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An evidence of tectonic activity in the Triassic of the Western Tethys: a case study from the carbonate succession in the Tatra Mountains (S Poland)

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Abstract

In the carbonate deposits of the upper Olenekian (Križna Nappe) and the Lower Anisian (High-Tatric Unit, Giewont Nappe) from the Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians) were recognized two sedimentary intervals containing beds with soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS). The first interval consists of dolostones and limestones which contain following deformation structures: folds, faults, breccias and homogenized zones. The second interval is built of limestones with sigmoidally deformed veins which are interbedded with horizontally laminated limestones lacking any deformations. The deformed beds were considered as seismites on the basis of the following criteria: large lateral extent, lateral continuity of deformed sediments, vertical repetition and, morphology of SSDS comparable with structures described from earthquake–affected layers. Two other criteria necessary for recognition of seismites, i.e., the proximity to active faults and decreasing of complexity or frequency of SSDS with the increasing distance from the triggering fault are not applicable to the described succession due to Late Cretaceous tectonic movements. The presence of the described seismites does not only confirm earlier hypotheses about Anisian tectonic activity of the discussed area but also proves that the tectonic movements started already during the late Olenekian in the study area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to A. J. (T) Van Loon for inspiring ideas and valuable suggestions improving the present version of the manuscript and to Alfred Uchman for the language improvement. The authors are indebted to anonymous reviewer for the critical comments. The authors are also grateful to the managements of the Tatra National Park (Poland) for providing the permission for fieldwork. The investigations were supported by the Jagiellonian Uniwersity (DS funds).

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  1. Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2A, 30-063, Kraków, Poland

    Tomasz Rychliński & Piotr Jaglarz

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  1. Tomasz Rychliński
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Correspondence to Tomasz Rychliński.

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Rychliński, T., Jaglarz, P. An evidence of tectonic activity in the Triassic of the Western Tethys: a case study from the carbonate succession in the Tatra Mountains (S Poland). Carbonates Evaporites 32, 103–116 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-016-0327-0

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