Abstract Four papers, addressing all or part of the upper Cretaceous, were submitted for this volume. Two papers concern sequence stratigraphic interpretations of carbonate ramp deposits in northern Spain. Gräfe and Wiedmann (this volume) describe the sequence stratigraphy of the Basco-Cantabrian Basin and Floquet (this volume) describes the sequence stratigraphy of shallow water carbonates of the Castillian Ramp. Robaszynski et al. (this volume) describe and calibrate sequence stratigraphic interpretations for the Cenomanian and lowermost Turonian in five areas of the boreal Anglo-Paris Basin including basin margin sections in Devon (UK) and the type area of the Cenomanian Stage, Maine (France), basinal sections in Kent (UK) and the Boulonnais (France) and an intermediate section in Normandy (France). Philip (this volume) describes sequences and systems tracts in mixed carbonate and siliciclastic deposits in the Provence (southeastern France). All papers illustrate the transgressive nature of the Cenomanian and lower Turonian. Floquet (this volume) begins his late Cretaceous/Danian Megacycle with "Cycle boundary" CB 1 at the inflata—dispar ammonite zonal boundary in the upper Albian. Floquet (this volume) divides his Cretaceous/Danian Megacycle in four "Long-Term Depositional Cycles" with boundaries at the base of the late Cenomanian, earliest Coniacian and latest Santonian. The Cenomanian transgression in northwestern Europe, described by Robaszynski et al. (this volume), appears to coincide with a basin subsidence event resulting in a rapid increase of accommodation space in the upper lower, middle and upper Cenomanian. Rates of sedimentation are moderate in most of the Cenomanian but appear to slow in the uppermost part (Plenus Marl). Robaszynski et al. (this volume) identify 6 sequences in the uppermost Albian and Cenomanian interval calibrated to boreal ammonite zones. The sequences described by Robaszynski et al. (this volume) are carried on the Cretaceous chronostratigraphic chart (Chart 4 of Hardenbol et al., this volume).

Abstract Five Cenomanian successions, situated in contrasting positions within the Anglo-Paris Basin and on its margins, are described in detail, and their sequence stratigraphies analyzed and compared. The Cenomanian Stage was chosen specifically for this study because of the high biostratigraphical resolution (about 0.5 my/zone/subzone) achievable for this stage by the use of ammonites. The successions in Kent (south east England) and the Boulonnais (north east France) are the most basinward in position and comprise rhythmically bedded argillaceous micrites (chalks and marls) with few major hiatuses. The thinner succession of coarser carbonates in Normandy (north west France) contains larger gaps. The succession in Maine (north west France) was deposited in relatively shallow water near the basin margin and includes several sand bodies and well-developed hardgrounds. The highly condensed succession of sandy limestones, containing major hardground-bounded hiatuses in Devon (south west England) represents deposition closest to the basin margin. Systems tracts are characterized and defined by diverse criteria, including geometry of sediment bodies, basin margin onlap, discontinuity surfaces (omission surfaces and hardgrounds) and lithological characters, including variations in quartz sand content, clay: carbonate ratios and the presence of authigenic glauconite and phosphate. Detailed comparison of the successions enables us to demonstrate the existence of five basinwide sequences and the lower part of a sixth.