Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the post mid-Miocene in two boreholes in the Danish North Sea

Abstract

Cutting samples from two exploration wells, Cleo-1 and Kim-1, in the Central Trough area in the northwestern part of the Danish North Sea, have been investigated for foraminiferal content in the section above the prominent mid-Miocene event. Benthonic foraminifera have been used to produce a stratigraphic subdivision by reference to the standard NSB zonation of King. The NSB 12 to NSB 17 zones (Middle Miocene to Middle Pleistocene) have been identified above the event. These zones can be related to the paleo water depth zonation. Paleoenvironrnental reconstruction shows that sediments from the subject interval from Cleo-1 were deposited in a shallower situation than equivalent deposits in Kim-1. A conspicuous hiatus is identified in Cleo-1 at the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary.