IN THE ANGLO-PARIS BASIN 15 



The sudden change from a deeply sulcate to a channelled venter in Euhopiites which 

 occurs at a height of 2 inches (0-051 m.) up from the base of Bed V was taken by the 

 writer to mark the base of the nitidus Subzone and the lautus Zone (Owen 1958 ; 

 157-8, 162). There are a few scattered phosphatic nodules at this level and a small 

 break in deposition is further suggested by the sequence at Ford Place, Trottiscliffe 

 (p. 22). The remainder of Bed V together with Bed VI are classified with the nitidus 

 Subzone and yield a typical fauna. Apart from the highly burrowed nature of the 

 clay, Bed VI is also characterised by particularly tuberculate examples of Dimor- 

 phoplites of the parkinsoni type. The lower part of Bed VII, previously classified 

 with the daviesi Subzone, in fact still contains a nitidus Subzone fauna and must be 

 classified with that Subzone (Owen i960 ; 376). Anahoplites daviesi does not appear 

 in the sequence until a height of about 5 feet (1-524 m.) is reached, and this and 

 closely related forms characterise the remainder of these clays of Bed VII which are 

 classified with the daviesi Subzone. 



Bed VIII at the summit of the Lower Gault was classified by Spath and subsequent 

 authors with the cristatum Subzone here included in the Upper Albian (inflatum 

 Zone). The depositional history of Bed VIII is complex. The lower nodule bed 

 VIII (i) represents a moderate break in deposition, and its fauna includes the bivalves 

 Inoceramus concentricus, I. sulcatus subsulcatus and /. sulcatus, and the ammonites 

 Dipoloceras bouchardianum (d'Orbigny) and Beudanticeras beudanti (Brongniart) . 

 At Wissant (p. 85) on the French coast 22 miles from Folkestone, the equivalent of 

 Bed VIII (i) is represented by the clays of Bed 12 (v) in which a coarse form of /. 

 concentricus at the base soon passes into the subsulcatus stage to achieve the sulcatus 

 form at the top. This bed also yielded the holotype of D. bouchardianum and B. 

 beudanti also occurs. It is, however, apparent that some material of late daviesi 

 Subzone age is also present in the remanie fauna of Bed VIII (i) at Folkestone. This 

 element can be demonstrated by the occurrence of very coarse developments of 

 Anahoplites of the daviesi group and typical /. concentricus. 



A detailed discussion of Bed VIII and its fauna is out of place here but it is 

 essentially of cristatum Subzone age. The uncondensed sequence at Wissant indicates 

 that the incoming of the typical fauna of the cristatum Subzone was quite rapid. This 

 fauna continues on into the basal few feet of Bed IX which will also have to be 

 classified with the cristatum Subzone. Bed VIII is in all truth a junction bed as the 

 early workers recognised. 



(ii) FOLKESTONE TO THE MEDWAY 



No complete sequence in the Lower Gault has been seen between Folkestone and 

 Chrismill Lane, Thurnham, on the Maidstone By-Pass, a distance of 29 miles (46 67 

 km.). What little information is available is ably presented by Smart, Bisson & 

 Worssam 1966 (Folkestone to Westwell), Worssam et al., 1963 (to a few miles W. of 

 Maidstone), and Dines, Holmes & Robbie 1954. A little additional information is 

 given here, and the correlation of the sections is shown in text-fig. 3. 



It is apparent that the sequence seen at Copt Point has changed already by 

 Elenden Gardens, Cheriton (Spath 1923c ; 141-2) but unfortunately no precise 



