Evolution of contourite systems in the late Cretaceous Chalk Sea along the Tornquist Zone

Late Cretaceous bottom currents shaped the southern Baltic Sea's seafloor, creating two major contourite systems along the Tornquist Zone. Seismic and well data reveal that Turonian to Campanian tectonic uplift formed obstacles influencing these currents. A shallow, south-east directed flow generated contourite channels and drifts, including the system offshore Stevns Klint. A deeper, north-west current emerged later, forming a drift-moat system linked to the Alnarp Valley in Scania. This study integrates findings from the Kattegat and Stevns Klint, linking them to these inferred currents.

Hübscher, C., Hseinat, M. A., Schneider, M., & Betzler, C. (2019). Evolution of contourite systems in the late Cretaceous Chalk Sea along the Tornquist Zone. Sedimentology, 66(4), 1341–1360. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12564