The Upper Jurassic of Europe: its subdivision and correlation

Abstract

In the last 40 years, the stratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic of Europe has received much attention and considerable revision; much of the impetus behind this endeavour has stemmed from the work of the International Subcommission on Jurassic Stratigraphy.The Upper Jurassic Series consists of three stages, the Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian and Tithonian which are further subdivided into substages, zones and subzones, primarily on the basis of ammonites. Regional variations between the Mediterranean, Submediterranean and Subboreal provinces are discussed and correlation possibilities indicated. The durations of the Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian and Tithonian Stages are reported to have been 5.3, 3.4 and 6.5 Ma, respectively.This review of the present status of Upper Jurassic stratigraphy aids identification of a number of problems of subdivision and definition of Upper Jurassic stages; in particular these include correlation of the base of the Kimmeridgian and the top of the Tithonian between Submediterranean and Subboreal Europe. Although still primarily based on ammonite stratigraphy, subdivision of the Upper Jurassic is increasingly being refined by the incorporation of other fossil groups; these include both megafossils, such as aptychi, belemnites, bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, echinoderms, corals, sponges and vertebrates, and microfossils such as foraminifera, radiolaria, ciliata, ostracodes, dinoflagellates, calcareous nannofossils, charophyaceae, dasycladaceae, spores and pollen. Important future developments will depend on the detailed integration of these disparate biostratigraphic data and their precise combination with the abundant new data from sequence stratigraphy, utilising the high degree of stratigraphic resolution offered by certain groups of fossils. This article also contains some notes on the recent results of magnetostratigraphy and sequence chronostratigraphy.

Some perisphinctoid ammonites of the Štramberk Limestone and their dating with associated microfossils (Tithonian to Lower Berriasian, Outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic)

“…It is the Tithonian deposits of the Pavlov Hills in southern Moravia and their continuation in the so-called Waschberg Zone of Lower Austria that are geologically the closest to Štramberk. The above mentioned Austrian region together with Štramberk was proposed by Zeiss (2001Zeiss ( , 2003 as an ammonite zonation correlated with the zonation of the Mediterranean area (N. Italy, S. Spain and S. Germany). The ammonite zonation for southern Germany has been somewhat modified by Scherzinger & Schweigert (2003).…”

“…The stratigraphic position of Tithonian ammonite species within the ammonite zonal succession is derived from data presented by Zeiss (2001Zeiss ( , 2003 and Schweigert (2003, 2016). The Berriasian ammonite zones follow Reboulet et al (2014).…”

Calcareous nannofossil and ammonite integrated biostratigraphy across the Jurassic – Cretaceous boundary strata of the Kopanitsa composite section (West Srednogorie Unit, southwest Bulgaria)

“…In the Mediterranean region, two-or three-fold zonal subdivisions are used for the Upper Tithonian, following reported bottom to top: Simplisphinctes Zone/Subzone, P. transitorius Zone/Subzone or the M. microcanthum Zone, and Durangites GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2018, 69, 2, 199-217 spp./Durangites vulgaris Zone (Tavera 1985;Geyssant 1997;Sarti 1988;Zeiss 2003). Recently, Wimbledon et al (2013), Bulot et al (2014) and Frau et al (2015Frau et al ( , 2016, regarding Upper Tithonian ammonite fauna from SE France, considered the genus Durangites to be exclusively distributed in the Mexican region.…”

“…Some of the nannofossil bio-events, pointed out by Bralower et al (1989), are also considered. For the ammonite study we use the standard ammonite zonation for the Upper Tithonian (Geyssant 1997;Zeiss 2003) and Lower Berriasian (Reboulet et al 2014) in the Mediterranean Realm.…”

Biostratigraphic boundaries of Jurassic ages

“…2. Анабарский зоопенеплен (ранний оксфорд) ( [Zeiss, 2003] с изменениями) Определяется распространением по всему Панбореальному поясу (арктическая экспансия) таксонов Cardioceras (Scarburgiceras), C. (Praecardioceras), C. (Cardioceras). Выделяются аммонитовые зоны и подзоны общие для субсредиземно-морской, суббореальной и бореальной биохорем (биохронологические реперы) Бореальную биохорему дополняет нижний оксфорд Восточной Сибири [Шурыгин и др., 2000] и архипелага Земля Франца-Иосифа [Репин и др., 2007], где полностью используется стандартная зональная разбивка (рис.…”