Site 549.

Abstract

The most significant achievements at Site 549 were as follows: 1) Recovery of a thick Barremian synrift sequence that directly overlies Hercynian basement of middle to late Devonian age. 2) Identification of the oldest postrift sediments as early Albian in age. 3) Recovery of 0.5m of black shale (late Cenomanian) that contains marine organic carbon and is embedded within a 100m sequence of white Upper Cretaceous chalk. 4) Recovery of a nearly complete sequence of upper Paleocene to upper Oligocene pelagic sediments that contain rich assemblages of mostly well preserved calcareous micro- and nannofossils. This sequence may be the best biostratigraphic reference section for this interval in the eastern North Atlantic. Eleven lithologic units were identified.-from Authors