A lithofacies-coupled palynofacies model for meandering river floodplains in the Late Cretaceous: Insights from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada

A new lithofacies-coupled palynofacies model reveals that organic matter dynamics in ancient floodplains are strongly influenced by channel proximity and topography, providing a robust proxy for reconstructing fluvial paleoenvironments. The study analyzed the Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada, identifying six recurring lithofacies and two facies associations that distinguish between channel-belt, levee, proximal floodplain, backswamp, and distal floodplain deposits. While kerogen assemblages were heterogeneous across sub-environments, total organic carbon content effectively discriminated between them, with higher values in backswamps and distal floodplains. This model demonstrates the applicability of palynofacies analysis for understanding fluvial dynamics over geological timescales.

Goonetilleke, M., Silva, R. L., Mendonça-Filho, J. G., & Durkin, P. R. (2025). A lithofacies-coupled palynofacies model for meandering river floodplains in the Late Cretaceous: Insights from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. International Journal of Coal Geology, 304, 104768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2025.104768