Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sequence Stratigraphy of European Basins
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Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3789969/9781565760936_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3789969/9781565760936_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 MESOZOIC AND CENOZOIC SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF EUROPEAN BASINS PREFACE Concepts of seismic and sequence stratigraphy as outlined in To further stress the importance of well-calibrated chronos- publications since 1977 made a substantial impact on sedimen- tratigraphic frameworks for the stratigraphic positioning of geo- tary geology. The notion that changes in relative sea level shape logic events such as depositional sequence boundaries in a va- sediment in predictable packages across the planet was intui- riety of depositional settings in a large number of basins, the tively attractive to many sedimentologists and stratigraphers. project sponsored a biostratigraphic calibration effort directed The initial stratigraphic record of Mesozoic and Cenozoic dep- at all biostratigraphic disciplines willing to participate. The re- ositional sequences, laid down in response to changes in relative sults of this biostratigraphic calibration effort are summarized sea level, published in Science in 1987 was greeted with great, on eight charts included in this volume. albeit mixed, interest. The concept of sequence stratigraphy re- This volume also addresses the question of cyclicity as a ceived much acclaim whereas the chronostratigraphic record of function of the interaction between tectonics, eustasy, sediment Mesozoic and Cenozoic sequences suffered from a perceived supply and depositional setting. An attempt was made to estab- absence of biostratigraphic and outcrop documentation. The lish a hierarchy of higher order eustatic cycles superimposed Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sequence Stratigraphy of European on lower-order tectono-eustatic cycles. Crustal events on a Basins project, which began officially with an international plate-tectonic scale are key factors for controlling timing and meeting in Dijon France in 1992, was designed to address the architecture of Major Transgressive-Regressive Cycles which lack of documentation by inviting sedimentologists and stratig- are surprisingly synchronous across European basins. This syn- raphers to collectively build a documented chronostratigraphic chroneity suggests these Major Transgressive-Regressive Cy- and outcrop record of depositional sequences calibrated across cles are caused by tectonic processes that effect the whole of a large number of basins in a geographically restricted area. the European craton and most probably affect the volume of The choice of Europe as a backdrop to this calibration and oceanic basins as well. Transgressive-Regressive Facies Cycles documentation effort is rooted in the philosophy that the cu- are primarily caused by basin forming events and changes in mulative stratigraphic data base for European Basins, which sediment supply. The relative synchroneity of these cycles have been studied for over hundred years and are home to most across Europe, although differences occur in some basins, sug- Mesozoic and Cenozoic stage stratotypes, is uniquely suited for gests that regional tectonic development may have also have a such a calibration project. European basins offer a variety of eustatic component. climatic provinces and their depositional systems range from The composite stratigraphic record of higher order eustatic siliciclastic systems in the northern part of the study area to sequences shows a significant increase in the number of se- carbonate dominated systems in the tethyan area. Sequence in- quences identified in the various European basins. Entries on terpretations for a large number of European basins were pre- the new charts include a composite stratigraphic record of 221 sented at poster sessions in Dijon. Papers in this volume, many sequence boundaries in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic compared of them based on the Dijon posters, form an integral part of the to 119 sequences for the same interval identified by Haq et al. sequence documentation presented here. (1987, 1988). This increase reflects the number of investigators Sequence stratigraphy applies the inherent premise that eus- as well as the number of basins studied, especially in the Tri- tasy represents a global signal among the variables that play a assic and the Jurassic where the number of sequences identified role in shaping depositional sequences. This global signal plays more than doubled. The number of sequences in the Cretaceous an essential role in shaping depositional sequences laid down nearly doubled, even though few studies addressed the lower in response to changes in relative sea level. Because of this Cretaceous interval. Increase in the number of sequences in the global signal, bounding surfaces of depositional sequences (se- Cenozoic was smaller because parts of the Cenozoic were not quence boundaries at their correlative conformity) can be ex- restudied as part of this project. The stratigraphic position of pected to be synchronous between basins. To demonstrate such sequence boundaries is in general greatly improved relative to synchroneity requires a very high stratigraphic resolution and the Haq et al., (1987, 1988) record because of the effort placed a calibration of all stratigraphic disciplines. Therefore it was on biostratigraphic calibration as part of this project. The strati- deemed essential to express the chronostratigraphic record of graphic position of sequences in outcrop sections in the Me- depositional sequences relative to standard, up to date, geo- sozoic can often be determined to a specific ammonite zone. In chronologic scales. The Mesozoic chronostratigraphic frame- subsurface sections stratigraphic positioning of sequence work of Gradstein et al. (1994, 1995) was sponsored by the boundaries is much less constrained because of calibration un- project and for the Cenozoic the recent framework of Berggren certainties between different stratigraphic disciplines. Greatest et al. (1995) was selected for this project. These chronostrati- difficulties in stratigraphic calibration were encountered in the graphic frameworks integrate state of the art data on standard upper Cretaceous Coniacian through lower Maastrichtian inter- stages, magnetostratigraphy and geochronology with high res- val where sequence boundaries from North America are in- olution biostratigraphy and are essential to calibrate the strati- cluded on the Cretaceous chart because these could be cali- graphic position of depositional sequence boundaries in the ba- brated to the North American ammonite zones included by sins studied as part of this project. Gradstein et al. (1994) in their Mesozoic time scale while none Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sequence Stratigraphy of European Basins, SEPM Special Publication No. 60 Copyright ᭧ 1998, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), ISBN 1-56576-043-3 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3789969/9781565760936_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 iv PREFACE of the available stratigraphic disciplines in Europe could be focusing on other geographical regions is undoubtedly required satisfactorily calibrated to that timescale. to further demonstrate the global nature of these depositional Since, no effort was devoted to quantification of falls and sequences. rises in relative sea level, no attempt was made to revise the Pierre-Charles de Graciansky, Paris, France coastal onlap curve and the derived eustatic curves of Haq et Jan Hardenbol, Houston, Texas al. (1987, 1988). Most of the new Mesozoic-Cenozoic strati- Thierry Jacquin, Paris, France graphic record of sequences is placed in the long term eustatic Peter R. Vail, Houston, Texas envelope of Haq et al. (1987, 1988). The middle Eocene to recent sequence record is placed in a short term oxygen isotope record of Abreu et al., (this volume). Below the middle Eocene REFERENCES short term eustasy is not indicated since no new quantitative GRADSTEIN, F. M., AGTERBERG, F. P., OGG, J. G., HARDENBOL, J., VAN VEEN, information is available. Qualitative indications of magnitude P., THIERRY, J., AND HUANG, Z., 1994, A Mesozoic time scale: Journal of (minor, medium and major) of sea level falls and rises are used Geophysical Research, v. 99, p. 24051–24074. instead. For comparison with the long term Mesozoic-Cenozoic GRADSTEIN, F. M., AGTERBERG, F. P., OGG, J. G., HARDENBOL, J., VAN VEEN, P., THIERRY, J., AND HUANG, Z., 1995, A Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eustatic envelope of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) a curve of inun- time scale in Berggren, W. A., Kent, D. V., Aubry, M.-P., and Hardenbol, J., dated continental area (Ronov, 1994) and a long term eustatic eds., Geochronology, Time scales and Global Stratigraphic Correlation: curve based on oxygen isotopes for the Albian to recent interval Tulsa, SEPM Special Publication 54, p. 95–126. (Abreu et al., this volume), are included. HAQ, B. U., HARDENBOL, J., AND VAIL, P. R., 1987, Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic: Science, v. 235, p. 1156–1167. We trust this volume will contribute to a further discussion HAQ, B. U., HARDENBOL, J., AND VAIL, P. R., 1988, Mesozoic and Cenozoic of sequence stratigraphy and lead to a better understanding of Chronostratigraphy and Eustatic cycles in Wilgus, C. K., Posamentier, H., this new paradigm. We feel the Sequence Stratigraphy of Eu- Ross, C. K., and Kendall, C. G. St. C., eds., Sea-level Changes: An integrated