The Kristianstad Basin is located in northeastern Skåne, the southernmost province of Sweden, extending from Hanöbukten, a bay in the Baltic Sea, in the east to the town of Hässleholm in the west.
The basement of the basin is crystalline and deeply weathered bedrock from the Precambrian.
Most of this weathering, and the uneven topography of the basement, is due to the warm and moist climate experienced during the Jurassic or Early Cretaceous.
The basement is overlaid by approximately 250 metres (820 feet) of mainly shallow water or marine sediments from the Cretaceous, ranging in age from the Barremian to the earliest Maastrichtian.
In addition to the aquatic sediments, there are delta plain deposits of late Santonian to earliest Campanian age, overlaid by marine strata of latest Early Campanian age.

The surface of the basement slopes to the south and is cut off by Linderödsåsen and Nävlingeåsen, two horsts that mark the basin's south-western boundary.
To the south-east, the basin's margin is marked by the Baltic Sea while the basin's northern margin is more diffuse, with several small outliers of Cretaceous-age sediments.

During the Late Cretaceous, the basement of the basin was subjected to several regressions and transgressions.
The sediments within the basin are dominated by fine- to coarse-grained sandy biocalcarenites (calcarenites that contain fossils) and more or less consolidated sandstones.
Conglomeratic beds are also common, typically consisting of belemnite rostra or bivalve shells and coarse terrigenous clastic rocks.
There are also several flint beds in the upper parts of the strata, dating to the early Late Campanian through the earliest Maastrichtian.
Dominant sediment types from the Early Campanian are oyster banks, calcarenites and calcareous, glauconitic quartz sands.

Accessible strata exposed in the basin range in age from Early or early Middle Santonian to earliest Maastrichtian.
A majority of the fossil sites only expose strata of latest Early Campanian age (c. 80 million years ago).
With the sole exception of the Ugnsmunnarna site, which is the only large natural outcrop of Late Cretaceous strata in Sweden, the sites within the Kristianstad Basin are the result of commercial kaolin clay/limestone exploitation.

The biozones of the Kristianstad Basin, based on belemnite fossils, are:
Early to Middle Santonian: Gonioteuthis westfalica westfalica.

Late Middle Santonian: Gonioteuthis westfalicagranulata.

Late Santonian: Gonioteuthis granulata.

Earliest Campanian: Gonioteuthis granulaquadrata, alongside Actinocamax verus, Belemnellocamax grossouvrei and Belemnitella alpha.

Latest Early Campanian: Belemnellocamax mammillatus, alongside Belemnitella mucronata and Gonioteuthis quadrata scaniensis.
This zone is exceptionally rich in vertebrate fossils and diversity.

Earliest Late Campanian: Belemnellocamax balsvikensis.

Early Late Campanian: Belemnitella mucronata.

Middle Late Campanian: also Belemnitella mucronata.

Late Late Campanian or earliest Maastrichtian: Belemnella lanceolata.
The Kristianstad Basin is located in northeastern Skåne, the southernmost province of Sweden, extending from Hanöbukten, a bay in the Baltic Sea, in the east to the town of Hässleholm in the west. The basement of the basin is crystalline and deeply weathered bedrock from the Precambrian. Most of this weathering, and the uneven topography of the basement, is due to the warm and moist climate experienced during the Jurassic or Early Cretaceous. The basement is overlaid by approximately 250 metres (820 feet) of mainly shallow water or marine sediments from the Cretaceous, ranging in age from the Barremian to the earliest Maastrichtian. In addition to the aquatic sediments, there are delta plain deposits of late Santonian to earliest Campanian age, overlaid by marine strata of latest Early Campanian age.
The surface of the basement slopes to the south and is cut off by Linderödsåsen and Nävlingeåsen, two horsts that mark the basin's south-western boundary. To the south-east, the basin's margin is marked by the Baltic Sea while the basin's northern margin is more diffuse, with several small outliers of Cretaceous-age sediments.
During the Late Cretaceous, the basement of the basin was subjected to several regressions and transgressions. The sediments within the basin are dominated by fine- to coarse-grained sandy biocalcarenites (calcarenites that contain fossils) and more or less consolidated sandstones. Conglomeratic beds are also common, typically consisting of belemnite rostra or bivalve shells and coarse terrigenous clastic rocks. There are also several flint beds in the upper parts of the strata, dating to the early Late Campanian through the earliest Maastrichtian. Dominant sediment types from the Early Campanian are oyster banks, calcarenites and calcareous, glauconitic quartz sands.
Accessible strata exposed in the basin range in age from Early or early Middle Santonian to earliest Maastrichtian. A majority of the fossil sites only expose strata of latest Early Campanian age (c. 80 million years ago). With the sole exception of the Ugnsmunnarna site, which is the only large natural outcrop of Late Cretaceous strata in Sweden, the sites within the Kristianstad Basin are the result of commercial kaolin clay/limestone exploitation.
The biozones of the Kristianstad Basin, based on belemnite fossils, are:
Early to Middle Santonian: Gonioteuthis westfalica westfalica.
Late Middle Santonian: Gonioteuthis westfalicagranulata.
Late Santonian: Gonioteuthis granulata.
Earliest Campanian: Gonioteuthis granulaquadrata, alongside Actinocamax verus, Belemnellocamax grossouvrei and Belemnitella alpha.
Latest Early Campanian: Belemnellocamax mammillatus, alongside Belemnitella mucronata and Gonioteuthis quadrata scaniensis. This zone is exceptionally rich in vertebrate fossils and diversity.
Earliest Late Campanian: Belemnellocamax balsvikensis.
Early Late Campanian: Belemnitella mucronata.
Middle Late Campanian: also Belemnitella mucronata.
Late Late Campanian or earliest Maastrichtian: Belemnella lanceolata.
Kristianstad Basin