Lowermost Cretaceous biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental features of the central-western Getic Carbonate Platform (Pui-Bănița zone, Southern Carpathians, Romania): A holistic approach

Abstract

We carried out combined micropaleontological, microfacies and multivariate statistical analyses of benthic foraminiferal assemblages on a previously undocumented lowermost Cretaceous carbonate succession from the western part of the Getic Carbonate Platform (Pui-Bănița zone, Southern Carpathians). The microfacies analysis and interpretations suggest that these limestones were developed under peritidal settings within different zones of a shallow-water inner platform paleoenvironment (bioclastic grainy bars, subtidal–intertidal flats and intertidal–supratidal ponds), where benthic foraminifera, microbial microstructures and calcareous algae were the main carbonate producers. The well-preserved micropaleontological content (mostly benthic foraminiferal assemblages) is important for lowermost Cretaceous Neotethyan biostratigraphy and allows the recognition of the Valanginian stage within this part of the Getic Carbonate Platform. The multivariate data processing (diversity indices, cluster analyses and principal components analyses) performed on the benthic foraminifera assemblages provide valuable information about their compositional patterns, diversity trends and spatial distribution with respect to the main facies zones. The results obtained through these analyses are extremely useful for the recognition of common/different paleoecological features and for a more precise interpretation of depositional paleoenvironments.