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Lower Jurassic benthic foraminiferal assemblages from shallow-marine platform carbonates of Mallorca (Spain): stratigraphic implications

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Abstract

The stratigraphic distribution of larger benthic foraminifera and other microfossils, as analysed in thin-sections, has been investigated in three stratigraphic sections from the island of Mallorca (Son Maina, S’Heretat and Cuevas de Artà). These stratigraphic sections represent deposition in a Lower Jurassic shallow-water carbonate platform succession (Es Barraca Member, Soller Formation) of the Llevant Mountains. The microfossil assemblages contain abundant benthic foraminifera and calcareous algae, including the typical Liassic dasycladalean alga Palaeodasycladus mediterraneus (Pia) and the microproblematica Thaumatoporella parvovesiculifera (Raineri), which provide good age constraint of the succession. Three consecutive biozones have been recognized based on the stratigraphic distribution of foraminifera, including the evolutionary bioseries Mesoendothyra—Lituosepta—Orbitopsella spp., which are documented for the first time in the Balearic Basin: Biozone A (interval Zone) is characterized by the occurrence of small Siphovalvulina spp., Mesoendothyra sp. and rare Lituosepta ancestors. Biozone B (lineage Zone), whose lower boundary is defined by the first occurrence of Lituosepta recoarensis Cati and its top by the first appearance of Orbitopsella aff. primaeva (Henson). The uppermost part of biozone B shows an interval with transitional morphotypes between Lituosepta and Orbitopsella, indicating that the change between biozones B and C1 is gradual (B/C1 transition). This interval is characterized by the presence of very primitive forms of Orbitopsella. Finally, Biozone C1 (lineage Zone) is defined by the first occurrence of Orbitopsella aff. primaeva together with L. recoarensis. The upper boundary of the Biozone C1, which is defined by the first occurrence of O. praecursor s.l., is not recorded in the studied sections of the Es Barraca Member. This biostratigraphic zonation is consistent with a Sinemurian age for the Es Barraca Member with its top most likely not extending into the Pliensbachian. The proposed biostratigraphic scheme is comparable with those established for other western Tethyan margins such as the High Atlas of Morocco, the Southern Italian Alps or the Dinaric Alps of Slovenia and Croatia. The reconstruction of a depositional transect across the studied sections shows the progressive loss of the upper biozones towards the northeast, demonstrating the existence of significant hiatuses in some sections of the Llevant Mountains domain. These hiatuses point to an intra-lower Pliensbachian (Carixian) early stage of platform fragmentation, with areas affected by erosion or non-deposition, and areas with marine marly limestone sedimentation followed by deltaic siliciclastic progradation on the north-western part of Mallorca.

Resumen

Se ha investigado, mediante el análisis de láminas delgadas, la distribución estratigráfica de foraminíferos bentónicos y otros microfósiles en tres secciones estratigráficas del Jurásico Inferior de la Sierra de Levante, en la isla de Mallorca (Son Maina, S’Heretat y Cuevas de Artà). Estas secciones representan el depósito, durante el Jurásico Inferior, de un sistema de plataforma carbonatada somera (Miembro Es Barraca de la Formación Soller). La asociación de microfósiles contiene abundantes foraminíferos bentónicos y algas calcáreas, entre las que se incluyen Palaeodasycladus mediterraneus (Pia) del Lías y la microproblemática Thaumatoporella parvovesiculifera (Raineri), lo que proporciona un buen control de edad de la sucesión. En base a la distribución estratigráfica de los foraminíferos y la bioserie evolutiva Mesoendothyra – Lituosepta – Orbitopsella spp., se han reconocido y documentado por primera vez, para el Miembro Es Barraca, tres biozonas consecutivas: Biozona A (Zona de intervalo), caracterizada por la existencia de pequeños ejemplares de Siphovalvulina spp., Mesoendothyra sp. y escasos ejemplares de Lituosepta ancestral. Biozona B (Zona de linaje), cuyo límite inferior está definido por la primera aparición de Lituosepta recoarensis Cati, mientras que su límite superior se caracteriza por la primera aparición de Orbitopsella aff. primaeva (Henson). La parte superior de la biozona B muestra un intervalo con morfotipos transicionales entre Lituosepta y Orbitopsella, indicando que el paso entre las biozonas B y C1 es gradual (transición B/C1). Este intervalo se caracteriza por la presencia de formas muy primitivas de Orbitopsella. Finalmente, la Biozona C1 (Zona de linaje) está definida por la primera aparición de Orbitopsella aff. primaeva junto con L. recoarensis. El límite superior de la Biozona C1, definido por la primera aparición de O. praecursor s.l., no se ha reconocido en las secciones estudiadas del Miembro Es Barraca. Esta zonación bioestratigráfica es compatible con una edad Sinemuriense para el Miembro Es Barraca y sugiere que el techo de la unidad muy probablemente no alcanza el Pliensbachiense. El esquema bioestratigráfico propuesto es comparable con el establecido para otros márgenes del Tethys occidental tales como el Alto Atlas en Marruecos, los Alpes del sur de Italia o los Alpes Dináricos de Eslovenia y Croacia. La reconstrucción de un transecto estratigráfico a lo largo de las secciones estudiadas muestra la pérdida progresiva de las biozonas superiores hacia el noreste, demostrando así la existencia de hiatos significativos en algunas secciones del dominio de Sierras de Levante. Estos hiatos apuntan a una fragmentación temprana de la plataforma (intra-Pliensbachiense inferior) con áreas afectadas por erosión o no-depósito, y otras áreas, al noroeste de Mallorca, con una sedimentación continua de margocaliza seguida de una progradación deltaica siliciclástica.

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Fig. 1

(modified from Dercourt et al. 2000)

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Modified from Álvaro et al. (1989)

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Acknowledgements

This paper is a contribution to the research projects RTI2018-093613-B-100 and CGL2017-85038-P funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their critical reading and useful comments that improved the manuscript. We also include a special acknowledgment to Mike Simmons (Halliburton) for his help with the English revision of the final version of the manuscript and to Associate Editor Juan Carlos Braga for handing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), 07006, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Ana Sevillano & José María López-García

  2. 1055, Froideville, Switzerland

    Michel Septfontaine

  3. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Ríos Rosas 23, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Idoia Rosales & Antonio Barnolas

  4. Departamento de, Ciencias de la Tierra-IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain

    Beatriz Bádenas

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  1. Ana Sevillano
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Correspondence to Ana Sevillano.

Glossary

Advanced or ancestor form (morphotype)

This term, usual in paleontological and evolutionary studies, permits a rough estimation of the degree of morphological evolution in a bioseries (evolutionary trend) through time, such as the schematic morphological steps proposed by Septfontaine (1988), Fig. 1, which seems to fit for the orbitopsellinids and many other discoidal larger foraminifera taxa of Mesozoic carbonate shelves around the Tethyan domain. Logically (Depéret’s Law) ancestral forms are smaller (less than 0.5 mm) and have a simpler morphology, whereas the advanced forms display a larger test with complex inner microstructures and modifications of the shape and size of the adult chambers. The term “inner microstructures” means endoskeletal (pillars) and exoskeletal (vertical radial partitions) elements. This can be a response to better and larger symbiotic hosting (“greenhouse structures”) and changes (see Hottinger 2000).

Morphotype

This practical and informal term designates the particular morphology of one individual which could belong to a new taxon not yet introduced. In a bioseries it can be a missing link connecting morphologically two chronospecies already defined (see Septfontaine 1988, Fig. 1, and Guex 2016 for a current use of the term).

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Sevillano, A., Septfontaine, M., Rosales, I. et al. Lower Jurassic benthic foraminiferal assemblages from shallow-marine platform carbonates of Mallorca (Spain): stratigraphic implications. J Iber Geol 46, 77–94 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-019-00117-9

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