Weald Clay (Lower Cretaceous) palaeoenvironments in south-east England: molluscan evidence

Abstract

The contribution of molluscan studies to the interpretation of Weald Clay nonmarine environments in the Weald Sub-basin of the Wessex-Weald Basin is summarized. Sedimentological signatures of Weald Clay shell beds reflect a range of lagoonal, lacustrine and alluvial environments and show that the low-diversity molluscan assemblages were subjected to varying degrees of post-mortem modification. These faunas indicate freshwater and fluctuating brackish-water conditions, ranging into the brachyhaline field. Combined palaeontological and sedimentological evidence suggests both Boreal and Tethyan marine influences during the most saline episodes.