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Diatomaceous sedimentation in late Neogene lacustrine basins of western Macedonia, Greece

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Abstract

Several lacustrine basins were formed by late Miocene tectonic processes in western Macedonia, Greece. These were occupied by a series of lakes and wetland swamps during the late Miocene and early Pliocene giving rise to diatomaceous claystones, siltstones and diatom-bearing tufa deposits. Diatoms are rare or fragmentary in sandstones and chemical sediments, and are absent in conglomerates. The Fe2+-rich phosphate minerals anapaite and vivianite are present in parts of the diatomaceous siltstones. Six major diatom groups were identified using cluster and correspondence analyses, each of which tends to be associated with a particular lithofacies. The floras are indicative of mildly acidic to alkaline water of varying depths. The dominant taxa include Aulacoseira ambigua, A. distans, Cyclotella iris and several of its varieties, C. aegeae, C. castracanei, C. elymaea, C. ocellata, and two unidentified Cyclotella. Fragilariaceae are common, consisting mainly of Fragilaria bituminosa, Pseudostaurosira brevistriata, P. zeilleri, Staurosira construens, Staurosirella leptostauron, and S. pinnata. Locally, chysophycean stomatocysts are common, suggesting more oligotrophic conditions. Nine diatom stages are recognized in the Lower Neogene Series at Kariditsa (Kozani basin), reflecting shallow swamps, small alkaline lakes, and terrestrial settings. The Upper Neogene Series rocks are characterized by Mg-rich carbonates such as hydromagnesite, huntite and magnesite. A detailed stratigraphy was developed for Mio-Pliocene deposits in the Florina basin at Klidi. Parts of this sequence show clear cyclicity in both the sediments and the diatom floras, with shallow-water diatoms repeatedly giving way to taxa indicative of deeper conditions. Larger-scale, shallow-deep cycles are also present and may be related to precession- and eccentricity-forced climate change.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Alison Lee for her work on preparing diatom slides. Owen was supported by a Hong Kong Baptist University Grants (FRG/06-07/I-28 and FRG/08-09/II-25). Renaut was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Discovery Grant 629-2008. Stamatakis received funding from the University of Athens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

    R. B. Owen

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada

    R. W. Renaut

  3. Department of Geology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Ano Ilissia, 157 84, Athens, Greece

    M. G Stamatakis

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Correspondence to R. B. Owen.

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Owen, R.B., Renaut, R.W. & G Stamatakis, M. Diatomaceous sedimentation in late Neogene lacustrine basins of western Macedonia, Greece. J Paleolimnol 44, 343–359 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-010-9409-5

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