Palaeoenvironmental analysis of shell beds in the Wealden Group (Lower Cretaceous) of the Isle of Wight, southern England: an initial account

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 489-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Radley ◽  
Michael J. Barker
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Isle Of Wight ◽  
Southern England ◽  
Shell Beds

Palaeoenvironmental significance of storm coquinas in a Lower Cretaceous coastal lagoonal succession (Vectis Formation, Isle of Wight, southern England)

2000 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
JONATHAN D. RADLEY ◽  
MICHAEL J. BARKER
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Trace Fossils ◽  
Isle Of Wight ◽  
Southern England ◽  
Desiccation Cracks ◽  
Stratigraphic Framework

Thin bioclastic limestone beds (‘coquinas’) in the Vectis Formation (Wealden Group, Lower Cretaceous) of the Isle of Wight, southern England, exhibit a range of biofabrics and internal stratigraphies. These features are attributed to both simple and complex storm deposition of allochthonous biogenic and siliciclastic materials in coastal lagoons and on adjacent mudflats. These modes of deposition facilitated preservation of dinosaur trackways, desiccation cracks, shallow-tier trace fossils and in situ bivalve colonies through rapid burial. The coquinas thus preserve a record of surficial muds, commonly lost through reworking. The principal components of the coquinas comprise dispersed elements from within the argillaceous ‘background’ facies. Some of these beds are laterally traceable for up to 27 km, providing the foundations for a high-resolution event-stratigraphic framework.

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