Neogene of the Alpine-Carpathian Foreland Basin Oead - STC Project SK 09/2018 - at Excursion #1 19-21 October 2018 - Upper and Lower Austria

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Neogene of the Alpine-Carpathian Foreland Basin OeAD - STC Project SK 09/2018 - AT Excursion #1 19-21 October 2018 - Upper and Lower Austria

Neogene of the Alpine-Carpathian Foreland Basin

OeAD - STC Project SK 09/2018 - AT Excursion #1

19-21 October 2018 - Upper and Lower Austria

Prepared by

Oleg Mandic1, Mathias Harzhauser1, Christian Rupp2, Reinhard Roetzel3 and Matthias Kranner1

1 Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Wien, Austria. 2 Geological Survey of Austria, Neulinggasse 38, 1030 Wien, Austria.

2018 Natural History Museum Vienna

Schedule Light conditions: daylight 7:30 - 18:00

18.10. Thursday 1. Geboltskirchen - Meeting Point at Landgasthof Ledererwirt (18:00-20:00)

#1st day - 19.10. Friday Bed & Breakfast - Landgasthof Ledererwirt, Feld 2, 4682 Geboltskirchen

1. Gravelpit Urhamer - Hausruck Fm. and Ampflwang Fm. (upper Miocene) - 48.116360 13.566042* 2. Eberschwang-Straß - brickyard - Ried Fm., stratotype (middle Ottnangian) - 48.116360 13.566042 3. Kalletsberg - Ampflwang Fm., stratotype (upper Miocene) - 48.068654 13.612187 4. Ottnang - Sandpit Fischer - Atzbach Fm. (lower Ottnangian) - 48.094442 13.663962 5. Ottnang Schanze - Ottnang Fm., stratotype, holostratotype (lower Ottnangian) - 48.101944, 13.667778 6. Prambachkirchen - Weinzierlbruck pit - Linz-Melk Fm. (Egerian); Plesching Fm. (="Phosphoritsand"; lower Ottnangian) - 48.322098 13.901664 7. Unterrudling - former brickyard Obermair - Linz-Melk Fm. and Eferding Fm. (stratotype) (lower Egerian) - 48.304686 13.995454

#2nd day - 20.10. Saturday Bed & Breakfast - Cleverhotel, Hotelstraße 2 / St. Pöltnerstraße 120, 3130 Herzogenburg

1. St. Pölten - Prater - Traisen Fm. (upper Ottnangian) - 48.215573 15.621387 2. Obernholz - Fels Fm. (lower Eggenburgian) - 48.510341 15.742254 3. Kirchenbruch - Burgschleinitz Fm., faciostratotype (upper Eggenburgian) - 48.604930 15.816054 4. Johannesbruch - Zogelsdorf Fm., stratotype (lower Ottnangian) - 48.620063 15.810652 5. Limberg - Quarry Hengl - Burgschleinitz Fm. and Zogelsdorf Fm. (lower Ottnangian) - 48.594906 15.854259 6. Limberg - Taubenberg diatomite pit - Limberg Mb. / Zellerndorf Fm. (upper Ottnangian) - 48.597867 15.871917 7. Straning - tuff and tuffite (Karpatian) / Zellerndorf Fm. (Ottnangian) - 48.619167 15.859500

#3rd day - 21.10. Sunday Bed & Breakfast - Gasthof Berger, Hauptplatz 15, 3712 Maissau

1. Mailberg - Buchberg - Mailberg Fm., stratotype (Badenian) - 48.671138 16.156577 2. Breitenwaida - Hollabrunn Fm. (Pannonian) - 48.528074 16.075519 3. Göllersdorf - Laa Fm. (Karpatian) - 48.501315 16.125175 4. Kleinebersdorf - Wohlmuth - Korneuburg Fm. (Karpatian) - 48.493991 16.399017 5. Stetten - "Fossilienwelt" - Korneuburg Fm. (Karpatian) - 48.367392 16.359197

* WGS84 Coordinates (N/E) ii

iii

Fig. 1-1 (previous side). Geographic position of the Excursion sites; A. with indicated tectonic and paleogeographic units and position of maps beneath; B. Upper Austrian sites (1st day); C. Lower Austrian sites (2nd and 3rd day) (Google Earth, downloaded on 18/10/2018).

Fig. 1-2. Oligocene – Miocene geochronology, geomagnetic polarity chrons, biozonations of planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton, sequence stratigraphy and sea level, and oxygen isotope stratigraphy partly recalibrated and correlated to regional chronostratigraphy of the Central Paratethys. The black dots on the right column indicate the stratigraphic position of the holostratotypes of the regional stages (modified after Piller et al., 2007, Stratigraphy 4/2-3, p. 153).

OeAD - STC Project SK 09/2018 - AT Excursion #1

#1st day - 19 Oct 2018 (Friday) Tectonic unit: Molasse Unit, North Alpine Foredeep

The Upper Austrian North Alpine Foreland Basin (Molasse Unit)

The Molasse Unite is an asymmetrical foreland basin between the crystalline of the Bohemian Massif in the north and the Alpine bodies in the south. Their more or less flat-lying sediments overlay the older rocks (crystalline, autochthonous Mesozoic sediments) of the Eurasian Plate. After a long period of erosion during the Paleogene, marine sedimentation started again in the Late Eocene (Wagner, 1998). The separate evolution of the Molasse zone started in the earliest Oligocene with the expansion of distinct Paratethys faunal and floral elements (Steininger & Wessely, 2000). In Upper Austria, north of the active Alpine Orogeny, relatively deep and partly isolated basins were developed. In the Early Oligocene (Kiscellian) marine deep-water formations like the Schöneck Fm., the Dynow- Fm., the Eggerding Fm. and the Zupfing Fm. were deposited, overlain by the late Oligocene to early Miocene (Egerian) Puchkirchen Fm. with marls and coarse grained deep-water channel sediments (De Ruig & Hubbard, 2006). At the same time, neighboring the Puchkirchen Fm. to the north, the marly Eferding- and Ebelsberg Formations were deposited, partly interfingering with the shallow marine and sandy Linz-Melk Fm., which laps on the Bohemian Massif. In the Eggenburgian, during the deposition of the Hall Fm., the Molasse Basin deep-water sedimentation ended (Grunert et al., 2013). During the early and middle Ottnangian a wide range of neritic formations were deposited (Fig. 2-1). In addition, the character of sedimentation changed distinctly (Steininger & Wessely, 2000). During the Egerian, the Upper Austrian Molasse basin was rather a semi-enclosed sea, bordered by the Bohemian Massif in the north, the Lower Freshwater Molasse in the west and the rising Alpine nappes in the south, where a marine connection across the partly still submerged Alpine system to the Mediterranean basin was postulated by Wagner (1996). With the end of the Eggenburgian a seaway to the west was established connecting the Molasse Basin via the Rhone valley with the Mediterranean (Steininger & Wessely, 2000) and providing the establishment of a tidal dominated sedimentary regime. Sandy tidal channel sediments (Atzbach Fm., Mehrnbach Fm. etc.), interfingering with marly low energy sediments (Ottnang Fm., Ried Fm., etc.), characterize the early to middle Ottnangian Molasse (Fig. 2-1). In the late Ottnangian the Upper Austrian Molasse Basin was almost filled up with sediments, marine sedimentation ended and the shallow brackish water Oncophora beds were deposited. Subsequently exclusively freshwater sediments of Karpatian to Pannonian age, including several coal-bearing formations, are to be found in the Upper Austrian Molasse Basin. The most remarkable formations are the Kobernaußerwald Fm., the Ampflwang Fm. and the Hausruck Fm., which build up the elevations of Hausruck and Kobernaußerwald (Rupp et al., 2011). Quaternary sediments are widespread in Upper Austria but disregarded here.

Source: Pervesler & Glowniak, 2015

1. Gravelpit Urhamer Topic: Hausruck Fm. Age: late Miocene

The Gravelpit Urhamer is located north of Ampflwang, approximately 1000 meters west of the Urhamerberg. Here the rather thin Ampflwang Formation (Kohlentonserie) is overlain directly by the Hausruck Formation, which is dominated by grey to yellow – brown mid – to coarse gravels within a mid to coarse sand matrix. Occasionally the matrix shows carbonatic cementation (up to 45% carbonate) leading to conglomerated blocks covering large parts of the quarry. Due to alteration, 1 weathering and dissolution these blocks are imbedded in loos gravel (Mackenbach, 1984). Within the not well sorted Hausruckgravel some cross-bedded sand layers or lenses and seldom clay layers or clasts occur. The gravel facies is dominated by quartz and crystalline whereas the matrix shows high contents of Garnet, Epidote, Hornblende and some Staurolite (Aretin, 1988a).

Fig. 2-1. Stratigraphical overview of the Molasse Zone of Upper Austria and Salzburg

The Hausruckgravel lies on the gravelly Kobernaußerwald Formation in the West and on the coal-bearing Ampflwang Formation in the East and is roughly striking from WSW to ENE, whereas the underlying Kobernaußerwaldgravel is striking from NNW to NNE (Mackenbach, 1984). Age determination of the Hausruckgravel was mostly conducted using vertebrate fossils. Since the 19th century mammal fossils of the genera Dorcatherium, Dicerorhinus, Hipparion and Tetralophodon were described from the area surrounding Haag which allowed a rough age determination to the Pannonian (Thenius, 1952). Currently in re-cultivation and not presentable, the gravelpit Schernham, positioned 7.6 km NNE of the present gravelpit Urhamer (Fig. 2-2), revealed layers bearing gastropods, fish, amphibians, serpents, lizards, turtles and birds, as well as other mammals like rabbits, rodents, horses and elephants. With this fauna a further restriction to the mammal zone MN10 and the mollusk zone G (upper Pannonian, ~9 Ma) was established. Besides from this locality Pseudocollimys steiningeri (Cricetidae, Rodentia, Mammalia) was introduced by Daxner-Höck (2004).

Fig. 2-2. Photograph of the gravelpit Urhamer and sediment distribution of the Freshwater-Molasse including the Hausruck Fm. (Daxner-Höck, 2004).

The Hausruckgravel represents fluviatile deposits with high currents, whereas limnic deposits are rather seldom and just represented with a few thin sand and clay layers. The allochthonous vertebrate fauna indicates a meandering river system lined with trees and woods with some clearings (interpretation due to larger mammals).

Source: Extracted from Rupp et al. 2007 (modified)

2. Eberschwang-Straß - brickyard Topic: Ried Fm., stratotype Age: middle Ottnangian

This section, from the eastern Alpine foredeep of northern Austria, displays up to 30 m of clayey silt belonging to the middle Ottnangian (Burdigalian) Ried Fm. of the Innviertel Group (Fig. 2-3). The Ried Fm. is characterized by thin-bedded pelites with lenticular bedding (Rupp et al., 1996), bioturbation by echinoderms or polychaets is rarely found. These pelites are rather uniform and interfinger in the uppermost Ried Fm. with the sandy Mehrnbach Fm. The abundance of the benthic foraminifera Ammonia in the sediments is reﬂected in the informal lithological name Rotalia-beds of the older literature (Faupl & Roetzel, 1987). The paleoenvironment is considered normal marine judging from the foraminiferal and molluscan fauna, although with the dominance of Ammonia reﬂecting shallow conditions (F. Rögl, pers. comm.). Correlation with the regional Ottnangian Stage is based on the co-occurrence of Globigerina praebulloides and G. ottnangiensis among the planktonic fauna and Stilostomella ottnangiensis, Bolivina concinna and B. scitula among the benthos. The stratigraphic position of the Ried Fm. within the Innviertel Group, overlying lower Ottnangian siliciclastics and overlain by other middle Ottnangian Formations (Mehrnbach Fm., Braunau Fm.,

Treubach Fm.) and the upper Ottnangian brackish Rzehakia beds, allows correlation with the middle Ottnangian (Faupl & Roetzel, 1987). Rupp et al. (1996) interpreted the depositional environment as rather shallow sublittoral marine, which was prone to tidal influence based on the benthic foraminifera (Faupl & Roetzel, 1987). These meso- and macrotidally controlled conditions extended from the Austrian part of the Alpine foreland basin westward into the Swiss and French Molasse during the late Early Miocene (e.g. Allen & Homewood, 1984; Lesueur et al., 1990). This hydrodynamic regime resulted from an effective but shortlived connection of the Paratethys with the western Mediterranean Sea via the Rhône valley (Rögl, 1998) and also from a connection with the Eastern Mediterranean (Martel et al., 1994). Pollen analyses indicate a subtropical climate judging from the presence of several mega thermic elements including Avicennia (developing an impoverished mangrove along the coastal areas), Acacia, Acanthaceae, etc., and the mega-mesothermic elements Engelhardia, Myrica, Sapotaceae, Taxodium type, etc. (Jiménez-Moreno, 2005). The Ottnangian pelites are discordantly overlain by fluvial–lacustrine deposits of Pannonian age known as the coal bearing freshwater beds (Rupp et al., 1996).

Source: Extracted from Jimenez-Moreno et al. 2006 (modified)

Fig. 2-3. Section and photograph of the claypit Eberschwang-Straß (section from Jimenez-Moreno et al. 2006).

3. Kalletsberg Topic: Ampflwang Fm., stratotype (=Hausruck brown coal) Age: late Miocene, Pannonian

The Ampflwang Fm., together with the overlying gravelly Hausruck Fm., builds up the Hausruck, a forested chain of hills in western Upper Austria. It comprises the Floor Beds (basal sands and clays, “Liegendschichten”), the Coal-Clay series (“Kohletonserie s. str.”), the Hanging Clays (“Hangendtone”) and the gravelly Grimberg Member. The Ampflwang Fm. is up to 60 m thick. The Coal-Clay series is made up of three seams (Lower, Middle and Upper Seam) separated by clayey interbeds. The separate seams are up to 4 m thick and consist of lignite (soft brown coal). The coal was 4 exploited intensively during the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the last private opencast mine at Lukasberg was closed in 2010. In general, the Hausruck coal is composed mainly of gymnosperm wood (Sequoia, Taxodium and Cupressus), but wood of flowering plants do predominate in places. A great number of plant remnants was reported from the Coal-Clay series (Egger & Rupp, 2007), picturing a scenery of abandoned meanders, lakes, swamps and floodplains at the edge of a meandering river (Kobernaußerwald Fm.) under rather humid warm-temperate climatic conditions (Cfa-climate). In the course of the Upper Austrian exhibition “Kohle und Dampf” in 2006 the geotope Kalletsberg (Fig. 2-4) was built near the village Zell am Pettenfirst. At Kalletsberg, an active coal mine existed until 1926. There the Middle Seam and parts of the Lower Seam are exposed; the Upper Seam was eroded and lacks at Kalletsberg. Above the coal seams the blue grey clays represent the Hanging Clays (Rupp, 2009). Paleobotany analysis using leaves and seeds located the succession at Kalletsberg to the upper Miocene (Meller, 2007) whereas pollen analysis restricted the Ampflwang formation to the upper Sarmatian to mid Pannonian (Masselter & Hofmann, 2005). Vertebrate fossils (horses, rhinos, elephants) revealed a Pannonian age, although the mammal mega fauna allowed no clear biostratigraphic differentiation between the Hausruck formation and the Ampflwang formation (Rabeder, 1985).

Fig. 2-4. Section and photograph of the Pannonian coal succession of the Ampflwang Fm. at Kalletsberg (section by Bechtel et al., 2003).

The Ampflwang formation was deposited marginal to a meandering river system with lakes, bayous and periodically flooded coal swamps and marshes. While the charcoal bearing coal beds indicate dry periods with occasional wildfires, the intermediate clay layers were deposited during periodical flooding events with a high groundwater level (for reconstruction see Meller 2007). The fossil assemblages of the Amplwang formation that migrates with the Kobernaußenwald formation in the West represents an environment near a river system, lacking larger marshes with humid and warm climates during the coal bed deposition (Kovar–Eder, 1988: 64; Masselter & Hofmann, 2005). Aside of pollenspectra dominated by Mastixia, mammal fossils of elephants, horses and rhinos were found and

5 are crucial for the environmental reconstruction. Steininger et al. (1989) see the coal formation in direct relation to the Pannonian transgression in eastern Austria.

Sources: Pervesler & Glowniak, 2015; Rupp et al., 2008

4. Ottnang - Sandpit Fischer Topic: Atzbach Fm. Age: early Ottnangian

Fischer sandpit (Fig. 2-5) is located ca. 600 m in the SW of the church of Ottnang. In this sandpit the Atzbacher sands of the lower Ottnangian surface as grey-yellow to yellow-brown mid to fine sand layers containing lots of mica. These layers are intercalated by silt layers with a thickness from cm to mm. Noteworthy structures are tabular and tapered cross bedded units with a thickness from 30 – 70 cm that show ripples and mud drapes. Heavy mineral analysis revealed a domination of garnet, epidote/zoisite and hornblende. Tourmaline, rutile, apatite, staurolite and disthene are less frequent. These pelitic sediments were barren of macrofossils, but contain a rich fauna of foraminifera typical for the lower Ottnangian. The most abundant benthic species are Cibicidoides cf. pseudoungerianus (Cushman), Nonion communis (d'Orbigny) and Hanzawaia boueana (d'Orbigny) accompanied by Lenticulina inornata (d'Orbigny), Ammonia div. sp., Elphidiella div. sp. and Charltonina tangentialis (Clodius), while the most significant planktonic species are Globigerina praebulloides (Blow), G. ciperoensis ottnangensis Rögl, G. angustiumbilicata Bolli and Globigerinoides trilobus (Reuss).

Fig. 2-5. Photograph and facies succession (Rupp et al., 2008) of the Atzbach Fm with orange marked stratigraphic position of the sandpit Fischer deposits.

The lower Ottnangian Atzbacher sands of the Innviertler group represent a subtidal shallow sea area with a strong tidal influence (Faupl & Rötzel, 1987). The Atzbacher sands can further be differentiated into three lithofacies groups. The first lithogroup is outcropping in the Fischer Sandpit and is characterized as a subtidal channel facies with longitudinal sandbars with intercalations of sand

6 wave fields and pelitic layers. The second lithogroup consists of smaller subtidal sand wave and ripple fields, whereas the third is near the Vöcklafacies and shows shallow subtidal and intertidal conditions. According to Roetzel & Rupp (1991), the Atzbacher sands can be interpreted as transgressive deposits that are overlain by the Ottnangian marl facies. Analysis of wave ripples revealed a maximum water depth of 25 meters with a wave period of about 5 sec. Paleocurrent data show a predominant orientation to the ENE and less dominant currents to the WNW. Therefore, an at least mesotidal (2-4 m tidal range) regime with asymmetrical tidal intensities is interpreted. For the sand wave facies current speeds of about 0.50 m/sec within the main current flow were calculated. The heavy mineral composition indicates a mainly Alpine sediment input. More recently, Rupp & van Husen (2007) pointed out the discrepancy between the sedimentological reconstruction of the Atzbach Fm. (shallow water environment) and the microfossil content (foraminifers, otoliths) pointing at a deep neritic environment.

Source: Extracted from Roetzel & Rupp, 1991 (modified)

5. Ottnang Schanze Topic: Ottnang Fm., stratotype, Age: early Ottnangian, stratotype

The Ottnangian stratotype Ottnang-Schanze is located 700 m SSW of Wolfsegg and 500 m N of the village Ottnang in Upper Austria. It is part of an abandoned pit near a memorial to the Peasant Wars (called “Schanze”) and has been declared a natural heritage and geotop (Reiter 1989). The exposed section comprises 10.2 m of sediments with two faults in the lower part (2.6 m, 4.6 m; Fig. 2-6). It shows a clear change in sedimentation dividing the section into two lithological units: Unit 1 (0–5.5 m) shows rather homogeneous grey-brown sediments of clayey-sandy silts with sand- lenses and flaser bedding. The sand lenses reach a lateral extension up to 30 cm and often contain plant remains. Sediments show no internal bedding but intense bioturbation. Unit 2 (5.5–10 m) is characterized by 14 beds separated by erosional surfaces and a distinct overall coarsening upward trend. The succession starts with a bed of clayey-sandy silts with flaser bedding similar to Unit 1 which pass into mollusk-rich sediments. Beds 1–11 show internal gradation comprising five coarsening-upward cycles (beds 1–5) and six fining-upward cycles (beds 6–11). Beds with coarsening-upward cycles (thickness: 40–85 cm) show indistinct dm-layering often associated with articulated bivalves at the base, passing into bioturbated sediments with bivalve coquinas. Fining- upward cycles (max. thickness: 10 cm) start with cross-bedded sands passing into sandy silts. Finally, the three topmost beds (beds 12–14; thickness: 10–90 cm) show a distinct laminated flaser-bedding and disarticulated bivalve shells enriched in sand-lenses. Only a short part of the Ottnang Fm. crops out at the stratotype section. Based on an evaluation of geological maps and information from drill-sites in the vicinity of the stratotype, most of the Innviertel Group in the study area is made up by the Vöckla and Atzbach Fms. with a thickness up to 520 m (Krenmayr and Schnabel 2006; Rupp et al. 2008; personal communication R. Hinsch, RAG). The overlying Ottnang Fm. is only represented by its lowermost part with a thickness of 15–20 m. Its top is eroded and covered by Pliocene-Pleistocene deposits (Rögl et al. 1973). The section Ottnang-Schanze in the North Alpine Foreland Basin of Upper Austria has been defined as its stratotype by Rögl et al. (1973). We present an updated stratigraphic evaluation of the section based on biostratigraphy of foraminifers, dinoflagellate cysts and calcareous nannoplankton as well as magnetostratigraphy. In agreement with earlier studies, assemblages of benthic foraminifers (co-occurrence of Amphicoryna ottnangensis and Sigmoilopsis ottnangensis, mass-occurrences of Lenticulina inornata) document a late early Ottnangian age. Dinoflagellate cyst Exochosphaeridium insigne is recorded for the first time in the early Ottnangian and its occurrence together with Apteodinium spiridoides, Cordosphaeridium cantharellus and Glaphyrocysta reticulosa s.l. extends the regional dinoflagellate

7 zone Ein from the middle to the early Ottnangian. On a global scale, the revealed marker species indicate zone D17a (middle-late Burdigalian). Calcareous nannoplankton assemblages with the very rare occurrence of Sphenolithus cf. belemnos and S. aff. heteromorphus show remarkable affinities to Mediterranean nannoplankton zone MNN3b. Together with the frequent occurrence of Helicosphaera ampliaperta and the absence of Triquetrorhabdulus carinatus an assignment to standard nannoplankton zone NN3 (early-middle Burdigalian) is indicated.

Fig. 2-6. Section and fossil distribution in the Ottnangian stratotype Ottnang-Schanze (from Grunert et al., 2010).

Magnetostratigraphy revealed an inverse polarization for the outcrop. In combination with the biostratigraphic age constraints and the present correlation of the Ottnangian to the Bur3 sea-level cycle the section belongs to polarity chron C5Dr.2r. For the first time, an absolute age between 17.95– 18.056 Ma for the stratotype can be inferred.

Source: Extracted from Grunert et al 2010

6. Prambachkirchen - Weinzierlbruck pit Topic (Age): tidal influenced Plesching Fm. (="Phosphoritsande"; early Ottnangian); Linz-Melk Fm. (Egerian)

The Plesching Fm. includes the former “Fossilreiche Grobsande” and the “Phosphoritsande”. These sands reach from Plesching (east of Linz) to Taufkirchen, onlapping on the crystalline of the Bohemian Massif or transgressing Egerian sediments. These partly mega-scale cross-stratified quartz sands sometimes contain high amounts of glauconite, are fossiliferous and of early Ottnangian age. 8

At Weinzierlbruck the Ottnangian Plesching Fm. transgresses discordantly over the Egerian Linz-Melk Fm. The typical Plesching Fm. sands are yellowish to greenish grey coarse sands to fine gravels, showing intense crossbedding. The bottom sets often yield greater amounts of coarse components like granite boulders or phosphorite nodules; the latter are responsible for the former used name “Phosphoritsande”. Phosphorite is a product of decay of organic matter and these nodules are allochthonous components, reworked from Egerian marls (“Älterer Schlier”; Eferding Fm, Ebelsberg Fm.). Marly to silty layers can occasionally be observed intercalated within the crossbedded sands. Besides (reworked) petrified wood and mollusks the Plesching Fm. yields a lot of fish remains like shark teeth and a few mammal remains (reworked). The marly layers contain autochthonous foraminiferal faunas characteristic for the Ottnangian. Similar to the Atzbach Fm., the Plesching Fm. was deposited in a moderate deep tidal channel. The dominant (partly herringbone-) cross-bedded sands display a northeast directed flood current and a reverse ebb current. These channel sands can be observed interfingering with the marly Ottnang Fm. or the Robulus Schlier in places.

Fig. 2-7. Section at sandpit Hellmayr in Weinzierlbruck/Prambachkirchen (from Roetzel & Rupp, 1991).

The Sandpits (owned by the Hellmayr GmbH; Fig. 2-7) are located ~3.1 km ESE of Waizenkirchen and ~1 km NNW from Prambachkirchen and right next to the bridge crossing the stream Bram in the E. The upper Oligocene sands of the Linz-Melk Formation crop out near Weinzierlbruck as white-grey to grey-yellow middle to coarse sands with partly fine gravel components. The sand packages are dominantly 5-7 m thick and strike into northern direction with planary crossbedding striking with 20° – 30° roughly toward S. Within these structures, a high amount of trace fossils of the type Ophiomorpha can be observed. They show three main types of direction with a mean angle of 120° (Hohenegger & Pervesler, 1985). On top of the Linz-Melk Formation lie the lower Miocene Phosphorite sands. These are yellow-brown to green-brown coarse sands to fine gravels (sometimes even mid to coarse gravels) that often form tabular and wedge-shaped cross beds with several m thicknesses. On some bottom sets are accumulations of well-rounded coarse gravel components like phosphorite and granite intercalated by pelitic layers and pelitic clasts. Within this cross bedded facies occur pelitic intervals with several m thicknesses, intercalated by coarse sand layers, accompanied by mm thick planar – wave layers. Heavy mineral analysis of the coarse sands shows domination of garnet, apatite, zircon and epidote, accompanied by less abundant tourmaline, rutil, staurolite and amphibole. Like the reworked phosphorites from the upper Oligocene marls, also the abundant fossil wood fragments and the less abundant mollusks are allochthonous (Hofmann, 1944, 1952; also see Steiniger, 1969). The vertebrate assemblages show a rich shark fauna, dominated by Chondrichthyes. 9

Furthermore, fragments of Crocodylidae and Brachyodus onoideus, among others, were found. The pelitic section revealed moderately preserved foraminiferal contents dominated by planktonic species like Globigerina praebulloides, G. ciperoensis ottnangensis, G. angustiumbilicata, Globorotalia scitula praescitula and Cassigerinella globulosa. Less abundant are benthic formaminifera, such as Lenticulina inornata, Ammonia parkinsonia, and Lobatula lobatula, among others. The Phosphorite sands are characteristic for the early Ottnangian transgression and like the Atzbacher sands they also show significant tidal activities. The dominant cross bedded coarse sand facies (e.g.: near Weinzierlbruck) is interpreted as subtidal sand wave facies with ripple structures and intercalations of pelitic layers. Paleocurrent data show significant asymmetries within the tidal intensity and leads to the interpretation that the rising tide, with an NNE direction and a calculated tidal speed of about 0.7 m/sec, was the dominating current. Heavy mineral analysis revealed characteristic mixing of sediment input from the Alpine region and the Bohemian Massife, also reworking of older sand facies occurs. The interpretation of reworking is supported by several abraded vertebrate fossils deriving from the Egerian and Eggenburgian. The age determination to the early Ottnangian is based on the Selachier fauna (Schultz, 1969; Brzobohaty & Schultz, 1973), the mollusks (Steininger, 1969; Ctyroky et al., 1973) and the foraminifera found in the pelitic layers (see Rögl, 1969).

Source: Extracted from Roetzel & Rupp, 1991

7. Unterrudling - former brickyard Obermair Topic - Linz-Melk Fm. and Eferding Fm. (stratotype) Age: early Egerian

The Unterrudling section, located in the quarry of the Quarzsand GmbH, is made up of the mainly pelitic part of the Oligocene “Älteren Schlier” facies (Eferding Formation) overlying and overlies the Linz -Melk Formation. In the quarry 25 m of the Linz-Melk formation with white-grey to yellowish fine sands to coarse sands with moderately abundant Ophiomorpha. A thin marly green-grey glauconite sand layer with some fish fragments separates the Linz-Melk formation from a succession free of calcite, starting with lite grey to red marly fine to coarse sands, followed by grey marly fine to coarse sands with high glimmer content and some plant fragments. This interval is completed by a thin marly fine to mid sand to sandy marl layer. Above lies an about 6.5 m thick package of grey clayey, micaceous fine sandy silt with fish fragments (mainly scales), plant fragments, unidentifiable mollusk fragments and some trace fossils. On the top set of the package the sediment color changes to brown- grey and the sand content diminishes and passes into a 4.8 m thick package of dark grey-brown not well layered clayey marl. Within this package fish and plant fragments are abundant and sporadically small white dots occur, that were interpreted as agglutinated foraminifers. Within this package a striking 30 to 40 cm thick light grey clayey marl layer with concretions, strikes through the whole quarry. In this layer, identifiable plant fragments were found (Kovar–Eder & Berger, 1987). On top of that package lies a further 7.8 m thick dark grey-brown clayey marl package. The marl shows little silt content and is nearly plastic and bedded, again it is bearing fish and plant fragments and some agglutinated foraminifers. Embedded in this clayey marl are often some light grey concretions with a diameter of over 1 m. The top of the section is composed of a discordant layer of about 1.5 m thick loss (aeolian silt deposit). Using the stratigraphic range of benthic foraminifera (Bolivina beyrichi, Bolivina elongata, Bolivina tereta, Uvigerina continuosa, Uvigerina vicksburgensis, Nodogenerina? ortenburgensis, Baggina dentata, Asterigerinoides guerichi, Eoeponidella ampliportata, Virgulinella pertusa and the abundant Uvigerina rudlingensis) the profile of Unterrudling was identified to be deposited in the Egerian. By the stratigraphic ranges of planktonic foraminifers (Globigerina wagneri, Globorotaloides suteri, Globoturborotalita ouachitaensis, Beella rohiensis and Globigerinoides primordius) a further restriction to the early Egerian was established. The relatively high abundance of the nannoplankton

10 species Dictyococcites bisectus even allowed an allocation of the profile within the nannoplankton zone NP25, this is also supported by the occurrence of Pontosphaera dessueta and P. rothii.

Fig. 2-8. Section at sandpit Unterrudling ((from Pervesler & Glowniak, 2015).

In regards of paleobathymetry and -ecology the benthic foraminifers offer valuable insights. The lower part of the profile is interpreted as deeper neritic deposits with strong influence of the shallow shelf region, indicated by abundant specimens of Bulimina and Uvigerina as well as Asterigerinata. Above the section deepens and the diversity and abundance of benthic foraminifers increases significantly. This coincides with a nannoplankton bloom, that indicates high nutrient levels (maybe upwelling). At the top part of the section the environment deepens into a bathyal stage (highest abundance of ornamented specimens of Uvigerina) and the nutrient flux diminishes. High abundances of the nannoplankton species Cyclicargolithus spp throughout the whole succession indicate more the less stable conditions, that might reflect a well-established connection to the open Paratethys sea.

In summary, the Eferding Formation of Unterrudling is developed on top of the shallow marine Linz-Melk Formation. Foraminiferal faunas from Unterrudling and Polsenz prove an age of Lower Egerian (Upper Oligocene), calcareous nannoplankton narrows it to upper Lower Egerian (uppermost Oligocene). Benthic foraminiferal faunas from Unterrudling suggest a deepening from a deeper neritic depositional environment in the lower part of the section to a bathyal one in the uppermost part. In the middle part of the section, extremely high foraminiferal numbers exhibit high nutrient supply. Calcareous nannoplankton indicates a stable marine environment, probably established by an unhampered communication with the open Paratethys Sea. In the middle part of the Unterrudling section calcareous nannoplankton indicates an increased eutrophication, probably caused by upwelling.

Source: Extracted from Rupp & Coric, 2015

OeAD - STC Project SK 09/2018 - AT Excursion #1

#2nd day - 20 Oct 2018 (Saturday) Tectonic unit: Autochthonous Molasse Unit, Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep

Lower Miocene deposits at the SE margin of the Bohemian Massif in Lower Austria

Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene sediments are widespread along the southeastern border of the Bohemian Massif in Lower Austria. These terrestrial to marine sediments are erosional residuals of a former sedimentary cover on the pre-Oligocene basement relief. Neogene tectonics, which are active to the present, reactivated old fault systems within the crystalline basement, creating small basins and embayments such as the Horn Basin or the Eggenburg Bay (Fig. 3-1; e.g. Roštínský and Roetzel, 2005). In the Eggenburg area these sediments can be differentiated into several lithostratigraphic units (Fig. 3-1; cf. Steininger and Roetzel, 1991; Roetzel et al., 1999; Piller et. al., 2007). From the Oligocene to the earliest Miocene (Egerian), the area was drained from west to east by the fluvial system of the St. Marein-Freischling Formation. These sediments, known from the Horn Basin and adjacent areas in the west, are poorly sorted gravel and sands, rich in feldspar and with silty intercalations (cf. Nehyba and Roetzel, 2010). The southern margin of the Bohemian Massif was flooded during the early Miocene marine transgression. Due to a complex palaeotopography, this transgressive development caused a heterochronous onset of the Eggenburgian sediments (Steininger, 1971; Roetzel et al., 1999; Piller et. al., 2007). Marine flooding started in the early Eggenburgian at the southern crystalline margin with nearshore sands of the Fels Formation, which further on were transgressively overlain by offshore pelites of the Zellerndorf Formation (Fig. 3-1). In the Horn Basin, the fluvial St. Marein-Freischling Formation was replaced by the estuarine Mold Formation. Subsequently, the advancing sea created a fully marine environment in the Horn Basin, where nearshore sands of the Loibersdorf Formation were deposited. In the final step, in the late Eggenburgian, the sea level reached the eastern margin and the Eggenburg Bay. First, littoral sands and gravel of the Burgschleinitz Formation were deposited on the morphologically highly structured basement in that area. In estuaries close to small river mouths, the Kühnring Member was deposited. It is composed of poorly sorted silty sands and clays with oyster beds. In slightly deeper and calmer, fully marine areas, fine sands and silts with endobenthic molluscs of the Gauderndorf Formation were deposited, laterally interfingering with the Burgschleinitz Formation. Finally, during the proceeding transgression in the Eggenburg Bay, the coarsegrained facies of the Burgschleinitz Formation was topped by the Gauderndorf Formation (Roetzel et al., 1999; Mandic and Steininger, 2003). Interrupted by a distinct regression and erosion phase, a new transgression flooded the area in the early Ottnangian. In the Eggenburg Bay, sandy shallow marine bioclastic limestones of the Zogelsdorf Formation were deposited above an erosional relief in upper Eggenburgian sediments (Harzhauser and Piller, 2007). Basinward, in deep-water areas in the east, pelitic sediments of the Zellerndorf Formation were deposited, interfingering with the carbonatic and siliciclastic-carbonatic lithofacies in the west. During the Ottnangian the sea prograded towards west and flooded former river valleys and depressions of the Bohemian Massif. In the Eggenburg Bay in this time the Zogelsdorf Formation was topped by the silty clays of the Zellerndorf Formation. The SE margin of the Bohemian Massif in Lower Austria is marked by the prominent Diendorf fault zone (Fig. 3-2), which is formed by NE-SW running subparallel dislocations with sinistral strike- slip character. This fault zone borders the crystalline upland of the Bohemian Massif against the Miocene sedimentary area of the Alpine Carpathian Foredeep. The morphological slope consists of several steep scarps, numerous spurs and frequent inselberg-like bedrock elevations scattered across the foreland. Close to the main faults, both the crystalline rocks and the bordering sediments of the foredeep are heavily sheared and altered.

Fig. 3-1 Illustration shows the distribution of Neogene sediments at the SE margin of the Bohemian Massif in Lower Austria. Partial sucessions, i.e. their lithostratigraphic division in different paleogeographic areas are indicated (Mandic et al 2012).

In the surroundings the crystalline rocks of the Bohemian Massif are mostly Precambrian granites of the Thaya-Batholith (Thaya granite). They are overlain by lower Miocene (upper Eggenburgian) marine nearshore sediments mainly represented by medium to coarse sands and gravel of the Burgschleinitz Formation, exceptionally also by fine sands of the Gauderndorf Formation. With an erosional contact these sediments are overlain by sandy, shallow marine limestones of the Zogelsdorf Formation (Ottnangian), which laterally and vertically pass into deep-water pelitic sediments of the Lower Miocene (Ottnangian) Zellerndorf Formation. Drillings in this area show about 25 - 100 m thick pelites above the Zogelsdorf Formation.

Fig. 3-2 Geological map of the Neogene at the SE margin of the Bohemian Massif with crosssection demonstratig the tectonically induced differences in elevations of different paleogeographic areas (Grunert et al. 2010).

Source: Extracted from Pervesler et al., 2011 and Roetzel et al., 2014.

1. St. Pölten - Prater (Fig. 2/1) Topic: Stratotype of the Traisen Fm. of the Pixendorf Group (form. "Oncophora" beds) Age: late Ottnangian

Section Prater, representing the stratotype of the Traisen formation (Gebhardt et al., 2013), is located NW of the road to Viehofen, in the northern district of St. Pölten city area. Main distribution area of Traisen formation, comprising sand, conglomerates and clay is the area of Melk in Lower Austria. The Traisen formation superposes lower Ottnangian Robulus Schlier and is followed on top by the lower Badenian fluvial conglomerates of the Hollenburg-Karlstetten formation or more commonly by the Pleistocene terrestrial sediments, mostly loess. Its tectonic position is within the Autochthonous Molasse Zone of the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep. The Traisen formation comprises two lithofacies. The first one is dominated by sands and sandstones bearing cm to m large mud clasts. Some water-escape structures are present together with rare cross-beds, ripple-beds, horizontal lamination and normal grading. The second facies is a dm-thick alternation of clay, silt and middle-sand with common horizontal laminiation and small ripple-beds. The Traisen formation is poor in fossils, with exception of the area around Rassing where mollusks originating from Rzehakia beds are present (R. partschi, R. socialis, Limnopagetia moravica, etc.; Mandic & Coric, 2007). All mollusk shells, marked by strong abrasion traces and valve disarticulation, were apparently redeposited. Section Prater (Fig. 3-3) comprises 18 -m-thick succession of yellowish-grayish massive fine- /middle-sand to coarse-sand and represents the first, sandstone dominated, lithofacies of the Traisen formation. The lowermost 4 m of the section comprise fine-sandstone with several hard, strongly cemented and large-sized concretions. The middle part of the section shows broad and shallow channel structure filled with up to dm-large mud clasts. Above erosive boundary about 2-m-thick Pleistocene loess with terrestrial snails completes the outcropped succession. According to granulometric analysis of sediment bulk samples from the Traisen formation at Prater showed a range from clayey-sandy silt to gravelly sand and pure gravel-intercalations. The sedimentary structures point to high-energy, shallow water depositional regime, although a detailed sedimentological facies analysis is presently missing. The only age constrain is provided by mollusks pointing to correlation with the Rzehakia beds and indicating the late Ottnangian as a maximum age for the Traisen formation.

Source: Gebhard & Coric, 2013 (modified)

2. Obernholz - Gemeindesandgrube (Municipal Sandpit) Topic: Fels Formation Age: early Eggenburgian (~21 my)

The Municipal Sandpit is located about 500 m WNW Obernholz, about 200 m S the road from Obernholz to Schönberg am Kamptal. Formerly, until the nineties of the last century, the sandpit was known under the name Hammerschmid Sandpit. Exposed are fluvial and marine siliciclastics of St. Marein-Freischling Fm. (fluvial; early Egerian to early Eggenburgian), Fels Fm. (fully marine; early Eggenburgian) and Hollenburg-Karlstetten Fm. (fluvial; Badenian). The pit exposes a 15 m thick section of Oligomiocene fluvial and marine siliciclastics (Fig. 3-4). The basal parts of the section shows the Egerian fluvial gravel, sands and clay of the St. Marein- Freischling Formation. The prospective pit into the St. Marein-Freischling proved its base at - 13.5 m, measured from its top, directly overlaying the crystalline basement. Those fluvial siliciclastics are overlayn transgressively by about 9 m thick, deepening and fining upward sequence of lowermost Eggenburgian fossiliferous marine gravels and sands of the Fels Formation. The top of the section is capped erosively by the Badenian fluvial siliciclastics of the Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation.

Fig. 3-3 Type section of the Traisen formation showing lithological features. Photographs shows insigts to most representative parts of the section (from Gebhardt & Coric, 2013).

St. Marein-Freischling Formation (13.5 m) - The siliciclastics overlay the crystalline basement. They comprise the interbedded strata of light gray to yellow gray, badly sorted coarse to fine grained gravel, coarse and middle sands, intercalated by middle and fine sands and variegated clays. The coarse grained sediments are partly cross-bedded and show thereby the crescent shaped bedding planes. Mud-clasts are common therein. The fine grained layers are frequently strongly bioturbated. Staurolite 17 dominates the heavy mineral spectrum, comprising additionally disthene, turmaline and epidote. Quartz and lithoclasts dominate the light mineral spectrum, including additionally potash feldspar and epidote. The scattered silicified wood remains are the only macrofossils therein.

Fig. 3-4 The section of the municipal sand pit Obernholz. Photographs show A. situation in the sandpit - note the erosive contact of the Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation in the upper part of the outcrop. B. Ophiomorpha burrow from the lower part of the Fels Formation; C. mass occurrence of Oopecten gigas from the neighboring locality in Wiedendorf (from Mandic et al., 2005).

Fels Formation (9 m) - The transition from the underlying unit is gradual. Thus its lower boundary can be at best defined by the occurrence of first marine molluscs. Two lithologic units are c differentiated therein, reflecting the general fining upward sequence trend. In comparison to latter unit its heavy mineral content is more diversified including beside staurolite, disthene, turmaline and epidote also garnet, sillimanite, zircon and rutile. The light mineral spectrum comprises beside the dominant quartz more feldspar (particularly plagioclase) and fewer lithoclasts than in the previous unit. Unit 1 (4 m) - These grey yellowish to yellow brownish, well sorted middle to fine sands are intercalated by very well rounded coarse sands, fine gravels, and crystalline boulder horizons. The unit represents an internal coarsening upward. Its top comprises the uppermost boulder horizon representing a single, 30 cm thick, normally graded layer. The lower part of the unit is preferably cross stratified whereas its upper part shows well developed plane bedding. The fine grained gravels include 18 particularly conspicuous black, very well rounded components made by silicified limestones and cherts of presumable Jurassic age comprising in part densely packed triaxon sponge spiculae, foraminifera (Trocholina, miliolids) and scattered gastropod remains. The siliciclastics are strongly bioturbated. The trace fossils indicate the original presence of actinarians (the soft-bodied anthozoans, "sea anemones"), bivalves, crustaceans, echinoids and polychaetas (bristle worms). Particularly the boulder horizons include the bivalve escape traces. The monospecific pectinid beds with Oopecten gigas are additionally present therein. In contrast the aragonitic bivalves are leached. Their moulds point to original presence of large cardiid and venerid representatives. Unit 2 (5 m) - The unit comprises strongly bioturbated, yellowish fine sands intercalated by cemented horizons representing leached mollusc coquinas. The mollusc assemblage preserved through molds comprises the aragonite mineralizing representatives. Particularly common therein are Callista lilacinoides, Rudicardium grande, Glycymeris fichteli, Panopea menardi and Paroxystele amedei. Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation - Comprises brown yellowish to yellow brownish badly sorted coarse to fine grained gravels in sandy matrix intercalated by middle to fine sand horizons. The gravels are well rounded, comprising dominantly quartz and crystalline components. Additionally present are Quarzite, brownish sandstone, dark limestone, light dolomite and reddish chert. The heavy mineral spectrum is dominated by garnet, followed by staurolite, disthene, epidote, sillimanite, turmaline, rutile and zircon. It overlays a distinctive, channel to trough shaped relief reaching in its topographically lowermost parts the level of the St. Marein-Freischling Formation. The St. Marein-Freischling Formation represents the southeastern prolongation of the since Oligocene active fluvial depositional system that can be traced into the northwards positioned Horn Basin. The sediments show the coarse channel deposition as well as the phases of calm sedimentation regime represented by intercalated fine grained siliciclastics. The marine transgression of the lowermost Eggenburgian (Fels Formation) installed immediately the fully marine, shallow water environment. The absence of the brackish transition points to well developed communication to the open sea that hindered the sea level rise to install the estuary conditions at this paleogeographic position. Hence according to its geomorphologic predestination the estuary was bounded to the Horn Basin, having apparently only a narrow communication to the Molasse Sea that was presumably positioned several kilometers westwards to northwestwards from Obernholz. The sedimentary structures of the basal unit point to sedimentation in a highly energetic environment. Shore to upper foreshore conditions with common storm deposition are well underpinned by mollusc coquinas, boulder intercalations, escape traces and hummocky cross stratification. The fining upward in the upper parts of the succession points to a deepening of the environment. The common mollusc coquinas comprising still the thick shelled mollusc representatives point to its deposition within the shallow subtidal water depth, above the storm weather wave base. Finally the Hollenburg-Karlstetten Formation reflects the middle Miocene erosive phase reflected in the section by the submarine channel formation at the delta front of an ancient Eastern Alpine fluvial system. According to the presence of Oopecten gigas the Fels Formation can be clearly biostratigraphically dated with the lower Eggenburgian correlating with the O. gigas Taxon Range Zone.

Source: Extracted from Mandic et al., 2005

3. Burgschleinitz - Kirchenbruch Topic: Burgschleinitz Fm., type section and Eggenburgian faciostratotype Age: late Eggenburgian

The outcrop Burgschleinitz-Kirchenbruch is situated close to a granite rise topped by the Romanesque church of Burgschleinitz. In the Kirchenbruch, the onlap of the upper Eggenburgian littoral sediments on the granitic basement is visible. The sands lie in a bay-like depression, surrounded by crystalline highs in the north, east and south, and opened towards the west. Four lithological units

(unit 1-4) are distinguished in the Burgschleinitz Formation of the Kirchenbruch outcrop, followed by the Gauderndorf Formation (unit 5) (Fig. 3-5). The transgressive sequence starts with well-rounded granite boulders, overgrown by barnacles, which cover the northward rising basement and are visible in the northern cellars.

Fig. 3-5 Kirchenbruch outcrop at Burgschleinitz including the photographs of the lower and upper part of the Burgschleinitz Formation (from Pervesler et al. 2011).

Unit 1. Above the south- to southwest dipping basement, a 3 m thick horizon of poorly sorted coarse to medium sands follows. The angular to subrounded sands are massive and show no sedimentary structures. They include pelitic clasts and fine gravel, which are increasing in concentration towards the crystalline high in the north. In the north, in the upper 20 cm, a transition from coarse sands to silty medium sands is visible. The immature sands are mainly composed of quartz and feldspar; however, they also contain a relatively high amount of lithic components. The sediments occasionally contain single mollusc valves, in some parts concentrated in layers. Unit 2. This unit is an up to 1-m-thick shell layer that thins and fades out towards the granite rise. The coarse sandy to gravelly shell layer shows, at the base, a distinct erosive surface with up to 40-cm deep scours and a wavy surface at the top. Towards the crystalline rise, the proportion of valves decrease and that of fine gravel of angular granitic fragments increases. In this layer, mainly isolated valves of calcitic and aragonitic, thick-shelled molluscs occur (e.g. Glycymeris fichteli, Isognomon rollei, Venerupis basteroti, Pecten pseudobeudanti, Gigantopecten holgeri). These are accompanied by corals with barnacles. In the northern part the aragonite shells are completely dissolved. Unit 3. This unit comprises a 2- to 2.5-m-thick succession of two coarse-grained, cross- stratified, elongated, and wedge-shaped sand bodies, alternating with fine-grained layers. Both coarse, maximum 1-m-thick cross-bedded sets (subunits 3b, 3d) consist of alternating angular, gravelly coarse and medium sand layers, evident especially in the north. The cross-beddings dip off the crystalline rise with low to high angle between 5 to 25° towards south to southwest. Below both cross-bedded sets,

30- to 60-cm-thick layers of medium- to fine-grained sands occur, which laterally combine in the south (subunits 3a, 3c). They show an increasing portion of coarse sand and gravel towards the north and are in places slightly cross-bedded in the south. On top of the upper cross-bedded set (subunit 3d), moderately sorted fine sands appear, which occasionally interfinger with the coarse sands below (subunit 3e). Some relics of these fine sands laterally interfingering with the upper cross-bedded set seem to be fine-grained top-sets. Lens-shaped relics of coarse to medium sands with debris of barnacles in the fine-grained subunit 3e might represent isolated troughs of a ripple bedded layer. The sands are immature, mainly composed of quartz and feldspar, containing also lithic components and mica. Intense bioturbation mostly starts from these fine-grained layers. Funnel-shaped trace fossils (Conichnus sp.) are accompanied by thin vertical burrows (Skolithos sp.), which penetrate deep into the underlying horizons. Horizontal, branched tunnels (Thalassinoides sp.) are restricted to the topmost fine sands (subunit 3e) and show increasing density towards the granite rise in the north, whereas they disappear towards the south. Additionally, Steininger (1971) described remains of Metaxytherium and Brachyodus from unit 3. Unit 4. - The top of the Burgschleinitz Formation in this outcrop is built up by a 4- to 4.5-m- thick, poorly sorted, coarse-grained, and fossiliferous horizon. The lower, 1.5- to 2-m-thick part (subunit 4a) consists of angular, medium to coarse sands with an upward as well as northward increasing portion of fine gravel. In the middle part of subunit 4a, the sands are concretionarily solidified to sandstone. The 2.5- to 3-m-thick upper part (subunit 4b) shows poorly sorted, silty and gravelly, coarse to medium sands with many nodular sandstone-concretions. The immature sediments have slightly decreased portion of quartz and lithic components and a higher content of feldspar than the sands below. The unit comprises mainly barnacle debris; the amount of this material increases towards the crystalline rise. Accompanied are brachiopods (Terebratula hoernesi) and molluscs (e.g. Gigantopecten holgeri, Talochlamys multistriata, Glycymeris fichteli, Atrina sp.). Intensive bioturbation includes common trace fossils Ophiomorpha nodosa and Thalassinoides suevicus. Unit 5. The top of the outcrop contains fine-grained sediments of the Gauderndorf Formation. The silty to clayey fine sands have lenses of granitic fine gravel and nodular concretions, typical for the whole Gauderndorf Formation. The sediments show an indistinct transition from the underlying coarse-grained Burgschleinitz Formation. Sediments of the Burgschleinitz Formation mark the beginning of the late Eggenburgian marine transgression in the Eggenburg Bay, representing a small wave- and storm dominated bay, open to the west, and close to adjoining crystalline elevations. With at least 11 ichnotaxa recorded it shows the highest diversity of trace fossils in sediments of the Eggenburgian in this region. In the lowermost part of the section, massive, coarse- to medium-grained, high-energy nearshore sands (unit 1), topped by a shelly coarse-grained tempestite (unit 2), show no evidence of trace fossils. Most of the burrowing is concentrated in the middle, slightly finer part of the section (unit 3). Alternating coarse- to medium grained cross-bedded sands with fine-sandy layers from upper shoreface areas point to a short regressive phase or a still-stand. The higher diversity and better preservation of trace fossils in the uppermost part suggests a colonization window, when stabilization of the sea floor was related to a new flooding. The vertical trace fossil assemblage (Ophiomorpha, Skolithos, Arenicolites) indicates the Skolithos ichnofacies. Upsection, poorly sorted, coarse-grained, non-erosive sands with mollusc and barnacle debris (unit 4) point to a rapid sea level rise. Thalassinoides in the upper part of unit 3 and unit 4 suggests a transition to the proximal Cruziana ichnofacies, which is typically positioned in the middle-lower shoreface. The disappearance of vertical trace fossils upsection in the topmost position of the silty Gauderndorf Formation (unit 5) generally correlates with the further deepening related to the proceeding of the late Eggenburgian transgression

Source: Extracted from Pervesler et al 2011 (modified)

4. Zogelsdorf - Johannesbruch Topic: Zogelsdorf Fm., stratotype Age: early Ottnangian

The quarry is positioned on the northwestern margin of Zogelsdorf, about 2.5 km southwards from Eggenburg. The stone production began here around 1870 when the large scale reconstructions around the capitol's old city, initiated by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, triggered an outstanding demand for building materials. Among others also blocks for the four Hercules statues at the Michaelertor in the Vienna City originates from here. The quarry was at that time the property of the family of the famous female writer, pacifist and 1905 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bertha von Suttner with the domicile in the neighboring Harmannsdorf. Today the quarry represents the natural and industrial monument and contributes the exhibition of the stonemason museum "Steinmetzhaus" on the main road of Zogelsdorf. The original traces of old production methods together with the typical ancient tools can be checked up already at the site.

Fig. 3-6 The section of the Johannes quarry. The diagram shows the vertical distribution of the biogenes. Note the increase of the bryozoan upsection (Nebelsick, 1989). Photographs shows A. The Johannes quarry's overview. B. Original traces of quarrying made by hand tools of the 19th century, as demonstrated by the worker's shadow. C. Monotypic mass occurrence of Pecten hermannseni in the Zogelsdorf Formation of the Johannes quarry (modified after Mandic et al., 2005).

The section in the Johannes quarry (Fig. 3-6) represents the type section of the Zogelsdorf Formation showing it in the bryozoan dominated facies. This detritic, muddy, biogenic limestone succession with about 3 m in thickness reflects a fining and thinning upward trend upsection. The position and the character of the foot wall are unknown. The basal part of the succession shows one single 1 m thick homogenous bed. It is overlaid by a well bedded part consisting of 10 to 30 cm thick packages. Finely the topmost 50 cm is intensively bedded comprising 5 to 10 cm thick sediment packages. These rudstones are throughout dominated by bryozoan remains and characterized likewise by a high muddy content. The significant contribution, with up to 30 % of additional biogene material 22 in the lower half of the succession, dominated by bivalves, barnacles, echinoid and coral algal remains, diminish definitely upsection with values pushed down to only 10 %. The bryozoan colonies are mostly celleporiform. Hence they form commonly macroids build by several, interchanging bryozoan taxa as well as other incrusting organism groups like serpulids or coral algae. Accompanied with dominant Celeporidae the following bryozoan genera are additionally present in the type section: Cellaria, Sertella, Porella, Schizoporella, Myriapora, Crisia, Entalopora, Lichenopora, Frondipora, Mesenteriopora, Tetrocycloecia, Tervia and Hornera. Moreover characteristic are monospecific pectinid layers bearing disarticulated and articulated horizontally oriented shells of Pecten hermannseni (=P. hornensis). Among echinoderm remains the representatives of Echinoidea, Asterozoa, Ophiuroidea as well as Crinoidea can be found. The site is positioned in the southern part of the Eggenburg Bay that was originally sheltered from the influence of the open sea by roughly north-south striking submarine, crystalline swells, islands and peninsulas. In consequence the Zogelsdorf Formation, topping therein the basal Late Eggenburgian siliciclastics is developed in a typical terrigenous poor, bryozoan rich facies. Yet the absence of the bryozoan genus Crisia, being in contrast common in many other sites of the Eggenburg Bay, appears indicative for the succession. Hence this could point to the absence of the submarine vegetation at the depositional site. Indeed the common incrusting byozoans as well as other incrusting organisms dominating the biogene composition indicate the lowered sedimentation rate resulting possibly from the missing vegetational sedimentary trap on the sea bottom. Moreover the high mud content of limestones points to a less agitated hydrodynamic regime certainly below the fair weather wave base at the depositional site. The fining upward along with the thinning upsection reflects the deepening of the depositional environment. That goes together with the diminishing upsection of the shallow subtidal depth indicators like barnacles or common echinoid remains. The pectinid shell beds are remains of their original colonies typically inhabiting detritic, shelly bottoms at medium subtidal depths around the storm weather wave base. The mass occurrence of Pecten hermannseni (=P. hornensis) in the Zogelsdorf Formation represents important regional biostratigraphic signal. Hence along with the remarkable facies change during the latest Eggenburgian-Early Ottnangian (basal marine siliciclastic sequence in the base vs. detritic carbonate sequence on top), the FAD of that pectinid species in the carbonates enables their clear stratigraphic distinction.

Source: Extracted from Mandic et al 2005

5. Limberg - Quarry Hengl Topic: Burgschleinitz Fm. and Zogelsdorf Fm. Age: early Ottnangian

The quarry is positioned in the Gänsgraben, c. 400 m WNW from Limberg. The granite of the Thaya Batholith (late Praecambrian) is transgressed by a marine conglomerate and sand of the Burgschleinitz Formation and superposed by limestone of the Zogelsdorf Formation (Fig. 3-7). Based on mollusk biostratigraphy, in particular through the presence of Pecten hermansenni both marine transgressions correlate with the Ottnangian. In the western part of the quarry granite basement is exposed showing up to 6 m high relief. The lows are infilled by well rounded granite-gravel with badly sorted, coarse to fine sandy matrix and up to 2 m large angular blocks. Matrix bears oysters, balanids and bryozoans, present also cemented on blocks. These deposits, belonging to the Burgschleinitz Fm. leveling entirely the relief. On their top, the Zogelsdorf Fm. follows, composed of more fine grained and better lithified sediments. Both formations dip by ~10° to the ESE. Eastwards the Burgschleinitz Fm. show distinct change of lithology, thickness and fossil content, getting up to 6.5 m thick. There, basal conglomerate is 40-160 cm thick, show matrix with balanid fragments, ranging from coarse sand to fine gravel, whereas the blocks are absent. Above follow middle- to fine-sands intercalated by 10-20 m thick middle- to fine-gravel, with

23 fragments of balanids, bryozoans and pectinid bivalves (e.g. Pecten hornensis, Gigantopecten holgeri). Sedimentary structures include parallel lamination, grading laterally to 15-30 m thick cross-bedded packages. Further to the East the grain size decreases, whereas brachiopod accumulations with shells of Terebratula hoernesi are present. The Zogelsdorf Fm. is up to 6 m thick. It starts with the basal gravel horizon with well rounded components and single sizes of 40-50 cm in the West, continuously decreasing to the East, reaching there 5-7 cm in diameter. They are embedded in silty to sandy matrix. Gravel horizon is characterized by disarticulated large pectinid bivalve shells of Gigantopecten holgeri. Above badly sorted, partly lithified coarse sand with glycimerid steinkerns, a second G. holgeri gravel horizon follows. On its top, about 4.5 m package of well lithified, fossilrich calcarenites (badly sorted coarse sands) dominated by bryozoans, oysters, pectinids and balanids complete the Ottnangian succession.

Fig. 3-7 Sketch of the outcrop in the quarry Hengl in Limberg, showing stratigraphic architecture and lateral facies changes (modified after Mandic et al., 2012). Photographs shows A. Thaya granite transgressively overlain by sands and sandstones of the Burgschleinitz Formation and Zogelsdorf Formation. B. Lamprophyre dyke discordantly cutting through the Thaya granite which is overlain by Lower Miocene sediments. C. Thaya granite overlain by basal granite boulders and sands of the Burgschleinitz Formation followed by sandy limestones of the Zogelsdorf Formation.

The basal gravel and the fossil-rich coarse-sands and gravels above are lithostratigraphically classified with the Burgschleinitz Fm. Rare occurrence of Pecten hermansenni points to its Ottnangian age (Piller et al. 2007). Note however that the fossil content of the same formation in the outcrops around Eggenburg, e.g. at the previous excursion stop Kirchenbruch, indicates late Eggenburgian age. The dominance of sessile epibionts points to shallow marine water, wave dominated rocky shore and coarse-sandy sublittoral. Such interpretation is supported by the strong fragmentation of shell 24 material. Eastwards, a decrease of water energy is suggested by disappearance of Gigantopecten holgeri and presence of accumulations of well preserved brachiopod shells. The outcrop allows unique insight into the lateral facies change within the Burgschleinitz Fm. in the area. The start of the Zogelsdorf Fm. marks a prominent shift of the relative sea-water level, marking a distinct transgression that followed an intermittent regressive phase. Lateral changes of gravel-bed thickness points to a wave induced transport of the material. The gravel accumulations originated from backwash-transport of large components into the deeper areas. The presence of dominantly thick shelled bivalves likely points to a turbulent water high-energy paleoenvironment. Upwards, in the uppermost part of the Zogelsdorf Fm., a gradual decrease in water energy is recorded. In particular, the calm conditions are indicated by an increased bryozoan fossil content, pointing to a decrease of water energy and of the terrigenous input, probably in consequence of an ongoing transgression.

Source: Mandic et al. 2012

6. Limberg - Taubenberg diatomite pit Topic: Limberg Mb. / Zellerndorf Fm. Age: late Ottnangian

The crystalline rocks of this area are mostly Paleozoic granites and metamorphic rocks overlain by lower Miocene (upper Eggenburgian) nearshore sands and gravels of the Burgschleinitz Formation. Above an erosional contact, sandy shallow marine limestones of the Zogelsdorf Formation (lower Ottnangian) were deposited, which laterally and vertically pass into deep-water pelitic sediments of the Zellerndorf Formation. Drillings in this area show a thickness of the pelites of about 25—100 m above the Zogelsdorf Formation. In the surroundings of Limberg, Niederschleinz, Oberdürnbach, and Parisdorf, very close to the Diendorf fault scarp, finely laminated diatomites of the Limberg Member are intercalated with the upper part of the Zellerndorf Formation, laterally thinning out towards the east. In the area of Limberg—Parisdorf the diatomites are at most 5—7.5 m thick. The overlying pelites of the Zellerndorf Formation consist of finely laminated and thin-bedded, bluish-grey, light- and dark- brown, mostly non-calcareous and smectitic silt-clays. They show calcareous layers only immediately above the base of the Zogelsdorf Formation and near the top above the Limberg Member. The Zellerndorf Formation is discontinuously overlain by Lower-Middle Miocene marine and freshwater sediments covered by Pleistocene loess. Most of these formations east of the Diendorf fault are affected by intensive horst-graben tectonics. The abandoned Limberg quarry is located NE of the railway station, south of the road to Straning near the Taubenberg hill. Similar to the Parisdorf pit, the finely stratified diatomites of the Limberg Member are exposed at the base, followed by the pelites of the Zellerndorf Formation (Fig. 3- 8). There is a sharp contact between them with a distinct change of colour. The greyish pelites are poorly stratified, and their base is non-calcareous. Carbonate content increases upsection and calcareous concretions occur irregularly. The benthic foraminifer Bathysiphon is found frequently on the bedding planes. Strong tectonic deformation such as in Parisdorf does not appear. A multi-proxy data-set from the diatomite-clay successions of the present region consisting of sedimentological and paleontological data from earlier studies, stable isotope analyses of foraminiferal shells and bulk sediment samples as well as dinoflagellate assemblages indicate upwelling conditions along the margin of the Bohemian Massif in the Central Paratethys during middle Ottnangian times. Planktonic foraminifers examined for their isotopic composition show low δ13C values and rather high δ18O values, being remarkably consistent with data from recent upwelling areas. Temperature calculations based on globigerinids revealed sea surface temperatures from 10 to 14 °C. Low SSTs and high productivity are supported by the bulk sample record. Benthic foraminifers point to a low temperature gradient and strong mixing of the water column. Dinoflagellate assemblages indicate a highly productive, distal environment. The influence of NE trade winds and strong tidal currents are discussed as potential driving agents of the herein studied upwelling site. Coeval mid-Burdigalian

25 deposits with marine diatomites are widespread in the Paratethys Sea from Austria and Moravia up to Poland. The local upwelling setting along the steep coast of the Bohemian Massif might thus reflect a characteristic hydrodynamic and/or wind regime along the Paratethyan coasts between ca. 19— 18 Ma.

Source: Extracted from Grunert et al., 2010

Fig. 3-8 Section Taubenberg at Limberg showing diatomite of the Limberg Mb. overlain by the pelite of the Zellerndorf Fm. Pleistocene loess tops the succession. Photographs show A. dinoflagellate cysts (1-3, 5- 7) and green algae (4) from the samples of the Zellerndorf Fm., B. overview of the section with diatomites in the base, greenish pelite in the middle and beige looess on top, C. diatomite of the Limberg Fm., D. pelite of the Zellerndorf Fm. (modified after Grunert et al., 2010).

7. Straning - tuff and tuffite Topic: volcanic ash on top of the Zellerndorf Fm. Age: Ottnangian-Karpatian

In the surroundings, close to the villages Limberg, Oberdürnbach, and Parisdorf, diatomites of the Limberg Member are intercalated into clays of the uppermost part of the Zellerndorf Formation. Towards the east the diatomites are laterally thinning out and interfingering with the Ottnangian pelites. High portions of smectite in the clays of the Zellerndorf Formation and in volcaniclastic layers of time-equivalent strata as well as the occurrence of quartz, glass and zircons of volcanic origin indicate prominent acid volcanic input at this time. The investigated outcrop is situated in a railway-cut of the Franz-Josefs-Bahn, about 650 m east of Etzmannsdorf and 1 km NNW of Straning. West of the railway track a 50 m long and 10 to 14 m wide graben inside granites of the Thaya-Batholith is filled with Lower Miocene pelitic sediments and volcaniclastics. This graben runs subparallel to the sinistral NNE-SSW striking Diendorf fault system, marked by several NE-striking sinistral slickensides on the granite walls (Decker in Roetzel et al., 1999b). The surface of the granite shows typical corestone-weathering and limonitic crusts (tafoni- weathering). The main part of the sediment fill is affected by a landslide, where the tear-off edge of the landslide opens an outcrop of tuffs and tuffites in the upper part of the graben. Due to the landslide the sediments are slightly tilted to E – SE (090/28 to 120/20). 26

The 2.1 m high outcrop (Fig. 3-9) starts at the base with about 0.8 m greenish-grey, thin and plane bedded silty clays, which are overlain by a 4 to 6 cm thick limonitic layer. In some parts below this layer already relicts of whitish-grey tuffites occur. In the above following 35 cm thick and rather massy pelitic sediments (siltclay) whitish millimeters thick layers are recognizable. In these layers already volcanic glass as well as an almost monospecific microfauna of Silicoplacentina? sp. (“Saccamina”), with very rare Triloculina sp. and fish-teeth occur. All these clayey sediments at the base of the Straning outcrop are part of the lower Miocene (Ottnangian) Zellerndorf Formation. Above a mm-thick dark brown clayey layer follow 7 to 10 cm whitish to yellowish grey, soapy silty clays. The top of the outcrop is made up by about 80 cm whitish-grey, indistinct bedded tuffs and tuffites (claysilt, clayey silt, clayey sandy silt). These volcaniclastics are divided in several cm- to dm-thick beds interrupted by thin ochre pelitic layers.

Fig. 3-9 Section Straining showing the position of samples accompanied by a photograph demonstrating the outcrop conditions; to the right, the stratigraphic correlation of the locality with the Ottnangian- Karpatian boundary interval is demonstrated on the geological time scale (modified after Roetzel et al., 2014)

Acid tuffs and tuffites from the Straning outcrop were dated by 40Ar/39Ar dating to 17.23 ± 0.18 Ma. They show a reversed polarity and can be correlated with the chron C5Cr of the Late Burdigalian (Early Karpatian) and with the LST of the global 3rd order sea level cycle Bur 4 of Hardenbol at al. (1998). The volcanic material of the tephra beds in Straning originates from acid (rhyodacitic to dacitic) calcalkaline volcanism of a volcanic arc. The magmatic melt was relatively poorly differentiated and its hybrid origin can be supposed. A significant secondary transport/redeposition (i.e. after the fallout) and mixing with nonvolcanic material can be documented. The intensity of these processes varies through the studied profile at Straning. Investigations of volcanic zircon and REE reveal significant differences of the studied volcaniclastics from Straning to Eggenburgian, Ottnangian, and Lower Badenian tephra from the south-eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif and the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep in Moravia and Lower Austria. The volcanic source can be located in the Carpatho-Pannonian region of northern Hungary to southern Slovakia, preferred pointing to an origin from the western intra-Carpathian area. The Straning tuff correlates best with the uppermost part of the Lower Rhyolite tuff (lowermost Karpatian) in this area.

Source: Extracted from Roetzel et al. 2014

OeAD - STC Project SK 09/2018 - AT Excursion #1

#3rd day - 21 Oct 2018 (Sunday)

Eastern part of the Molasse Unit in the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep and the Korneuburg Basin

In the Molasse Unit (Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep) of Lower Austria, which is a part of the Central Paratethys, the first marine transgression started during the Egerian (late Oligocene to early Miocene). North of the Danube shallow-water sediments associated with the early Miocene marine transgression (Eggenburgian-Ottnangian) are confined, on the surface, to the eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif in the surroundings of Eggenburg. The following Karpatian transgression in the late Early Miocene led to sedimentation of the Laa Formation, which has the largest regional surface distribution of Miocene sediments (Fig. 4-1).

Fig. 4-1. Geological map of the Molasse Unit north of the Danube in Lower Austria (modified after Roetzel et al. 1999b)

Middle Miocene (lower Badenian) marine sediments are mainly restricted to the surroundings of Hollabrunn and Krems. In the Hollabrunn area, they mostly overlie the Karpatian, whereas in the 28

Krems area they rest on Egerian and Ottnangian sediments (Fig. 4-1). The Grund Formation occurs in the Hollabrunn area; towards the West it passes laterally into the Gaindorf Formation. The largest interconnected distribution area of the Grund Formation is the flat to slightly hilly landscape northwest to northeast of Hollabrunn. There the type area of the Grund Formation is situated between the villages Grund and Guntersdorf, just east of the main road to Znojmo (Fig. 4-1), where a number of wine cellars were built within the Grund Formation. A smaller occurrence of the Grund Formation exists south of Znojmo, close to the Austrian-Czech border, in the vicinity of Unterretzbach and Hnanice. South of the main area of the Grund Formation, Sarmatian marine to brackish sediments of the Ziersdorf Formation and fluvial sediments of the Pannonian Hollabrunn-Mistelbach Formation overlie the Grund Formation. To the East and West the contact with the underlying Karpatian Laa Formation is clearly concordant, but marked by a hiatus (Ćorić & Rögl, 2004), whereas to the North a tectonic contact can be assumed (Fig. 4-1). In the northern- to northeastern-most part of the Grund Formation, west of Mailberg, upward thickening lenticular intercalations of biogenic limestones appear in the sandy and silty sediments. These limestones form the hilltops of the Buchberg, Galgenberg, a.o., and constitutes a separate formation called the Mailberg Formation. This formation is up to 25 m thick. Main biogenic components are coralline algae, molluscs, balanids, foraminifera, bryozoans, serpulids and sea-urchin spines. Mainly thick-walled molluscs are often concentrated in coquinas. The mostly coarse-grained clastic fluvial to deltaic sediments of the Hollabrunn-Mistelbach Formation (HMF) extend on the surface in a WSW–ENE direction from Krems towards Hohenwarth, Ziersdorf, Hollabrunn and the Ernstbrunner Wald to the surroundings of Mistelbach and further to the Steinberg fault near Zistersdorf over a length of more than 86 km. The width of this sediment body is between 3 km and 14 km, and reaches almost 20 km in the Mistelbach area, west of the Waschberg Unit (Fig. 4-2). In the Vienna Basin, east of the Steinberg fault, the accompanying prodelta-sediments extend subsurface far to the east up to the Slovakian area (Harzhauser et al., 2004; Kovac et al., 1998).

Fig. 4-2 Simplified geological map of northeastern Austria with location and extent of the Pannonian Hollabrunn- Mistelbach Formation. Position of Korneuburg Basin between the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep and the Vienna Basin is indicated (Nehyba & Roetzel, 2004).

The formation of the asymmetric Korneuburg Basin (Fig. 4-2) resulted from pull apart effects within the Alpine-Carpathian thrust belt during late Alpine movements (Wessely 1998). The SSE-NNE elongated basin is about 20 km long and attains a maximum width of 7 km, but is strongly narrowed in its northern extension. A swell in the area of Obergänserndorf-Mollmannsdorf separates a southern part of the basin with a Neogene fill of about 650 m depth from a shallower northern one about 350 m deep. The basin margins are formed in the northern part by the Waschberg Zone and towards the south by the Flysch Zone. It subsided on its western border along the Schliefberg fault. The considerable increase of sediment thickness towards this western fault zone demonstrates the synsedimentary tectonic activity during the Karpatian. In contrast, the eastern margin, which is also formed by the Flysch Zone, lacks any hints of major faults. Sedimentation started during the Eggenburgian (~ early Burdigalian), but the main basin fill is represented by Karpatian deposits (~ late Burdigalian). Karpatian sediments are mainly represented by grey to yellow marly silt and fi ne to medium sand. Rarely, gravel and boulders may occur close to the Flysch Zone and ancillary diatomites occur in the northern part of the basin. The Karpatian deposits of the Korneuburg Basin are dated into the latest Early Miocene. The correlation of the mammal fauna with paleomagnetic data allowed a dating into mammal zone MN 5, spanning a time of about 16.5–16.7 my (Harzhauser et al. 2002; Kern et al., 2011). Magnetostratigraphic and palaeomagnetic data of Scholger (1998) suggest that the basin rotated counter-clockwise by 20 degrees since the Karpatian. Additionally, a distinctly more southern position of the Korneuburg Basin 16 my ago can be deduced (Scholger 1998). During the Karpatian, the basin was strongly cut off from the open Paratethys Sea. The adjacent Vienna Basin was largely covered by a huge fluvial-deltaic system which prograded from the south. A connection to the marine realm was indicated only along the northern tip, where the Paratethys Sea extended into the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep. According to Harzhauser et al. (2002), the small, elongated satellite basin was divided into a southern, estuarine part and northern, predominately marine part. In the latter, shallow marine settings of 20–30 m water depth formed; here, scattered corals inhabited the silty to sandy bottom. The southern basin, separated from the marine northern basin by the Obergänserndorf-Mollmanssdorf swell, is characterized by estuarine settings. Tidal mudflats with extensive Crassostrea bioherms developed along large stretches of the coasts. Pollen records suggest a warm and wet summer season with c. 204-236 mm precipitation during the wettest month was opposed by a rather dry winter season with precipitation of c. 9-24 mm during the driest month. The mean annual temperature ranged between 15.7 and 20.8 °C, with about 9.6-13.3 °C during the cold season and 24.7-27.9 °C during the warmest month, which is in agreement with the herpetofauna (Böhme 2002; Kern et al. 2011).

Sources: Roetzel & Pervesler (2004), Nehyba & Roetzel (2004), Zuschin et al. (2004), Kern et al. (2011)

1. Mailberg, Buchberg quarry Topic: Mailberg Fm., stratotype Age: early Badenian

The outcrop area is situated in an abandoned quarry at the Buchberg Hill W of Mailberg in Lower Austria. The section exposes a 5.5 m thick interbedding of biogenic limestones and marls. The 30 to 70 cm thick coralline-algal-limestone beds, bearing commonly remains of thick-shelled molluscs, are intercalated by 5 to 70 cm thick marly layers. The locality was used recently as a blasting point for deep geophysical measurements and is well exposed. Geophysical investigations revealed a thickness of the succession of more than 15 m below the bottom of the quarry. The lower Badenian Mailberg Formation with its well-developed carbonate facies represents an unique occurrence in the mainly siliciclastic basin-fill of the Lower Austrian Molasse Unit. Its occurrence can be best interpreted as reflecting a paleogeographic position on an isolated submarine swell that was separated from siliciclastic discharge. The Mailberg Formation interfingers to the south

30 and to the west with deeper-water sediments of the Grund Formation, although paleomagnetic investigations in the type area near Grund point out a slightly older age (Ćorić et al. 2004). These lower Badenian sediments are the youngest open marine sediments known from the area. Hence, already in the middle Badenian, alluvial fans transporting vast amounts of debris into the northern Vienna Basin replaced the marine shelf environment (Jiříček & Seifert 1990).

Fig. 4-3 Position of the section Buchberg near Mailberg of the geological and tectonic map floowed by lithological section and its paleoecological constrains based on quantified foraminiferal record (Mandic et al., 2004). Photographs show the outcrop situation and detail of the calcarenite with mollusk accumulation with leached aragonite shells.

In particular, Ćorić et al. (2004) correlated the Mailberg Formation with chron C5Bn.r based on paleomagnetic data, which were calibrated with biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy. This indicates a stratigraphical higher position of the Mailberg Formation compared to the Grund Formation which was correlated with chron C5Bn.2n by Ćorić et al. (2004). Calcareous nannoplankton proved the position within Zone NN5, whereas the typical planktonic foraminifera assemblage with Orbulina suturalis accompanied with Praeorbulina glomerosa circularis points to the position within Zone M6. In terms of regional ecostratigraphy it belongs to the lower Badenian Lower Lagenid Zone (Grill, 1968). Cibicidoides- and Cibicidoides-Elphidium assemblages, revealed from quantified foraminiferal record, indicate fully marine, shallow water, high oxic conditions with oxygen levels ranging from 3.0- 6.0 mL/L. Similarity/Dissimilarity Term Analyses, non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering revealed an assemblage aberrance within a thin marly interlayer. This is defined by an abundance peak of Melonis pompilioides and by a minimum level of taxonomic richness and heterogeneity. The abrupt decrease of plankton abundance to 1.6% within the thin marly layer coincides with a short-term eutrophication event. Despite the predominance of oxic indicators in a subsequent recovery phase, the sudden euthrophication apparently resulted not only in a decrease of limestone production but also in the abundance peak of suboxic pioneers inhabiting the bottom sediments before the return of oxic conditions. The plankton abundances ranging between 31

24.3 and 28.4% indicate upper to middle shelf conditions in an open sea. Based on the macrofauna, the depositional depth for the carbonates was maximally 30 m. The foraminiferal assemblages from marls, however, indicate greater depths of about 50 m. Hence, the presence of short-termed, orbitally forced sea level fluctuations is assumed for the section, producing periodical water mass eutrophication and a shut-down of the carbonate factory. The distribution of thermophilic taxa among the plankton indicates a minor sea water cooling in the topmost part of the Mailberg Formation.

Source: Extracted from Mandic, 2004 (modified)

Fig. 4-4 Section near Breitenwaida investigated by Nehyba & Roetzel (2004) showing results of the lithofacies analysis.

2. Breitenwaida Topic: Hollabrunn Fm. Age: Pannonian

In the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep and the Vienna Basin in Austria deposits of the Hollabrunn- Mistelbach Formation of the Upper Miocene are present in numerous outcrops between Krems und Zistersdorf. Two genetically related depositional environments have been recognized in a detailed sedimentological study by Nehyba & Roetzel (2004). The depositional environment of a gravel-bed river is dominant in the majority of the outcrops. Towards the east this system developed into a braiddelta environment. Larger scale architectural elements recognized within the gravel-bed river deposits are gravelly channel fills, sandy channel fills and overbank deposits. The larger scale elements can be subdivided into elements at a smaller scale. The gravelly channel fill elements can be subdivided into channel lags, bars, lateral/downstream accretion deposits and channels. The sandy channel fill elements were subdivided into lateral/downstream accretion deposits and channels. The overbank elements can be subdivided into abandoned channel fills and floodplain fines. The studied deposits of the braiddelta represent the proximal part of the delta and can be subdivided into deposits of distributary channels, mouth bars, gravelly beaches, foreshore and shoreface deposits and interdistributary areas. For the Hollabrunn-Mistelbach Formation a braided fluvial style with vertical and lateral gradations to a higher sinuosity fluvial style, i.e. a gravelly wandering river is inferred by Nehyba & Roetzel (2004). Outcrop near Breitenwaida represents one of 65 sections studied in detail by Nehyba & Roetzel (2004) and represents an typical example for gravel-bed river deposits.

Source: Nehyba & Roetzel (2004) (modified)

3. Göllersdorf - Wienerberger clay pit Topic: Laa Fm. - fine grained sediments with intercalations of submarine mass-flow sediments Age: Karpatian, lower Miocene

In the outcrop of the clay pit Wienerberger in Göllersdorf mainly pelitic sediments of the lower Miocene (Karpatian) Laa Formation are exposed with a thickness of approx. 60 m. They are overlain by 3 - 8 m thick quaternary sediments (mainly loess with basal gravel). In the lower part of the clay pit the Miocene sediments are tilted and permeated by listric normal faults. The Karpatian sediments are quite uniform, dominated by clayey silts and intercalations of fine to medium sands. The pelites are bluish grey to dark grey, whereas due to weathering yellowish brown sediments are dominating in the upper part of the pit. The pelitic sediments mostly show mm-thick even lamination, although in some cases also sandy lenses (isolated ripples) are visible. The fine grained sediments usually are not bioturbated, however sometimes also strong bioturbation can be recognized. The sandy intercalations are between some millimetres and up to 35 cm thick. In some cases lenticular bedding (isolated ripples) is visible. Intervals with thinner and thicker sandy layers are changing 2.5 to 6 m apart. The base of the sandy layers is always sharp, while the top is mainly gradually passing into the overlying silty sediments. Sands are mainly laminated and frequently with enrichment of plant material. Thicker medium grained sandy layers sometimes show normal grading and pelitic clasts at the base. In some fine sandy layers even lamination is upward passing into current ripples (formsets). Multiphase fine sandy layers sometimes show hummocky cross-stratification. Additionally sandstones often show groove marks and flute casts at their base. Beside this in the outcrop intercalations with a quite different lithology can be recognized. They are mainly composed of unlayered, massy clayey silts containing well rounded and matrix-supported gravel, blocks and boulders up to 85 cm in diameter. These coarse components consist of carbonatic sandstones and limestones. Additionally debris from mollusc and coalyfied wood fragments can be found. These 33 intercalations are 2 to 9.5 m thick and sometimes show a multiphase development. The thickest layer can be traced along the whole clay pit over about 400 m.

Fig. 4-5 A. Overview of the clay pit Göllersdorf with the position of submarine mass-flow sediments inside the sediments of the Laa Formation. B. Tilted Karpatian sediments of the Laa Formation in the clay pit Göllersdorf. C. Mass-flow sediments with matrix supported boulders upon bedded silty and sandy sediments of the Laa Formation. D. Well rounded blocks and boulders from carbonatic sandstones and limestones from the Malmian Klippen of the Waschberg Zone. E. Simplified lithology of section Göllersdorf showing dark-grey silty marl and two levels of all foraminiferal specimens pyritized. To the right follow the climatic curve obtained by algebraic sum of abundance (%) of warm-water (positive) and cool-water indicators (negative); the abundance (%) of species indicating high primary productivity and the plankton/benthos ratio (after Spezzaferri et al 2002).

As shown by the foraminifera the sediments are fully marine. The sedimentological features of the sandy intercalations point to the deposition in the upper flow regime during periodic storms above the storm wave base. The layers with matrix-supported gravel, blocks and boulders are interpreted as submarine mass-flow sediments originating from the front of the Waschberg Zone. The well rounded coarse components of carbonatic sandstones and limestones are probably from a littoral environment. They presumably have their origin in the Waschberg Zone or Flysch Zone

Source: Description by Reinhard Roetzel (Geological Survey Vienna)

4. Kleinebersdorf Topic: Korneuburg Fm. Age: Karpatian

Two outcrops near Kleinebersdorf in the Korneuburg Basin (outcrop A: Lehner-Sandpit and outcrop B: Wohlmuth-Sandpit) were studied in detail by Zuschin et al (2004). Distance between outcrops is about 200 m. The outcrops A and B at Kleinebersdorf show comparable successions. The lowermost silty and clayey unit, however, is only present in Outcrop A. Upsection follows a 4 m thick sandy unit with intensive cross-bedding. Its base bears clayey rip-up clasts. The overlying 20 to 30 cm thick coquina displays a wavy, warped lower boundary but is principally continuous. This texture is a secondary plastic deformation due to inhomogeneities within the water-saturated sediment and the load of the coquina onto the underlying sandy unit. This coquina represents the shell bed analyzed here. The coquina is topped by interbedded clays, silts and sands and an additional small coquina in outcrop A.

Fig. 4-1 A. Section at Lehner sandpit. B. Section at Wohlmuth sandpit. Photographs to the left show sampling locations at C. Wohlmuth sandpit and D. Lehner sandpit; to the right E-B. loading of the coquina portions into the underlying, cross-bedded sands in the Lehner sandpit (Zuschin et al., 2004)

The studied shell bed is 30–50 cm thick and consists of a densely packed, polytaxic skeletal concentration. Along both outcrops the basal contact of the shell bed is sharp and also very wavy and irregular because of abundant loading structures. The shells in the coquina parallel this post- depositional irregular surface but do not secondarily accumulate in the topographic lows. The top of the shell bed varies laterally from sharp to rather transitional into sand. The shells are only weakly oriented and are taphonomically strongly altered by dissolution. The six most abundant taxa (Granulolabium plicatum, Agapilia pachii, Loripes (Microloripes) dentatus, Nassarius edlaueri, Dosinia (Asa) lupinus and Polinices pseudoredemptus) make up 88.1% of the shells in the total assemblage, however, the majority of species contributes more than 1% to the faunal composition.

Lithology, faunal composition and the paleogeographic situation of the outcrop indicate a tidal flat setting inhabited mainly by the herbivorous batillariid gastropod Granulolabium plicatum, and the neritid gastropod Agapilia pachii. The bivalves Loripes dentatus, Dosinia lupinus and Diplodonta rotundata flourished under the quiet water conditions within the lower intertidal to upper subtidal zone, where they lived as deeply burrowing suspension feeders. The spectrum of the most important species of the tidal flat is completed with scavenging nassariid gastropods and the predatory Polinices pseudoredemptus. The shell bed is interpreted as a parautochthonous or slightly transported tidal flat deposit whose fine-grained sedimentary components have largely been winnowed by currents that were not strong enough to significantly transport the shells. The weak orientation of the shells, the absence of size-sorting and the lack of any sedimentary structures point to gentle winnowing as the most likely concentration process. The rather low total diversity of 32 species points to a physically controlled original environment.

Source: Zuschin et al. 2004

5. Stetten - "Fossilienwelt" Topic: Korneuburg Fm. - Crassostrea biostrome in the southern Korneuburg Basin Age: Karpatian The Stetten site (Fig. 4-7) is located in the southern part of the small Austrian Korneuburg Basin in Lower Austria. The present oyster biostrome is the upper part of an about 600-m-thick siliciclastic succession of the Korneuburg Formation in the southern basin, which is tilted ca. 25° in the western direction. Sand packages with trough cross-bedded sets are interpreted as tidal sand waves of the shoreface. Pelitic sediments mostly show even lamination to wavy bedding or thinly alternating sandy and muddy layers, indicative of tidal flat deposits (Zuschin et al., 2014). According to available paleontological and geochemical data, the southern part of the Korneuburg basin was an estuarine ecosystem that existed for more than 700,000 years due to its peculiar tectonic setting and significant subsidence (Harzhauser et al., 2002; Latal et al., 2005, 2006; Zuschin et al., 2014).The foraminifera and mollusc faunas were partly adapted to brackish water conditions and indicate a very shallow water environment, with a maximum water depth of about 30 m (Rögl, 1998; Harzhauser et al., 2002). Along the seaward fringe, an Avicennia mangrove was established. Tidal mudflats and sand bars were settled by vast Crassostrea biostromes. These “reefs” became established in the mixohaline shallow subtidal to lower intertidal zone of the estuarine bay. Brackish marshes, shallow lakes, oxbows and rivers developed as the typical wetland types of the southern Korneuburg Basin (Harzhauser et al., 2002; Kern et al., 2010). A diverse mammalian fauna lived in the swamps and forests (Daxner-Höck, 1998). Palynological analyses by Kern et al. (2011) revealed a subtropical climate with mean annual temperatures between 15.7 and 20.8 °C. The Crassostrea shell bed, in the exibition hall of "Fossilienwelt" in Stetten, is an exceptional structure in the Miocene basin fill of the Korneuburg Basin. No comparable shell bed was detected by Zuschin et al. (2014) within the 445-m-thick sedimentary succession underlying the Stetten site. Historical data of the clay pit area suggest a much wider lateral distribution of the shell bed across an area of at least 10,000 m2. Throughout its distribution area, it has a sheet-like appearance with about 15–25 cm thickness and sharply overlays a unit of fossil-poor coarse sand lacking any oyster shells. Not a single articulated specimen was ever found in this characteristic horizon, which was well known to the miners and collectors. Therefore, our main hypothesis is that most of the shell bed represents an event bed sensu Einsele et al. (1991) and Kidwell (1991), which amalgamated pre-event phases and was shaped by post-event processes. Cartoon in Fig. 4-7D shows the hypothetical steps of the present Crassostrea shell bed formation: (A) Intertidal Crassostrea biostrome. (B) Died-off biostrome covered by foreshore sand with shallow burrowing bivalves and pectinids. (C) Exhumation of the oyster shells and amalgamation with the infauna from overlying sand during a tsunami or heavy storm. (D) Secondary hardground on the

36 sea ﬂoor below fair weather base. Ostrea starts to settle on the empty shells. (E) Rapid burial by sand and settlement by deep-burrowing solenoid bivalves.

Source: Extracted from Harzhauser et al. (2015)

Fig. 4-7 A. Paleogeographic reconstruction of the Korneuburg Basin showing positions of two visited localities Stetten and Kleinebersdorf in different parts of the basin. B. Typical mollusks species from the Crassostrea shell bed. C. Tectonicaly inclined Crassostrea shell bed in the "Fossilienwelt" exibition hall. D. Hypothetical steps of the Crassostrea shell bed formation at Stetten (see text for explanation).

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