An equivalent of the "Faraoni Level" in the South-East of France, possibleevidence for a late Hauterivian anoxic event in the Mediterranean Tethys

An equivalent of the Faraoni Level, originally described in the Umbyia-Marc he Basin (central Italy) as a regional marker-bed and then recognised in th e Venitian southern Alps, is discovered in the Vergons section (Vocontian B asin, S-E France). Lithological, micropaleontological and geochemical chara cteristics of this level are very similar in the three basins, palaeogeogra phically separated by 1000 km. This marker-bed is characterised by its rich ness in marine organic matter, although its organic content in the Vocontia n Basin is lower compared to that of Italian sites. Thus, a late Hauterivia n anoxic event, which led to the deposition of this level, is expressed in both northern and southern margins of the Mediterranean Tethys.