9405154 Oboh PI will examine taxonomy and distribution of dinoflagellate cysts (palynoflora) and detrital organic matter in Eocene units of the Jackson Group, eastern Gulf Coast, U.S.A. This information will be combined with sporomorph data and used for high-resolution biostratigraphy, in particular the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. The study will also evaluate the relation between palynofacies and sediment response to sea level changes.