The Upper Cretaceous succession (CenomanianSantonian) of the Staffhorst Shaft, Lower Saxony, northern Germany: integrated biostratigraphic, lithostratigraphic and downhole geophysical log data
The Cenomanian to Santonian succession of the Staffhorst shaft, ca. 50 km south of Bremen, because of its structural position in the northern German Upper Cretaceous basin, is intermediate in character and fossil content between the pelagic sediments characterizing the Pompeckj Block in the north and the proximal sediments of the Lower Saxony Block in the south. The biostratigraphic subdivision of the shaft is based on inoceramids, echinoids, belemnites and foraminifera. The various biozonations and zonal boundaries used in the Boreal Realm are compared and applied to the zonation of the shaft succession, and the biostratigraphy of the individual fossil groups is described. A new inoceramid zone, that of Inoceramus gibbosus, is proposed for the topmost Lower Coniacian; and an echinoid assemblage zonation is introduced. The existing benthic foraminiferal zonation of the Middle Turonian to Santonian has been modified, with changed age assignments based on the macrofossil zonation. The proposed basal stage boundary criteria of the "Second International Symposium on Cretaceous Stage Boundaries" (Brussels, 1995) could be applied only in some cases. The proximity of the Staffhorst shaft to the trial borehole, situated only 39 m away, has permitted the Self Potential (SP) and Resistivity (R) logs to be uniquely directly calibrated against the lithostraligraphical and biostratigraphic succession of the shaft. The previous identification of some stage and substage boundaries on the logs of northern German boreholes based on foraminiferal zonation will need to be shifted by several tens of metres as a result of thid calibration.
