A Quantitative Palynological Zonation for Eastern Colombia

Carlos Jaramillo¹, Milton Rueda², and Vladimir Torres^2
1Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama
²ICP, Bucaramanga, Colombia

Biostratigraphy in Colombia has traditionally been done using palynology. Quantitative biostratigraphic techniques could improve the zonations that have been proposed for the region. We analyze the palynological information from 3500 pollen and spores species, and 5000 samples from 58 oil wells and outcrops in eastern Cordillera, Llanos Foothills and Llanos basin of Colombia to produce a zonation for the region. Two quantitative biostratigraphic techniques, namely graphic correlation and constrained optimization, were used to analyze the data. The analysis produced a probabilistic zonation that has 31 zones for the Cenozoic. Several statistical filters, including gap analysis and edge effects, were used to reduce the noise in the zonation. The zonation was also calibrated using the carbon isotope record. This palynological zonation has been successfully tested in several areas and exploratory wells.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas