The preliminary results of the palynological investigations in the Late Carboniferous – Early Permian of Northeast Libya indicate that at least two successive intervals can be readily recognised:<br/><br/>Ghzelian – Asselian interval. This lower interval is characterised by assemblages showing a dominance of saccate pollen; miospores usually occur in very low frequencies. Throughout the interval one may recognise (a) monosaccate pollen, attributable to genera such as <i>Potonieisporites, Plicatipollenites, Cannanoropollis</i> and <i>Barakarites;</i> (b) taeniate (striate) bisaccate pollen, identified as species of <i>Illinites, Protohaploxypinus, Strotersporites, Striatoabieites</i> and <i>Distriatites;</i> and (c) non-taeniate bisaccate pollen, represented by alete genera and <i>Limitisporites</i>.<br/><br/>Although some of the monosaccate elements may already occur in the Early Carboniferous of Libya, the observed diversification points to a Late Carboniferous – Early Permian age of the assemblages. Taeniate pollen grains are known to make their first appearance in the Moscovian (e.g., in the Donets Basin; compare Inosova <i>et al.,</i> 1976) but the observed diverse assemblages appear more characteristic for the latest Carboniferous and/or Early Permain, of both the Euramerican and Gondwana provinces (compare, e.g., Inosova <i>et al.,</i> 1976; Kemp <i>et al.,</i> 1977). Consequently, the authors consider the interval to represent a Carboniferous – Permian transition sequence, broadly comprising the Ghzelian and Asselian Stages. It should be noted, however, that the status of the Asselian Stage is still under discussion; some authors prefer the inclusion of this unit (or part of it) in the Carboniferous. From a palynological point of view the incoming of <i>Distriatites</i> could well mark a datum level corresponding to the Carboniferous . . .