Stratal geometries, facies and sea‐floor erosion in Upper Cretaceous Chalk, Normandy, France

Unusual lenticular stratal geometries and facies of the Upper Cretaceous Chalk of coastal Haute Normandie, France, are described and interpreted. Thirteen facies within these chalks are described and illustrated on the basis of field, thin-section and SEM investigations: nannofossil mudstones, nannofossil hardgrounds, echinoderm wackestones and packstones, echinoderm hardgrounds, bryozoan mudstones and wackestones, bryozoan hardgrounds, bryozoan packstones and wackestones, inoceramid wackestones, inoceramid hardgrounds, sponge hardgrounds, marly chalks, conglomeratic chalks and debris flow chalks.

These facies occur within lenticular bedded structures with both concave-up and concave-down geometries which have been previously interpreted as megaripples, mud mounds or tectonic structures. Detailed examination of the structures and the associated facies indicates that the concave-up geometries were formed from submarine erosion, and redeposition in NW-SE longitudinal channels. The concave-down geometries developed between adjacent channels. Assessment of the regional and temporal setting indicates that the erosion occurred in the Armorican-Cornubian straits of the Anglo-Paris Basin during sea-level lowstands. Within these straits channelling is preferentially developed on the positive, south-western block to the Lillebonne-Fécamp-Cotentin Fault.