I have done loads of samples with Devonian salt, and it was Bose who stated
he found spores in the cambrian section, presumably in salt.
>
> - Evaporites are thought to form in harsh environments, places where we
> might not expect nearby land plants to provide much in the way of pollen
> or spores
>
> How much pollen and spores are obtained from modern-day evaporite deposits?
> How about earlier Cenozoic or Mesozoic evaporites?
It is not unusual to find pollen and spores preserved in salt. After all,
that is where Sahni and others found the pollen and spores in the Punjab
section. However, its mobility and crystallinity mitigate against good
preservation in mobile sections.
>
> I'm also curious why you have processed hundreds of Paleozoic evaporite
samples
>looking for pollen and spores. Are you looking for modern-day material in
these
>halites?
I have worked on a number of Paleozoic cores, mostly from Canadian wells,
rich in halite and other associated minerals. Of course, after a while, I
sampled at larger and larger intervals when it was obvious there was
nothing preserved in the salt. It is certainly the easiest kind of sample
to process!
Art
http://geology.swau.edu