Organic Matter Accumulation : The Organic Cyclicities of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Yorkshire, GB) and the Recent Maar Sediments (Lac du Bouchet, France)

The accumulation of organic matter allows inferences about a wide selection of processes in the geological past. The Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Yorkshire, U.K.) can be regarded as a model of the formation of hydrocarbon source rocks. The driving force of organic matter accumulation is the organic phytoplankton productivity, whereas oxygenation conditions seem to have played a secondary role. In Lake Bouchet (French Massif Central) organic matter appears to be a good indicator of paleoenvironmental changes occurring for over 350000 years. The book is of special interest to geologists and geochemists interested in organic matter accumulation. By looking at examples such as the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Yorkshire, UK), regarded as a model of the formation of hydrocarbon source rocks, this text looks at the accumulation of organic matter allowing inferences about a wide selection of processes in the geological past.