Palynomorph content of the uraniferous alum shales of Cambrian-Ordovician age in Sweden

Preliminary investigations were carried out on selected samples of different ages from various alum shale localities in order to document palynofacies and content of palynomorphs as well as content and distribution of various minerals and chemical elements. There preliminary results indicate that the shales not only contain a variety of microfossils not previously recorded, but also that these fossils indicate a fresh water or saline influence. The tentative conclusion is that the uranium-bearing alum shales may have been deposited under shallow, brackish conditions with an anoxic bottom environment.