UPPER TITHONIAN AND BERRIASIAN CALCAREOUS NANNOFOSSILS FROM THE VOCONTIAN TROUGH (SE FRANCE) - BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY

Three Upper Tithonian - Berriasian reference sections of the Vocontian Trough (SE France) were investigated with calcareous nannofossil quantitative biostratigraphy, The results are compared with a pre-established sequence-stratigraphic framework, in order: to obtain a better calibration of the sequence-stratigraphic events with the calcareous nannofossils; to test the possibilities and limitations of calcareous nannofossils in sequence-stratigraphic interpretation and to define if general trends (in total abundance, specific diversity, total abundance of groups such as nannoconids or placoliths, etc.) are observed throughout the different systems tracts of a succession of relatively deep-water third-order depositional sequences (maximum or minimum abundance peaks, increasing or decreasing curve patterns, etc.). These results are included in a series of papers published in this volume (STROHMENGER & STRASSER, DECONINCK, EMMANUEL & RENARD, STEFFEN & GORIN, MONTEIL), and integrated into a synthetic sequence-stratigraphic interpretation (JAN Du CHENE et al., 1993).