Integrated stratigraphy of the lower Danubian Cretaceous Group (lower Upper Cretaceous, southern Germany)

The Danubian Cretaceous Group (DCG; Bavaria, SE-Germany) represents the deposits of one of the most pronounced sea-level rises in the Phanerozoic. Integrated stratigraphy (litho-, sequence-, and chemostratigraphy) and (micro-) facies analysis of the Lower Cenomanian–Middle Turonian strata of the DCG based on new drill cores from the north of Regensburg and the Grub section in the Bodenwöhrer Senke provides new insights in the process linked to the early Late Cretaceous sea-level rise.

Unconformably overlying Jurassic carbonates or Variscan granites, the Cretaceous succession includes the Regensburg (Lower Cenomanian–Upper Cenomanian), Eibrunn (uppermost Cenomanian–lowermost Turonian), Winzerberg (Lower Turonian) and partly Kagerhöh and Roding (Middle Turonian) formations. All lithofacies is of marine origin and consists of glauconitic sandstones, argillaceous marlstones, silty-spiculitic wackestones to marlstones, fine-grained (marly) sandstones, glauconitites and bioclastic wackestones. Five Cenomanian–Turonian sequence boundaries and their corresponding depositional sequences have been identified. Their correlative nature on an intra-basinal scale and beyond suggests a eustatic control of the depositional processes. High-resolution carbon stable isotope-based chemostratigraphy through the Cenomanian to Lower Turonian considerably improves correlation to nearby sections and European reference sections in southern England and France. A nearly complete record of the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2) allows a detailed stratigraphic calibration of the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary interval and provides new insides into the environmental processes associated with OAE 2 in the Danubian Cretaceous Basin, including the first proof of the Plenus Cold Event from the region.