| Abstract: | Two cored boreholes in the central part of the North West German Basin recovered a unique section of Upper Barremian to Lower Aptian strata. Calcareous nannofossils show a distinctive shift from boreal endemic assemblages in the Barremian to cosmopolitan ones in the Aptian. This onset of new cosmopolitan species (e.g., Chiastozygus litterarius, Flabellites oblongus, Rhagodiscus angustus, Braarudosphaera sp., Eprolithus sp.) is spread over an interval of 25m, starting well below the early Aptian "Fischschiefer", a dark laminated shale rich in organic matter. These changes in the composition of calcareous nannofossils indicate that major palaeoceanographic changes occurred before the deposition of the Fischschiefer.The distribution pattern of calcispheres allows the differentiation of two sedimentary successions, separated by the Fischschiefer. The lower succession, which includes the sediments below the base of the Fischschiefer, indicates a boreal-pelagic environment. The lower part of the upper successions which includes the Fischschiefer, represents warmer inner shelf conditions. This corresponds to the presence of rich Tethyan-derived nannoconid assemblages and the presence of the planktonic foraminifera Hedbergella in the Fischschiefer. The topmost part of the upper succession (middle Aptian, Hedbergella marl) suggests a change to a pelagic warmer water environment. Two new taxa are introduced: the calcareous dinoflagellate cyst Obliquipithonella laqueata n. sp. and the foraminiferan Choanaella fortunate n. gen. n. sp. |
