Coral-rudist bioconstructions in the Upper Cretaceous Haidach section (Gosau Group; Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)

Summary

In the area of Haidach (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria), coral-rudist mounds, rudist biostromes, and bioclastic limestones and marls constitute an Upper Cretaceous shelf succession approximately 100 meters thick. The succession is part of the mixed siliciclasticcarbonate Gosau Group that was deposited at the northern margin of the Austroalpine microplate.

In its lower part, the carbonate succession at Haidach comprises two stratal packages that each consists, from bottom to top, of a coral-rudist mound capped by a rudist biostrome which, in turn, is overlain by bioclastic limestones and, locally, marls. The coral-rudist mounds consist mainly of floatstones. The coral assemblage is dominated by Fungiina, Astreoina, Heterocoeniina andAgathelia asperella (stylinina). From the rudists, elevators (Vaccinites spp., radiolitids) and recumbents (Plagioptychus) are present. Calcareous sponges, sclerosponges, and octocorals are subordinate. The elevator rudists commonly are small; they settled on branched corals, coral heads, on rudists, and on biolastic debris. The rudists, in turn, provided settlement sites for corals. Predominantly plocoid and thamnasteroid coral growth forms indicate soft substrata and high sedimentation rates. The mounds were episodically smothered by carbonate mud. Many corals and rudists are coated by thick and diverse encrustations that indicate high nutrient level and/or turbid waters.

The coral-rudist mounds are capped byVaccinites biostromes up to 5 m thick. The establishment of these biostromes may result from unfavourable environmental conditions for corals, coupled with the potential of the elevator rudists for effective substrate colonization. TheVaccinites biostromes are locally topped by a thin radiolitid biostrome. The biostromes, in turn, are overlain by bioclastic limestones; these are arranged in stratal packages that were deposited from carbonate sand bodies. Approximately midsection, an interval of marls with abundantPhelopteria is present. These marls were deposited in a quiet lagoonal area where meadows of sea grass or algae, coupled with an elevated nutrient level, triggered the mass occurrence ofPhelopteria.

The upper part of the Haidach section consists of stratal packages that each is composed of a rudist biostrome overlain by bioclastic wackestones to packstones with diverse smaller benthic foraminifera and calcareous green algae. The biostromes are either built by radiolitids,Vaccinites, andPleurocora, or consist exclusively of radiolitids (mainlyRadiolites). Both the biostromes and the bioclastic limestones were deposited in a low-energy lagoonal environment that was punctuated by high-energy events.In situ-rudist fabrics typically have a matrix of mudstone to rudistclastic wackestone; other biogens (incl. smaller benthic foraminifera) are absent or very rare. The matrix of rudist fabrics that indicate episodic destruction by high-energy events contain a fossil assemblage similar to the vertically associated bioclastic limestones. Substrata colonized by rudists thus were unfavourable at least for smaller benthic foraminifera.

The described succession was deposited on a gently inclined shelf segment, where coral-rudist mounds and hippuritid biostromes were separated by a belt of bioclastic sand bodies from a lagoon with radiolitid biostromes. The mounds document that corals and Late Cretaceous elevator rudists may co-occur in close association. On the scale of the entire succession, however, mainly as a result of the wide ecologic range of the rudists relative to corals, the coral-dominated mounds and the rudist biostromes are vertically separated.