About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 107, No. 1 (January 2023), P. 151-167.

Copyright ©2023. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/07142221125

Salt biostratigraphy: The Miocene palynological assemblages from the Wieliczka Formation, southern Poland

Gil Machado,1 Manuel Casas-Gallego,2 and Stanisław Burliga3

1Chronosurveys, Lda, Almada, Portugal; Instituto Dom Luiz, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; [email protected]
2Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; [email protected]
3Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Wroclaw, Wrocław, Poland; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Salt biostratigraphy has rarely been used in academic or industry studies, despite its potential to shed light on the stratigraphy, thermal maturity, paleoenvironments, and paleoecology of evaporite successions. The upper section of the evaporite-dominated middle Miocene Wieliczka Formation in southern Poland was sampled and analyzed for its palynological content. The results show assemblages dominated by miospores with subordinate dinoflagellate cysts, which are interpreted as derived mainly from reworking. The reworked forms, both miospores and dinoflagellate cysts, were sourced from Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Miocene strata, with increasing amounts toward the top of the succession, which is interpreted to be a consequence of the nearby ongoing Carpathian thrusting. The influence of marine water in the basin sedimentation is difficult to estimate with the current data as the dinoflagellate cysts are, at least partially, reworked. The in situ miospore assemblages indicate the presence of nearby mixed coniferous and broadleaved deciduous forests that developed under temperate and humid climatic conditions. The high percentages of bisaccate pollen are interpreted to represent the proximity to high-elevation areas of the Carpathians, where conifers must have been dominant. The palynological record also signals the development of swamp and marsh vegetation in the lowland areas. These wetlands were most likely inhabited by shrubby and arboreal elements with few thermophilic taxa. The apparent thermal maturation of the assemblages is very low, with dominant pale yellow palynomorph colors. The study shows that palynological analyses in evaporite-dominated successions are helpful in the reconstruction of local geodynamic events, paleoecology, and stratigraphic interpretation.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].