Organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst records from a prospective Turonian – Coniacian (Upper Cretaceous) GSSP, Słupia Nadbrzeżna, Poland

Kate Olde,Ian Jarvis,Martin Pearce,Ireneusz Walaszczyk,Bruce Tocher

doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.010

Kate Olde, Ian Jarvis + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.010

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Journal: Cretaceous Research	Publication Date: Apr 16, 2016
Citations: 11	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Kingston University, University of Warsaw

Abstract

A river section at Słupia Nadbrzeżna, central Poland, has been proposed as a candidate Turonian – Coniacian (Cretaceous) GSSP, in combination with the Salzgitter-Salder quarry section of Lower Saxony, Germany. Results of a high-resolution (25 cm) palynological study of the boundary interval in the Słupia Nadbrzeżna section are presented. Terrestrial palynomorphs are rare; marine organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts dominate the palynological assemblage. The dinoflagellate cyst assemblage has a low species richness (5–11 per sample; total of 18 species recorded) and diversity (Shannon index H = 0.8–1.4), dominated by four taxa: Circulodinium distinctum subsp. distinctum; Oligosphaeridium complex; Spiniferites ramosus subsp. ramosus; Surculosphaeridium longifurcatum. Declining proportions of O. complex and S. ramosus subsp. ramosus characterise the uppermost Turonian, with an increased dominance of S. longifurcatum in the lower Coniacian. The Turonian – Coniacian boundary interval includes an acme of C. distinctum subsp. distinctum in the upper Mytiloides scupini Zone, a dinoflagellate cyst abundance maximum in the Cremnoceramus walterdorfensis walterdorfensis Zone, and the highest occurrence of Senoniasphaera turonica in the basal Coniacian lower Cremnoceramus deformis erectus Zone. Most previously reported Turonian – Coniacian boundary dinoflagellate cyst marker species are absent; a shallow-water oligotrophic epicontinental depositional setting, remote from terrestrial influence, likely limited species diversity and excluded many taxa of biostratigraphic value.

Highlights

The Słupia Nadbrzez_ na river cliff section, central Poland, combined with the Salzgitter-Salder quarry of Lower Saxony, Germany, has been proposed as a composite Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Coniacian Stage at 89.75 Ma (Walaszczyk and Wood, 1998; Walaszczyk et al, 2010; Ogg et al, 2012).During the Late Cretaceous, Słupia Nadbrzez_ na was located in a pelagic carbonate setting on the eastern margin of the Central European epicontinental basins system (Voigt et al, 2008; Fig. 1)
Dinoflagellate cysts recovered from Słupia Nadbrzez_na are well preserved, but the assemblage exhibits a low species richness (18 species recorded), with between 5 and 11 species identified in each sample (Fig. 3; Appendix A, B)
Dinoflagellate cysts are numerous and at least 300 specimens were identified in all samples

Summary

Introduction

The Słupia Nadbrzez_ na river cliff section, central Poland, combined with the Salzgitter-Salder quarry of Lower Saxony, Germany, has been proposed as a composite Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Coniacian Stage at 89.75 Ma (Walaszczyk and Wood, 1998; Walaszczyk et al, 2010; Ogg et al, 2012). During the Late Cretaceous, Słupia Nadbrzez_ na was located in a pelagic carbonate setting on the eastern margin of the Central European epicontinental basins system (Voigt et al, 2008; Fig. 1). The section forms part of the expanded Upper Cretaceous succession of the Middle Wisła (Vistula) River, and is exposed in the western Wisła river cliff in the village of Słupia Nadbrzez_ na (50.9501N, 21.8078E), situated 150 km SSE of Warsaw. The approximately 10 m section consists of opoka (siliceous marl) facies with varying proportions of chert (Fig. 2).

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