The late Barremian Halimedides horizon of the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy)

Alexander Lukeneder (1) , Alfred Uchman (2) , Christian Gaillard (3) , Davide Olivero (3)

1 Geological-Palaeontological Department
2 Institute of Geological Sciences
3 LGL-TPE - Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Terre, Planètes, Environnement

A new trace fossil marker level, the Halimedides horizon, is proposed for the Lower Cretaceous pelagic to hemipelagic succession of the Puez area (Southern Alps, Italy). The horizon occurs in the middle part of the late Barremian Gerhardtia sartousiana Zone (Gerhardtia sartousiana Subzone). It is approximately 20 cm thick and restricted to the uppermost part of the Puez Limestone Member (marly limestones; Hauterivian Barremian; Puez Formation). It is fixed to the top 20 cm of bed P1/204. The grey whitish limestone bed of the G. sartousiana Zone is penetrated by Aptian red marls-siltstones of the Redbed Member. The horizon is documented for the first time from the Southern Alps, including the Dolomites, and can be correlated with other Mediterranean localities. The trace fossil assemblage of this marker bed with the co-occurrence of Halimedides, Spongehomotpha and Zoophycos sheds light on the Lower Cretaceous sedimentological history and current system of the Puez area within the Dolomites. It also highlights the palaeoenvironmental evolution of basins and plateaus and provides insights into the late Barremian interval. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve

Keywords: Halimedides horizon; Sedimentation discontinuity; Late Barremian hiatus; Lower Cretaceous; Dolomites; Italy

Domains: Paleontology

Alexander Lukeneder, Alfred Uchman, Christian Gaillard, Davide Olivero. The late Barremian Halimedides horizon of the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy). Cretaceous Research, 2012, 35, pp.199-207. ⟨10.1016/j.cretres.2012.01.002⟩. ⟨insu-00695741⟩