A Palynological Zonation for the Paleocene of the North Sea Basin

Abstract. The proprietary palynological zonation developed by Shell U.K. Exploration and Production for the Paleocene of the North Sea Basin is formally released and described. Four main zones - in ascending order PT11, PT13, PT15 and PT19 - can be consistently recognised basin-wide from microplankton assemblages. The zonation for the central North Sea provides a further fourfold, mainly pollen-based, subdivision - PT19.1, PT19.2, PT19.3 and PT19.4 - of the prospective Forties Formation. Changes in climate may be considered a major influence over quantitative shifts in the Late Paleocene pollen spectrum and so it is reasonable to assume that such shifts may represent ‘time-lines’; hence the subzones may be valid over a much wider area than the central North Sea.