Calcareous nannofossils from the Aptian–Lower Albian of southeast France: palaeoecological and biostratigraphic implications

The Aptian–lower Albian succession of the Vocontian Basin (SE France) consists of marine hemipelagic sediments including several black shale horizons. The latter are partly of regional and partly of global distribution. This sedimentary succession records the nannoplankton evolution of the Aptian–ea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCretaceous research Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1 - 22
Main Authors O. Herrle, Jens, Mutterlose, Jörg
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2003
Subjects
Albian
Aptian
Biostratigraphy
Calcareous nannofossils
Early Cretaceous
France
Vocontian Basin
Calcareous nannofossils
Albian
Early Cretaceous
Aptian
France
Vocontian Basin
Biostratigraphy
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Summary:The Aptian–lower Albian succession of the Vocontian Basin (SE France) consists of marine hemipelagic sediments including several black shale horizons. The latter are partly of regional and partly of global distribution. This sedimentary succession records the nannoplankton evolution of the Aptian–early Albian interval and thus provides an excellent opportunity to calibrate the calcareous nannofossil record with Tethyan ammonite and planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy. The calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy presented in this paper supports previous zonations, but it also provides a much higher resolution and thus improves the correlation of different black shale horizons on a supraregional scale. Up to 23 major (supraregionally significant) and minor (regionally significant) first and last occurrences of calcareous nannofossil taxa are recognized. Nannoconid abundances decrease rapidly in the upper Lower Aptian (nannoconid crisis I, NCI) and in the middle Upper Aptian (nannoconid crisis II, NCII). Both decreases correlate with carbonate–platform drowning events. The upper Lower Aptian interval above the NCI is characterized by high abundances of large specimens of Assipetra infracretacea and Rucinolithus terebrodentarius probably of supraregional significance. The uppermost Aptian–Lower Albian is characterized by high abundances of the calcareous nannoplankton taxon Repagulum parvidentatum, reflecting boreal influence on the Tethyan Realm. This suggests a temporary decrease in surface-water temperatures in the Vocontian Basin.
ISSN:0195-6671
1095-998X
DOI:10.1016/S0195-6671(03)00023-5