Dinoflagellate cyst zonation of the Aalenian-Oxfordian interval on the southern margin of the Paris Basin

A palynostratigraphical analysis has been performed on the Dogger and the l ower Maim strata in Burgundy. It is based on 400 samples recovered from 27 outcrops and 7 boreholes located in the southeast of the Paris Basin. Most of the outcrops and drillings have good macropalaeontological control (ammo nites and brachiopods). The spectrum of dinoflagellate cysts comprises 102 species (within 54 genera). 46 species (30 genera) can be used as marker fo ssils and form the basis of a biozonation of the Aalenian-Oxfordian interva l that comprises 9 zones and 7 subzones which have been correlated with the standard ammonite zonation. Similarities and differences between this work and zonations proposed in surrounding areas have been demonstrated. This h ighlights the pivotal role of the Jurassic of the Paris basin in understand ing the influence of provincialism on the palynostratigraphy of Western Eur ope. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.