T HAR C ABHANDLUNGEN 2013 BAND 66 IGRAPHIC T RA ST RIAN T US A HE T S OF T Vol. I THE PALEOZOIC ERA(THEM) Authors: Bernhard Hubmann [Coordinator] (Graz), Fritz Ebner (Leoben), ­Annalisa Ferretti (Modena), Kathleen Histon (Modena), Erika Kido (Graz), ARY SUCCESSIONS) IGRAPHIC UNI Karl Krainer (Innsbruck), Franz Neubauer (Salzburg), T Hans Peter Schönlaub (Kötschach-Mauthen) T & Thomas J. Suttner (Graz). RA T HOS T 2004 (SEDIMEN THE LI WERNER E. PILLER [Ed.] Geologische Bundesanstalt Address of editor: Werner E. Piller University of Graz Institute for Earth Sciences Heinrichstraße 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria [email protected] Addresses of authors: Bernhard Hubmann Franz Neubauer University of Graz University of Salzburg Institute for Earth Sciences Department of Geography and Geology Heinrichstraße 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria Hellbrunnerstraße 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria [email protected] [email protected] Fritz Ebner Hans Peter Schönlaub University of Leoben Past Director, Geological Survey of Austria Department of Geosciences/Geology and Economic Geology Kötschach 350, A-9640 Kötschach-Mauthen, Austria; Peter-Tunner-Straße 5, A-8700 Leoben, Austria [email protected] [email protected] Erika Kido, Thomas J. Suttner Annalisa Ferretti, Kathleen Histon University of Graz Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Institute for Earth Sciences Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Heinrichstraße 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria Largo S. Eufemia 19, I-41121 Modena, Italy [email protected]; [email protected] [email protected]; [email protected], [email protected] Karl Krainer University of Innsbruck Institute of Geology and Paleontology Innrain 52, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria [email protected] Recommended citation / Zitiervorschlag PILLER, W.E. [Ed.] (2013): The lithostratigraphic units of the Austrian Stratigraphic Chart 2004 (sedimentary successions) – Vol. I – Abh. Geol. B.-A., 66, 136 p., Wien. HUBMANN, B., EBNER, F., FERRETTI, A., HISTON, K., KIDO, E., KRAINER, K., NEUBAUER, F., SCHÖNLAUB, H.-P. & SUTTNER, T.J. (2013): The Paleozoic Era(them). – In: PILLER, W.E. [Ed.]: The lithostratigraphic units of the Austrian Stratigraphic Chart 2004 (sedimentary successions) – Vol. I – Abh. Geol. B.-A., 66, 9–133, Wien. www.geologie.ac.at ABHANDLUNGEN DER GEOLOGISCHEN BUNDESANSTALT, BAND 66 ISSN 0378-0864 ISBN 978-3-85316-067-1 Alle Rechte für In- und Ausland vorbehalten. Verlag: Geologische Bundesanstalt, Neulinggasse 38, A 1030 Wien. Technische Redaktion: Christoph Janda (Geologische Bundesanstalt). Lektorat: Christian Cermak (Geologische Bundesanstalt). Cover: Monika Brüggemann-Ledolter (Geologische Bundesanstalt). Verlagsort: Wien. Ziel der "Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt" ist die Dokumentation und Verbreitung erdwissenschaftlicher Forschungsergebnisse. Satz, Gestaltung und Druckvorbereitung: Peter Ableidinger im Auftrag der Geologischen Bundesanstalt. Druck: Grasl Druck & Neue Medien GmbH, Bad Vöslau. ABHANDLUNGEN DER GEOLOGISCHEN BUNDESANstaLT Abh. Geol. B.-A. ISSN 0378-0864 ISBN 978-3-85316-067-1 Band 66 S. 3 Wien, April 2013 The lithostratigraphic units of the Austrian Stratigraphic Chart 2004 (sedimentary successions) – Vol. I – The Paleozoic Era(them) The lithostratigraphic units of the Austrian Stratigraphic Chart 2004 (sedimentary successions) WERNER E. PILLER In the late 1990’s the Austrian Stratigraphic Commission The Paleozoic and Triassic successions have been arran- (ASC) started to evaluate the common lithostratigraphic ged in a widely consistent manner and time scale. Due to units in Austria with the intention to formalize those which the basic change in the geodynamic evolution of the Eas- are in accordance with the German/Austrian “Recommen- tern Alps a major break in the chart occurs at the Trias- dations (guideline) to the use of stratigraphic nomencla- sic/Jurassic boundary (expressed by a bold horizontal line ture” (STEININGER & PILLER, 1999) and to redefine those in the chart). Another basic reorganisation occurs around which are not. After a series of workshops including also the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and within the Pleistoce- several field trips it became clear that this goal cannot be ne. Due to increasing time resolution the numerical scale reached within the next decades. Therefore, in 2002 the changes at the Cretaceous/Paleogene and the Paleogene/ ASC decided to compile a chart in which most lithostrati- Neogene boundaries as well as within the Pleistocene (at graphic units in use should be depicted in a modern chro- 1.01 Ma). A deviant representation has been applied to the nostratigraphic/geochronologic frame. During general dis- Quaternary. Besides few exceptions (e.g., Höttinger Brek- cussions on the content of the chart it turned out that the zie [Hötting Breccia]) no lithostratigraphic units have been current state of knowledge does not allow to include crys- implemented but only sediment bodies and lithologies re- talline rocks and, therefore, the content will clearly focus lated to glacial phenomena (e.g., moraines, terraces) were on sedimentary units (also including those with a low gra- included. This follows the discussion and recommendati- de metamorphism). on in PILLER et al. (2003). To underscore this deviation and point at the glacial events the oxygen-isotope-based tem- At approximately the same time, but slightly ahead, the perature curve after RAYMO (1997) has been added for this German Stratigraphic Commission compiled a stratigra- time interval. phic chart of Germany which was published in 2002 (GER- MAN STRATIGRAPHIC COMMIssION, 2002a). To make a com- A stratigraphic chart, however, requires explanations and parison between the German and the Austrian charts a description of the content. For such a description a vari- easier the ASC agreed to use a format for the Austrian ety of possibilities exists including very short notes like for chart similar to the German one. The similarity concerns the Stratigraphic Table of Germany 2002 (GERMAN STRATI- mostly general layout and colour/signature for the rock GRAPHIC COMMIssION, 2002b) or its extended explanatory (facies) types (so far applicable). The chronostratigraphic/ notes (MENNING & STEININGER, 2005). Since a comprehen- geochronologic base for the two charts, however, was dif- sive description of the lithostratigraphic units of Austria ferent. While the German table is based on a combination was published within the Lexique Stratigraphique Inter- and integration of international and national data (GERMAN national and dates back already to 1962 (KÜHN, 1962) the STRATIGRAPHIC COMMIssION, 2002b), which ended up in a urgent need for an updated and enhanced version was unique time scale, the Austrian chart consistently used the evident. Strong pressure accrued also from the geoscienti- data of “A Geologic Time Scale 2004” (GRADSTEIN et al., fic community itself. Therefore, the ASC agreed to descri- 2004) as a reference. The German table also includes a va- be the lithostratigraphic units of the Austrian Stratigraphic riety of regional stages, characteristics and peculiarities, Chart 2004 in a detailed way. Although the Austrian Stra- e.g., for the Paleozoic, Triassic, Jurassic, and Cenozoic. tigraphic Chart 2004 is in German language it was deci- In the Austrian chart only for the Oligocene – Pliocene the ded to publish the explanatory notes in English to provi- regional stages of the Central Paratethys have been ad- de better international access. During several meetings ded to the international chronostratigraphic classification. the concept for these descriptions was finalized in 2008. The chart is, in fact, a regional (Austrian) lithostratigraphic It was agreed that only those lithostratigraphic units have compilation put into the international chronostratigraphic/ to be described which are also represented in the Austri- geochronologic framework of 2004. an Stratigraphic Chart 2004. Exceptions are only neces- After less than 2 years of intense re-evaluation, discus- sary where single formations could not be depicted in the sion and compilation the Austrian Stratigraphic Chart has Austrian Stratigraphic Chart 2004 due to space limit (e.g., been finished and published in 2004 (PILLER et al., 2004) “Eggenburg Group” with several formations in the Burdi- including about 660 lithostratigraphic units. The number galian). Describing new units or formalizing existing units of the units is not complete due to space. So far possib- has been excluded. The arrangement of the subchapters le, the organization of the chart intended to depict these should be in accordance with the chart, generally from ol- lithostratigaphic units in a geographical arrangement of der to younger and from left to right. Several lithostratigra- tectonic units within Austrian territory from west to east. phic units, however, occur repeatedly in different positions in the chart and many of them cross chronostratigraphic units, Lateral units, Geographic distribution, Remarks and boundaries. These units will be described only once with Complementary references. For the locations of Type area, respective cross references. For each chapter a compre- Type section and Reference section(s) international geo- hensive introductory text has to be presented addressing graphical coordinates (latitude, longitude) have to be pro- general aspects. vided. For map references both the international UTM-sys- The description of the lithostratigraphic units has to fol- tem and the old Austrian BMN-system with numbers