LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE CRETACEOUS (BARREMIAN-SANTONIAN) HOLD WITH HOPE GROUP, NE GREENLAND

The finest exposures of Barremian to Santonian sedimentary rocks in th e northern North Atlantic region are exposed in Hold with Hope, NE Gre enland. These rocks comprise the Hold with Hope Group which, together with its constituent formations and members are defined here as new li thostratigraphic units. The strata are dated as Cretaceous by use of m olluscan macrofaunas and dinoflagellate cysts. The marine mudstone-dom inated Hold with Hope Group is over 1300 m thick and is divided into t he Steensby Bjerg and Home Forland formations. The sandstone-dominated Steensby Bjerg Formation (Barremian-Albian) is 300 m thick. It rests with angular unconformity on sandstones attributed to the Vardekloft F ormation (Middle Jurassic) and is subdivided into the Diener Bjerg, Gu lelv, Stribedal, Blaelv, Stensio Plateau and Rodelv members. The mudst one-dominated Home Forland Formation (Albian-Santonian) is over 1000 m thick. It rests unconformably on the Steensby Bjerg, Vardekloft and W ordie Creek (Triassic) formations. It is subdivided into the Fosdalen, Nanok, Ostersletten, and Knudshoved members. The Hold with Hope Group is overlain unconformably by Tertiary basalts and sedimentary rocks. The original proximity of Hold with Hope to the Voring Basin is signif icant for possible Cretaceous hydrocarbon plays on the formerly adjace nt NW European margin.