The Chalk Group (Upper Cretaceous) of the Northern Province, eastern England – a review

Simon F. Mitchell
Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 62, 153-177, 9 August 2018, https://doi.org/10.1144/pygs2017-010

This article has a correction. Please see:

Abstract

A review of the Chalk of the Northern Province recognizes six formations, five of which (Hunstanton, Ferriby, Welton, Burnham and Flamborough formations) crop out in northern Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, and a sixth (Rowe Formation) is buried beneath the drift of Holderness. The Hunstanton, Ferriby and Flamborough formations are largely devoid of flints, whereas the Welton (other than its two basal members) and Burnham formations have nodular and tabular flints, respectively. Previous work on the lithostratigraphy and marker beds is presented, and an overview of the distribution of the more important macrofossils is provided. Especial attention is given to the succession at Speeton through the Hunstanton, Ferriby and lower Welton formations with details of the oxygen and carbon isotope signatures. The Speeton section is internationally important because of its expanded Albian-Mid Cenomanian succession. Small sections of the Burnham Formation in Speeton–Buckton cliffs are also presented for the first time. The appendix reviews the relevant Cretaceous stage boundaries with reference to the Chalk of the Northern Province together with details of the fossil zones that are used in this paper.

Today, we commonly talk about the different provinces of the Chalk of England with a Southern Province, a Transitional Province, and a Northern Province (Mortimore et al. 2001; Mortimore 2014; fig. 1). The Northern Province extends from Norfolk through Lincolnshire to southeastern Yorkshire (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.

The Chalk of England showing the different provinces and locations in the Southern and Transitional provinces mentioned in the text.

The Chalk of the Northern Province differs from that of the Transitional and Southern provinces in its lithology and fauna. In the Southern Province, the Chalk rests on the Gault Clay (or Upper Greensand), whereas in the Northern Province the Gault Clay is replaced by the Red Chalk or Hunstanton Formation (Fig. 2). There are also differences around the Cenomanian–Turonian Boundary, where the Plenus Marls of the Southern Province are replaced by the Variegated Beds or Black Band of the Northern Province (Jefferies 1961; Wood & Mortimore 1995). Further, most of the Santonian and lower Campanian are devoid of flints in the Northern Province (Mitchell 1836), whereas in the Southern Province flints occur throughout. The chalks of the Southern and Northern provinces are also different in terms of their lithology; those in the south are generally soft and famous for their well-preserved fossils (e.g. Smith & Batten 2002), whereas those in the north are generally hard and contain prominent stylolites.

Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.

Lithostratigraphic nomenclature of the Chalk of the Northern Province compared with that of the Southern Province. The traditional zones for the Northern Province are shown together with those used here. UG, Upper Greensand.

The first use of the term ‘Northern Province’ that I am aware of is that by Wood & Smith (1978) in their paper ‘Lithostratigraphical classification of the Chalk in North Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire’ which was read at Hull University at the 12 November meeting of the Yorkshire Geological Society in 1977, and was published in the Proceedings (vol. 42, part 2, no. 14; issued 8 December 1978). It is fitting, therefore, that Hull should have hosted the symposium on the Northern Chalk on the 10 September 2015. The present paper, which was presented at the 2015 symposium, represents a review of the Chalk of the Northern Province and also provides me with a chance to present some previously unpublished information.

A brief history of the Chalk of the Northern Province

In 1678, Martin (Martini) Lister, an English naturalist and physician who lived in Yorkshire, recognized that ‘Belemnites minimus occurred in a red ferruginous earth [=Red Chalk] as you ascend the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds for about 100 miles in compass; as at Speeton, Londesborough, Castor, Tetford and Cawkwell’ (Lister 1678, p. 228, translation from Latin). The first division of the Chalk in Yorkshire was by Young & Bird (1822), who separated it into two parts: the white Chalk; and the Lower or Coloured Chalk. Speaking of the Speeton Cliffs, Young & Bird (1822, p. 51) said: ‘instead of a bright white colour, the greater part is of a dull white, with greenish, and in some places a bluish tinge; while other parts are of a brick red colour, or rather of a duller red, approaching to chocolate colour. The red chalk alternates with the dull white, in large stripes, presenting a singular and interesting appearance.’ They equated the Lower or Coloured Chalk with the Argillaceous Chalk and Chalk Marl of southern England. Adam Sedgwick visited Yorkshire in 1821 and published his observations in 1826. Sedgwick (1826) clearly described the contorted chalks (now known as the contortions: Starmer 2008) between Speeton and Flamborough, which must have been obvious to the sailors of the day.

Perhaps the most interesting report on the Chalk of Yorkshire was that by James Mitchell; it was read before the Geological Society in London on 7 January 1835, and published in 1836. Mitchell (1836) stated that the chalk of Yorkshire was distinguished from the chalk of the southern counties by: its great hardness; by its being occasionally of a red colour; its being more distinctly stratified; by it containing veins of calcareous spar; the upper part being always destitute of flints; by the flints being almost invariably of a tabular form consisting of regular and well-defined continuous layers; by the flints' colour being always greyish or whitish throughout the whole thickness; by nodules of iron-pyrites being common throughout the whole of the Yorkshire chalk, but only in the lower chalk (without flints) of the southern counties.

However, despite James Mitchell's use of physical features, fossils became the way forward to understanding the chalk. Young & Bird (1822) and Phillips (1829) had listed some fossils from the chalk, but a major milestone was the use of fossils as proposed by Barrois (1876), who brought his understanding of the European Chalk succession and its fossil zones to Yorkshire. Blake (1878) added to the faunal succession, and Lamplugh (1896) provided details of the Chalk succession and the faults in the cliffs around Flamborough Head. It is the work of Arthur Rowe, however, that stands out. Rowe (1900, 1901, 1903) had studied the Chalk of southern England and had recognized the different zones, based on macrofossils, that were present. In 1904, Rowe extended this work to Yorkshire. Here, he was struck by its grandeur, stating (1904, p. 196) that ‘… we have no counterpart in the South of the grand screes of Speeton Cliff, nor are our southern cliffs, however lofty, comparable to the mighty tide-bound ramparts of Bempton.’ Rowe also established local zone fossils: the Infulaster rostratus Zone for the Micraster coranguinum Zone of the Southern province, and the Inoceramus lingua Zone for the Actinocamax quadratus Zone. Rowe's (1904) work is still important for understanding the fossil ranges in the Chalks of the Northern Province. Additional records of fossils were provided by Wright & Wright (1942).

A new understanding of the lithology of the Chalk of the Northern Province came with the development of lithostratigraphic schemes. Jeans (1968, 1973, 1980) provided information on the Red Chalk, but the lithostratigraphic subdivisions of the Chalk Group that are largely in use today were established by Wood & Smith (1978). Additions and refinements to this scheme have been presented by Whitham (1991, 1993), Rawson & Whitham (1992a, b), Mitchell (1994, 1995a, b, c, 1996a, b, 2000a), Wood & Mortimore (1995), Underwood & Mitchell (1999) and Hildreth (2013).

Lithostratigraphy of the Chalk of the Northern Province

On the whole, the Cretaceous stratigraphy of the Northern Province (Fig. 1) is different from that in the south of England (Fig. 2). Distinctive highs, possibly underlain by granite batholiths (Donato & Megson 1990), controlled sedimentation, and the Albian to Cenomanian successions (Hunstanton and Ferriby formations) thin significantly over the structural highs at Hunstanton, in the south, and at Market Weighton, in the north (Kent 1955, 1980; Jeans 1973, 1980; Underwood & Mitchell 1999). In the Northern Province a marine Lower Cretaceous succession extends from the base of the Cretaceous (or nearly so) through to the Aptian (it is missing in northern Lincolnshire and southern Yorkshire). The early Cretaceous (or Jurassic) is overlain by the Carstone Formation (except in the Cleveland Basin to the north of the Market Weighton Structure) and subsequently by the Chalk. In the south of England, the Lower Cretaceous is developed in Wealden (freshwater to brackish) facies (or absent) with marine deposits beginning in the Aptian with the Lower Greensand (Rawson et al. 1978). The Albian is represented by the upper part of the Lower Greensand, the Gault Clay and the Upper Greensand, and is overlain by the Chalk (Rawson et al. 1978). Marginal sequences of greensands extend into the Cenomanian of Devon (Rawson et al. 1978; Mortimore et al. 2001; fig. 1).

The basis of the lithostratigraphy of the Northern Province Chalk had already been anticipated by Young & Bird (1822) and Mitchell (1836) with the recognition of a lower coloured interval, a middle flint-bearing interval and an upper flint-less interval. Wood & Smith (1978) established four formations, the Ferriby Formation (coloured chalks without flints), Welton Formation (chalks with nodular flints), Burnham Formation (chalks with tabular flints) and Flamborough Formation (chalks without flints). In 1977, when Wood & Smith's paper was read at the meeting of the Yorkshire Geological Society, it generated quite some debate – they had included the red chalk (or Hunstanton Formation) within their Ferriby Formation. It was clear from the discussion that this was not a favoured course of action and, subsequently, the Red Chalk or Hunstanton Formation has been treated as a separate unit (e.g. Owen 1995; Mitchell 1995a; Sumbler 1999; Mortimore et al. 2001; Mortimore 2014).

Stratigraphy

The deposition of the succession in the Northern Province was governed by tectonics. Marine deposition was controlled by a series of structural highs, the London-Brabant High in the south, the Hunstanton High in north Norfolk and the Market Weighton High in Yorkshire. The London-Brabant High was onlapped by the Gault Clay during the upper Albian (Gallois et al. 2016), the Hunstanton High by the Carstone in the middle Albian (Owen 1995), and the Market Weighton High by the Hunstanton Formation in the late Albian (Underwood & Mitchell 1999).

There has been debate about whether the Carstone Formation should be taken as the base of the Chalk Group in the Northern Province (e.g. discussion in Wood & Smith 1978). From the southern Market Weighton High to the Hunstanton High, the Carstone Formation forms a basal conglomerate to the Hunstanton Formation (even if in places it is difficult to separate from older, similar-looking lithological units); but to the south of this, the Carstone Formation underlies the Gault Clay in the Transitional Province. If the Carstone Formation is taken as the base of the Chalk Group in the Northern Province, the Chalk Group would form a tongue extending below the Gault Clay in the Transitional Province. Clearly, the simplest way to treat the Carstone is as a formation beneath both the Chalk Group in the Northern Province and below the Gault Clay in the Transitional Province.

In the following sections I describe the stratigraphy of the Chalk of the Northern Province (Fig. 2). This includes descriptions of the formations, followed by unpublished information. Localities mentioned in the text are shown in Figures 1 and 3. The illustrated fossils are in my PhD collection, which resides at the University of Liverpool (UL) and in the Liverpool City Museum (LIVCM).

Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.

Localities for the Northern Province mentioned in the text. M.W.S., Market Weighton Structure (or High).

Hunstanton Formation

Various names have previously been used for the Hunstanton Formation: the Red Chalk (e.g. Taylor 1823; Rose 1835; Wiltshire 1859, 1869; Jeans 1973), the Red Limestone of Hunstanton (Seeley 1861) and the Hunstanton Red Rock (Seeley 1864). A full history of the unit was given by Owen (1995) and Mitchell (1995a), and today there is agreement on the use of the term Hunstanton Formation (Owen 1995; Mitchell 1995a, 1996a; Hopson et al. 2008; Mortimore 2014).

The Hunstanton Formation occurs in the area extending from northern Norfolk, through Lincolnshire and into south-eastern Yorkshire (Humberside), and effectively defined the limits of the Northern Province. Thin successions characterise the East Midlands Shelf, with the thinnest succession developed over the Market Weighton High at Rifle Butts (Mitchell 1996a) and also a thin sequence at Hunstanton (Owen 1995). Between these two areas the sections thicken a little and Middlegate Quarry at South Ferriby has provided the standard sequence, although numerous other exposures exist (e.g. Jeans 1973). To the north of the Market Weighton Structure, within the Cleveland Basin, the Hunstanton Formation thickens significantly and is 24 m thick at Speeton.

Jeans introduced two members within the Hunstanton Formation throughout its outcrop, the Brinkhill and Goulceby members (with the base of the latter defined by a ‘band of Inoceramus fragments’, the Inoceramus lissa bed), but these have not been used by other workers. For the thick succession at Speeton, Mitchell (1995a) divided the formation into five members: Queens Rock, Speeton Beck, Dulcey Dock, Weather Castle and Red Cliff Hole members.

Description

The Hunstanton Formation consists of a series of generally red chalks, limestones, marlstones and a few clays. The distinctive ‘brick red’ colouration is due to a small amount of haematite, but the colour is locally lost due to the percolation of reducing pore fluids (Jeans 1973, 1980; Hu et al. 2012; Jeans et al. 2012, 2014). Textures are usually strongly nodular, most likely being due to differential pressure solution during burial.

Age

Although many fossils occur in the Hunstanton Formation, ammonites are particularly rare, making correlation with the standard ammonite zonal succession difficult. A range of other fossils is present (belemnites, brachiopods, and inoceramid and Aucellina bivalves: Fig. 4), and these can be used for correlation with the standard ammonite succession for the middle and upper Albian (Gallois & Morter 1982; Morter & Wood 1983; Owen 2012; Gallois et al. 2016; Fig. 5). Using these fossils, ammonite zones (and some subzones) can be inferred for sections in the Northern Province. The lower part of the Hunstanton Formation is of mid-middle Albian age with a hiatus representing the upper part of the middle Albian (Mitchell 1995a; Owen 1995). The upper Albian, although thin, is relatively complete at South Ferriby; whereas at Speeton it is substantially expanded (compared to the East Midlands Shelf) and represents the only continuous boundary between the upper Albian and lower Cenomanian exposed in England (Mitchell 1995a; Mitchell et al. 1996).

Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.

Selected calcitic macrofossils from the Hunstanton Formation of the Northern Province. 1–4, Neohibolites minimus (Miller), ventral views; 1 (UL:C10409) with epirostrum, N. minimus cf. oblongus, upper Queens Rock Member, Speeton; 2 (UL:C13030), N. minimus, lower Queens Rock Member, Speeton; 3 (UL:C10480), N. minimus cf. oblongus, upper Queens Rock Member, Speeton; 4 (UL:C13045), N. minimus, lower Queens Rock Member, Speeton. 5–8, Neohibolites oxycaudatus Spaeth; 5–6 (UL:C18342), upper Queens Rock Member, Speeton; 7–8 (UL:C10415), lower Speeton Beck Member, Speeton. 9–12, Neohibolites ernsti Spaeth, 9–10 (UL:C13367), Speeton Beck Member, Speeton; 11–12 (UL:C10461), Speeton Beck Member, Speeton. 13–15, Neohibolites praeultimus Spaeth, 13–14, (UL:C20530), Dulcey Dock Member, Speeton; 15 (UL:C20528), Dulcey Dock Member, Speeton, 16–17 (UL:C20034), Parahibolites sp., basal Red Cliff Hole Member, Speeton. 18 (UL:YS17), Actinoceramus sulcatus (Parkinson), Upper Queens Rock Member, Speeton. 19–21 (UL:YS1009), Biplicatoria hunstantonensis Cooper, Dulcey Dock Member, Speeton. 22 (UL:YS2009), Terebratulina sp., Middle Albian, Hunstanton Formation, South Ferriby. 23 (UL:YS2002), Terebratulina sp., Upper Albian, Speeton Beck Member, Speeton. 24–25 (LIVCM:1995.69.G), Concinnithyris subundata (J. de C. Sowerby), basal Red Cliff Hole Member (bed RCH lb), Speeton. 27–29 (LIVCM:1995.69.C), Atactosia jeansi Mitchell, Crowe's Shoot Member (20 cm below bed SLC2), Ferriby Chalk Formation, Speeton. 30–32 (LIVCM:1995.69.E), Nerthebrochus nosetrapensis Mitchell, Red Cliff Hole Member (bed RCH 2 g), Speeton. 33–35 (LIVCM:1995.69), Concinnithyris microsubundata Mitchell, Red Cliff Hole Member (Bed RCH lf/g), Speeton. Scale bar A (bottom right) is 10 mm for all specimens, except the micromorphic brachiopods (nos. 22–23) where scale bar B is 1 mm.

Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.

Correlation of calcitic fossils from the Hunstanton Formation with the standard ammonite zonation of the Middle and Upper Albian. Ammonite zones from Owen (2012); fossil correlations from Gallois & Morter (1982), Morter & Wood (1983), Gallois et al. (2016), and my own observations. Nannofossil (NAL) zones from Jeremiah (1996, 2001) and Gallois et al. (2016).

Ferriby Formation

The name Ferriby Formation was introduced by Wood & Smith (1978) for both the Red Chalk and the ‘Lower or Coloured Chalk’ in the Northern Province with a type section at Middlegate Quarry (South Ferriby). Subsequently, the name has been restricted to the ‘Lower or Coloured Chalk’ with the Hunstanton Formation being given separate status (Owen 1995; Mitchell 1995a, 1996a; Sumbler 1999; Mortimore et al. 2001).

Description

This formation consists of a succession of white, grey and pink chalks/limestones with marlstone bands or flaser marlstones. Gritty sand-grade chalks are developed at four horizons (First and Second Inoceramus beds, Totternhoe Stone/Grey Bed, Nettleton Stone; Fig. 6) due to the presence of abundant inoceramid prisms and other carbonate sand grains. Pink layers occur at certain levels (Fig. 6), but have locally been discoloured by reducing fluids (Jeans 1973, 1980). Flints are virtually absent, except for two or three ill-defined layers of brown nodular flints in the Ferriby Formation at Speeton (Jeans 1980).

Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.

Subdivision and marker beds in the Ferriby Formation across the East Midlands Shelf. Members are from Jeans (1980), but have not been used by other workers. Cycles (C) and Pulse Fauna levels (P) are from Jeans (1968). BB are belemnite biohorizons of Mitchell (2005) [BB1 is not present across the East Midlands Shelf].

Subdivision of the Ferriby Formation

Both Bower & Farmery (1910) and Jeans (1973, 1980) introduced a series of marker beds within what is now called the Ferriby Formation (Fig. 6). These marker beds allow recognition of the level within the formation of incomplete sections. Jeans (1980) also introduced a series of members related to the marker beds. With the exception of the term Nettleton Stone, which is now used for the Nettleton Member of Jeans (1980), the members named by Jeans have not been used by other workers.

Jefferies (1961, 1963) recognized that certain faunal elements, for example, a belemnite (now Praeactinocamax plenus (de Blainville)) and three species of bivalve (Entolium membranacea (Nilsson), Dhondtichlamys arlesiensis (Woods) and Oxytoma seminudum (Dames)), were restricted to the interval from beds 3 to 6 of the Plenus Marls (basal Holywell Nodular Chalk – equivalent to the basal part of the Welton Formation: Fig. 2) in the Southern and Transitional provinces. Jefferies (1961) noted that P. plenus and O. seminudum were species with a European/Russian affinity, and suggested that this level represented a short-lived influx of a cold-water fauna. Jeans (1968) introduced the term Pulse Fauna for the Plenus ‘Event’ and similar biohorizons in the Northern Province that were characterized by short-lived appearances of distinctive faunal elements, particularly belemnites, bivalves and brachiopods. Jeans (1968, 1973, 1980) linked these Pulse Faunas to a series of sedimentary cycles that were defined either by an erosion surface (cycles II and VII) or by a basal unit of bioclastic chalk (cycles III-VI) (Fig. 6). Mitchell (2005) examined the belemnite records from northwest Europe and recognized eight belemnite biohorizons in the Cenomanian (Fig. 6). A belemnite biohorizon occurs at the base of each of Jeans’ (1968) cycles in the Cenomanian. Species of Neohibolites characterise belemnite bioevents 1 to 5 and species of belemnitellid (Praeactinocamax and Belemnocamax) are typical of belemnite bioevents 6 to 8. Mitchell (2005) suggested that these biohorizons recorded short-lived influxes of belemnites either due to shallowing, allowing suitable migration routes, or to the availability of prey. Thus, both lithology and biohorizons allow a subdivision of the Ferriby Formation of the Northern Province.

Age

The basal levels of the Ferriby Formation (Paradoxica Bed across the East Midlands Shelf; Crows Shoot Member at Speeton) contain macrofossils (Aucellina, inoceramids, belemnites) that are indicative of a level above the base of the Cenomanian Stage. Fossils are common in the Ferriby Formation, with inoceramids and brachiopods being especially characteristic; belemnites also occur at some levels (Figs 6 and 7). The top of this unit is represented by an erosion surface at the base of the Black Band (variegated beds). The belemnite P. plenus occurs rarely in the lower part of the Black Band succession (Wood & Mortimore 1995), and indicates a Metoicoceras geslinianum Ammonite Zone age (Jefferies 1961); the top of the Ferriby Formation can, therefore, be equated with the Calycoceras guerangeri Ammonite Zone of early late Cenomanian age in the Southern Province.

Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.

Selected calcitic fossils from the Hunstanton, Ferriby and Welton formations of the Northern Province. 1–2 (LU:C20582), Praeactinocamax primus (Arkhangelsky), Totternhoe Stone (bed SLC11C), Middle Cenomanian, Speeton (1, ventral; 2, left lateral). 3–6 (LU:C20562), Belemnocamax boweri Crick, Totternhoe Stone (bed SLC11C), Middle Cenomanian, Speeton (3, ventral; 4, left lateral; 5, dorsal; 6, alveolus). 7 (LU:YS10), Inoceramus crippsi crippsi Mantell, First Inoceramus Bed, Speeton. 8 (LU:YS1246), Entolium orbiculare (J. Sowerby), Totternhoe Stone (bed SLC11C), Middle Cenomanian, Speeton. 9–10 (LU:YS1071), Grasirhynchia grasiana (d'Orbigny), Totternhoe Stone (bed SLC11Bi), Speeton. 11 (LU:YS7), Incoceramus virgatus virgatus Schlüter, M. dixoni Zone (bed SLC6C), Nose Trap West, Speeton. 12 (LU:YS940), Monticlarella carteri (Davidson), Crows Shoot Member, Speeton. 13 (LU:YS938), Monticlarella jefferiesi (Owen), Buckton Member, Speeton. 14–16 (LU:YS215), Kingena concinna Owen, Red Cliff Hole Member, Speeton. All scale bars – 10 mm.

Welton Formation

The name Welton Formation was introduced by Wood & Smith (1978) with the type section at Welton Wold Quarry to the north of the River Humber (Fig. 3). The formation consists of three distinct units, the Black Band (variegated beds) and associated units, a thin sequence of gritty, inoceramid-rich chalks, and a thick sequence of white chalks with nodular flints (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.

Subdivision and marker beds of the Welton Formation and distribution of important fossils. Members are from Jeans (1980) and Mitchell (2000a). Fossil distribution is from Whitham (1991) and Mortimore et al. (2001). C, Cenomanian; F, Flixton Member. Buck, Buckton Member. Most flints excluded for clarity.

Description

The Welton Chalk is conveniently split up into three lithologically distinct units (Mitchell 2000a): (1) the lower part (the Flixton Member of Jeans 1980) comprises the black band or variegated beds and associated chalks; (2) the variegated beds consist of mudstones and siltstones, and include one or more intervals of black shale (Black Band) (Wood & Mortimore 1995; Mitchell 1995b, 2000a); (3) the base of the Flixton Member is an erosion surface above the underlying Ferriby Formation and the sedimentary rocks of the Flixton Formation are generally poor in macrofossils (the belemnite P. plenus having been only rarely recorded: Wood & Mortimore 1995).

The Flixton Member is overlain by a series of gritty, off-white, inoceramid-rich chalks to which Mitchell (2000a) gave the name Buckton Member. Jeans (1980) used the name Melbourne Rock for this unit, but it seems inadvisable to extend this term from the Southern Province into the Northern Province and the correlation may be unsound (Wood & Mortimore 1995). The member includes several gritty, inoceramid-rich marlstones. Neither the Flixton Member nor the Buckton Member contains flints.

The Buckton Member is overlain by a thick unit of white chalks with subsidiary inoceramid shell beds and regular courses of flint nodules, which was called the Bempton Member by Mitchell (2000a). Flints in the Bempton Member are always nodular, although a few (e.g. the Ferruginous Flint) may become more semitabular. Marlstone seams occur regularly throughout the member and the thicker ones have been named (Fig. 8). The combined stratigraphy based on flints and marlstone seams makes it possible to place relatively small sections within the lithostratigraphic framework of the Bempton Member.

Numerous logs of the Welton Formation have been published and there is no need to reproduce them here. Whitham (1991) provided a log through the Welton Formation at its type section and Gaunt et al. (1992) published composite logs for Humberside. Rawson & Whitham (1992a) and Mitchell (2000a) published logs through the upper part of the Welton Formation on Flamborough Head (North Landing and Little and Great Thornwick Bays), while Mitchell (2000a) presented logs of a nearly complete section of the Welton Formation at Speeton. Across the region, thicknesses remain relatively constant and all the marker beds can be easily traced. Minor thickness changes do occur in the Black Band succession, as well as colour changes, and the Black Band itself disappears south of Louth in Lincolnshire (Wood & Mortimore 1995; Dodsworth 1996).

Age

The Welton Formation is particularly poor in fossils, other than for poorly preserved and fragmented inoceramids. The ranges of some of the more important fossils are shown in Figure 8. The presence of P. plenus in the lower part of the Flixton Member indicates the Metoicoceras geslinianum Ammonite Zone of mid late Cenomanian age of the Southern Province. The Flixton Member is highly condensed and probably includes the Metoicoceras geslinianum, Neocardioceras juddii and the lower Watiniceras devonense ammonite zones (judging by the carbon stable isotope records: Wood & Mortimore 1995); it therefore includes the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (base of the W. devonense Zone). The level of the top of the Welton Formation is more difficult to place chronostratigraphically; the boundary is close to the base of the Plesiocorys plana Echinoid Zone, somewhere in the late Turonian.

Burnham Formation

The name Burnham Formation was introduced by Wood & Smith (1978) with a type section at Burnham Lodge Quarry. It begins with tabular flints. Higher in the formation, these are replaced by nodular flints. The top of the formation is taken at the highest layer of nodular flints seen in the onshore sections. Although the base of the Burnham Formation is clearly synchronous, since the marker flint can be traced across the Northern Province, it is not clear if the top of the formation is synchronous or diachronous because distinctive marker horizons are not clearly recognized in the upper part of the formation.

Description

The Burnham Formation consists of a succession of hard, white, thinly bedded chalks containing abundant flints, with thick tabular flints predominating in the lower and middle parts. It has a thickness of about 130 to 150 m. Details of the lower and middle parts of the formation have been clearly worked out, but those of the upper part (other than for the junction with the Flamborough Chalk at Flamborough Head) are poorly known. The base of the formation is taken at the bedding plane below the first thick tabular flint (Ravendale Flint). Numerous courses of flints and marlstones have been named within the lower and middle Burnham Formation (Fig. 9). In the cliffs at Bempton, on the northern side of Flamborough Head (Fig. 10), the tabular flints form continuous ledges that are used for nesting by seabirds (Fig. 11). In the lower part of the formation, between the Wootton Marls and the Ulceby Marl, large carrot-shaped flints called paramoudras (with diameters of up to 50 cm) are common (Wood & Smith 1978; Rawson & Whitham 1992a; Mortimore 2014).

Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.

Marker beds in the lower part of the Burnham Formation for surface exposures on either side of the Humber (compilation after Whitham 1991). Whitham (1991) estimated that 30 m of the Burnham Formation (i.e. flint bearing chalks) occurred above the highest level shown. Vale House Flints Member from Hildreth (2013). Fossil distributions from Whitham (1991) and Mortimore et al. (2001). Most flints excluded for clarity.

Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.

Localities in the vicinity of Flamborough Head mentioned in the text. F, fault zones that cut the Chalk related to the Howardian–Flamborough Fault Zone (Starmer 1995, 2008, 2013).

Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.

Burnham Chalk forming the vertical cliffs at Bempton, Flamborough Head. This is an important seabird nesting site with the birds building nests on the flint courses projecting from the cliff.

Age

Some of the ranges of the more distinctive fossils are shown in Figure 9. These include the echinoids Plesiocorys plana (Mantell) and P. placenta (Agassiz), Infulaster excentricus (Woodward) and Hagenowia rostrata (Forbes), and various species of the inoceramid bivalve genera Cremnoceramus, Volviceramus and Cladoceramus. The base of the formation lies somewhere in the late Turonian. The top of the formation lies in the early middle Santonian at Flamborough Head, where the highest flint-bearing chalks contain the bivalves Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus (Roemer) and Cordiceramus cordiformis (J. de C. Sowerby) (Mortimore et al. 2001).

Flamborough Formation

The name Flamborough Formation was introduced by Wood & Smith (1978) for the flint-less chalk overlying the Burnham Formation with a type locality at Flamborough Head. The southern coastline of Flamborough Head, extending from High Stacks to Sewerby (Fig. 10), exposes a more-or-less complete sequence through the lower part of the formation. Higher parts of the formation are (or were) visible in several inland quarries (Wright & Wright 1942; Whitham 1993) and the Flamborough Formation represents the highest Chalk seen at outcrop in the Northern Province.

Description

The formation consists of a series of thinly bedded white chalks, with numerous marlstone seams, and almost no flints (an uncommon layer of flint is present in the uppermost Santonian). Bioclastic chalks (largely composed of inoceramid debris and oysters: the ‘Grobkreide’ facies of German workers) are present at two levels; one in the middle of the Uintacrinus socialis Crinoid Zone (Figs 12 and 13), and one ranging from the upper Marsupites testudinarius Crinoid Zone to the lower Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata Belemnite Zone (Mitchell 1994, 1995c; fig. 12). The thicker marlstone seams have been named (Whitham 1993; Mitchell 1994, 1995c), and these form the basis of the subdivision of the formation. Even on the coast, it is difficult to follow the succession without detailed logs as the sections consist of bedded chalks of a remarkably monotonous nature (Fig. 14). Although Whitham (1993) proposed members for the Flamborough Formation, they are not based on lithologies and cannot be used except on the coast.

Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.

Marker beds and fossil distribution in the Flamborough Formation at Flamborough Head. Details from Whitham (1993), Mitchell (1994, 1995c, unpublished) and Mortimore et al. (2001). b, Scaphites binodosus Zone. Note the distinctive break in the Riedel Quotients of Gonioteuthis in the mid M. testudinarius Zone.

Fig. 13.
Fig. 13.

Scours with inoceramid fragments and oysters in well-bedded flint-less chalks in the lower part of the Uintacrinus socialis Zone of the Flamborough Formation between South Landing and Danes Dyke, Flamborough Head. One pound coin (23 mm diameter) in centre of B (which is an enlargement of the right-hand side of the scour shown in A).

Fig. 14.
Fig. 14.

Rhythmically bedded chalks in the upper part of the Marsupites laevigatus zone, cliff on the eastern side of Danes Dyke, Flamborough Head. Note the regular alternation of thickly bedded and thinly bedded chalks. Notebook on chalk ledge at base is 30 cm tall.

Age

Fossils are common in the Flamborough Formation, but are largely limited to belemnites, inoceramids, echinoderms (Fig. 15) and small brachiopods. Sponges (the Flamborough Sponge Bed) are common in the lower Campanian. Correlation with the international biostratigraphy can be achieved using belemnites, inoceramids and crinoids. The succession of crinoids (Uintacrinus socialis Grinnell, Marsupites laevigatus Forbes, M. testudinarius (von Schlotheim), U. anglicus Rasmussen) is particularly important as it represents the thickest succession of these in Europe (Mitchell 1994, 1995c, 2009, 2011).

Fig. 15.
Fig. 15.

Selected fossil echinoderms from the Flamborough Formation of Flamborough Head. 1, Uintacrinus anglicus Rasmussen, Danes Dyke (148 cm below Danes Wood Middle Marl), scale bar 20 mm (LIVCM:1995.51.G). 2, Uintacrinus socialis Grinnell, Maidlands Tilestone, scale bar 20 mm (LU.YS1000). 3, Marsupites testudinarius (von Schlotheim), Above Danes Dyke Lower Marl 3, scale bar 20 mm (LU.YS1001). 4, Hagenowia anterior Ernst and Shultz, East Nook Marls, scale bar 10 mm (LU.YS1022). 5–7, Offaster pilula (Lamarck), above the Sewerby Hall Marl (LU.YS1033), scale bar 10 mm.

The succession of belemnites in the Santonian and lower Campanian in the upper Burnham and Flamborough formations is shown in Figure 12. Gonioteuthis occurs throughout the interval from the upper lower Santonian to the lower Campanian at Flamborough, but some populations appear retrograde when compared with coeval populations from Germany (Ernst 1964; Christensen 1991; Mitchell 1994, 1995c). Actinocamax verus Miller ranges from the lower to middle Santonian at Flamborough Head with an acme in the middle Santonian. It is rare or absent in the upper Santonian. This contrasts with the Southern Province where A. verus has its acme in the upper Santonian Uintacrinus socialis Crinoid Zone, although its total range extends from the lower Santonian to the lower Campanian (Christensen 1991).

The Flamborough Formation only extends up into the lower Campanian at Flamborough Head, as evidenced by the presence of Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata Stolley, Offaster pilula (Lamarck) and Scaphites binodosus Roemer (Whitham 1993). Slightly higher levels occurred inland in the Flamborough area where S. binodosus is relatively common and from which a specimen of Belemnitella has been reported (Whitham 1993).

Unexposed later parts of the Chalk

The name Rowe Formation was introduced by Lott & Knox (1994) for use in the North Sea. The name was applied to the Chalk buried beneath Holderness by Sumbler (1996). It is a succession of chalks containing flints above the flint-less Flamborough Formation. The age may range from late Campanian into Maastrichtian.

Studies of selected localities

Below I provide new details of some sections in the Northern Province Chalks.

Hunstanton

The thin section of the Hunstanton Formation at Hunstanton was described by Owen (1995). The section contains a typical assemblage of calcitic macrofossils as well as some ammonites (Owen 1995). The section has typically been divided into three beds, A (upper), B and C (lower), but this obscures the complex faunal relationships. Figure 16 shows the upper unit (bed A) and my interpretation of the faunal units present. At least four distinctive units can be recognised that contain typical fossils assemblages allowing correlation with the ammonite zones (Fig. 5). The distribution of calcitic macrofossils is shown in Figure 17, which depicts a typical Hunstanton Formation stratigraphy that matches the ammonite records recorded by Owen (1995).

Fig. 16.
Fig. 16.

Sketch showing the top of the Hunstanton Formation at Hunstanton and the complex amalgamation of distinct levels to form the upper division (bed A) of the Hunstanton Formation.

Fig. 17.
Fig. 17.

Distribution of selected calcitic macrofossils in the Hunstanton Formation at Hunstanton.

South Ferriby

The Hunstanton Formation at Middlegate Quarry (South Ferriby) was been discussed by Bate & Wilkinson (1988), Whitham (1991), Gaunt et al. (1992) and Mitchell & Langner (1996). The quarry exposes the Ampthill and Kimmeridge clays in the lower part, which are unconformably overlain by the Cretaceous succession which includes the Carstone, Hunstanton, Ferriby and lower Welton Chalk formations.

The Carstone Formation consists of a thin unit (0.6 to 1.5 m) of dark brown, ferruginous sandstones with abundant limonite ooliths. About 5 cm below its top there is a dispersed band of indigenous phosphatic nodules that cement together clumps of sand. Above the sandstone there is a thin clay unit (12 cm thick), the basal 3 cm of which is pale brown. The base of this pale brown layer is taken as the base of the Hunstanton Formation here.

The transition from the Carstone to the Hunstanton Formation was investigated by grainsize and insoluble residue analyses. Samples of 200–300 g were collected and oven dried. The dry samples were weighed and then the carbonate was determined through dissolution with dilute (10%) HCl. Next, the residue was dried and then weighed. The dried residue was then sieved through a nest of half phi sieves to determine grainsize of the sand-sized particles and the amount of clay and silt residue. The results are plotted in Figure 18. The results show a large increase in carbonate content form the Carstone (10–15%) to the Hunstanton Formation (25% or more). As expected, limestone layers contain more carbonate than clastic layers. The amount of pebble-, granule- and sand-grade clastic material also rapidly declines from the Carstone through the basal few beds in the Hunstanton Formation. The Carstone contains a significant >1 mm component, but this is largely lost at the base of the Hunstanton Formation, other than for an occasional grain. The sand-sized component of the clastics progressively fines upwards through the lower part of the Hunstanton Formation. I interpret these results to show the progressive flooding of the exposed land areas with the middle to late Albian transgression, with South Ferriby becoming progressively more distal to the clastic source as the transgression proceeded.

Fig. 18.
Fig. 18.

Analysis of sediment composition of the top of the Carstone and base of the Hunstanton Formation at South Ferriby. Carbonate was determined by acid digestion; clastic component (histograms have a height of 30% and are calculated on a clay and silt free basis) was determined by sieving the acid insoluble residue. Clastic–carbonate graph shows proportions of sand and coarser-grained sediment (left bar), silt and clay (central bar) and carbonate (right bar). Grainsize analysis of the sand-sized and greater clastic component shows progressive fining, with a loss of the main coarse sand, granule and small pebble population in the basal part of the Hunstanton Formation, and progressive fining of the sand component through the lower part of the Hunstanton Formation. Kim. C., Kimmeridge Clay.

Two distinct marker horizons are easily recognizable in the Hunstanton Formation (Fig. 19): the yellow-coloured Neohibolites oxycaudatus marl (bed SFH5 upper), and the Inoceramus lissa limestone (SFH10), which is full of fragments of this thick-shelled inoceramid. Calcitic fossils (belemnites, inoceramid bivalves and brachiopods) are abundant at South Ferriby and the distribution of species is shown in Figure 19. This allows a correlation to the standard ammonite zones of the upper Albian of the Southern Province (Fig. 5). The uppermost bed is significantly expanded compared to Hunstanton, but there is still a prominent hiatus between the Hunstanton Formation and the Ferriby Formation (Mitchell & Veltkamp 1997).

Fig. 19.
Fig. 19.

Distribution of selected fossils in the Hunstanton Formation and lowermost Welton Formation at South Ferriby. Belemnite biohorizons BB2 and BB3 with Neohibolites ultimus in the lower Cenomanian are shown.

Speeton

The foreshore and cliffs extending to the south-east from Speeton below Buckton Cliffs (Fig. 10) expose sections through the Speeton Clay, Hunstanton, Ferriby, Welton and Burnham formations. Details of the higher part of the Speeton Clay were given by Mitchell & Underwood (1999), whereas those of the Hunstanton and Welton formations can be found in Jeans (1980), Paul et al. (1994), Mitchell (1995a, b, 1996b, 2000a), Mitchell et al. (1996) and Mitchell & Veltkamp (1997). Here, full details are given of the Hunstanton to lower Welton formations and, also, two logs for the Burnham Formation.

Hunstanton Formation

There is no continuous section through the Hunstanton Formation at Speeton. The upper part of the section is exposed in cliff sections below the Ferriby and Welton formations, and the lower part in intermittent and temporary beach exposures. Early accounts of the Hunstanton Formation at Speeton are those by Wright & Wright (in Swinnerton 1955), Kaye (1964) and Jeans (1980), but none of these authors presented the complete succession. Mitchell (1995a) published the complete succession that was pieced together from numerous beach exposures recorded from 1989 to 1994. The composite thickness recorded by Mitchell (1995a) of 24 m agrees well with the thicknesses given by Kaye (1964) for the Speeton Borehole. Mitchell (1995a) divided the formation into five lithological units to which member status was given. The introduction of members has the advantage that, when working with the succession, even small temporary beach exposures can be placed within their correct position. The members are based on lithological criteria, but can also be identified based on the belemnites that they contain. Since belemnites are abundant, it is relatively easy to place even small beach exposures within a member. The distribution of important fossils is shown in Figure 20 and the members are described below.

Fig. 20.
Fig. 20.

Distribution of selected fossils in the Hunstanton, Ferriby and lower Welton formations at Speeton. P1–P3 are the Pycnodonte beds, A is the Amphidonte bed, and O1–3 are the Orbirhynchia beds.

The Queens Rock Member consists of 4.95 m of marly red chalk with sparse pale nodular bands. The belemnite Neohibolites minimus and its varieties are abundant. The lower part of this member is attributed to the middle Albian based on the belemnites and a single ammonite record, whereas the upper part has late Albian belemnites and inoceramids (Mitchell 1995a).

The Speeton Beck Member consists of 3.58 m of strongly rhythmic red chalk: the lower parts of rhythms are clays or marlstones and the upper parts are paler limestones. The belemnites Neohibolites oxycaudatus Spaeth and N. ernsti Spaeth form the bulk of the belemnite assemblage.

The Dulcey Dock Member consists of 6.7 m of rhythmically bedded nodular red chalks (Fig. 21); the base with abundant fragments of Inoceramus lissa Seeley. The belemnite Neohibolites praeultimus Spaeth is abundant.

Fig. 21.
Fig. 21.

The upper part of the Dulcey Dock (red chalks with nodular layers) and the Weather Castle (smooth red chalks) members of the Hunstanton Formation at Speeton (overlain by screes from the Ferriby and Welton formations above). The head of the hammer rests on the base of the Weather Castle Member. The top of the Albian Stage lies at the top of the Weather Castle Member.

The Weather Castle Member includes 2.81 m of marly, brick red chalks, without nodularity and with poorly developed rhythms (Fig. 21). The belemnite N. praeultimus is abundant.

The Red Cliff Hole Member is comprised of 5.6 m of dark to pale red rhythmically bedded, nodular chalks. This unit is locally discoloured (the ‘grey band’) due to reducing fluids which have precipitated pyrite crystals (Jeans 1973, 1980). Other than for the basal metre or so, belemnites are absent.

Ferriby Formation

The lower part of the Ferriby Formation is significantly expanded at Speeton compared with inland sections such as at Melton (Whitham 1991) and South Ferriby (Gaunt et al. 1992). This allows the recognition of marl-limestone couplets (Fig. 22) that characterize the Cenomanian Chalks of the Southern Province and have been linked to the 20 000 year Milankovitch Precession cycle (Gale 1990; Gale et al. 1999). Distinctive fossil marker levels (pulse faunas, belemnite biohorizons), carbon stable isotope excursions and distinctive stacked marlstone-chalk couplets make it possible to correlate the couplets at Speeton with those in the Southern Province and elsewhere (Mitchell et al. 1996; Mitchell 2005). The ranges of selected fossils are shown in Figure 20.

Fig. 22.
Fig. 22.

The middle part of the Ferriby Formation at Speeton showing marker beds and well defined bedding related to Milankovitch 20 kyr precession cycles. A–A, interval with six prominent chalks (six band group of Jeans 1980). B, Nose Trap Chalk Bed of Mitchell (1996b). C, Totternhoe Stone.

Welton Formation

Nearly the full thickness of the Welton Formation at Speeton was described by Mitchell (2000a). The details and thicknesses are very similar to those reported from the East Midlands Shelf (Whitham 1991; Gaunt et al. 1992). Of note, the Flixton Formation is thinner than typical on the East Midlands Shelf (compare Mitchell 1995b with Wood & Mortimore 1995), suggesting a waning in the influence of the Market Weighton High (Mitchell 2000a, b; Sumbler 2000). Fossil occurrences in the lower part of the Welton Formation at Speeton are shown in Figure 20.

Burnham Formation

No details of the Burnham Formation have previously been published from Speeton. Two large floundered blocks of chalk were accessible in the screes between Speeton and Buckton cliffs, and were logged by me in the 1990s (Figs 23 and 24). The first block (Fig. 23) shows nearly 8 m of chalk extending from the interval from just below the Ludborough Flint up into the Paramoudra Beds of the Vale House Member. The second, larger block (Fig. 24), shows 23 m of chalk extending from the Paramoudra Beds of the Vale House Member through the Ulceby Marl, Enthorp Marls, Kiplingcotes Marls and a little above. No paramoudras are present in the limited area of chalk within these blocks, but they have been reported on Speeton foreshore (Mortimore 2014). The upper block yields echinoids including Infulaster excentricus and Plesiocorys placenta which have also been reported from this level at Enthorp Railway Cutting (Whitham 1991; Mortimore et al. 2001). These blocks indicate that the Chalk succession in Speeton and Buckton cliffs extends up to at least the top of the lower third of the Burnham Formation.

Fig. 23.
Fig. 23.

Burnham Formation exposed in loose block along Speeton–Buckton cliffs.

Fig. 24.
Fig. 24.

Burnham Formation exposed in second loose block along Speeton–Buckton cliffs.

Palaeontology and biostratigraphy (Hunstanton to lower Welton formations)

Figure 20 shows the succession from the middle Albian to the lower Turonian with the distribution of the more important macrofossils based on bed-by-bed collecting. There are very few ammonite records, but when present these allow ammonite zones and subzones to be recognized. The most important faunal elements are belemnites, brachiopods, and Aucellina and inoceramid bivalves (Fig. 20). Using the occurrences of some of these fossils, together with the scanty ammonite occurrences, the standard ammonite subzones and zones for the Albian (Fig. 5) to upper Cenomanian can be inferred.

Stable isotopes

Mitchell et al. (1996) published a carbon stable isotope curve for the Cenomanian of Speeton. This is replotted here, together with carbon isotope analyses from the upper Albian (not previously reported) and oxygen isotope values (also not previously recorded). Additional information on insoluble residues for parts of the upper Albian–lower Cenomanian and mid-Cenomanian is also included.

Scatter diagrams of δ13C v. δ18O for short intervals of the Speeton stable isotope curve are instructive (Fig. 26). In general, there is little or no correlation between δ13C and δ18O, and marlstones tend to have more positive δ18O values than chalks. Mitchell et al. (1997) demonstrated that cements in samples from marlstones and chalks in the Plenus Marls of Dover affected the stable isotope composition of the rock, and that there was a correlation between δ13C and δ18O with the cement composition at one end of the correlation line. This indicates the existence of a mixing line, and indicates that cements affect both the carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in these bulk rock samples. It demonstrated that at Dover an oscillation in isotopic compositions of both carbon and oxygen isotopes between marlstones and chalks was more than likely a diagenetic overprint rather than an original palaeoceanographic signal. Through analysis of cements in chalk brachiopods from Speeton, Hu et al. (2012) confirmed the observations of Mitchell et al. (1996), and interestingly stated that the chalks of the Northern Province were likely to preserve a less diagenetically modified carbon isotope signature than those from the Southern Province. The lack of obvious trend lines (Fig. 26) for sections of the isotope curve for Speeton between marlstone and chalk samples (which have clearly undergone different diagenetic histories) (despite the presence of calcite cement: Fig. 27), indicates that, although the oxygen isotopic signal may be strongly altered by diagenesis, the carbon signal probably reflects a true palaeoceanographic record. This is likely to be so for two reasons: firstly, that the carbonate for cementation was locally derived (within millimetres to centimetres) and, therefore, the carbon isotopic values of the fluids were the same as the carbon isotopic values of the rocks; and, secondly, that there is little fractionation of carbonate isotopes related to temperature (unlike oxygen isotopes) (Marshall 1992).

Fig. 25.
Fig. 25.

Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes and insoluble residue results from the upper Hunstanton, Ferriby and lower Welton formations at Speeton. Numbers to right of carbon curve are intervals plotted in Figure 26.

Fig. 26.
Fig. 26.

Scatter diagram showing stable isotopes from the early to late Cenomanian from Speeton. Note that at any stratigraphic level there is a wide variation in oxygen values, but minimal variation in carbon values. This illustrates that the carbon isotope signal is like to be an original climatic signal with only minor diagenetic overprinting, whereas the oxygen signal is largely due to diagenesis. See Figure 25 for locations of samples.

Fig. 27.
Fig. 27.

SEM photomicrographs of chalk samples from the Flixton Member above the Black Band at Speeton. (A) Coccoliths partially overgrown by calcite cement (sample, BB17). (B) Extensive rhombohedral crystals of calcite cement (sample BB27). Scale bars are 5 µm.

In summary, the Speeton section is extremely important for understanding sea-level events and palaeoceanography of the Cenomanian Stage. The Speeton section contains clear indications of depositional cycles that can be correlated across the Northern Province, as well as inter-regionally and internationally. The Speeton section preserves many of the marlstone-limestone couplets used in cyclostratigraphic correlation of the Cenomanian Stage (e.g. Gale 1990; Gale et al. 1999). The Speeton section has pulse faunas and belemnite biohorizons (some inferred from elsewhere in the Northern Province) that allow widespread correlation across Western Europe (e.g. Ernst et al. 1983; Mitchell 2005). The Speeton section has a carbon isotope stratigraphy that shows minimal diagenetic overprinting and might be appropriate as a reference curve for at least the upper Albian to lower upper Cenomanian.

Acknowledgements

The following people helped with fieldwork during this research: lain Carr, Sharon Braley, Andy Gale, Ruth Elliott, Marc Evans, Ulrich Hambuch, Ulrich Kaplan, Debbie Langner, Paul Leary, Hazel McGough, Chris Paul, Jon Wonham and Richard Watkins. My PhD supervisor, Chris Paul, is thanked for his support and also the late Felix Whitham for his endless enthusiasm. Jim Marshall, Winnie Wo and Steve Crowley are thanked for their help. Rugby Portland Cement PLC graciously allowed free access to Middlegate Quarry at South Ferriby. Florence and Dennis Cray are thanked for the many enjoyable times I have spent at the Abbeydale Hotel in Bridlington during fieldwork in Yorkshire. I thank the reviewers (John Jagt and Paul Hildreth) and the editor (Stephen Donovan) for their careful reading of the paper and their suggestions for much-needed improvements. Camille Wint (UWI) helped with the editing process and is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

Stable isotopes were run in the Liverpool Stable Isotope Laboratory (funded by grants from Liverpool University and NERC).

Scientific editing by Stephen K. Donovan

Appendix A: Stage Boundaries and their recognition (or not) in the Chalk of the Northern Province

This appendix lists the criteria used to define the stage boundaries within the confines of the Chalk of the Northern Province and how the bases of the stages can be recognized (wherever possible).

Cenomanian (base 100.5 Ma)

The Global Boundary Stratotype and Section Point (GSSP) for the base of the Cenomanian Stage is established at Mont Risoux, Hautes-Alpes, France (Kennedy et al. 2004). The base of the stage is defined by the first appearance of the planktonic foraminiferan Rotalipora globotruncanoides Sigal. Across much of the chalk of the Northern Province, the base of the Cenomanian falls within a significant hiatus between the Hunstanton Formation and the Ferriby Formation. Only at Speeton is there a continuous succession. The base of the Cenomanian can be fixed at Speeton (Fig. 25) by reference to a distinctive isotope curve for the Mont Risoux section; it is situated within the upper part of the Weather Castle Member of the Hunstanton Formation.

Turonian (base 93.9 Ma)

The GSSP for the base of the Turonian Stage at Rock Canyon, Colorado, USA (Kennedy et al. 2005), is drawn at the first appearance of the ammonite Watinoceras devonense Wright & Kennedy. The Chalk of the Northern Province is strongly condensed across the Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary and based on the stable carbon isotope curve (Wood & Mortimore 1995), the Metioceras geslinianum, Neocardioceras juddi and basal Watiniceras devonense ammonite zones are represented by the Flixton Member. Therefore, the base of the Turonian lies somewhere in the upper part of the Black Band succession (Fig. 25).

Coniacian (base 89.8 ± 0.3 Ma)

The GSSP for the Coniacian has not yet been ratified. The proposed reference point is the first appearance of the inoceramid bivalve Cremnoceramus rotundatus Fiege with possible stratotypes at Slupia, Nadbrzeżna, in Poland; Pueblo in Colorado, USA; or Salzgitter-Salder quarry in Germany (Walaszczyk & Wood 1998). The Enthorpe Railway Cutting contains this interval and Cremnoceramus appears at the level of Kiplingcotes Marl 1 (Mortimore et al. 2001).

Santonian (base 86.3 ± 0.5 Ma)

The base of the Santonian Stage is defined on the first appearance of the inoceramid bivalve Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus (Roemer) with a ratified boundary at Cantera de Margas, Olazagutia, in northern Spain (Lamolda et al. 2014). This bivalve occurs as two floods in the upper part of the Burnham Formation at Flamborough Head (Mortimore et al. 2001).

Campanian (base 83.6 ± 0.2 Ma)

A GSSP for the base of the Campanian has not yet been ratified. The base of the stage is defined by the last appearance of the crinoid Marsupites testudinarius (von Schlotheim) with possible candidate stratotypes at Seaford Head in Sussex, or Waxahachie dam spillway, Texas (Gale et al. 1995, 2008). The Northern Province Chalk has an extended section across this boundary at Danes Dyke on Flamborough Head and this would make an excellent reference section in the Northern Province.

Appendix B: Zones of the Northern Province Chalk

Rowe (1900, 1901, 1903) introduced a series of zones based on distinctive fossils for the chalk of the Southern Province, but when he arrived to study the Yorkshire Chalk, he found that many of these fossils were rare or absent and established a series of local zone fossils (Rowe 1904). Some of Rowe's (1904) local zone fossils are also either very rare or were misidentified. Below I set out a possible scheme for local zone fossils for the Chalk of the Northern Province (Fig. 2). These are described starting with the oldest.

Neohibolites minimus Zone

Belemnites are abundant in the Hunstanton Formation and a zone of Belemnites minimus was used by Blake (1878, p. 241). Four zones can be recognized based on belemnites which are easy to identify (Spaeth 1971). The base of the zone (defined by the first Neohibolites minimus) lies in the Speeton Clay (Mitchell & Underwood 1999). Subzones (N. minimus cf. pinguis, N. minimus, N. minimus cf. oblongus) will be possible once the biometry of populations of N. minimus has been completed.

Neohibolites oxycaudatus Zone

Based on the first appearance of N. oxycaudatus.

Neohibolites ernsti Zone

Based on the first appearance of N. ernsti. There is an overlap of the last N. oxycaudatus and the first N. ernsti.

Neohibolites praeultimus Zone

Based on the presence of N. praeultimus above the last occurrence of N. ernsti.

Crassiholaster subglobosus Zone

The traditional zone of Holaster subglobosus is maintained here (but with the generic name revised to agree with current taxonomy), with the base defined as the top of the last N. praeultimus.

Crassiholaster trecensis Zone

Base defined by the first C. trecensis (with the generic name updated to agree with current taxonomy). A revision of the two Crassiholaster zones will be needed once the ranges of the various species of echinoids are more fully understood.

Praeactinocamax plenus Zone

There is no useful zone fossil for the top of the Cenomanian to the base of the Turonian in the Northern Province. It seems best to maintain the use of Praeactinocamax plenus even though the fossil is rare and occurs only at one horizon within the zone.

Mytiloides Zone

This is defined as the range of abundant Mytiloides spp. and is broadly equivalent to the Buckland Member of the Welton Formation.

Terebratulina lata Zone

The traditional Terebratulina lata Zone is retained: it is the interval between the last common Mytiloides and the first occurrence of Plesiocorys plana.

Plesiocorys plana Zone

Defined by the first appearance of P. plana.

Micraster cortestudinarium Zone

This is retained provisionally, although the identification of the zonal species has proved difficult (Whitham 1991).

Hagenowia rostrata Zone

This is defined by the first appearance of Hagenowia rostrata (Whitham 1991). Higher records of H. rostrata are actually H. anterior (Gale & Smith 1982).

Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus Zone

Based on the first occurrence of Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus Roemer in the upper part of the Burnham Formation at Flamborough Head (Mortimore et al. 2001).

Cordiceramus cordiformis Zone

Based on the appearance of Cordiceramus in the upper part of the Burnham Formation at Flamborough Head (Mortimore et al. 2001). Ranges up to the appearance of Uintacrinus.

Uintacrinus socialis Zone

Based on the first appearance of Uintacrinus.

Marsupites laevigatus Zone

Based on the first appearance of Marsupites laevigatus.

Marsupites testudinarius Zone

Based on the first appearance of Marsupites testudinarius.

Uintacrinus anglicus Zone

The interval from the last Marsupites to the last Uintacrinus (Mitchell 1995c).

Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata Zone

The Inoceramus lingua Zone is a difficult zone, since the species Inoceramus lingua is based on a juvenile without adult sculpture to which current taxonomy cannot be applied (e.g. Seitz 1965). As an alternative, the belemnite Gonioteuthis granulataquadrata Stolley is used here.

Scaphites binodosus Zone

Based on the first occurrence of the ammonite S. binodosus which occurs in the highest part of the coastal Chalk at Sewerby Steps (Whitham 1993) and also at some inland pits (Whitham 1993).

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