Mesozoic Biotas of Scandinavia and its Arctic Territories
Scandinavia and its Arctic territories of Svalbard and Greenland represent geographical regions with a long history of Mesozoic palaeontology. However, the last few decades have witnessed a surge of new discoveries. Especially famous are the Triassic and Late Jurassic Lagerstätten of East Greenland and Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago, together with the Late Cretaceous strata of southern Sweden and the UNESCO World Heritage locality at Stevns Klint in Denmark. The latter records one of the most complete terminal Mesozoic rock successions known globally. Collectively, these deposits encompass the spectrum of Mesozoic biotic evolution, including the explosive radiation of marine faunas after the Permian–Triassic extinction, seminal specialization of amniotes for life in the sea, Late Triassic–Jurassic domination of the land by dinosaurs and the Cretaceous development of modern terrestrial floras and marine ecosystems. This volume, authored by leading experts in the field, encapsulates key aspects of the latest research and will provide a benchmark for future investigations into the Scandinavian Mesozoic world.
Late Maastrichtian foraminiferal response to sea-level change and organic flux, Central Graben area, Danish North Sea
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Published:January 01, 2016
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CiteCitation
Jan A. Rasmussen, Emma Sheldon, 2016. "Late Maastrichtian foraminiferal response to sea-level change and organic flux, Central Graben area, Danish North Sea", Mesozoic Biotas of Scandinavia and its Arctic Territories, B. P. Kear, J. Lindgren, J. H. Hurum, J. Milàn, V. Vajda
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Abstract
Foraminiferal palaeoecological analyses were carried out on 124 upper Maastrichtian chalk samples from the M-10X and E-5X wells of the Danish Central Graben. The two wells demonstrate similar trends, with some notable differences. Both are strongly dominated by planktic foraminifers, of which the small, biserial Heterohelix globulosa is by far the most common species. Based on variations within five significant, benthic foraminiferal morphogroups and the plankton/benthos ratio, eight specific foraminiferal intervals have been described. The faunal and palaeoenvironmental changes observed during the late Maastrichtian period were, in most places and especially in the lower part, not very distinct, and it is believed that the palaeoenvironment during the majority of the interval was a mostly stable, deep outer-shelf environment characterized mainly by pelagic sedimentation under temperate, suboxic conditions. More unstable conditions characterized the latest Maastrichtian. The analyses show that the sediments in the M-10X well were deposited in a generally deeper palaeoenvironment than those from E-5X. The influx of common Pseudotextularia elegans (three acmes), together with scattered specimens of the typical Tethyan species Abathomphalus mayaroensis and Pseudoguembelina hariaensis (in E-5X only), indicate that relatively warm conditions prevailed, at least periodically, during the latest part of the late Maastrichtian in both areas.
- algae
- assemblages
- Atlantic Ocean
- benthic taxa
- biostratigraphy
- biozones
- bottom water
- carbon
- Central Graben
- classification
- climate change
- continental shelf
- Cretaceous
- deep-sea environment
- Denmark
- depositional environment
- depth
- distribution
- dysaerobic environment
- Europe
- faunal list
- faunal studies
- Foraminifera
- indicators
- Invertebrata
- Maestrichtian
- marine environment
- Mesozoic
- microfossils
- morphology
- nannofossils
- North Atlantic
- North Sea
- nutrients
- organic carbon
- outer shelf
- oxygen
- paleobathymetry
- paleoecology
- paleoenvironment
- pelagic sedimentation
- planktonic taxa
- Plantae
- Protista
- Scandinavia
- sea-level changes
- sedimentation
- sediments
- shelf environment
- species diversity
- temperature
- Upper Cretaceous
- upper Maestrichtian
- Western Europe
- Heterohelix globulosa
- Pseudotextularia elegans
- Abathomphalus mayaroensis
- Pseudoguembelina hariaensis