The Devonian/Carboniferous boundary interval in Poland: multidisciplinary studies in pelagic (Holy Cross Mountains and Sudetes) and ramp (Western Pomerania) successions

Abstract

A multidisciplinary study of the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary interval in pelagic successions of the Holy Cross Mountains and Sudetes and the ramp successions in the Western Pomerania region (Poland) is presented herein. The analysis applies the results of new palaeontological and biostratigraphic studies based mainly on conodonts, ammonoids and palynomorphs, biostratigraphic results interpreted earlier by different authors that have been re-examined, and geochemical and mineralogical characteristics, as well as magnetic susceptibility measurements across the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary interval. The study is focused on the interval from the Famennian ultimus conodont Zone to the Tournaisian duplicata conodont Zone, and from the Famennian lepidophyta–explanatus (LE) miospore Zone to the Tournaisian verrucosus–incohatus (VI) miospore Zone, respectively. The paper highlights sections, which are the most representative for the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary in each region, illustrates and summarises current knowledge on the uppermost Famennian to lowermost Tournaisian in these regions, gives data and correlation of the important stratigraphic markers for each region, and briefly correlates them outside the region. The sedimentary successions and specific phenomena, together with microscale environmental perturbations, recognised close to the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary in Poland, display a pattern similar to that observed in many areas in Europe during the Hangenberg Event.

A waning Saxothuringian Ocean evidenced in the Famennian tephra-bearing siliceous succession of the Bardo Unit (Central Sudetes, SW Poland)

“…6: see nos. 9 and 10) may also be significant here, and at Dzikowiec (Matyja et al, 2021). The higher miospore concentration was previously noticed in the topmost Devonian (European standard lepidophyta-nitidus (LN) Miospore Zone) from the Kowala Quarry (Filipiak and Racki, 2010), and other regions (Prestianni et al, 2016;Marshall et al, 2020).…”

“…6: see nos. 1-8), are only dubiously attributed to this species, this taxonomic interpretation is strengthened by the occurrence of the guide species in the Hangenberg Black Shale (HBS) in another D-C boundary section in the Bardo Unit (Wapnica quarry at Dzikowiec village in Kłodzko County, Matyja et al, 2021;Fig. 6: see nos.…”

Vertebrate diversity reveals perturbations in faunal communities prior to the Hangenberg event in the Montagne Noire (France)

“…1). Studies by Girard et al (2014) and Aretz (2020) indicated relative stability in extinction rates of marine organisms, and carbon isotope curves published by Buggisch & Joachimski (2006) and Matyja et al (2021) indicate no major pertubations in the global carbon cycle.…”

An investigation of a Devonian/Carboniferous Boundary section on the Bolivian Altiplano

“…Firstly, anoxic conditions sometimes persist into the lower Tournaisian (Paschall et al 2019). And secondly, corresponding negative carbon isotope excursions (NCIEs) are recognized preceding the HBS in the upper praesulcata zone / lower costatus-kockeli interregnum zone and Devonian/Carboniferous Boundary (DCB) (Matyja et al 2020;Pisarzowska & Racki, 2020;.…”