CORELLATION OF LATE TRIASSIC AND EARLY JURASSIC LOFER-TYPE CARBONATES FROM THE PELOPONNESUS PENINSULA, GREECE

Abstract

Correlation of the Late Triassic carbonate successions, formed at the passive Pelagonian margin (SE of Dhidymi Mt.) with the Early-Middle Liassic successions of the Gavrovo-Tripolitza zone (SE of Leonidion), in eastern and central Peloponnesus respectively, is attempted. Detailed microfacies analysis revealed that the studied carbonate formations were deposited in analogous restricted inner-platform environments (lagoon-peritidal domain) and are composed of meter-scale, shallowing-upward, mostly incomplete peritidal cycles. The top of the supratidal and/ or shallow subtidal deposits are often affected by meteoric diagenesis tracing sea-level lowering and periodic emersions episodes. The well-developed pedogenic features observed in the Early Jurassic platform carbonates indicate long-lasting subaerial exposure intervals and semi-arid to arid climate. Instead, the Late Triassic strata preserve vadose diagenetic indices which point to shorter exposure events, weaker meteoric alteration and slightly wetter climatic conditions. The detected sedimentological features suggest the occurrence of wide lagoonal-peritidal depositional systems during Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, eastern and western of the Pindos basin, respectively. The basic facies pattern and the meter-scale cyclicity show many analogies with the Lofer cycles of the Alpine Triassic, supporting that in the Hellenides the Dachstein-type platform systems evolved till Early-Middle Liassic (Gavrovo-Tripolitza zone).