Characterization of paralic paleoenvironments using benthic foraminifera from Lower Cretaceous deposits (Scotian Shelf, Canada)

The foraminifera from a Lower Cretaceous cored interval of Cohasset A-52 well (located on the Scotian Shelf) were used to interpret the depositional environments of these sediments. Paleoenvironmental interpretation was based on the analysis on 41 samples from four cored intervals of the well collected between 2069 and 2219 m below seafloor. The interval consists of 25 m of interbedded gray-black shale, mudstone and sandstone belonging to the Cree Member of the Logan Canyon Formation. The foraminiferal association recorded in the studied samples is comprised mainly of agglutinated specimens of Trochammina, Haplophragmoides, Ammobaculites and Verneuilinoides. A scattered occurrence of calcareous benthic foraminifera and thecamoebians is also recorded. A comparison of these microfauna with modern foraminiferal associations from paralic environments suggests that these sediments were deposited in a Cretaceous marsh–estuarine environment.