Geologia Croatica 60/1 1–113 18 Figs. 26 Pls. ZAGREB 2007 Stratigraphy and Palaeobiogeography of Mesozoic Benthic Foraminifera of the Karst Dinarides (SE Europe) Ivo VELIĆ Key words: Benthic foraminifera, Chronostratigraphy, Within the 257 determined taxa belonging to different foramini­ feral families which lived through the Mesozoic, numerous differ­ Biostratigraphy, Palaeobiogeography, Mesozoic, ent index fossils occur in assemblages indicating various ages: Early Karst Dinarides, Adriatic Carbonate Platform, Slove­ Triassic, Anisian, Carnian, Norian–Rhaetian, Late Sinemurian, Early nia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro. and Late Pliensbachian (Carixian and Domerian), Early and Late Aalenian, Early and Late Bajocian, Early and Late Bathonian, Callo­ vian, Early and Late Oxfordian, Kimmeridgian, Tithonian, Berriasian, Valanginian, Late Hauterivian, Late Barremian, Early and Late Aptian (Bedulian and Gargasian), Early and Late Albian, Early, Middle and Abstract Late Cenomanian, Turonian, Coniacian, Santonian, Early and Late The Adriatic Carbonate Platform (AdCP), was a separate shallow­ Campanian and Early and Late Maastrichtian. marine depositional system characterized by a lack of terrigenous A total of 64 biostratigraphic units – biozones of different catego­ input and was connected to Gondwana towards the South via Gav­ ries, from subzone to superzone, were defined within the stratigraphic rovo–Tripolitza or Apulia. It existed for approximately 120 MY, from interval from the Carnian to the Late Maastrichtian. This enabled very the Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian/Toarcian) to the end of the Creta­ detailed biostratigraphic subdivision of the carbonate deposits within ceous, resulting in a 4000–6500 m thick succession of almost pure the Karst Dinarides. This is one of the most precise sequences, not carbonates. However, this is part of a thicker (>8000 m) sequence of only in this area, but also among former shallow marine deposits of predominantly carbonate rocks which forms the Karst Dinarides, and the entire Neotethyan realm in the present Mediterranean region. was deposited during more than 270 MY – at least from the Carbonif­ The palaeobiogeographic characteristics of biotopes and the erous (Moscovian) to the Late Eocene. composition of foraminiferal assemblages during the Mesozoic were Among many different groups of fossil organisms, benthic controlled by the position of the study area within the Neotethyan bio­ foraminifera are especially abundant and well preserved, so they, provinces. Until the Albian, this area represented part of the Southern along with calcareous algae (Dasycladales), are the most important Neotethyan bioprovince, while from the Cenomanian to its final disin­ fossils used for age determination and stratigraphic subdivision of tegration at the end of the Cretaceous it belonged to a separate, Central shallow­marine carbonate deposits. Mediterranean Neotethyan bioprovince. Ovaj rad posvećujem članovima Velebitsko–kapelske ekipe This paper is dedicated to the members of the Velebit–Kapela (1962–1980) – kolegama Anti Ivanoviću, Leonu Nikleru, team (1962–1980) – my colleagues Ante Ivanović, Leon Branku Sokaču, Ivanu Galoviću i Stjepanu Markoviću s Nikler, Branko Sokač, Ivan Galović and Stjepan Marković. kojima sam zajedno sudjelovao u izradbi Osnovne geološke Together we produced a Basic Geological Map at 1:100,000 karte 1:100.000 u Velebitu, Lici, Velikoj i Maloj Kapeli scale, and performed detailed stratigraphical subdivision of i Ogulinskome kraju. Tada su se, prvenstveno prema the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks of Velebit Mt., Lika, Velika mikrofosilima, a među njima i bentičkim foraminiferama, and Mala Kapela Mts. and the Ogulin area. Based on benthic provele prve detaljnije stratigrafske raščlambe jurskih i microfossils – foraminifera and dasyclad algae, this was the krednih naslaga u Krškim Dinaridima. To je bilo polazište first such subdivision in the Dinarides. That work represented za kasnija paleontološko–stratigrafska istraživanja koja su a foundation for subsequent palaeontological–stratigraphic rezultirala mnogobrojnim znanstvenim radovima, pa tako i investigations which resulted in numerous scientific papers, ovim radom. of which the present paper is included. Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia; e-mail: [email protected] 2 Geologia Croatica 60/1 CONTENTS 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 2 2. Foraminiferal taxa and assemblages in chronostratigraphic succession............................................................. 3 2.1. Triassic....................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1. Early Triassic – Scythian (Induan and Olenekian)............................................................................. 5 2.1.2. Middle Triassic.................................................................................................................................. 5 2.1.3. Late Triassic...................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2. Jurassic....................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1. Early Jurassic.................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2. Middle Jurassic................................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.3. Late Jurassic...................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3. Cretaceous.................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.3.1. Early Cretaceous............................................................................................................................... 12 2.3.2. Late Cretaceous................................................................................................................................. 16 3. Biostratigraphy................................................................................................................................................... 20 3.1. Previous investigations.............................................................................................................................. 20 3.2. Biostratigraphic zonation and subdivision................................................................................................. 21 3.2.1. Late Triassic...................................................................................................................................... 21 3.2.2. Early Jurassic.................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2.3. Middle Jurassic................................................................................................................................. 24 3.2.4. Late Jurassic...................................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.5. Early Cretaceous............................................................................................................................... 29 3.2.6. Late Cretaceous................................................................................................................................. 33 4. Palaeobiogeography of Mesozoic benthic foraminifera of the Karst Dinarides................................................. 38 4.1. Triassic....................................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2. Jurassic....................................................................................................................................................... 38 4.3. Cretaceous.................................................................................................................................................. 42 4.4. Correlation................................................................................................................................................. 46 5. Review of the results.......................................................................................................................................... 48 6. References.......................................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix: List of Taxa..................................................................................................................................... 59 1. INTRODUCTION stratigraphically well determined forms; especially the Orbitopsella spp. of the Lower Jurassic of Morocco Benthic foraminifera are among the most important fos­ (SEPTFONTAINE, 1984), hauranids and pfenderinids sil organisms for age determination and stratigraphic in the Middle Jurassic and kurnubiinids in the Upper Jurassic of the Western Mediterranean in Europe and subdivision of shallow­marine carbonate deposits of the Northern Africa