Magnetostratigraphy and high-resolution lithostratigraphy of the Permian–Triassic boundary interval in Central Germany

A comprehensive lithostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic study was carried out in order to provide a magnetic polarity scale for the Lower Buntsandstein of the classic Germanic Trias. In its type area of Central Germany the ∼300 m thick Lower Buntsandstein consists of 20 small-scale fining-upward cycles. They can be correlated over large parts of the Central European Basin using a combination of high-resolution cyclic stratigraphy and gamma-ray logging. On the basis of this robust lithostratigraphic framework a very precise positioning and correlation of paleomagnetic results has been realized. Eight outcrops and one completely cored well were collected, yielding a total of ∼900 paleomagnetic samples. From about 80% of them a characteristic remanence was obtained. The consistent correlation of lithostratigraphic units and magnetozones supports an early acquisition of the characteristic magnetizations in both the magnetite-bearing gray lithologies as well as the hematite-bearing red-brown lithologies. The inter-section correlation of all investigated profiles allows the creation of a well-defined composite magnetic polarity scale. The uppermost Zechstein comprises one normal (znz) and two reversed (zry, zrz) magnetozones. In the overlying Lower Buntsandstein are delineated three normal (sn1 to sn3) and three reversed (sr1 to sr3) well-documented magnetozones, which can be correlated with magnetic records from the Boreal and Tethyan realms. The combination of magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data suggests the base of the Oolite Alpha 2 within the beds of the so-called ‘Graubankbereich’ (Lower Buntsandstein) as the position of the Hindeodus parvus calibrated Permian–Triassic boundary within the Germanic Trias. It is situated within the lowermost part of a remarkable thick normal magnetozone (sn1), which is a distinctive feature occurring in virtually all magnetic records across the Permian–Triassic boundary.