Petrology and depositional history of the Campanian strata at Maltesholm, Scania, southern Sweden

Abstract: Campanian sediments of the Maltesholm quarry consist of mostly coarse grained, poorly consolidated, ruditic grainstones, almost free of micrite and lime mud, with interbedded clay horizons. The main constituents of the grainstones are coralline algae and quartz. The lack of micrite and the abundance of coralline algae indicates a nearshore, shallow, high energy environment. Two different facies may be recognised, fair weather facies with rudists in abundance, and storm facies with pebble and shell fragment conglomerates, scour and fill structures and hummocky cross bedded sequences. The conglomerate pebbles are well rounded and consist of mostly Precambrian rocks, limonite nodules and quartz. The clay horizons are secondary injected fillings of cracks and fissures in the limestone. Paleocurrent data of belemnite rostra indicates a storm driven current direction perpendicular to the shore line. The belemnites are of the species Belemnellocamax mammillatus and show an age of Late early Campanian. In comparison with other localities in the Kristianstad basin, the same type of environments may be found in the Ullstorp and Ignaberga quarries.