Turonian Stage

Turonian Stage

 

the second lowest stage of the upper division of the Cretaceous system. It was first identified in central France in 1842 by the French geologist A. d’ Orbigny. At its type location near the city of Tours, it is composed of sandstones, marls, and chalk, which contain abundant remnants of bivalve and cephalopod mollusks, sea urchins, foraminifers, and other organisms. The Turanian stage is widespread in the USSR; it is represented by various types of rock that formed under marine and continental conditions.