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Biotic composition and microfacies distribution of Upper Triassic build-ups: new insights from the Lower Carnian limestone of Lesno Brdo, central Slovenia

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Abstract

The architecture and composition of Middle to lower Upper Triassic platforms is often obscured by dolomitization. Hence, comparatively little is known about their architectures compared to their size and geographic extent. An active quarry near Lesno Brdo (central Slovenia) offers an excellent exposure of Lower Carnian (Julian) massive limestone, which is diagenetically little altered. A detailed microfacies analysis along a 15.5-m log revealed the presence of three facies types: fine-grained limestone as a groundmass, blocks and globular masses of sponge-microbialite boundstone, and lens-like aggregations of polychaete (terebellid) tubes. Sponge-microbialite boundstone contains a rather small number of cosmopolitan sponge taxa, solenoporacean red algae, microproblematica, bryozoans, and a small proportion of dwelling fauna. Instead, stromatolites represent the main constituent. While some blocks appear to have truncated margins, others show mammillary-like protrusions of microbialites into the surrounding sediment, suggesting active growth of microbialite-producing organisms. Aggregations of terebellid worm tubes show a highly irregular relief, with tubes placed sub-parallel to the ancient sea floor. The presence of fibrous rim cement, crystal silt, and in some cases fragmentation of the tubes, suggest at least moderately energetic waters. Aggregations are thus interpreted as preserved in situ, but not in toto. The entire complex was probably deposited at the margin or upper slope of a carbonate platform. Although the presence of a large number of terebellids associated with microbialites boundstone may indicate some sort of environmental stress, such a stress remains to be identified.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (Programme no. P1-0011), and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grants 200020_156422 and 200020_178908 to R. M.). We thank Filippo Barattolo (University of Naples) for determination of fossil algae, Sylvain Rigaud (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) for consultation on foraminifers, and Mladen Štumergar (Geological Survey of Slovenia) for technical support. Access to the quarry was approved by the company Mineral d.o.o. (Podpeč, Slovenia).

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  1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 12, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Luka Gale & Manca Hočevar

  2. Geological Survey of Slovenia, Dimičeva 14, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Luka Gale & Bogomir Celarc

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraîchers 13, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland

    Camille Peybernes & Rossana Martini

  4. National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, PO Box 660, 1001, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Vid Simon Šelih

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Gale, L., Peybernes, C., Celarc, B. et al. Biotic composition and microfacies distribution of Upper Triassic build-ups: new insights from the Lower Carnian limestone of Lesno Brdo, central Slovenia. Facies 64, 17 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-018-0531-6

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