Molluscan assemblages of recent calcareous tufas in the Podhale Basin and Pieniny Mts (S. Poland)

Abstract

Recently precipitated travertines and calcareous tufas occur commonly in the Podhale Basin and Pieniny Mts. They contain more or less rich subfossil mollusc assemblages which were analysed in 73 samples collected from 43 localities. Seven types and two subtypes of assemblages were distinguished, according to their structure and species composition, depending closely on the local ecological conditions. The whole material comprised 74 species. Only one of them – Bithynella austriaca (Frauenfeld) – was found in many profiles and in substantial numbers, while the remaining species were rare. Malacological investigations of Late Holocene and recent calcareous tufas enable a reconstruction of conditions in which such deposits are formed, and determining the diversity of mollusc assemblages associated with the differentiation of the sedimentary environment. They are also useful for actuopalaeontological analysis which is important for palaeogeographic and palaeoecological interpretations of Holocene and Late Glacial calcareous deposits of southern Poland.