Dr Paul Dodsworth
B.Sc. (Hons) M.Sc. Ph.D.

Palaeo⁷ LLP Delegated Partner Representative

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Paul is a geologist with expertise in the Upper Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic palynology and stratigraphy of Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa. He was awarded an M.Sc. in palynology from the University of Sheffield, U.K., in 1992 and stayed on at Sheffield to undertake a Ph.D. in mid-Cretaceous stratigraphy which was awarded in 1997. In 2001, he received the inaugural Charles Downie Award from The Micropalaeontologial Society for research published from his thesis.

Since 1996, Paul has worked as full-time biostratigraphic consultant to the oil and gas industry. From 1996 to 2006, he was employed as a palynologist by Robertson Research, Millennia Stratigraphic Consultants and Ichron. While at Ichron, he was a West of Shetland wellsite stratigrapher, analysing in real time pilot holes and development wells from the Foinaven, Schiehallion, Loyal and Clair Fields. He founded StrataSolve Ltd in 2006, a company specialising in palynological assistance with the geo-steering of ‘horizontal’ oil wells, particularly in the Central North Sea, UKCS. He has to date analysed over 90 offshore wells at site. Since 2011, he has also assisted three oil companies with in-house palynological calibration and palaeoenvironmental studies of Cretaceous unconventional shale reservoirs in North America, particularly the Eagle Ford Group in Texas.

In 2018, Paul co-founded Palaeo⁷ LLP to address market demand for a larger multi-disciplinary highly-experienced team to provide relatively rapid turnaround on post-drill analysis projects. Going forward, his multi-disciplinary international work will be channelled through Palaeo⁷.

Paul maintains research links with the University of Sheffield, the University of Kingston, London, and Shell’s Eagle Ford Research Group. He is a reviewer of palynology-based manuscripts for six international journals.

Norwegian Continental Shelf Experience

Cretaceous and Cenozoic post‐well routine analyses of single wells in the North Viking Graben (N2/1, N34/11, N35/4, N35/6), Ormen Lange (6305/8), Onyx (6406/6, 6406/9), Ras Basin (6506/3), Ellida South (6405/10), Halten Terrace (6507/1, 6507/7), Vøring Basin (6505/10) and Nyk High (6707/10); wellsite analysis of eight wells in N25/4, 6405/7, 6406/5, 6406/9 and 6603/5 Haltenbanken–Møre Basin area, 21 well detailed review and correlation of Cretaceous – Cenozoic; Barents Sea, 60 wells paper review of Cretaceous, plus three wells Cretaceous slide review. North Viking Graben slide review of single wells in N1/2, N2/1, N2/5, N3/11, N8/3, N9/11, N29/6, N30/4, N31/6 & N34/11.

Publications

Black, R.D. & Dodsworth, P. 2021. The palynology of the Kimmeridge Clay and Carstone Formations (Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous) at Middlegate Quarry, North Lincolnshire, UK, and its biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental significance. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 63: 351–366. doi: 10.1144/pygs2021-005.

Bengtson, P., Cobban, W.A., Dodsworth, P., Gale, A.S., Kenndey, W.J., Lamolda, M.A., Matsumoto, T., Reyment, R.A., Seibertz, E., Tröger, K.-A. 1996. The Turonian stage and substage boundaries. In: (Rawson et al., editors) Proceedings, "Second International Symposium on Cretaceous Stage Boundaries", Brussels 8-16 September 1995. Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique - Sciences de la Terre, No. 66: 69–79.

Dodsworth, P. 1995. A note of caution concerning the application of quantitative palynological data from oxidized preparations. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 14: 6.

Dodsworth, P. 1996. Stratigraphy, microfossils and depositional environments of the lowermost part of the Welton Chalk Formation (late Cenomanian to early Turonian, Cretaceous) in eastern England. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 51: 45–64.

Dodsworth, P. 2000. Trans-Atlantic dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy across the Cenomanian – Turonian (Cretaceous) Stage boundary. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 19: 69–84.

Dodsworth, P. 2004. The palynology of the Cenomanian - Turonian (Cretaceous) boundary succession at Aksudere in Crimea, Ukraine. Palynology, 28: 129–141.

Dodsworth, P. 2004. The distribution of dinoflagellate cysts across a Late Cenomanian carbon isotope (d¹³C) anomaly in the Pulawy borehole, central Poland. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 23: 77–80.

Dodsworth, P. 2016. Palynostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments of the Eagle Ford Group (Upper Cretaceous) at the Lozier Canyon outcrop reference section, west Texas, USA. Palynology, 40: 357–378.

Dodsworth, P. & Eldrett, J.S., 2019. A dinoflagellate cyst zonation of the Cenomanian and Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) in the Western Interior, United States. Palynology, 43: 701–723.

Dodsworth, P. & Eldrett, J.S., 2019. A new marine palynomorph from the Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) in the USA. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 262: 10–16.

Dodsworth, P., Eldrett, J.S. & Hart, M.B., 2020. Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 in eastern England: further palynological and geochemical data from Melton Ross. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 63: 88–123.

Eldrett, J.S., Dodsworth, P., Bergman, S. C., Wright, M., Minisini, D. 2017. Water-mass evolution in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America and equatorial Atlantic. Climate of the Past, 13: 855–878.

Eldrett J.S., Ma C., Bergman S.C., Lutz B., Gregory J.G., Dodsworth P., Phipps M., Hardas P., Minisini D., Ozkan A., et al. 2015. An astronomically calibrated stratigraphy of the Cenomanian, Turonian and earliest Coniacian from the Cretaceous western interior seaway, USA: implications for global chronostratigraphy. Cretaceous Research, 56: 316–344.

Hart, M.B., Dodsworth, P., Ditchfield, P., Duane, A.M., Orth, C.J. 1991. The late Cenomanian event in eastern England. Historical Biology, 5: 339–354.

Hart, M.B., Dodsworth, P., Duane, A.M. 1993. The late Cenomanian event in eastern England. Cretaceous Research, 14: 495–508.

Kennedy, W.J., Walaszczyk, I., Cobban, W.A., Dodsworth, P., Elder, W.P., Gale, A.S., Scott, G.R., Hancock, J.M., Voigt, S., Kirkland, J.I. 2005. The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Turonian Stage of the Cretaceous: Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.A. Episodes, 28: 93–104.