Discovery of the Badenian evaporites inside the Carpathian Arc: implications for global climate change and Paratethys salinity

Abstract

Abstract:Massive evaporites were discovered in the Soltvadkert Trough (Great Plain, Hungary) correlating to the Badenian Salinity Crisis (13.8 Ma, Middle Miocene) on the basis of nannoplankton and foraminifera biostratigraphy. This new occurrence from Hungary previously thought to be devoid of evaporites is part of a growing body of evidence of evaporitic basins inside the Carpathian Arc. We suggest the presence of evaporites perhaps in the entire Central Paratethys during the salinity crisis. Different scenarios are suggested for what subsequently happened to these evaporites to explain their presence or absence in the geological record. Where they are present, scenario A suggests that they were preserved in subsiding, deep basins overlain by younger sediments that protected the evaporites from reworking, like in the studied area. Where they are absent, scenario B suggests recycling. Scenario B explains how the supposedly brackish Sarmatian could have been hyper/normal saline locally by providing a source of the excess salt from the reworking and dissolving of BSC halite into seawater. These scenarios suggest a much larger amount of evaporites locked up in the Central Paratethys during the salinity crisis then previously thought, probably contributing to the step-like nature of cooling of the Mid Miocene Climate Transition, the coeval Mi3b.

Opole (Poland) - a key locality for middle Miocene terrestrial mollusc faunas

“…This dating places the fauna from Nowa Wieś Królewska into the late phase of the Miocene Climate Optimum close to a critical tipping-point of global climate, which resulted in the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (Zachos et al 2001, Shevenell et al 2004. In the Paratethyan basins, this climate deterioration is reflected by the Badenian Salinity Crisis (De Leeuw et al 2010, Báldi et al 2017 and a major drop of marine biodiversity (Harzhauser & Piller 2007). The shift in climate might explain the absence of the enigmatic taxa Eurocystina and Neubertella in the younger Sarmatian faunas.…”

Coiling direction in Middle Miocene globorotaliids (Foraminiferida) – a case study in the Paratethys (Upper Silesia Basin, Poland)

“…The pro posed Globorotalia transsylvanica Biozone (Filipescu andFilipescu, 2014-2015) is co eval with the IIB -at least as regards the dom i nant taxon. Ex am in ing the coil ing pat tern of Globorotalia bykovae, found by Báldi et al (2017) be low the Soltvadkert Trough evaporites of the Pannonian Ba sin, might be use ful for intra-Paratethys strati graphic cor re la tion. In re lation to the Wielician globorotaliid events de scribed in this pa per, the piv otal cor re la tion as pect is the coil ing pref er ences of the two globorotaliid peaks de scribed by Kováèová and Hudáèková (2009) within the CPN 8 in the Slo vak part of the Vi enna Ba sin.…”

“…In spite of the var i ous names used for the par tic u lar Badenian biozones within the Cen tral Paratethys, they show con sis tency and can be readily traced through out this area (e.g., Steininger et al, 1985;Popescu and Brotea, 1994;Cicha et al, 1998;£uczkowska, 1998;Báldi, 2006;Doláková et al, 2014;Báldi et al, 2017).…”

The mid-Langhian flooding in the eastern Central Paratethys: integrated stratigraphic data from the Transylvanian Basin and SE Carpathian Foredeep

“…The Dej Fm is overlain by salt and gypsum that can be traced all over the Transylvanian basin (e.g., Ciupagea et al 1970;Krézsek and Bally 2006). This phase reflects the Badenian Salinity crisis, a well-documented event in the Central Paratethys, of which the onset was radioisotopically dated at 13.8 Ma (Báldi et al 2017;de Leeuw et al 2010;Hryniv et al 2007;Peryt 2000;Túnyi et al 2005).…”