Discrimination and correlation of highest Jurassic and lowest cretaceous terrestrial palynofloras in north‐west Europe

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Abstract
Tithonian, Berriasian, and Valanginian sediments in southern England and northern Germany are developed largely in marginal marine and non‐marine facies. Spore‐pollen floras from the Wessex Basin of Britain and the Lower Saxony Basin of Germany can be subdivided into discrete suites representing Tithonian, lower Berriasian, upper Berriasian, and lower Valanginian respectively. These suites can be used to correlate the Purbeck Beds and Wealden of southern England with the Münder Formation and Bückeberg Formation (formerly German “Wealden") of northern Germany. Morphologic gradations between Trilobosporites, Impardecispora, and Concavissimisporites are described in stratigraphic sequence and related to possible evolutionary trends occurring in the Berriasian‐Valanginian interval. Dinoflagellates are associated with the spore‐pollen assemblages in marine and brackish horizons and allow recognition of distinctive upper Kimmeridgian, Portlan‐dian, upper Tithonian, Berriasian, and upper Valanginian assemblages respectively. Abnormal salinities in the Purbeck Beds may have controlled the composition of some of the algal assemblages.