Hydrological differences between the Lutetian Paris and Hampshire basins revealed by stable isotopes of conid gastropods

Abstract

During the Eocene greenhouse (56.0–33.9 Ma), northwest Europe was dominated by a semi-arid para-tropical climate but the paleohydrological conditions are poorly known. To gain more insight into seasonal hydrological conditions in the region, we compare Lutetian (middle Eocene, ∼ 44–45 Ma) mollusk δ18O records from two shallow marine basins on either side of the English Channel, i.e., the Paris and Hampshire Basins. The semi-circular Paris Basin was open to the Atlantic Ocean, while the Hampshire Basin was more enclosed and influenced by the draining of several rivers. The proximity of the basins and the similarity of their faunal assemblages suggest that they experienced roughly similar seawater temperatures but the seasonal hydrology is expected to have been different between these basins. Among the numerous mollusks present in both basins are several members of Conidae, a gastropod family that is particularly well-suited for paleoseasonality reconstructions. To assess the paleohydrological differences between these basins we analyzed the stable oxygen isotopic composition of three specimens of Eoconus deperditus from the Banc à Verrains in the middle part of the Calcaire Grossier Formation of the Paris Basin (France), and three specimens of Eoconus edwardsi from the Shepherd’s Gutter Bed in the upper part of the Selsey Formation of the Hampshire Basin (United Kingdom). While the seasonal variability appears to have been similar between these basins, the δ18O values of the Hampshire Basin specimens are consistently lower than those in the Paris Basin, suggesting a regional difference in δ18Osw of 1–2‰ between the basins. This difference in δ18Osw was likely related to the greater influence of fluvial discharge within the Hampshire basin, compared to the Paris Basin.

Keywords

• conidae
• paleohydrology
• lutetian