nitrogen ratios and lignin-derived phenols. Bulk geochemical characterisation and classification of organic matter: stable carbon isotopes. Palynofacies in a sequence stratigraphic context. Some practical aspects of palynofacies analysis. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.