Lunz Formation

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Lunz Formation
Stratigraphic range: Carnian
Lunz-Beds-Strazovske-01.jpg
Lunz Sandstone from the area east of Uhrovec Village, Strážovské vrchy Mts, Slovakia. Hronic Považie nappe. Sandstone appears in the middle of the dolomite complex. [1] Hammer 38 cm long.
Type Formation
Underlies Main Dolomite
Overlies Wetterstein Formation
Lithology
Primary sandstone, shale
Other coal
Location
CountryAustria; Slovakia
Type section
Named for Lunz am See
Named by M.V. Lipold

The Lunz Formation is a geologic formation in Austria and other Tethyan regions. It is composed of quartz sandstone, shales and claystones, locally with coal interbeds. The basal part of the formation may contain marine fossils. It preserves fossils dated to the Carnian stage of the Triassic period and represents significant siliciclastic input into the European carbonate shelf due to the Carnian Pluvial Event. [2] [3]

Formation is traditionally divided into 3 members (Lunz Sandstone, Coal-bearing shales and Upper Sandstone), [4] this concept was later modified and Trachyceras Beds and Reingraben shales were included into the basal part of the formation: [5]

The Lunz Formation overlies the Ladinian-Carnian Wetterstein Formation and is covered by the Norian Main Dolomite.

Formation was originally defined by M.V. Lipold as Lunzer Schichten, according to Austrian town Lunz am See. It occurs in the Northern Calcareous Alps, Western Carpathians. [6] [3] The Lunz Formation of the Northern Calcareous Alps is well known for well preserved Carnian flora - the so-called Lunz Flora. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnian</span> First age of the Late Triassic epoch

The Carnian is the lowermost stage of the Upper Triassic Series. It lasted from 237 to 227 million years ago (Ma). The Carnian is preceded by the Ladinian and is followed by the Norian. Its boundaries are not characterized by major extinctions or biotic turnovers, but a climatic event occurred during the Carnian and seems to be associated with important extinctions or biotic radiations. Another extinction occurred at the Carnian-Norian boundary, ending the Carnian age.

The Wapiti Formation is a geological formation of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in northwestern Alberta, and northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Its deposition spanned the time interval from the lower Campanian through to the upper Maastrichtian, between approximately 80 and 68 Ma. It was named by G.M. Dawson in 1881, presumably for exposures along the lower part of the Wapiti River and downstream along the Smoky River in Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Posidonia Shale</span> Early Jurassic geological formation of south-western Germany

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The Chañares Formation is a Carnian-age geologic formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, located in La Rioja Province, Argentina. It is characterized by drab-colored fine-grained volcaniclastic claystones, siltstones, and sandstones which were deposited in a fluvial to lacustrine environment. The formation is most prominently exposed within Talampaya National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site within La Rioja Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Dolomite</span> Rock formation in the Alps of Europe

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpathian Flysch Belt</span> Tectonic zone in the Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Flysch Belt is an arcuate tectonic zone included in the megastructural elevation of the Carpathians on the external periphery of the mountain chain. Geomorphologically it is a portion of the Outer Carpathians. Geologically it is a thin-skinned thrust belt or accretionary wedge, formed by rootless nappes consisting of so-called flysch – alternating marine deposits of claystones, shales and sandstones which were detached from their substratum and moved tens of kilometers to the north (generally). The Flysch Belt is together with Neogene volcanic complexes the only extant tectonic zone along the whole Carpathian arc.

The Carnian pluvial episode (CPE), often called the Carnian pluvial event, was an interval of major change in global climate that was synchronous with significant changes in Earth's biota both in the sea and on land. It occurred during the latter part of the Carnian Stage, a subdivision of the late Triassic period, and lasted for perhaps 1-2 million years. The CPE represents a significant episode in the evolution and diversification of many taxa that are important today, among them some of the earliest dinosaurs, lepidosaurs, pterosaurs and true mammals. In the marine realm it saw the first appearance among the microplankton of coccoliths and dinoflagellates, with the latter linked to the rapid diversification of scleractinian corals through the establishment of symbiotic zooxanthellae within them. The CPE also saw the extinction of many aquatic invertebrate species, especially among the ammonoids, bryozoa, and crinoids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Cassiano Formation</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetterstein Formation</span> Regional geologic formation in the Northern Limestone Alps and Western Carpathians

The Wetterstein Formation is a regional geologic formation of the Northern Limestone Alps and Western Carpathians extending from southern Bavaria, Germany in the west, through northern Austria to northern Hungary and western Slovakia in the east. The formation dates back to the Ladinian to Carnian stages of the Late Triassic. The formation is named after the Wetterstein Mountains in southern Germany and northwestern Austria. The center of its distribution, however, is in the Karwendel Mountains. It occurs in the Northern and Southern Limestone Alps and in the Western Carpathians.

The Kössen Formation is a Late Triassic (Rhaetian-age) geological formation in the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria and Germany, in the Tiroler-Lech Nature Park. During the Late Triassic, the area now occupied by the Northern Calcareous Alps was instead a long, passive coastline at the western tip of the Neotethys Ocean. The environment was initially dominated by a wide and shallow carbonate platform within a lagoon between the shore and a string of reefs. This carbonate platform is nowadays preserved as the Carnian to Norian-age Hauptdolomit and Dachstein Formation. The Kössen Formation represents a period of increased siliciclastic clay input into the lagoon, covering up the carbonate platform with marls and marly limestones instead of pure limestone or dolomite. The Eiberg Member of the Kössen Formation was deposited in the Eiberg basin, a narrow strip of deeper water which developed between the carbonate platform and the shoreline in the later part of the Rhaetian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corona Formation</span> Geologic formation in Austria and Italy

The Corona Formation is a geologic formation of the Carnian Alps at the border of Austria and Italy. It preserves fossils dated to the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous period.

The Kendlbach Formation is a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (Hettangian) geological formation in Austria and Italy. It contains the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Hettangian stage at the Kuhjoch section in the Karwendel Mountains of Austria.

The Reingrabener Schiefer is a lithostratigraphic unit, often described as independent geologic formation, or as a member of Lunz Formation. Reingraben shales are represented by black-brown or black, hard clayey shales and marly shales. Often contains spherosiderite nodules.

The Partnach Formation is a Middle Triassic geologic formation in the eastern Northern Limestone Alps and Western Carpathians, within Austria and Slovakia, Central Europe. The formation consists of alternating grey and green marls and shales and grey limestones, often brecciated, oncolithic and containing clay intraclasts. The formation is gradually evolving from the Reifling Formation. It is usually overlain by the Lunz/Reibl Formation or Wetterstein Formation. Sediments of the Partnach Formation were deposited in intrashelf basins.

The Calcare di Sogno is a geological formation in Italy, dated to roughly between 182-169 million years ago and covering the Lower Toarcian-Late Bajocian stagess of the Jurassic Period in the Mesozoic Era. Thallatosuchian remains are known from the formation, as well fishes and other taxa.

The Moradi Formation is a geological formation in Niger. It is of Late Permian age. It is informally divided into three subunits. The lower portion of the formation consists of red mudstone, with muddy calcareous sandstone and quartz-granlule conglomerate present as lenses. The middle portion consists of muddy siltstone in thick beds interbedded with red argillaceous sandstone. The lower two thirds of the upper portion of the formation consist of red siltstone intercalated with channel lag intraformational conglomerates, while the upper third consists of barchanoid shaped lenses of conglomeratic sandstone with ventifacts. These facies are indicatived of deposition under arid conditions, with less than 300 millimetres (12 in) of annual rainfall in the Central Pangean desert, with annual temperatures of 30 to 35 °C, but with ephemeral water presence including lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marne di Monte Serrone</span> Geological formation in Italy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krempachy Marl Formation</span> Geological formation in Poland and Slovakia

The Krempachy Marl Formation is a geological formation in Poland and Slovakia, dating to about 179 million years ago, and covering the middle Toarcian stage of the Jurassic Period. It is among the most important formations of the Toarcian boundary on the Carpathian realm, being the regional equivalent of the Posidonia Shale.

<i>Oncodella</i> Extinct genus of jawless fishes

Oncodella is an extinct genus of Late Triassic conodont. The genus was given the type species Oncodella idiodentica by Mosher (1968), on the basis of fossils from the Late Triassic of Austria. However, Mosher (1969) later revised the species name to Oncodella paucidentata, since identical fossils from the same area were previously given the name Hindeodella paucidentata by Mostler (1967).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saubach Formation</span>

The Saubach Formation is a geological formation in Austria and Germany, dating to about 180–174 million years ago. It was described originally as Saubachschichten in 1975, and classified as part of the Lower Jurassic Adnet Group.

References

  1. Pelech, O., Olšavský, M., Laurinc, D., Kotulová, J., Šimo, V. & Mikudíková, M., 2020: Lunzské vrstvy hronika východnej časti Strážovských vrchov. Geologické práce, Správy, 136, 39 – 58.
  2. Aubrecht, R., Sýkora, M., Uher, P., Li, X.-H., Yang, Y.-H., Putiš, M., Plašienka, D., 2017: Provenance of the Lunz Formation (Carnian) in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia: Heavy mineral study and in situ LA–ICP–MS U–Pb detrital zircon dating. Paleogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 471, 233–253.
  3. 1 2 Kohút, M., Hofmann, M., Gavrila, M., Linnemann, U., Havrila, J., 2017: Tracking an upper limit of the “Carnian Crisis” and/or Carnian stage in the Western Carpathians (Slovakia). Int. J. Earth Sci. (Geol Rundsch), DOI: 10.1007/s00531-017-1491-8
  4. Tollmann, A., 1976: Analyse des klassischen nordalpinen Mesozoikums, Wien, Franz Deuticke, 580 pp.
  5. Tollmann, A., 1985: Geologie von Österreich. Band II, Auβer-zentralalpiner Anteil. Wien, Franz Deuticke, 711 pp.
  6. Havrila, M., Boorová, D., Havrila, J., 2019: Paleogeographic scheme of the Reingraben and Lunz event sediments deposition area (Central Western Carpathians): research, notes, foraminifers. (In Slovak, English summary) Geologické práce, Správy 134, 3 – 32.
  7. Stur, D., 1885: Die obertriadische Flora der Lunzer-Schichten und des bituminösen Schiefers von Raibl. – Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Klasse – 91: 93 - 103.
  8. Dobruskina, I. A., 1998, Lunz flora in the Austrian Alps — a standard for Carnian floras. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 143, 4, 307-345