Late Jurassic-early Cretaceous reef trends on the continental margin SW of the British Isles

Abstract

Abstract: SUMMARY: Multichannel seismic reflection data has been used to outline the distribution of reefs or carbonate banks on the continental margin SW of the British Isles. This distribution is discussed in terms of regional structure and stratigraphy. All the reefal bodies are pre-Aptian in age, with evidence for both late Jurassic and early Cretaceous phases of reef development. Reef growth was contemporaneous with rifting prior to the occurrence of sea-floor spreading in the Bay of Biscay. The distribution of reefs suggests that shallow marine conditions persisted in the Goban Spur area until middle Cretaceous time, while a deeper embayment may have occupied the Bay of Biscay as early as the late Jurassic.