Project Details
Projekt
Mid Cretaceous (Cenomanian - Turonian) black shales from ODP Leg 207 (western Central Atlantic) : Palaeoceangraphy deciphered by calcareous nannofossils
Applicant
Professor Dr. Jörg Mutterlose
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2004 to 2008
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5434732
Five sites (1257,1258,1259,1260,1261) of ODP Leg 207 recovered a good record of Mid to Late Cretaceous (Late Albian - Santonian) Black shales. These TOC-rich sediments, globally well known from the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary interval, are less common in the Turonian - Santonian interval. This latter period is rather characterized by hemipelagic -pelagic marls and limestones. The Turonian - Santonian black shales presumably reflect a regional control. Calcareous nannofossils are useful biostratigraphic markers enabling a biozonation on a high resolution scale. They are furtheron a powerful tool for deciphering past palaeoecological proxy data for reconstructing nutrient fluxes, thus allowing the recognition of fertility changes. We therefore plan to analyse the calcareous nannofossils of the Late Albian - turonian black shales from three sites (1258,1260,1261) with the following objectives: to devolop a high resolution biostratigraphic framework, to understand the palaeobiogeography of equatorial nannofossils and their climatic implications, to view and interprete the black shale formation in the light of calcareous nannofossils productivity, to decipher the depositional enviroment of global and regional black shales.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
