Upper Eocene larger foraminiferal–coralline algal facies from the Klokova Mountain (southern continental Greece)

Abstract

Facies analysis of Bartonian–Priabonian shallow-water carbonate successions and the integration with palaeoecological analysis are used to produce a detailed palaeoenvironmental model. In the proximal middle ramp, porcelaneous foraminiferal packstone facies is characterised by larger foraminifera such as Praturlonella and Spirolina. These forms thrived in a shallow-water setting with low turbidity, high-light intensity and lowsubstrate stability. The foraminiferal packstone facies, the thin coralline wacke–packstone facies and the rhodolith packstone facies deposited approximately in the same depth range adjacent to one another in the middle-ramp. Nummulitids (Nummulites, Assilina, Pellatispira, Heterostegina and Spiroclypeus) increase in abundance in the middle to distal mid-ramp together with the orthophragminids. Coralline algae, represented by six genera, are present in all facies. Rhodoliths occur in all facies but they show different shapes and growth forms. They develop laminar sub-ellipsoidal shapes in higher turbulence conditions on mobile sand substrates (foraminiferal packstones and rhodolith rudstones), whilst sub-discoidal shapes often bound by thin encrusting coralline plants in lower hydrodynamic settings. The distinctive characteristics of the palaeoecological middle-ramp gradient are an increase in dominance of melobesioids, a thinning of the encrusting coralline plants and a flattening of the larger benthic foraminiferal shells

Circum-Tethyan carbonate platform evolution during the Palaeogene: the Prebetic platform as a test for climatically controlled facies shifts

“…The timing of major coral abundance during the Priabonian coincides with coral-solenomeris assemblages in the Trentino in North Italy (SBZ 20;Bassi 1998;Bosellini & Papazzoni 2003) 6) Greece (32°N) Accordi et al (1998) describe environments dominated by larger benthic foraminifera shoals with colonial coral fragments during the Early Eocene. The first recorded reefal limestones with major coral abundance point to the Late Bartonian and Priabonian (Barattolo et al 2007). The Oligocene is characterised by an increasing restriction of the shallow marine environment and the concurrent destruction of the platform (Barattolo et al 2007).…”

“…The first recorded reefal limestones with major coral abundance point to the Late Bartonian and Priabonian (Barattolo et al 2007). The Oligocene is characterised by an increasing restriction of the shallow marine environment and the concurrent destruction of the platform (Barattolo et al 2007).…”

Origin and resedimentation of rhodoliths in the Late Paleocene flysch of the Polish Outer Carpathians

“…The rhodoliths of deeper water or low hydrodynamicenergy environments show large constructional void spaces, may lack an identifiable nucleus, and are composed of thin, irregular, encrusting thalli (e.g., Braga and Martín 1988;Barattolo et al 2007;Bassi 1998Bassi , 2005Nalin et al 2008;Bassi et al 2006Bassi et al , 2009. The predominantly asymmetrical and loosely packed inner structure of the studied rhodoliths in the present case indicates occasional overturning in an environment with moderate water turbulence.…”

Microfacies Analysis of Upper Eocene Shallow-water Carbonates from the Rodnei Mountains (N Romania)

“…In the Tethyan region, large accumulations of LBF were generally associated with ramp settings (Buxton and Pedley, 1989) and the relative distribution of different foraminifers across carbonate ramps was used as a valuable tool in paleoenvironmental and paleobathimetric reconstructions (Cosovic et al, 2004;Barattolo et al, 2007). The distribution patterns of fossil LBF were mainly investigated by means of extrapolating environmental proxies gained from extant foraminifers (Beavington-Penney and Racey, 2004) in an attempt to derive parameters such as nutrient and oxygen availability, water chemistry and depth, hydrodynamic energy, and substrate type and stability (Murray, 2001).…”

“…Coralline algae have been reported from a variety of Eocene depositional environments, and occupied a wider depth range than nummulitids and discocyclinids (Bassi, 1998;Rasser, 2000;Barattolo et al, 2007). Their value as paleo-bathymetric indicators is however diminished by the relatively small number of publications dealing with the depth distribution of modern algae and uncertainties in the taxonomy of fossil genera (Rasser and Piller, 1997).…”