Biostratigraphy v. geophysics; correlation of Middle Turonian chalks in the Anglo-Paris Basin

Abstract

High-resolution correlations between boreholes are commonly based on a combination of geophysical well-log data and biostratigraphy, and when these conflict resolution can be contentious and difficult. Such a situation exists in the Middle Turonian chalks of the Anglo-Paris Basin, where electrical resistivity logs, registering thin but seemingly laterally continuous beds of clay-rich chalk (marls) in mostly uncored boreholes, provide apparently straightforward correlations across broad regions. In contrast, detailed biostratigraphical analysis using microcrinoids provides very different results, showing the presence of a major hiatus associated with a hardground and differing significantly from the geophysical correlations. Detailed re-examination of this contentious problem, utilizing exposures adjacent to boreholes, demonstrates the supremacy of detailed biostratigraphical analysis, independently supported by regional thickness patterns, cyclostratigraphy and geochemistry. Although closely spaced geophysical well logs can afford convincing correlations, their use in correlation over broader geographical regions leads to erroneous and misleading conclusions.