Depositional environment of the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) strata at Maltesholm, Scania, southern Sweden

Abstract

Campanian sedimentary rocks of the Maltesholm quarry consist of mostly coarse-grained, poorly consolidated, ruditic grainstones, almost free of micrite and lime mud, with interbedded clay horizons. The main constituents of the grainstones are coralline algae and quartz. Abundance of coralline algae and lack of micrite indicate a shallow, nearshore, high-energy environment. Two different main facies may be recognised, viz. fair weather facies with rudists in abundance, and storm facies with pebble and shell fragment conglomerates, scour and fill structures, and hummocky cross-bedded deposits. The conglomerate pebbles are well rounded and consist mostly of Precambrian rocks, limonite nodules, and quartz. Palaeocurrent data of belemnite rostra indicate a storm driven current direction perpendicular to an inferred palaeoshoreline. Compared with other localities in the Kristianstad basin, the same type of environments are found in the Ullstorp and Ignaberga quarries located in the northern part of the basin.