Re-evaluation of the Cablac Limestone at its type area,East Timor: Revision of the Miocene stratigraphy of Timor

The Cablac Limestone, widely recorded in Timor, has its type area on Cablac Mountain where it was regarded as a Lower Miocene shallow-marine carbonate-platform succession. The Bahaman-like facies placed in the Cablac Limestone are now known to belong to the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic rather than the Lower Miocene. On the northern slopes of Cablac Mountain, a crush breccia, formerly regarded as the basal conglomerate of the formation, is now considered to have developed along a high-angle fault separating Banda Terrane units of Asian affinity from an overthrust limestone stack containing units belonging to the Gondwana and Australian-Margin Megasequences. The Cablac breccia includes rock fragments that were probably derived locally from these tectonostratigraphic units after terrane emplacement and overthrusting. Clasts include peloid and oolitic limestones of the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic derived from the Gondwana Megasequence, deep-water carbonate pelagites of the Cretaceous and Paleogene derived from the Australian-Margin Megasequence, Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene (Te Letter Stage) shallow-water limestone derived from the Banda Terrane, and a younger Neogene calcarenite containing clasts of mixed tectonostratigraphic affinity. There is no evidence for significant sedimentary or tectonic transport of clasts that form the breccia. The clast types and the present understanding of the geological history of Timor suggest that the crush breccia formed late in the Plio-Pleistocene uplift history of Timor. It is not the basal conglomerate of the Cablac Limestone. However, the clasts of an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene limestone found in the breccia suggest that a shallow-marine limestone unit of this age either outcrops in the region and has not been detected in the field, or has been eroded completely during late Neogene uplift. The clasts are similar in age and lithology to an Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene formation that unconformably overlies a metamorphic complex in the Booi region of West Timor, similar to the Lolotoi Metamorphic Complex (Banda Terrane) that is juxtaposed against the crush breccia of Cablac Mountain. The Cablac Limestone at its type area includes a mixed assemblage of carbonate rock units ranging in age from Triassic to Plio-Pleistocene and representing diverse facies. As a formation, the name “Cablac Limestone” should be discarded for a Cenozoic unit. The Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene shallow-water limestone unit that is typified by outcrops in the Booi region of West Timor, and that has contributed to clasts in the Cablac breccia, is informally named the Booi limestone. It is considered part of the allochthonous Banda Terrane of Asian affinity and represents the only shallow-marine Lower Miocene unit known from Timor. The only other Miocene sedimentary unit known from Timor includes carbonate pelagites – designated the Kolbano beds – probably deposited on an Australian continental terrace at water depths between 1000 and 3000 m. On the northeastern edge of Cablac Mountain, oolitic limestone and associated units of the Gondwana Megasequence, the Kolbano beds of the Australian-Margin Megasequence, and the Booi limestone and associated metasediments of the Banda Terrane were juxtaposed by a Plio-Pleistocene high-angle fault along which the Cablac crush breccia formed.     

The Triassic of Timor: Lithostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy and palaeogeography

The palaeontologically rich and lithologically diverse Triassic successions of Timor provide a key stratigraphic and palaeontological link between northwestern Australia and other terranes of former eastern Gondwana (present-day Southeast Asia). Timor is now located in the zone of collision between the northern margin of the Australian continent and island arc terranes bordering the Eurasian plate, with the Triassic successions exposed in a fold-and-thrust belt and an extensive mélange complex. Three formal lithostratigraphic units have been defined previously within the main Triassic succession in Timor (Niof, Aitutu and Babulu formations), with a fourth, the Wai Luli Formation, primarily Jurassic in age but extending down into the Triassic. The Niof Formation (Anisian to Ladinian, possibly also Early Triassic) is a fine-grained deepwater succession, succeeded conformably by the Aitutu and Babulu formations (Ladinian to Norian/Rhaetian), which were deposited contemporaneously, with the Aitutu Formation continuing locally into the Lower Jurassic. The Aitutu Formation consists of deep shelf limestones interbedded with shales and marls, while the Babulu Formation is a deltaic to turbiditic siliciclastic succession. The Late Triassic to Jurassic Wai Luli Formation is characterised by marine shales and marls.Informal stratigraphic units include the Cephalopod Limestone Facies, a Rosso Ammonitico-type deposit, which contains an extremely rich fossil fauna (particularly ammonoids) and ranges through the entire Triassic; and the Fatu Limestone and Pualaca Facies which consists of shallow to marginal marine carbonates (mud mounds, oolitic limestones and reefs) restricted to the Late Triassic. Facies diversity was low during the Early Triassic and Anisian, but became more pronounced from the Ladinian and continuing through the Late Triassic, probably as a consequence of renewed tectonic extension. Triassic extension was not associated with major volcanism, unlike a previous phase of extension in the Early Permian.The Cablac Limestone Formation, originally defined as a Miocene stratigraphic element, is now recognised to be at least partly Late Triassic–Early Jurassic in age, with lithologies comparable to parts of the Fatu Limestone. The stratigraphy of these shallow marine carbonate sequences is clearly in need of rigorous revision, but it is not yet possible to suggest appropriate redefined formations.     

Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of a 3-km-thick Miocene lava pile in the Mjoifjördur area,eastern Iceland

We have carried out stratigraphic mapping in the Upper Miocene basalt lava pile around the fjords Mjoifjördur and Seydisfjördur, eastern Iceland. The mapping is based on conventional methods including the use of interbasaltic clastic horizons and petrographically distinct lava groups. These units are also used to provide correlations with the Nordfjördur area south of Mjoifjördur. We present a 3-km composite stratigraphic column for the area between Mjoifjördur and Seydisfjördur. The geology of this area shows some differences from the classical model of Walker for the structure of eastern Iceland partly due to the fact that most of Mjoifjördur is not in the vicinity of central volcanoes. Detailed laboratory measurements of remanent magnetization were carried out on oriented core samples from 363 lavas in 10 selected profiles. The local paleomagnetic polarity stratigraphy supports correlations made on the basis of other criteria. Over 20 geomagnetic reversals are recorded in the eastern Iceland lava pile in a period approximately 13-10 Ma ago. The geomagnetic field during this period averages to a central axial dipole field, and its overall statistical properties resemble those obtained in earlier surveys in Iceland.     

下扬子巢湖地区下三叠统瘤状灰岩成因再探讨

巢湖地区下三叠统整体沉积于较深水环境,广泛发育瘤状灰岩。针对目前该瘤状灰岩成因机制认识争议较大的现 状,文中依据野外实地观测及室内宏观、微观的系统观察,结合沉积环境和成岩作用与瘤状灰岩形成的关系分析,对瘤状 灰岩的成因机制进行综合的探讨。研究表明瘤状灰岩的形成是沉积和成岩作用综合作用的产物,沉积时期不平整CCD界面 的周期性浮动是造成瘤状灰岩细颈化的基础,而CCD界面的周期性浮动可能与早三叠世气侯冷暖周期性变化以及海底底流 作用有关。后期基质泥岩中酸性孔隙水的溶蚀是造成瘤状灰岩细颈处折断的重要原因,压溶作用产生的局部应力场变动造 成瘤状灰岩瘤体杂乱状分布。而前人总结的3种瘤状灰岩,即顺层串珠型、断续型和杂乱型瘤状灰岩,是在沉积与成岩改 造作用逐渐加强条件下依次形成。     

Early Miocene stratigraphy of central west Anatolia,Turkey: implications for the tectonic evolution of the eastern Aegean area

Small‐mammalian faunas enable the discrimination and correlation of uppermost Lower Miocene lacustrine sedimentary units in central western Anatolia. On the basis of sequential stratigraphic relationships, early Early Miocene and latest Early Miocene relative ages are suggested for the older lacustrine mass‐flow deposits and younger paper shale units, respectively, which are devoid of age‐diagnostic fossils. In central western Anatolia, the sequential differences between the uppermost Lower Miocene successions delineate a deformation zone of NE–SW‐trending fault blocks separated by vertical faults. This deformation zone, inherited from Late Oligocene tectonics, underwent an early Early Miocene sinistral transtension leading to pull‐aparts that were emplaced by granitoids. Limited extension caused the late Early Miocene repetitive up‐ and down‐wards motions of the fault blocks, with variable magnitudes. This led to contrasting subsidence histories in the relevant basinal system. During the latest Early Miocene, fault blocks coalesced into a regional body characterized by uniform slow subsidence and non‐extensional deformation facies. The general trend of the above tectonic events can be explained by lateral slab segmentation and progressive asthenospheric wedging, in response to NE‐directed and decelerated palaeosubduction in the Aegean. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotope geochemistry of the Miocene and Quaternary carbonate rocks in Rabigh area,Red Sea coast,Saudi Arabia

The Rabigh area, a coastal region north of Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia contains raised Quaternary coral reefal terraces and reworked coral fragments mixed with sand and gravel. This area has a thin exposure Lower Miocene shallow marine carbonate rocks that laterally pass into evaporites. The Miocene carbonate and evaporite rocks conformably overly the Lower Miocene siliciclastic sequence, are in turn capped by the Harrat basaltic boulders. The Miocene carbonates are made up of dolomitic packstone, wackestone and mudstone, whereas the overlying Quaternary reefal terraces are composed of coral boundstone and grainstones.The Quaternary reefal terraces of Rabigh area have been dated using the uranium-series dating method to obtain precise dates for these corals. The calculated ages (128, 212 and 235 ka) indicate that deposition took place during high sea level stands associated with interglacial times during Oxygen Isotope Stages (OIS) 5 and 7. The youngest age (128 ka) clearly corresponds to stage 5e of the last interglacial period. The obtained ages correlate well with those of the emerged reefs on the Sudanese and Egyptian coasts at the western side of the Red Sea. The broad distribution of wet climate, pluvial deposits on the continents and high sea level stands indicate a wide geographical range of the interglacial events of the Oxygen Isotope Stages (OIS) 5 and 7.The oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of the Miocene and Quaternary carbonate rocks in Rabigh area show a broad range of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O. The Quaternary carbonate rocks have significantly higher δ¹³C than the Miocene ones, but low δ¹³C values of the Miocene samples likely indicate a high contribution of carbon from organic sources at the time of deposition. Linear trends are evident in both groups of samples supporting the likelihood of secondary alteration.     

云南临沧晚中新世一种水龙骨科植物化石的修订及其生物学意义

云南现代真蕨类植物资源丰富,蕨类植物多样性的地史起源,必须从化石记录入手。在云南临沧上中新统邦卖组植物化石采集中发现了槲蕨属1块不育叶和2块腐殖叶的新材料,这些标本为修订Drynaria propinqua Wen et al.,2013,以及揭示该种不育叶和腐殖叶的特征提供了新的材料。通过与槲蕨属国内外报道的化石种和现生种的详细比较,将其重新定名为Drynaria cf.propinqua。Drynaria cf.propinqua的发现,表明云南临沧晚中新世的气候与现今中国西南地区温暖湿润的气候类似,这些附生植物的生活习性表明,临沧地区复杂分层的森林生态系统至少在晚中新世已经确立。     

Quaternary stratigraphy of the fladen area,central North Sea: A multidisciplinary study

Based on detailed stratigraphic investigations on a 200.6m long core (BGS borehole No. 81/26) from the Fladen Ground area (British sector), core material from the Sleipner field (Norwegian sector) and shallow seismic profiles between the core-sites, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) The North Sea was glaciated sometime during th elaterpart of Matuyama reversed period. A complete glacial-interglacial-glacial cycle is recorded in these sediments. (2) In a period of marine sedimentation in the Middle Pleistocene, a transgression-regression cycle under boreal-arctic regime is recorded. (3) The Fladen area has subsided between 0.9 and 0.6 m/ka through the later parts of the Quaternary (4) A major glacial event dated at between 130 and 200 ka is recorded as a thick till unit in 81/26. This till, which was deposited by ice moving from the southwest (Scotland), probably represents a period when the Scandinavian and British ice sheets coalesced in the North Sea. (5) Based on the seismic data and the stratigraphy of the Sleipner core, an ice-free, open embayment/dry land is favoured for the central North Sea during the Late Weichselian. (6) From the amino-acid data, it is shown that there has been an episodic style of sedimentation through the Quaternary. (7) of the investigated sediments (which span the last 1 mill. year) ca 98% have been deposited under arctic to boreal-arctic conditions.     

Water Resource Development in the Quaternary Ryukyu Limestone Regions of Japan:Application of the GIS to the Site Selection of Underground Dams

Based on the natural and social conditions as well as hydrogeological characteristics of the Ryukyu limestone, a major aquifer in the Ryukyu Islands, a conception of underground dam, was proposed in the early 1970s in order to develop ground water resources in the Quaternary Ryukyu limestone regions of Japan. The practice of nearly thirty years has shown that the underground dam is an environment-friendly and effective way for developing ground water in these regions.To further improve the technology associated with underground dam, the authors introduced related analytic methods. The application of the geographical information system technology to site selection of the underground dam is reported in this paper.     

Paliurus (Paliureae,Rhamnaceae) from the Miocene of East China and its Macrofossil-based Phylogenetic and Phytogeographical History

The extant genus Paliurus Miller is divided into P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups and is diagnostically characterized by distinctive orbicular-winged fruits with a trilocular （or often bilocular） ovary and basally triveined leaves with a subentire to serrate margin. Here, structurally preserved winged fruits and associated compressed leaves of Paliurus （Paliureae, Rhamnaceae） are reported from the Middle-Upper Miocene Shengxian Formation of Tiantai, Zhejiang, eastern China. The fruits can be identified as Paliurus microcarpa Xiang-Chuan Lisp. nov., the diagnostic characters of external morphology and anatomy of which differ from those of both extant and fossil generic members; the leaves can be designated as Paliurus sp. The species based on winged fruits, P. microcarpa, might represent an ancient intermediate link exclusively known across the P. ramosissimus and P. spina-christi groups, showing a closer affinity to the P. ramosissimus group based on the resemblant smaller fruits with a narrower wing, and to the P. spina-christi group based on the similar wing structure and texture, respectively. Morphological analyses of the present and previous fossil fruit records around the world indicate that diversification of Paliurus had begun in northern transpacific regions by the Late Eocene. The macrofossil records, i.e., fruits and leaves of Paliurus globally when projected on paleoenvironmental maps in view of changing continental positions through time （from Eocene to Miocene） display that the past distribution of the genus was much wider than the present and belongs to a tropical and warm temperate realm of the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, the modern restricted disjunction in tropical and warm temperate regions of East Asia and South Europe （even eastwards West Asia） might represent glacial refugia for some of the generic ancient lineages to survive severe cold at least since the terminal Pliocene.     

Dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the marginal marine Middle and Upper Miocene of the eastern Campine area,northern Belgium (southern North Sea Basin)

A stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental analysis with organic‐walled palynomorphs of the Bolderberg and Diest formations provides new insights in the depositional history during Miocene times at the southern border of the North Sea Basin. The Neogene transgression invaded Belgium from a north–northwestern direction and fully marine sediments were deposited in the northern part of Belgium. The age and the palaeoenvironment of the deposits at the very border of the southern North Sea Basin remained till a few decades ago incomplete. The recovered dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs and green algae from the Bolderberg Formation in the Wijshagen Borehole indicate a marginal marine depositional environment during late Burdigalian and Langhian times in the eastern Campine area, in contrast to the deeper marine conditions prevailing to the north–northwest. The relative dating of the Bolderberg Formation confirms that maximum flooding occurred during Langhian to early Serravallian times. Deposition apparently took place during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, and ended when the climatic deterioration set in at around 14 Ma. A hiatus spanning ca. 2 Ma separates the Middle Miocene Bolderberg Formation from the Upper Miocene Diest Formation in the eastern Campine area at the border of the North Sea Basin. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南东帕米尔热斯卡木地区中新世高锶低钇花岗岩: 对新生代构造演化的制约

碰撞后岩浆作用是探索岩石圈物质组成、反演深部地球动力学过程的重要对象。近来,笔者等所在课题组在南东帕米尔热斯卡木地区新识别出一套新生代高锶低钇花岗岩。本文报道了该花岗岩的锆石U- Pb年龄、全岩主微量元素和Sr—Nd同位素及锆石Lu—Hf同位素组成。锆石LA- MC- ICPMS U- Pb定年显示,这些岩浆岩为中新世岩浆活动的产物（12. 0 ± 0. 3 Ma）。元素地球化学显示,样品具有高SiO2（72. 14% ~ 74. 35%）和K2O （3. 78% ~ 5. 25%）含量,低MgO（0. 13%~0. 50%）和Mg#（18 ~ 35）,高Sr（363×10-6 ~ 754×10-6）,低Y（3. 41×10-6 ~ 16. 4 ×10-6）和Yb（0. 327×10-6 ~ 0. 903×10-6）,从而高Sr/Y （27. 1 ~ 188）和(La/Yb)N比值（18. 9 ~ 210）,与典型Adakite地球化学特征一致。同位素方面,样品具有显著富集的锆石εHf(t)（-10. 1 ~ -5. 4）和全岩εNd(t)（-8. 33 ~ -6. 39）值。综合本文及前人研究成果,热斯卡木地区中新世高锶低钇花岗岩是加厚下地壳部分熔融的结果。欧亚大陆碰撞以来,区内地壳显著增厚、高原快速隆升。~ 12 Ma,由于增厚地壳局部岩石圈重力不稳发生垮塌,软流圈上涌使加厚古老下地壳发生部分熔融,形成该时期的高锶低钇花岗岩岩浆。     

Lithofacies and stratigraphy of the Ordovician Guniutan Formation in its type area,China

The Lower to Middle Ordovician Guniutan (Kuniutan) Formation in the eastern Yangtze Gorges, China has been demonstrated to be similar to the ‘Orthoceratite Limestone’ in Baltoscandia with respect to facies, stratigraphic development and conodont biostratigraphy. Thus the ‘Orthoceratite Limestone’ appears to be a much more widely distributed and characteristically Ordovician facies than has hitherto been assumed. Five lithostratigraphic subdivisions of the Guniutan Formation are here defined in ascending order as the Nanya, Puxi, Wuguixi, Daping and Niangjiafang members. It is shown that these members, which represent considerable spans of time as indicated by their conodont stratigraphy, may be fairly thin but nevertheless regionally extensive. A new conodont zone, with Eoplacognathus crassus as the zonal fossil, is established to accommodate the precise dating of the Wuguixi and Puxi members. Microfacies data from the Guniutan Formation, available for the first time, show that its dominant component particles are sand-sized echinoderm and arthropod debris, as in the Baltoscandian ‘Orthoceratite Limestone’.     

A revision of the stratigraphy of the longmyndian supergroup,welsh borderland,and of its relationship to the uriconian volcanic complex

Major revisions are proposed to the stratigraphy of the late Precambrian Longmyndian Supergroup of the Welsh Borderland. The stratigraphic relationship between it and the adjacent, late Precambrian Uriconian volcanic complex is reviewed and reinterpreted. Contrary to previous belief it is proposed that the Wentnor Group of the Longmyndian Supergroup does not overlie the Stretton Group unconformably. An apparent unconformity is interpreted as the result of post-Longmyndian tectonism. The Ragleth Tuff Formation, previously included with the Uriconian volcanic complex, is argued to be part of the Longmyndian Supergroup. The Helmeth Grit Member, previously thought to be the base of the Longmyndian Supergroup, is incorporated within the Ragleth Tuff Formation. These modifications necessitate a revision of the previously held belief that the Helmeth Grit Member is the base of the Longmyndian Supergroup which overlies the ‘Ragleth Tuffs’ of the Uriconian volcanic complex unconformably. The Ragleth Tuff Formation and the Stretton Shale Formation are thought to be faulted against the Eastern Uriconian, and the Wentnor Group is thought to be faulted against the Western Uriconian. Juxtaposition of the Longmyndian Supergroup with the Uriconian volcanic complex across faults is the result of strike-slip movements along the Church Stretton and Pontesford-Linley fault systems. Lithological and petrographical evidence suggests that the Longmyndian Supergroup is partly coeval with, and partly younger than, the Uriconian volcanic complex, which acted as a source. The Willstone Hill conglomerate, previously thought to be interbedded with the Eastern Uriconian, may be a representative of the Wentnor Group which overlies the Eastern Uriconian unconformably. As such, it may represent a late onlap of Longmyndian sediments onto the Eastern Uriconian at the margins of the Longmyndian basin. A new formation, the Linley Formation, is recognized. This occurs as fault-bounded slivers and lenses within the Pontesford-Linley fault system, and correlation with the rest of the Longmyndian is uncertain.     

Upper Oligocene–Miocene clinoforms of the foreland Austral Basin of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: Stratigraphy, depositional sequences and architecture of the foredeep deposits

The Upper Oligocene–Miocene deposits of the foreland Austral Basin of Tierra del Fuego represent the youngest foredeep fill, developed in front of the adjacent fold and thrust belt. They consist of superbly exposed, sub-horizontal clastic successions of more than 600 m of sedimentary thickness. The study of 11 sections by means of facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic criteria enabled the identification of five depositional sequences (SI–SV), bounded by unconformities (dI-dV) involving hiatuses of different magnitudes. The basal sequence (SI) includes two members: A, mudstone dominated, deposited by cohesive flows; and B, glauconite-rich, sandstone dominated, deposited by episodic turbidity currents. The remaining sequences (SII–SV) are composed of complex arrangements of fine conglomerates, coarse- to fine-grained sandstones, and mudstones that were deposited mainly by hyperpycnal flows. The basal unconformities of the SI to SIV involve minor hiatuses, while that of the SV is a major order unconformity. Two types of clinofom geometries are recognized in the foredeep sequences. Type a clinoforms present a wedge shaped geometry and characterize the foredeep infill during the compressional tectonic regime. Regarding this clinoform type, SI is situated closer to the orogen and shows variations in the bedding dip with development of internal unconformities. SII to SIV are situated towards the foreland and are characterized by subhorizontal conformable beds of large lateral extension. Type b clinoforms, with sigmoidal geometry, show a clear northeast progradation related to a progressive foredeep fill under tectonic quiescence. This clinoform type characterizes the deposits in SV. The recognition of hyperpycnites and different types of clinoform geometries in these sequences incorporates new concepts in reservoir prospects, which are critical for the evaluation of the petroleum system in the Austral Basin.     

北京平原沙河凹陷第四纪磁性地层学研究及其新构造运动的沉积响应

北京地区在古近—新近纪时呈"两隆一凹"的构造格局。由于南口—孙河断裂北段第四纪以来的强烈活动,在上述格局上分化出新的第四纪凹陷盆地——沙河凹陷。本次工作在沙河凹陷内开展了钻孔ZK3的第四纪磁性地层研究,结合14C同位素测年结果获得钻孔剖面早更新世、中更新世、晚更新世和全新世地层底板埋深分别为493.8 m、157.4m、87.7 m和7.2 m,建立了钻孔剖面的第四纪地层序列。通过计算ZK3钻孔剖面第四系沉积速率分别为0.19 mm/a、0.11 mm/a、0.70 mm/a和0.63 mm/a。对比分析控盆断裂南口—孙河断裂的活动规律及北京西山的隆升特点,第四纪以来,受到北京西山隆升的影响,控制沙河凹陷的同生断裂南口—孙河断裂强烈活动,并控制了沙河凹陷的演化形成。钻孔地层平均沉积速率所体现的变化规律与山体隆升速率及断裂活动速率具有较好的响应关系。     

Sequence stratigraphy of the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene of eastern Jylland, Denmark: role of structural relief and variable sediment supply in controlling sequence development

The Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene succession in eastern Jylland can be subdivided into three sequences (A–C from older to younger) deposited on and around the Ringkøbing-Fyn High. The development of the sequences reflects a complex interaction between eustatic sea-level changes, physiography and variable sediment supply. Superimposed on this, frequent storms promoted longshore sediment transport and the development of spit systems adjacent to structural highs. As a consequence, sequence boundaries and flooding surfaces are not always expressed as portrayed in conventional sequence models; sequence boundaries or flooding surfaces may only be marked by subtle changes in depositional environment that can only be revealed by careful integration of sedimentological observations with palynological data. The influence of the topography resulted in the development of brackish water basins that were sufficiently large to permit the deposition of hummocky cross-stratified sands with muds. These deposits are overlain by clean hummocky and swaley cross-stratified sands that were deposited in a fully marine, high-energy environment. This evolution from mud-rich, storm-influenced sediments to sand-dominated shoreface sediments resulted from a rise in sea level and was not the result of shoreface progradation and downstepping during a sea level fall. In addition to the topographic control on sequence development, sediment supply to the study area changed significantly during the deposition of the three sequences. Initially the basin was sediment-starved, favouring the formation of glaucony-rich sediments. The sediment input gradually increased and the influence of structural highs and lows became less significant with time. Consequently, both sequence boundaries and flooding surfaces are characterized by more conventional features in the younger part of the succession, where a basinward displacement of the shoreline resulted in thick lowstand delta deposits.