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Sedimentological, macro- and micropaleontological analyses on 3 cores down to 13 m depth were carried out in the\ud lower section of the Mirna River valley, in order to study the depositional facies and the environmental evolution.\ud The Holocene marine transgression reached upstream for 7 km from the present-day coast, while in the last 7 ka it was\ud followed by progradation of the Mirna River estuarine delta. The protected coast offered by the lower valley and the\ud strong input of fresh water led to the presence of a brackish microfauna in front of the river mouth.\ud The oldest sediments in the cores were characterized by the dominance of Ammonia beccarii and significant proportions\ud of Elphidium spp. and miliolids suggesting a marine/estuarine origin. The foraminiferal assemblage in the overlying\ud sediments became less diverse, as the relative abundance of Elphidium spp. and miliolids dropped, implying a\ud shift to a transitional environment (inner estuarine/lagoon facies, Bb). Sediments originating in hyposaline marshes\ud (facies Ba) had the lowest foraminiferal species diversity index (A. beccarii predominated over Trochammina inflata\ud and Haynesina sp.).\ud Since late-Antiquity a significant input of alluvial matter led to the deposition of several metres of silty clay sediments\ud which reach >9m thick in the M3 core. The sediment supply has been partly increased by deforestation carried out in\ud the Mirna catchment area. This was particularly extensive from the 15th–19th centuries and fed the fluvial system with\ud large amounts of material, causing the increase of sediment input and rapid progradation of the estuarine (bay-head)\ud delta.\ud This study also highlights the potential role of hand augering in sampling and describing the subsoil for reconstruction\ud of the geomorphological evolution of the area and supporting the study of past relative sea levels, climate changes, and\ud anthropogenic activities that occurred during the Holocene

All previously known dinosaur remains on theAdriatic-Dinaridic carbonate platform (ADCP) were described from Cretaceous deposits. A new trackbearing locality is late Tithonian in age and represents the oldest evidence of dinosaurs on the ADCP. The site is in an active quarry near the village of Kirmenjak in western Istria. Almost a thousand sauropod footprints including 23 single trackways have been found on the outcrop. Oval impressions represent pes prints, and horseshoe-shaped impressions represent manus prints; pes prints are 23 to 52 cm long. Calculated heights at the hip range from 153 to 306 cm. The main direction of dinosaur movement was toward the northeast, and some of the individuals were moving together. The trackways show a characteristic narrow gauge, and pace and stride lengths indicate a slow walk. The footprints are similar to Parabrontopodus ichnogenus, and the ichnocoenosis could be assigned to the Brontopodus ichnofacies. The presence of the sauropods on the Adriatic-Dinaridic carbonate platform during the Late Jurassic could be explained by connection with the African continent via its southern margins during emersion.

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