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Effects and causes in a black shale event — the Toarcian Posidonia Shale of NW Germany

  • Triassic To Jurassic
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Global Bio-Events

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences ((LNEARTH,volume 8))

Abstract

Black shale formation in the Toarcian of NW Germany is associated with a major turnover in phytoplankton assemblages interpreted as the response to lowered salinities in surface waters of the epicontinental sea. The resulting halocline leeds to anoxia of varying degrees at the sediment surface and in the water column controlling the extent of benthic life. The bulk of organic matter concentrated in the Posidonia Shale occurs as thin bituminous laminae considered to be the remnants of microbial mats stabilizing the redox boundary at the sediment surface. Possible links with oceanic circulation may provide a basis for correlation with contemporaneous events in other regions.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut und Museum für Geologie und Paläontologie, Universität Göttingen, D-3400, Göttingen, Germany

    Michael Prauss

Authors
  1. Walter Riegel
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  2. Hartmut Loh
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  3. Bernd Maul
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  4. Michael Prauss
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Editor information

Otto H. Walliser Prof. Dr.

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© 1986 Springer-Verlag

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Riegel, W., Loh, H., Maul, B., Prauss, M. (1986). Effects and causes in a black shale event — the Toarcian Posidonia Shale of NW Germany. In: Walliser, O.H. (eds) Global Bio-Events. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0010214

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0010214

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-17180-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47244-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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