Mid-Cretaceous onlap history of the Market Weighton structural high, northeast England

Abstract

The mid-Cretaceous sediments of northeast England were deposited at the western margin of the southern North Sea Basin, with sedimentation occurring in a range of tectonic settings. Detailed analysis of the areal distribution and sedimentary facies of Aptian to earliest Cenomanian sediments has allowed the pattern of onlap onto the Market Weighton structural high and changes in relative sea level to be documented. Successive onlap episodes during the Early Aptian, Late Aptian and Early Albian culminated in the final flooding of the structure during the Late Albian (varicosum Subzone). Sea-level curves generated from coastal onlap patterns are difficult to relate to published ‘global’ sea-level curves due to the high frequency of the fluctuations in relative sea level observed. Despite this, detailed correlation and analysis of sedimentological events suggest that even the most expanded, basinal succession is relatively incomplete. This study has also shown that the change from dominantly syn-tectonic to dominantly post-tectonic sedimentation style occurred in the late Early Albian.