S T U D I A G E O L O G I C A P O L O N I C A Vol. 123, Kraków 2004, pp. 133–197. Geology of the Pieniny Klippen Belt and the Tatra Mts, Carpathians Edited by K. Birkenmajer Part XVII Andrzej PSZCZÓ£KOWSKI & Ryszard MYCZYÑSKI1 Ammonite-supported microfossil and nannoconid stratigraphy of the Tithonian–Hauterivian limestones in selected sections of the Branisko Succession, Pieniny Klippen Belt (Poland)2 (Figs 1–20; Tables 1–5) Abstract. The studied sections of the Tithonian–Hauterivian deposits of the Branisko Succession in the Polish part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Figs 1–7) yielded micro-, nanno- and macrofossils, which allowed to elaborate more detailed stratigraphy of these strata, especially in the lowermost Cretaceous interval of the Pieniny Limestone Formation. The calpionellids, radiolarians and other microfossils (mainly calcareous dinoflagellate cysts) were studied in thin sections, whereas the calcareous nannofossils were analysed under SEM. The Berriasian–Hauterivian ammonites are described and illustrated. In the Kapuœnica I section, the Upszar Limestone Member of the Czorsztyn Limestone Formation seems to be exclusively of Tithonian age. At present, the Upper Tithonian deposits of the Crassi- collaria Standard Zone are missing in the studied section. In the £ysonka Klippe, the Lower Berriasian limestones are subdivided on the basis of the Nannoconus assemblages. The ammonites of the Jacobi Zone occur in the limestones of the N. steinmannii steinmannii Zone. In the Kapuœnica I section, the sedimentation rate of the limestones assigned to the Elliptica Subzone was about 1.3 m/Ma. The Oblonga Subzone (sensu lato) coincides with the marly deposition episode in this section; the £ysonka Marl Bed is assigned to the lower interval of this subzone. However, the overall sedimentation rate during the Late Berriasian Oblonga Subzone was low (about ~1.7 m/Ma). Presence of the ammonite Tirnovella otopeta Zone was documented in the Kapuœnica II and £ysonka sections. In the Kapuœnica II section, the minimum value of sedimentation rate of the radiolarian-calpionellid limestones assigned to the Lower Valanginian Calpionellites Zone is about 4.1 m/Ma. The Tintinno- psella Zone of the uppermost Lower Valanginian–Hauterivian is represented by a limestone succe- ssion about 51 m thick. In the £ysonka section, the Upper Valanginian limestones of this zone are probably older than those exposed in the Zaskale section. In the latter section, some ammonites are indicative for the Upper Valanginian Criosarasinella furcillata Zone. In the upper part of the 1 Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Manuscript accepted for publication August 24, 2004. 134 A. PSZCZÓ£KOWSKI & R. MYCZYÑSKI Kapuœnica II section, the limestones of the Tintinnopsella Zone yielded Olcostephanus sp. and Neolissoceras desmoceratoides (Wiedmann) found 4.5 m below the top of this section. These ammonites indicate the Early Hauterivian age of the sparsely fossiliferous limestones. The Upper Hauterivian deposits may be represented in the topmost limestones of the Kapuœnica II section. Key words: Pieniny Klippen Belt, Branisko Succession, Pieniny Limestone Formation, £ysonka Marl Bed, Czorsztyn Limestone Formation, Upszar Limestone Member, Tithonian–Hauterivian, calpionellids, ammonites, radiolarians, nannoconids, biostratigraphy INTRODUCTION The Tithonian and Lower Cretaceous limestones of the Branisko Succession are represented by the Czorsztyn Limestone Formation and the Pieniny Limestone For- mation (Birkenmajer, 1977). In the Polish part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB), strictly biostratigraphic studies of these limestones were rather infrequent (Birken- majer & G¹siorowski, 1962; Nowak, 1976; Obermajer, 1987). There are also vari- ous papers dealing with stratigraphy of the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous lime- stones of the Kýsuca Succession in the Slovakian part of the PKB (Borza, 1969; Mi- chalík et al., 1990; Vašíèek et al., 1994; Houša et al., 1996; see also Vašíèek, 1997). Especially, the Brodno and Rochovica sections were studied in detail (Michalík et al., 1990; Vašíèek et al., 1992), also from the point of view of magnetostratigraphy in the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary interval (Houša et al., 1996, 1999). In the Polish part of the PKB, lack of updated and/or sufficiently detailed bios- tratigraphic data concerning stratigraphy of the uppermost Jurassic–Lower Creta- ceous deposits in the Branisko Succession was inconvenient not only for stra- tigraphic reasons but also because it hampered palaeomagnetic and stable isotope studies. To fill this gap, we have elaborated biostratigraphy of the limestones cur- rently exposed in the following sections (Fig. 1): Kapuœnica Klippe (Titho- nian–Hauterivian interval), £ysonka Klippe (Berriasian–Valanginian interval) and Zaskale (Upper Valanginian–lowermost Hauterivian? interval). The microfossil stratigraphy was elaborated by the first author (A. P.), and the macrofauna was stud- ied by the second author (R. M.). PREVIOUS WORK Neumayr (1868), Zittel (1870) and Uhlig (1890) published the earliest informa- tion concerning stratigraphy and age of the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits in the Pieniny Klippen Belt. In the deposits later assigned to the Branisko Succession, Uhlig (1890) found Crioceratites ex. gr. duvali Léveillé = Criocer- atites (Crioceratites) ex. gr. duvali Léveillé and Lamellaptychus didai (Coquand) (cf. Birkenmajer, 1958, p. 64). In those early papers, fauna collected from the Branisko and Pieniny Successions in the Polish part of the PKB was published to- gether. Birkenmajer (1958) attempted to subdivide the abovementioned faunal lists between the Branisko and Pieniny successions. Nevertheless, according to Birken- majer (1958), macrofauna listed in his paper could have been collected from the de- MICROFOSSIL AND NANNOCONID STRTIGRAPHY 135 A Kraków R CARPA TE TH U IAN O CAR S ER PAT N HI IN AN Bratislava S Budapest 100 km Du B c n e a j je a c n u D CZORSZTYN Zas- y C ³ a kale i B NIEDZICA I £ysonka SZAFLARY Kapuœnica CASTLE II sections 10 km NIEDZICA C ZASKALE Zaskale y c n section p e j y £ysonka a z r n k section u S g r bo D s k any R y o ³ ¯d¿ar t a o i P B SZAF- 1 km LARY MARUSZYNA Fig. 1. Location map of the studied sections in the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Poland): A – position of the area shown in B on a generalized tectonic map of the Western Carpathians (partly after Birkenmajer, 1977); B – location of the Kapuœnica I and II, £ysonka and Zaskale sections in the Pieniny Klippen Belt in Poland (after Birkenmajer, 1977); insert shows the position of area enlarged in C; barbed lines denote tectonic boundaries of PKB; C – Zaskale and £ysonka sections situated between Maruszyna, Szaflary and Zaskale (after Birkenmajer, 1977) posits that belong to both successions: (1) ammonites – Phylloceras sp., Protetra- gonites quadrisulcatus (d’Orbigny), Neolissoceras grasianum (d’Orbigny), Hol- codiscus (Spitidiscus) incertus (d’ Orbigny) and Perisphinctes sp., (2) belemnites – Pseudobelus bipartitus Blainville and Duvalia dilatata (Blainville), (3) aptychi – Lamellaptychus angulocostatus (Peters), Lamellaptychus didayi (Coquand), and (4) brachiopods – Terebratula subtriangulus Gümbel and Pygope janitor (Pictet). This faunal assemblage is of Tithonian–Barremian age. More numerous and better preserved macrofaunal specimens were collected from the Pieniny Limestone For- mation of the Kýsuca Succession in Slovakia (cf. Birkenmajer, 1958). Vašíèek 136 A. PSZCZÓ£KOWSKI & R. MYCZYÑSKI (1997) reported new data concerning ammonite findings in the deposits of this suc- cession. Birkenmajer (1958) published calpionellid assemblages indicating the Titho- nian–Berriasian age of the lower part of the “cherty limestone” (= Pieniny Lime- stone Formation of Birkenmajer, 1977). In the Kapuœnica section (Fig. 1), the Czorsztyn Limestone Formation belongs to the Upszar Limestone Member; its age was defined to be Kimmeridgian or Kimmeridgian to Lower Tithonian (Birkenma- jer, 1977). The Kapuœnica section was designated as the type locality of the Pieniny Limestone Formation (op. cit.). The standard Crassicollaria, Calpionella, Calpi- onellopsis and Calpionellites Zones have been identified in the Pieniny Limestone Formation and compared with the Vocontian zones established by J. Remane (Bir- kenmajer, 1977, tab. 13). In his table (op. cit.), the calpionellid zones are correlated also with the aptychus zones (after Durand-Delga & G¹siorowski, 1970), and the ammonite zones. Proposed correlation of the calpionellid and ammonite zones may, however, need rectification in the light of later publications (for example, Re- mane, 1985; Tavera et al., 1994; Blau & Grün, 1997). G¹siorowski (1962) reported aptychi of Late Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian age from the “pseudonodular limestone” (= Czorsztyn Limestone Formation – Birkenmajer, 1977) and Berria- sian to Lower Barremian from the “biancone limestone” (= Pieniny Limestone For- mation of Birkenmajer, 1977). Nowak (1976) recognised the Carpistomiosphaera borzai (Nagy) and Parasto- miosphaera malmica (Borza) zones (Late Kimmeridgian–Early Tithonian) in the lower part of the “pseudonodular limestone” (= Czorsztyn Limestone Fm.) exposed in the Kapuœnica section. According to this author (op. cit.), microfossils character- istic for the Chitinoidella Zone were found in the “passage beds”, 0.6 m below the lower boundary of the “cherty limestone” (= Pieniny