Anomalous cross-bedding directions in the late Aptian Lower Greensand of southern England and their possible correlative significance

Abstract

Palaeocurrent data for the Lower Greensand indicate a preponderance of flow to the southeast but evidence for current flow to the northwest has been obtained from late Aptian Lower Greensand successions near Nutfield (Surrey), Caine (Wiltshire) and Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire). It is argued that these anomalous palaeocurrent directions represent current flow in relatively shallow water and that such conditions are likely to have existed during a specific period of relatively low sealevel stand in the late Late Aptian. On this basis the occurrence of anomalous cross-bedding directions may be used to establish a correlation between northern and southern Lower Greensand successions within an interval noted for its poor biostratigraphic record.