ANOMALOUS TURONIAN CAMPANIAN CHALK DEPOSITION IN SOUTH DORSET - THE INFLUENCE OF INHERITED PRE-ALBIAN STRUCTURES

The Turonian-Campanian Upper Chalk in the area between Dorchester and Weymouth in Dorset shows an abnormal development of hard chalk beds in the late Coniacian-Santonian Micraster coranguinum to the early Campa nian Gonioteuthis quadrata zones. The chalk is also strongly affected by faults representing the surface expression of reactivated underlyin g pre-Albian structures. This suggests a link between tectonism and Tu ronian-Campanian chalk deposition, which may be related to the proximi ty of the south Dorset disturbance.