GeolCarp_Vol64_No1_81

www.geologicacarpathica.sk

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

, FEBRUARY 2013, 64, 1, 81—100 doi: 10.2478/geoca-2013-0006

Introduction

The  data  on  the  initial  marine  transgression  in  the  southern
Pannonian Basin System are still very scarce (Mandic et al.
2012).  This  fact  makes  the  fine  scale  paleogeographical  re-
constructions  problematic.  Yet,  not  the  sediment  distribu-
tion, but particularly the precise age of the marine flooding is
still a subject of discussion (Ćorić et al. 2009). Until recently
the age of that flooding was uniformly reported as Karpatian
(late  Early  Miocene  –  Pavelić  2001;  Hajek-Tadesse  et  al.
2009),  resulting  in  all  major  Paratethys  reconstructions
showing  the  southern  Pannonian  Basin  already  completely
flooded  at  that  time  (Rögl  &  Steininger  1983;  Rögl  1999;
Popov et al. 2004). Beyond that the massive salt deposits at
Tuzla in NE Bosnia and Herzegovina indicating a major re-
gional paleoclimatic event and representing exactly this ini-
tial Miocene marine cycle are likely correlated with the late
Early  Miocene  (Kováč  et  al.  2003).  This  paper  contributes
the  current  revision  by  Vrabac  et  al.  (2011)  providing  evi-
dence  that  in  closest  vicinity  to  that  salt  deposit  the  initial
flooding was conversely more than 2.5 Myr younger.

The integrating benthic foraminifera and calcareous nanno-

plankton  will  be  applied  to  provide  the  precise  biostrati-
graphic  dating  of  the  initial  marine  flooding  on  the  southern
margin of the Pannonian Basin in NE Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Fig. 1a—c). The quantified record of benthic foraminifera for
about  65-m-thick  succession  will  allow  accurate  documenta-

Paleoenvironmental dynamics in the southern Pannonian

Basin during initial Middle Miocene marine f looding

ĐURĐICA PEZELJ

, OLEG MANDIC

and STJEPAN ĆORIĆ

Department of Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Department of Geology and Paleontology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1010 Wien, Austria; oleg.mandic@nhm-wien.ac.at

Geological Survey of Austria, Neulinggenstrasse 38, 1030 Wien, Austria

(Manuscript received March 20, 2012; accepted in revised form September 18, 2012)

Abstract:  Paleoenvironmental  analysis  based  on  foraminiferal  distribution  has  been  carried  out  on  44  sediment  bulk
samples from the locality Bogutovo selo near Ugljevik (NE Bosnia and Herzegovina). During the Middle Miocene the
region was positioned on the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin and the Central Paratethys Sea. The studied section
comprises  70-m-thick sedimentary succession dominated by marine marls and intercalated in its middle part by a single
14-m-thick limestone package. Marine succession superposes by angle discordance Oligocene coal-bearing deposits. The
marker species allow correlation of the lower part of the section with the Early Badenian Upper Lagenidae Zone, whereas
for  the  middle  and  upper  part,  the  Middle Badenian  Spirorutilus  Zone  was  inferred.  Integrating  data  from  calcareous
nannoplankton, the stratigraphic range has been limited to the time interval of 14.36—13.65 Ma (late NN5, late Langhian).
The statistical agglomerative techniques applied to benthic foraminiferal distribution suggest the presence of six assem-
blages showing gradual transition from one to another. Their paleoenvironmental significance points to initial upward
deepening of the depositional environment as a result of the Badenian transgression. This trend is interrupted by major sea-
level-fall and switch to carbonate platform conditions in the middle part of the section. Subsequent sea-level-rise and
increased primary production resulted in progressive reduction of oxygen content at the sea bottom in the upper part of the
section. The stratigraphic position in the topmost NN5 Zone implies the correlation of the major sea-level-fall with the
glacio-eustatic isotopic event Mi-3b astronomically dated to 13.82 Ma and coinciding with the base of the Serravallian.

Key words: Badenian, Pannonian Basin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, paleoecology, calcareous nannoplankton, benthic
foraminifera.

tion of the sea-level change and paleoenvironmental history
during the initial 0.5-Myr-interval of the Paratethys Sea in that
region. Finally, it will be demonstrated that the observed events
and trends correlate with Middle Miocene Climate Transition
and Badenian Salinity Crisis. A brief comparison to other corre-
sponding regional and global records will be provided.

Geological setting

The Paratethys (Fig. 2) developed during the Early Oli-

gocene in Central and Southeastern Europe as a northern sat-
ellite  sea  of  the  Western  Tethys  Ocean.  One  of  the  crucial
geodynamic  events  in  its  history  was  the  origination  of  the
Pannonian Basin System as a result of back-arc rifting trig-
gered  through  eastward  slab  roll-back  along  the  Carpathian
arc during the late Early and Middle Miocene (Dilek 2006).
First this event allowed the Paratethys Sea a deep southward
transgression  across  Transdanubia  and  the  Great  Hungarian
Plain into the northeastern margin of the Dinaride thrust-fold
belt diminishing there a diversified continental environment
of the Dinaride Lake System (Mandic et al. 2012; De Leeuw
et  al.  2012a).  Hence  during  the  early  Middle  Miocene  the
Central  Paratethys  Sea  provided  a  picture  of  a  large  intra-
continental archipelago with a narrow strait to the Mediterra-
nean  Sea  in  the  West  and  a  deeply  indented  coast  on  the
South striking along the Dinaride margin (Fig. 2).

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

The open-pit mine at Bogutovo Selo near Ugljevik in NE

Bosnia and Herzegovina is positioned on the southern mar-
gin  of  the  Pannonian  Basin  System  (Fig. 1b).  The  region  is
located on the eastern slopes of the Mt Majevica and repre-
sents  the  westernmost  tip  of  the  Jadar  thrust-sheet  derived
from  the  northern  passive  Adria  margin,  obducted  in  the
Late Jurassic by the Vardar Ocean ophiolites (Schmid et al.
2008). Mt Majevica is a horst made of Paleogene flysch de-
posits related to the Sava back-arc ocean that was closed by
the  Middle  Eocene  collision  between  the  Dinarides  and  the

Fig. 1. Geographical and regional geological setting of the studied area. a – Geographical position in southeastern Europe (ArcGIS basemap).
b – Geotectonic setting at the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin (modified after Schmid et al. 2008). c – Regional geological posi-
tion of Section Prokoš/Bogutovo Selo SW of Ugljevik indicated (cross) in a detailed view of the Geological map of former Yugoslavia
M 1 : 500,000.

Fig. 2. Paleogeographical setting showing position of Ugljevik in
the southern Pannonian Basin and Central Paratethys during the
Early Badenian (map by NHM Vienna).

Tisza  Mega-Unit  (Hrvatović  2006).  The  postorogenic  intra-
mountainous Ugljevik Basin developed in the Oligocene and
was  already  characterized  by  fully  continental  deposition
(Čičić  1964).  The  Paratethys  marine  marls  and  calcarenites
follow  by  angle  discordance  on  top  of  that  Late  Oligocene
coal-bearing lacustrine series (Fig. 1c). The marine series are
superposed  then  by  restricted  marine  Sarmatian  and  finally
by  brackish  Pannonian  (Late  Miocene)  deposits  completing
the Paratethys depositional cycle (Fig. 3)

The Miocene foraminiferal fauna of Ugljevik is very well

preserved and already qualitatively investigated by Pantić et
al. (1964), Vrabac & Mihajlović (1990), Rundić et al. (2000)
and Savić et al. (2000, 2005). Additional paleontological and
geological data from the region are available from Miljuš
(1961), Čičić (1961, 1964), Malez & Thenius (1985), and
Vrabac et al. (1995), among others.

Material and methods

The sediment bulk samples ( 150 g each) are washed by

standard  methodology  through  0.063—0.250 mm  mesh
sieves.  The  dried  material  was  iteratively  portioned  by  the
Reich  microsplitter  to  get  the  standardized  sample  of  about
300  foraminiferal  specimens  for  plankton/benthos  (P/B)  ra-
tio determination. Subsequently, this procedure was repeated

MIDDLE MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN THE S PANNONIAN BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

to  get  about  300  specimens  for  quantitative  and  qualitative
analysis  of  benthic  assemblages.  The  taxonomic  determina-
tion of the benthic foraminiferal species was based on crite-
ria by Loeblich & Tappan (1987a,b) and Papp et al. (1978a),
AGIP  (1982),  Papp  &  Schmid  (1985),  Haunold  (1990),  Ci-
merman  &  Langer  (1991),  Filipescu  &  Gîrbacea  (1997),
Cicha et al. (1998), Báldi (1999). The compilation of ecolog-
ical  preferences  including  the  depth-range  for  benthic  fora-
minifera is based on Murray (1991, 2006), Van Der Zwaan
&  Jorissen  (1991),  Sgarrella  &  Moncharmont  Zei  (1993),
Kaiho  (1994,  1999),  Jorissen  et  al.  (1995),  Rathburn  et  al.
(1996),  De  Stigter  et  al.  (1998),  Jannik  et  al.  (1998),  Den
Dulk et al. (2000), Spezzaferri et al. (2002), Fontanier et al.
(2002),  Rögl  &  Spezzaferri  (2003),  Stefanelli  (2004),  Ho-
henegger  (2005),  Van  Hinsbergen  et  al.  (2005),  Kouwen-
hoven & Van Der Zwaan (2006), Báldi (2006), Zágoršek et
al. (2008), Holcová & Zágoršek (2008), Reolid et al. (2008),

Frezza & Carboni (2009), Pippérr & Reichenbacher (2010),
De & Gupta (2010).

Prior to analysis of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, the

taphonomic conditions have been investigated to extract au-
tochthonous  specimens  for  paleoecological  interpretation.
The presence of size-sorting, fragmentation, abrasion, corro-
sion, and the incongruence of stratigraphic ranges and paleo-
ecological  preferences  have  been  checked  following
examples  by  Murray  (1991)  and  Holcová  (1999).  After
transported specimens (T) have been excluded from the anal-
ysis,  the  numbers  of  species  (N)  are  defined,  followed  by
calculation  of  percentage  contributions  for  each  sample  to
identify relative abundances and pinpoint the dominant spe-
cies (Murray 1991). The multivariate agglomeration and sta-
tistical techniques applied to that data pinpointed changes in
assemblage  structure  through  the  section.  The  Hierarchical
Agglomerative  Cluster  Analysis  and  Non-metric  Multidi-

Fig. 3. Stratigraphic correlation table and position of studied interval. Global chronostratigraphy after Hilgen et al. (2009), magnetostrati-
graphy and calcareous nannoplankton zones from Lourens et al. (2004a,b), planktonic foraminiferal zones from Wade et al. (2011), Medi-
terranean plankton bioevents from Iaccarino et al. (2011). The sea-level reconstruction follows Hilgen et al. (2009) except for the Lan1
boundary correlated with the isotope event at the Langhian base (see Iaccarino et al. 2011). Note its good agreement with the Central Para-
tethys pattern inferred by Strauss et al. (2006), contrasting the recent proposals of Hohenegger et al. (2009a,b). Revised correlation of
Paratethys chrono- and biostratigraphy (Papp et al. 1978b; Piller et al. 2007) integrates results by De Leeuw et al. (2010, 2012b), Hohenegger
& Wagreich (2011) and the present study.

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

mensional Scaling, both based on Euclidean distance dissim-
ilarity measure have been conducted by means of PAST soft-
ware (Hammer et al. 2001).

The paleo-depth fluctuations are investigated by plankton/

benthos ratio (P/B; Murray 1991), modified plankton/benthos
ratio  (D1;  Van  Der  Zwaan  et  al.  1990,  1999),  and  gradient
analysis (D2; Hohenegger 2005; Báldi & Hohenegger 2008).
The  oxygen  content  of  the  bottom  water  (BFOI  –  Benthic
Foraminiferal  Oxygen  Index)  is  calculated  from  relative
abundances  of  oxic,  suboxic  and  dysoxic  foraminifera
(Kaiho  1994,  1999).  Species  diversity  of  benthic  foramin-
ifera is expressed by four indices: Fisher   index ( ), Shan-
non-Wiener index (H), Equitability (E), and Dominance (D).
Fisher    index  eliminates  the  influence  of  the  sample  size,
Shannon-Wiener  provides  information  of  heterogeneity  of
the assemblage. Their specific values can indicate particular
environmental  conditions.  Equitability  describes  similarity
between species contributions whereas Dominance measures
the  evenness  of  the  community  (Murray  1991).  The  values
of  those  diversity  indices  are  calculated  by  PAST  (PAleon-
tology  STatistic)  software  (Hammer  et  al.  2001).  The  envi-
ronmental  stress  indicator  (S)  results  from  contribution  of
deep  infaunal  species  in  complete  benthic  assemblage  as
proposed by Van Hinsbergen et al. (2005). Finally, the cal-
culation of high primary production indicators (HP) follows
Spezzaferri et al. (2002).

In addition to benthic foraminifera, the calcareous nanno-

plankton distribution was analysed to support biostratigraphic
evaluation.  To  identify  biostratigraphical  zone  markers  and
get  information  about  nannoplankton  assemblages,  smear
slides were prepared from 28 samples using standard proce-
dures and examined under light microscope (cross and parallel
nicols) at 1000  magnification.

Section

The studied interval is represented by three overlapping par-

tial sections (Fig. 4). Partial section

1 (WGS 1984 – Base:

N44 40 23.7 E18 59 13.5, Top: N44 40 25.7 E18 59 13.5) in-
cludes the transgression boundary in the base and the dark
clayey marker bed on top. The marker bed allows its
straight-forward correlation with the partial section

2 (Base/

Top: N44 40 25.1 E18 58 58.3). The latter is positioned
325

m to the West and includes interval from marker bed to

the main carbonate body. Finally, the partial section

3 in-

cluding the carbonate and the top marl is located about 50

to the WNW (Base: N44 40 25.8 E18 58 56.3, Top: N44 40
27.0 E18 59 00.1). The outcrop area is located 2

km south

of  (Novi)  Ugljevik  and  represents  the  southern  slope  of  the
Hill  Prokoš.  The  section  is  about  70-m-long  with  its  lower-
most  part  still  representing  continental  deposits.  The  super-
posed marine succession is three-folded with marl dominated
intervals  in  lower  (28

m) and upper (25

m) part and massive

limestone (14

m) interval in its middle part.

The section starts with grey and olive green clayey interval

m). Chert intercalations are present in its lower part re-

placed upward by chert nodules and mudclusts. The topmost
horizon (20—40

cm) comprising marine shell, sand and peb-

ble material from superposed interval is strongly bioturbated.
The onlap horizon is marked by shell-accumulation com-
posed of marine bivalves and gastropods in a greenish fine-
sandy matrix. The lower boundary is sharp and erosive.

The lower marine unit starts with a fining upward interval

m) of greenish fine-sand and silty marl, followed by hori-

zon (6

m) composed of greyish marl. The series bears rare

sediment-floating  mollusc  remains  such  are  thin-walled  pec-
tinid  bivalves  (e.g.  Cristatopecten  badensis  (Fontannes,
1882), Costellamussiopecten attenuatus (Kojumdgieva, 1960)).
Its uppermost part displays wood fragments and mass-occur-
rences of minute gastropod plankton (pteropods). An interval
composed  of  dark  grey  marl  (4

m) follows on top, bearing

plant debris. It is superposed by a marl and silty marl horizon
(7

m) bearing scattered sediment floating mollusc shells,

mostly the articulated shells of infaunal bivalve Corbula gibba
(Olivi, 1792). Occasional monotypic pteropod accumulations
with Vaginella austriaca are additionally present therein. This
faunal composition continues into the topmost part of the unit
(5

m) where marl and silty marl is inter-bedded with coralli-

nacean debris limestone. Calcarenite intercalations ( < 60

cm)

have sharp lower and gradual upper boundaries and can dis-
play fining upward with larger components such are rhodo-
liths or oyster shells concentrated on the base.

The middle marine unit (14

m) represents single limestone

interval composed mainly of corallinacean debris. The archi-
tecture is three-folded with homogeneous base and top
( 4

m) and thick-bedded middle part ( > 0.5

m). Their slightly

undulated bed contacts are characterized through increased
siliciclastic (clay and silt) component. Among fossil remains
especially rhodoliths, coral clasts, and thick-walled bivalves
are conspicuous.

The upper marine unit is dominated by marl occasionally

intercalated by cm-thin calcarenites composed of fine-
grained (fine-sand to silt) skeletal debris. Up to 10

cm thick

clayey or silty tephra interbeds are additionally present. The
unit starts with dark marl (2.5

m) with common corbulids

and deep-water oysters (Neopycnodonte navicularis (Brocchi,
1814)).  The  contact  to  the  previous  unit  is  gradual,  marked
by  fast  upward-decrease  of  skeletal  detritus  and  by  strong
bioturbation.  The  superposed  marl  horizon  (4

m) is marked

by pteropod mass-occurrences and grades upward to corbu-
lid-bearing marl horizon (2.5

m). The marl succession is

then interrupted by a thick calcarenite package (2

m) divided

in two parts through marl inter-bed with mudclasts and skel-
etal detritus. The next horizon (4

m) is composed of dark

marl  characterized  by  common  fish  remains.  Its  lower  part
displaying  increased  clayey  component  grades  upwards
through a short laminated interval into monotonous marl of
the  upper  part.  Fine  laminated  pteropod  marl  (2

m) follows

on top, superposed finally by a conspicuous interval (4

dominated by laminated diatomites with very scattered fish
remains. The uppermost part of the section (4

m) is badly ex-

posed but apparently displays the same facies.

The presented data imply the existence of two transgressive

and one regressive interval within the marine succession. The
lower unit starts with a fining upward sequence and suggests
the initial deepening phase. With the introduction of increased
plant debris followed by a coarsening upward trend, the re-

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

Fig. 5. Calcareous nannoplankton species from Ugljevik section. 1 – Pontosphaera discopora Schiller, 1925; UG8. 2 – Coccolithus pelagi-
cus (Wallich, 1871) Schiller, 1930; UG144. 3 – Pontosphaera multipora (Kamptner, 1948) Roth, 1970; UG145. 4 – Cyclicargolithus
floridanus (Roth & Hay, 1967) Bukry, 1971; UG90. 5—6 – Discosphaera tubifera (Murray & Blackman, 1898) Ostenfeld, 1900; UG101.
7—8  –  Helicosphaera  carteri  (Wallich,  1877)  Kamptner,  1954;  UG145.  9  –  Discoaster  formosus  Martini  &  Worsley,  1971;  UG140;
10 – Discoaster variabilis Martini & Bramlette, 1963;  UG90. 11 – Discoaster exilis Martini & Bramlette, 1963;  UG82. 12 – Discoaster
musicus  Stradner,  1959;  UG8.  13—14  –  Cryptococcolithus  mediaperforatus  (Varol,  1971)  de  Kaenel  &  Villa,  1996;  UG8.  15  –  Reticu-
lofenestra gelida (Geitzenauer, 1972) Backman, 1978;  UG145. 16 – Lithostromation perdurum Deflandre, 1942;  UG90. 17 and 24 – Calci-
discus  leptoporus  (Murray  &  Blackman,  1898)  Loeblich  &  Tappan,  1978;  UG93.  18  –  Helicosphaera  walbersdorfensis  Müller,  1974;
UG82.  19, 20  – Geminilithella rotula Kamptner, 1956; UG90.  21  –  Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus  (Gartner,  1967)  Gartner,  1969;
UG90. 22—23 – Coronocyclus nitescens (Kamptner, 1963) Bramlette & Wilcoxon, 1967; UG82. 25 – Reticulofenestra minuta Roth, 1970;
UG93. 26 – Rhabdosphaera sicca Stradner, 1963; UG80. 27 – Ascidian spicule; UG93. 28—29 – Micrantolithus bassiensis Rade, 1977;
UG8. 30—31  –  Umbilicosphaera  jafari  Müller,  1974;  UG145.  32  –  Holodiscolithus  macroporus  (Deflandre,  1954)  Roth,  1970;  UG8.
33 – a – Braarudosphaera bigelowii (Gran & Braarud, 1935) Deflandre, 1947, b – Cyclicargolithus floridanus (Roth & Hay, 1967) Bukry,
1971; UG90. 34—35 – Scyphosphaera pulcherrima Deflandre, 1942; UG145. 36—37 – a – Sphenolithus heteromorphus Deflandre 1953,
b – Sphenolithus moriformis (Brönnimann & Stradner, 1960) Bramlette & Wilcoxon, 1967; UG82. 38 – a – Micrantolithus sp., b – Gemi-
nilithella rotula Kamptner, 1956; UG90. 39 – Coccolithus miopelagicus Bukry, 1971; UG145.

gressive  phase  starts.  The  common  presence  of  corbulids
therein  points  to  oxygen  crises  bound  to  increased  organic
matter  input  (Mandic  &  Harzhauser  2003).  The  calcarenites
interpreted as proximal tempestites (Schmid et al. 2001) mark
distinct  depositional  shallowing  on  top.  The  carbonate  plat-
form deposition of the middle unit proves finally the installa-
tion  of  shallow  water  conditions.  In  terms  of  sequence
stratigraphy (Fig.

4), the boundary between the initial Trans-

gressive  System  Tract  (TST1)  and  subsequent  High  System
Tract  (HST1)  can  be  defined  with  the  start  of  plant  debris
deposition suggesting enhanced terrestrial influence through
prograding  coastal  environments.  The  stable  shallow  water
conditions  of  the  middle  unit  represent  in  contrast  the  pro-
longed  Low  System  Tract  (LST2)  with  its  base  marking  the
start of the second depositional sequence. The very fast return
to deeper water conditions on its top is associated with contin-
uous input of skeletal debris. No trend to shallow water condi-
tions can be detected upward and therefore the whole interval
is  tentatively  regarded  as  single  Transgressive  System  Tract
phase  (TST2).  Note  that  similar  diatomites  from  the  Lower
Miocene  of  Austria,  investigated  by  geochemical  and  micro-
paleontological proxies were related to local upwelling condi-
tions (Grunert et al. 2010). The inference was there supported
by regionally absent fluvial deposits.

Assemblages

Calcareous nannoplankton

The lowermost part of the Ugljevik section comprising the

lake sediments is barren of autochthonous calcareous nanno-
plankton (Fig.

4). This changes in the marine part of the sec-

tion where blooms of small reticulofenestrids and very rare
or absent discoasterids in calcareous nannoplankton assem-
blages in all investigated samples point to a depositional en-
vironment close to a paleo-coast.

All the assemblages (Fig. 5) are dominated by small reticu-

lofenestrids (Reticulofenestra minuta Roth, 1970 and R. haqii
Backman, 1978), which are very common in Badenian marine
deposits of the Central Paratethys (Ćorić & Hohenegger

2008). The following occur regularly and continuously: Coc-
colithus  pelagicus  (Wallich,  1871)  Schiller,  1930,  Heli-
cosphaera  carteri  (Wallich,  1877)  Kamptner,  1954,  H.
walbersdorfensis  Müller,  1974,  Holodiscolithus  macroporus
(Deflandre,  1954)  Roth,  1970,  Reticulofenestra  gelida
(Geitzenauer,  1972)  Backman,  1978,  R.  pseudoumbilicus
(Gartner,  1967)  Gartner,  1969,  Sphenolithus  moriformis
(Brönnimann & Stradner, 1960) Bramlette & Wilcoxon, 1967
and  Umbilicosphaera  jafari  Müller,  1974.  The  following  are
rare  but  continual:  Braarudosphaera  bigelowii  (Gran  &
Braarud,  1935)  Deflandre,  1947,  Calcidiscus  leptoporus
(Murray & Blackman, 1898) Loeblich & Tappan, 1978, Coro-
nocyclus nitescens (Kamptner, 1963) Bramlette & Wilcoxon,
1967, Coronosphaera mediterranea (Lohmann, 1902) Gaarder,
1977, Cyclicargolithus floridanus (Roth & Hay, 1967) Bukry,
1971,  Geminilithella  rotula  Kamptner,  1956,  Pontosphaera
multipora (Kamptner, 1948) Roth, 1970, Rhabdosphaera sicca
Stradner,  1963,  and  Syracosphaera  pulchra  Lohmann,  1902.
The  folowing  are  rare  and  irregularly  found:  Cryptococco-
lithus  mediaperforatus  (Varol,  1991)  de  Kaenel  &  Villa,
1996,  discoasters  (Discoaster  adamanteus  Bramlette  &  Wil-
coxon,  1967,  D.  deflandrei  Bramlette  &  Riedel,  1954,  D.
musicus  Stradner,  1959,  D.  variabilis  Martini  &  Bramlette,
1963, D. exilis Martini & Bramlette, 1963), Hayella challengeri
(Müller,  1974)  Theodoridis,  1984,  Micrantholithus  spp.,
Thoracosphaera  spp.  and  Triquetrorhabdulus  spp.  Disco-
asterids  from  the  section  Ugljevik  are  very  rare  and  can  be
compared  with  abundances  observed  in  the  Austrian  part  of
the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep (Ćorić & Rögl 2004) and in
the Vienna Basin (Ćorić & Hohenegger 2008).

Foraminifera

Only 44 of 63 collected samples from the Ugljevik section

proved  suitable  for  the  analysis  of  benthic  foraminifera.
Whereas  in  the  lower  part  of  the  section  (samples  UG129—
UG149) the benthic foraminifera are present in all available
samples,  in  its  upper  part  they  are  frequently  absent  or  too
scarce  for  statistical  treatment.  In  contrast,  the  planktonic
foraminifera are present in all samples except for UG14 and
UG81,  free  of  microfossils  in  consequence  of  diagenetic

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

Fig. 6. Some of the most abundant and representative benthic foraminiferal species from the Ugljevik section. 1 – Lenticulina inornata
(d’Orbigny); side view, UG146. 2 – Lenticulina calcar (Linné); side view, UG146. 3 – Siphonodosaria consobrina (d’Orbigny); side
view, UG79. 4 – Bolivina dilatata Reuss; side view, UG131. 5 – Bolivina hebes (Macfayden); side view, UG146. 6 – Bolivina viennensis
(Marks); side view, UG79. 7 – Globocassidulina oblonga (Reuss); apertural side, UG79. 8 – Bulimina elongata d’Orbigny; side view,
UG79. 9 – Bulimina subulata (Cushman & Parker); side view, UG79. 10 – Praeglobobulimina pyrula (d’Orbigny); side view, UG146.
11 – Uvigerina pygmoides Papp & Turnovsky; side view, UG79. 12 – Uvigerina grilli Papp & Schmid; side view, UG146. 13 – Valvuline-
ria complanata (d’Orbigny); umbilical side, UG79. 14 – Cibicidoides ungerianus (d’Orbigny); umbilical side, UG79. 15 – Cibicidoides
ungerianus (d’Orbigny); spiral side, UG131. 16 – Lobatula lobatula (Walker & Jacob); umbilical side, UG146. 17 – Asterigerinata planor-
bis (d’Orbigny); spiral side, UG79. 18 – Nonion commune (d’Orbigny); side view, UG131. 19 – Melonis pompilioides (Fichtel & Moll); side
view, UG79. 20 – Heterolepa dutemplei d’Orbigny; spiral side, UG146.

Table 1: Ecological and paleoecological predispositions of species: oxic preference, mode of life, stress marker, deep infauna, high primary
productivity species. Data were compiled from Murray (1991, 2006), Van Der Zwaan & Jorissen (1991), Sgarrella & Moncharmont Zei
(1993), Kaiho (1994, 1999), Jorissen et al. (1995), Rathburn et al. (1996), De Stigter et al. (1998), Jannik et al. (1998), Den Dulk et al.
(2000), Spezzaferri et al. (2002), Fontanier et al. (2002), Rögl & Spezzaferri (2003), Stefanelli (2004), Hohenegger (2005), Van Hinsbergen
et al. (2005), Kouwenhoven & Van Der Zwaan (2006), Báldi (2006), Zágoršek et al. (2008), Holcová & Zágoršek (2008), Reolid et al.
(2008), Frezza & Carboni (2009), Pippérr & Reichenbacher (2010), De & Gupta (2010).

Taxon

pref

f l

ress m

ark

igh

oduc

Taxon

pref

f l

ress m

ark

igh

oduc

Spirorutilus carinatus (d’Orbigny)

O E Bulimina gutsulica Livental

D I x

Martinottiella communis (d’Orbigny)

O E Bulimina subulata (Cushman & Parker)

D I x

Semivulvulina pectinata (Reuss)

O E Praeglobobulimina pyrula (d’Orbigny)

D I x

Textularia sp.

S I Pappina parkeri (Karrer)

S I

Sigmoilinita tenuis (Czjzek)

O E Uvigerina aculeata (d’Orbigny)

D I x

Quinqueloculina buchiana

O E Uvigerina grilli Papp & Schmid

D I x

Quinqueloculina sp.

O E Uvigerina macrocarinata Papp & Turnovsky

D I x

Grigelis pyrula d’Orbigny

S I Uvigerina pygmoides Papp & Turnovsky

D I x

Pseudonodosaria brevis d’Orbigny

S I Uvigerina semiornata d’Orbigny

D I x

Laevidentalina boueana d’Orbigny

S I Uvigerina venusta Franzenau

D I x

Laevidentalina elegans d’Orbigny

S I Angulogerina angulosa (Williamson)

O I

Frondicularia sp.

S I Trifarina brady (Cushman)

S I

Amphimorphina haueriana Neugeboren

S I Coryphostoma digitalis (d’Orbigny)

S I

Plectofrondicularia digitalis (Neugeboren)

S I Reusella spinulosa (Reuss)

O E

Lenticulina calcar (Linné)

O E Fursenkoina acuta (d’Orbigny)

D I x

Lenticulina inornata (d’Orbigny)

O E/SI

Sigmavirgulina tortuosa (Brady)

S I

Lenticulina vortex (Fichtel & Moll)

O E Orthomorphina sp.

S I

Lenticulina sp.

O E Neugeborina longiscata (d’Orbigny)

S I

Amphycoryna badenensis (d’Orbigny)

S I Siphonodosaria consobrina (d’Orbigny)

S I

Saracenaria arcuata (d’Orbigny)

S I Stilostomella adolphina (d’Orbigny)

S I

Marginulina hirsuta (d’Orbigny)

S I Valvulineria complanata (d’Orbigny)

D I x

Vaginulinopsis pedum d’Orbigny

S I Rosalina obtusa d’Orbigny

O E

Vaginulina legumen (Linné)

S I Eponides repandus (Fichtel & Moll)

O E

Hyalinonetrion clavatum d’Orbigny

S I Sphaeroidina bulloides D’Orbigny

D I

Oolina sp.

S I Siphonina reticulata (Czjzek)

O E

Lagena striata (d’Orbigny)

S I Cibicidoides ungerianus (d’Orbigny)

O E/SI

Lagena sp.

S I Cibicidoides sp.

O E/SI

Favulina hexagona (Williamson)

S I Hanzawaia boueana (d’Orbigny)

O E

Glandulina ovula d’Orbigny

S I Lobatula lobatula (Walker & Jacob)

O E

Fissurina sp.

S I Asterigerinata planorbis (d’Orbigny)

O E

Ceratocancris haueri (d’Orbigny)

S I Amphistegina mammila (Fichtel & Moll)

O E

Hoeglundina elegans (d’Orbigny)

S E Nonionella turgida (Williamson)

S I

Bolivina antiqua d’Orbigny

D I x Nonion commune (d’Orbigny)

S I

Bolivina dilatata Reuss

D I x Melonis pompilioides (Fichtel & Moll)

S I x

Bolivina hebes (Macfadyen)

D I x Pullenia bulloides (d’Orbigny)

S I

Bolivina plicatella (Cushman)

D I Chilostomella ovoidea Reuss

D I x

Bolivina pokorny Cicha & Zapletalova

D I x Oridorsalis umbonatus (Reuss)

S E

Bolivina viennensis (Marks)

D I x Heterolepa dutemplei d’Orbigny

O E

Cassidulina laevigata d’Orbigny

S I Hansenisca soldanii d’Orbigny

S E

Globocassidulina oblonga (Reuss)

O I Ammonia beccarii (Linné)

O E/SI

Ehrenbergina serrata Reuss

S E? Pararotalia sp.

O E

Bulimina buchiana d’Orbigny

D I Elphidium fichtellianum (d’Orbigny)

O E/SI

Bulimina elongata d’Orbigny

D I x

Elphidium rugosum (d’Orbigny)

E/SI

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

leaching. Apart from foraminifera, scattered ostracods, small
gastropods, bivalve fragments, echinoid spines and bryozoa
remains are also present.

Altogether, 86 species of benthic foraminifera (Figs. 4, 6,

and  supplementary  data)  have  been  identified,  mainly  be-
longing  to  Rotalina.  The  contribution  of  agglutinated
( < 7 %)  and  hyaline  ( < 4 %)  foraminifera  is  minor.  Benthic
foraminifera  are  usually  well  preserved  with  no  erosional
marks or size sorting effects. Yet, based on sedimentological
evidence combined with the ecological requirements of dis-
tinct  species  such  are  Asterigerinata,  Lobatula,  Hanzawaia
abd Elphidium, their transport to a deeper water environment
is  evident  in  some  of  the  investigated  samples.  The  transi-
tional  samples  close  to  the  main  carbonate  interval  (UG13,
UG74  and  UG76)  comprising  typical  shallow  water  assem-
blages  also  include  deeper  water  species  (Laevidentalina,
Pullenia, Hoeglundina).

Integrated Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and non-dimen-

sional  Multidimensional  Scaling  of  benthic  foraminifera
quantitative  data,  allowed  a  clear  extraction  of  six  assem-
blages  defined  through  the  presence  of  dominant  taxa

(Fig. 7). Their succession in the section implies gradual tran-
sitions from one to another (Fig. 8).

Cluster 1 – Asterigerinata-Cibicidoides assemblage:

This cluster includes two analysed samples from the lower-
most, and three samples from the middle part of the section.
Dominant species are Asterigerinata planorbis (4—22 %) and
Cibicidoides ungerianus (9—20 %); the common species are
Bolivina dilatata, Nonion commune and Lobatula lobatula.
The percentage contribution of planktonic foraminifera is in
average 53 %. The mean depth of the depositional environ-
ment is 35 m after gradient analysis. Assemblage is moder-
ately diverse (N = 27;

= 7; H = 2.8; E = 0.86) and shows

moderate domination (0.08). It is characterized by the high-
est values for the benthic foraminiferal oxygen index
(BFOI = 73) (Fig. 9), and lowest percentages of stress (21 %)
and high primary production indicators (3 %). 5 % of indi-
viduals are transported.

Cluster 2 – Cibicidoides-Valvulineria assemblage: It

comprises the largest number of samples (12), all collected in
the lower part of the section. Together with dominating Cibi-
cidoides ungerianus (4—10 %) and Valvulineria complanata

Fig. 7. Results of Cluster Analysis and Non-metric-Multidimensional Scaling analyses. Note the correlation of the Coordinate 1 in nMDS
with the fluctuation of oxygen content.

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

(4—9 %), also Bolivina hebes and Bolivina antiqua are com-
mon. The percentage of planktonic foraminifera is 67 %. The
gradual  upward  increase  of  the  depositional  depth  (213 m),
and  moderately  low  BFOI  value  are  significant  (41).  The
percentage of stress indicators is 41 %, of high primary pro-
duction  indicators  6 %,  and  of  transported  benthic  foramin-
iferal  tests  1 %.  Among  all  assemblages  this  one  shows  the
highest diversity values (N = 36;  = 11; H = 3.2; E = 0.9) and
the weakest domination (0.05).

Cluster 3 – Valvulineria-Lenticulina assemblage: It in-

cludes 7 samples, all from the lower part of the section. The
dominating  species  are  Valvulineria  complanata  (8—21 %)
and  Lenticulina  inornata  (5—9 %).  The  following  are  also
common:  Cibicidoides  ungerianus,  Cassidulina  laevigata
and  Bulimina  subulata.  The  high  planktonic  foraminiferal
percentage  (69 %)  and  moderate  BFOI  are  characteristic  of
the  assemblage  (37).  The  depositional  depth  by  gradient
analysis is 250 m. Compared with Cluster 2, the diversity of
benthic community is equal or slightly lower (N = 35;  = 11;
H = 3.1; E = 0.9), the dominance is slightly higher (0.07). The
percentage  of  stress  indicators  is  still  high  (41 %),  whereas
the  contribution  of  high  primary  production  indicators  is
6 %. Transported individuals are less than 1 %.

Cluster 4 – Valvulineria-Globocassidulina assemblage:

This  cluster  includes  2  samples  from  the  lower  part  of  the
section  and  8  samples  from  its  middle  part.  The  dominant
species  are  Valvulineria  complanata  (9—17 %)  and  Globo-
cassidulina  oblonga  (6—16 %),  and  the  following  are  com-
mon:  Cassidulina  laevigata,  Bolivina  dilatata,  Bulimina

subulata, Bolivina antiqua and Cibicidoides ungerianus.
The percentage of planktonic foraminifera is 67 %. The dep-
ositional depth by gradient estimation is 225 m. The value of
oxygen content at the sea bottom is 36. The percentage of
stress indicators is 45 %, of high primary production indica-
tors 4 %. The number of species and the value of the Fischer

index are decreased (N = 26; = 7). The Shannon-Wiener

index is 2.8, the dominance 0.08, and equitability 0.9. The
percentage of transported tests is about 4 %.

Cluster 5 – Bulimina-Valvulineria assemblage: It in-

cludes 6 samples from the uppermost part of the section. The
dominating species are Bulimina subulata (7—29 %), Bulimina
elongata  (6—19 %)  and  Valvulineria  complanata  (3—19 %).
The common species are Bolivina dilatata, Cassidulina laevi-
gata  and  Uvigerina  venusta.  This  assemblage  contains  to-
gether  with  Cluster 1  the  smallest  percentage  of  planktonic
foraminifera (53 %) and the smallest value of the oxygen con-
tent (9). The gradient analysis shows the depositional depth of
243 m. This assemblage is characterized by the smallest num-
ber of benthic foraminiferal species (22), and the lowest Fisher

(6) and Shannon-Wiener (2.5) indices. The value of equita-

bility is decreased (0.8), while the domination is strongly in-
creased (0.11). Furthermore it comprises the highest values of
stress indicators (67 %), high primary production indicators
(13 %), and transported tests (7 %).

Cluster 6 – Valvulineria assemblage: It includes 4 sam-

ples from different parts of the section. The dominating spe-
cies is Valvulineria complanata (24—34 %). The following are
also present: Bolivina dilatata, Bulimina subulata and Cibici-

Table 2: Dataset – Ranges and mean values of all paleoecological indicators for the inferred clusters (i.e. benthic foraminifera assemblages).
P – Plankton/Benthos ratio, D1 – paleodepth based on modified P/B ratio, D2 – paleodepth based on gradient analysis, BFOI – Benthic
Foraminiferal Oxygen Index.

MIDDLE MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN THE S PANNONIAN BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

Fig. 9. Diagram showing mean and range of Benthos Foraminiferal
Oxygen Index (BFOI) and Plankton/Benthos (P/B) ratio for single
clusters. Note the stable P/B ratio and the decreasing trend in BFOI.

doides ungerianus. A moderate planktonic foraminiferal per-
centage of 60 % and low BFOI of 21 are characteristic of the
assemblage.  The  depositional  depth  by  gradient  analysis  is
228 m.  This  assemblage  contains  26  benthic  foraminiferal
species, the Fisher   index is 7, and Shannon-Wiener index is
2.6.  It  is  characterized  by  the  lowest  equitability  (0.8)  and
highest dominance (0.14) values. The percentage of stress in-
dicators is high (62 %), whereas the contribution of high pri-
mary  production  indicators  is  low-moderate  5 %.  About  6 %
of benthic foraminiferal tests are transported.

Stratigraphic position

Continuous occurrences of the calcareous nannoplankton

zonal  marker  Sphenolithus  heteromorphus  Deflandre,  1953
and  the  absence  of  Helicosphaera  ampliaperta  Bramlette  &
Wilcoxon, 1967 in the middle and the upper part of the section
allow  the  stratigraphical  attribution  to  the  nannoplankton
Zone  NN5  (Martini  1971).  The  extremely  rare  presence  of
Helicosphaera  waltrans  Theodoridis,  1984  in  the  lowermost
samples (UG129 and UG131) of the section points to a strati-
graphic  position  above  its  Last  Common  Occurrence  (LCO)
Datum  dated  by  Di  Stefano  et  al.  (2008)  at  14.357 Ma.  The
Last Occurrence (LO) of S. heteromorphus, indicates that the
NN5/NN6  boundary,  astronomically  dated  to  14.654 Ma  by
Abels  et  al.  (2005),  can  be  placed  between  samples  UG100
and UG101 in the top of the studied interval (Figs. 3 and 4).

The identified benthic foraminifera allow the zonation by

the standard Central Paratethys ecozones (Grill 1941; Papp

et al. 1978a; Papp & Schmid 1985; Cicha et al. 1998). The
analysed time interval includes two zones: Early Badenian
(Moravian) Upper Lagenidae Zone and Middle Badenian
(Wielician) Spirorutilus carinatus Zone (Figs. 3 and 4).

Within the benthic foraminifera assemblage the species

with long stratigraphic ranges prevail, but many of them do
not  cross  the  Wielician  boundary  (Cicha  et  al.  1998).  The
Badenian marker species are Ehrenbergina serrata, Pappina
parkeri and Amphistegina mammila. Two species: Uvigerina
macrocarinata and Vaginulina legumen are restricted to the
Moravian, while Uvigerina venusta belongs to the Wielician,
and  Bulimina  gutsulica  to  the  Wielician  and  Kosovian.
Based on distribution of later species (Fig. 4) the sample in-
terval  from  UG129  to  UG10  is  attributed  to  the  Upper  La-
genidae Zone, and the interval from UG74 to UG100 to the
Spirorutilus  Zone.  The  transitional  zone  defined  between
and including sample interval UG12 to UG19 is marked by
the  co-occurrence  of  U.  macrocarinata  and  U.  venusta.  Its
topmost  sample  (UG19)  already  documents  the  first  occur-
rence of B. gutsulica. Following such definition the last occur-
rence  of  Vaginulina  legumen  recorded  in  UG148  distinctly
precedes the Moravian upper boundary.

Depositional depth inference

The present study investigates depositional depth by com-

bining three different methods. The P/B ratio defines the
depositional environment, whereas the modified P/B ratio
and gradient analyses, provide the depth inference in meters.

The plankton/benthos ratio is a commonly used indicator of

depositional depth as percentage of planktonic foraminifera in
the  water  column  usually  increases  away  from  the  coast  to-
ward  the  open-sea  (Grimsdale  &  Morkhoven  1955;  Murray
1991).  Applying  this  principle  the  percentage  of  planktonic
foraminifera  within  the  fossil  assemblage  should  be  directly
related  to  the  depositional  depth.  Yet,  many  investigations
showed that the P/B ratio is not only related to water depth but
also to fluctuations of oxygen content at the sea bottom (Sen-
Gupta & Machan-Castillo 1993; Jorissen et al. 1995; Jorissen
1999; Kouwenoven et al. 2003; Van Hinsbergen et al. 2005).
Hence,  the  decrease  of  oxygen  content  results  in  increase  of
organic matter content in the bottom sediment (Gooday et al.
2000). That triggers the abundance decrease of less tolerant spe-
cies,  mostly  these  with  an  epifaunal  mode  of  life  (De  Stigter
et  al.  1996).  The  species  tolerating  the  low-oxygen  conditions
become distinctly more abundant (Jorissen 1999; Duijnstee et
al. 2004). For the calculation of paleodepth after modified P/B
ratio (corrected portion of plankton) exactly the deep infaunal
species are excluded from the equation because under adverse
conditions they can dominate the benthic community.

Paleodepth after gradient analysis is estimated on the basis

of  depth  range  of  recent  species  of  benthic  foraminifera.  It
must be kept in mind that it is not realistic to construct such a
scheme  of  depth  zonation  that  is  applicable  in  all  regions  of
the world. Apparently the main problem is that the depth dis-
tribution of species depends largely on the regional frame and
specific physical, chemical and biological parameters in each
single  region.  From  the  theoretical  point  of  view,  the  maxi-

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

mum abundance of any species must occur where its optimum
environmental conditions are present (Murray 2006). Hence,
prior to the paleoenvironmental reconstruction the presence of
dominating and common species must be analysed in detail.

The proportion of planktonic foraminifera along the Uglje-

vik section ranges from 31 to 88 % (Fig. 8). Such P/B ratio
range  suggests  deposition  on  the  middle  shelf  down  to  the
continental  slope  (Murray  1991).  A  similar  result,  only  ex-
pressed  in  meters,  is  provided  by  the  modified  P/B  ratio
method  (131—961 m).  Such  great  depths  do  not  fit  with  the
composition  of  benthic  assemblages,  especially  in  parts  of
the  section  comprising  shallow  water  assemblages.  The  vi-
cinity of the coast-line indicated by calcareous nannoplank-
ton, the sedimentary facies during shallow water phases and
the paleogeographical setting make such inference still more
improbable.  Consequently  the  paleodepth  ranging  between
25 and 303 m inferred by the gradient analysis is the most re-
alistic approximation of the original paleodepth.

Disagreement of the paleodepth calculations using modi-

fied P/B ratio and the paleodepth analyses from benthic as-
semblage  composition  and/or  regional  geological  setting
have  been  pinpointed  many  times  for  the  Miocene  marine
deposits of the Central Paratethys (Crihan 2002; Spezzaferri
et  al.  2002;  Hohenegger  2005;  Báldi  &  Hohenegger  2008).
The  results  of  the  present  study  confirm  previous  sugges-
tions  that  the  specific  paleoecological  conditions  in  semi-
closed  basins  such  is  the  Paratethys  strongly  influence  the
paleodepth  estimation.  They  provide  new  evidence  that
much more realistic paleodepth estimations can be obtained
by depth range distribution analysis of benthic foraminifera
than from P/B ratio or modified P/B ratio methods.

In spite of difference of calculated depths, it is conspicu-

ous that all three curves (Fig. 8) show similar relative deep-
ening and shallowing trends especially in the lower and the
middle part of the section. They provide evidence of gradual
deepening  of  the  depositional  basin  followed  by  the  small
scale oscillation of the sea level followed finally by the shal-
lowing trend (much better visible from the P/B ratio and the
modified  P/B  ratio).  In  the  upper  part  of  the  section,  the
curves  show  different  trends.  The  P/B  ratio  shows  slight
shallowing whereas the modified P/B ratio points to the be-
ginning of slight deepening but also to a strong decrease of
depositional depth for the sample UG84. In contrast, paleo-
depth based on the gradient analysis remains about the same
as previously with only a very slight deepening signal. Such
disagreement can be attributed to the prevailing low oxygen
bottom conditions in this part of the section.

Paleoenvironmental history

Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed

changes in faunal composition in time reflecting fluctuating
environmental conditions.

Late Moravian transgression (TST1)

The start of the marine transgression in the Ugljevik sec-

tion is marked by the moderately diverse Asterigerinata-

Cibicidoides assemblage that lived in a highly oxic shallow
water environment of the inner shelf at an approximate depth
of 35 m. The species characteristic for that environment are
Asterigerinata planorbis and Cibicidoides ungerianus, and the
following  are  also  frequent:  Bolivina  dilatata  and  Lobatula
lobatula.  A.  planorbis  and  L.  lobatula  are  typical  shallow
water foraminifera of the inner shelf (Murray 2006; Margreth
et  al.  2009).  Within  the  assemblage  the  epifaunal  herbivore
and passive suspension feeder species prevail and oxic indi-
cators, whereas the values for stress indicators and for high
primary production are the lowest within the whole analysed
section.

The transgression slowly prograded as indicated by the con-

tinuous  increase  of  the  planktonic  foraminifera  portion,  de-
crease of the oxygen content at the sea bottom (medium oxic
environment), the percentage increase of infaunal and detriti-
vore  benthic  foraminifera  species  within  the  assemblages.
Compared  with  the  previous  assemblage  the  percentage  of
stress and high primary production indicators are almost dou-
bled.  The  more  or  less  stable  deeper  water  conditions  of  the
outer  shelf  ( 210 m)  with  characteristic  Cibicidoides-Val-
vulineria  assemblage  establish  prevailing  during  the  whole
Early  Badenian  interval.  Therein  the  highly  diverse  assem-
blage  (highest  determined  values  of  diversity  indicators)  is
present  with  weakly  developed  domination.  Apart  from  the
species Cibicidoides ungerianus, the following are also com-
mon:  Valvulineria  complanata,  Bolivina  hebes  and  Bolivina
antiqua. C. ungerianus prefers oligotrophic conditions of the
middle to outer shelf, high water energy and stable physico-
chemical  conditions  (Murray  2006;  Jorissen  et  al.  2007;
Margreth et al. 2009). Considering the diversity and composi-
tion  of  this  assemblage  the  environmental  conditions  can  be
classified as oligotrophic to mesotrophic with sufficient oxy-
gen content and fair food diversity.

This typical assemblage is temporarily replaced by the

Valvulineria-Lenticulina  assemblage  and  to  a  much  lesser
amount by Valvulineria—Globocassidulina, and Valvulineria
assemblage, depending on oscillation of depth, oxygen con-
tent or food quantity and quality. Considering most of the in-
dicators,  the  Valvulineria-Lenticulina  assemblage  is  similar
to previous ones, except for slightly decreased oxygen con-
tent and increased dominance. Apart from the dominant Val-
vulineria  complanata,  the  species  Lenticulina  inornata  is
also common implying environmental range from outer shelf
to  bathyal  depths  (Murray  2006;  Pippér  &  Reichenbacher
2010). The presence of oxic and epifaunal forms and high di-
versity in that deep water facies (D2 = 250 m) suggests finally
well ventilated bottom water.

The Valvulineria assemblage occurs at different positions

within the succession and indicates mean depth of  230 m.
This moderately diverse assemblage is marked by increased
domination  of  Valvulineria  complanata  (in  some  samples
even  more  than  30 %),  while  Bolivina  dilatata,  Bulimina
subulata  and  Cibicidoides  ungerianus  are  also  present.
Within that assemblage strong increase in domination and a
high percentage of deep infaunal species occurs. That points
to  environmental  conditions  of  increased  stress,  originating
from a strong decrease of oxygen content at the sea bottom
(BFOI = 21), and possibly marking the temporarily enhanced

MIDDLE MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN THE S PANNONIAN BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

organic  matter  input.  The  V.  bradyana  assemblage  can  be
used as a good marker for eutrophic environments under flu-
vial  influence  (Frezza  &  Carboni  2009).  The  similar  Val-
vulineria  complanata  assemblage  has  been  found  in  deltaic
regions of the rivers Rhone and Po (Murray 1991). Conclu-
sively,  the  depositional  interval  with  Valvulineria  assem-
blage resulting from enhanced nutrient input could reflect an
active river mouth in the vicinity of the studied area.

Moravian-Wielician transition (HST1 to LST2)

Within these deposits the Valvulineria-Globocassidulina

assemblage prevails. Beside Valvulineria complanata, the fol-
lowing  are  also  common:  Globocassidulina  oblonga,  Cassi-
dulina  laevigata,  Bolivina  dilatata,  Bulimina  subulata  and
Cibicidoides  ungerianus.  Contributions  of  planktonic  fora-
minifera together with paleodepth are similar to the interval of
the  previous  Cibicidoides-Valvulineria  assemblage.  Further
reduction of the oxygen content at the sea bottom is evident,
but  still  moderate  oxic  conditions  prevail.  Comparison  with
the previous assemblage shows an increasing stress indicator,
whereas the index of high primary production decreases. Fur-
thermore the strong decrease of the species richness and diver-
sity with slight increase of dominance is indicated. This points
to  the  increase  of  stress  conditions  in  this  depositional  envi-
ronment  probably  associated  with  restricted  environmental
conditions due to gradual regression and upwardly increasing
debris inflow from the carbonate platform.

The shallowing trend is very strong in the upper part of

these deposits, where gradually ever more frequent intercala-
tions of detritic limestone occur. Samples UG13, UG74 and
UG76 comprise the typical shallow water Asterigerinata-
Cibicidoides assemblage. Such trend is possibly related to
the start of the sea-level lowering typical for the Spirorutilus
carinatus Zone of the Middle Badenian. In Ugljevik the dep-
osition is still in deeper water but in the environment of the
outer shelf. Correspondingly, in the Vienna Basin during the
Middle Badenian sea-level fall the pelitic successions show
common deltaic sand intercalations (Rögl et al. 2008).

Wielician transgression (TST2)

The Bulimina-Valvulineria assemblage dominates this inter-

val. The most common species are Bulimina subulata, Bulimina
elongata,  Valvulineria  complanata  and  Bolivina  dilatata.  In-
creased depositional depth ( 240 m) and continuous low oxic
conditions  are  implied  by  that  assemblage.  It  comprises  the
highest  values  of  stress  and  high  primary  production  indica-
tors. Significant increase of domination and decrease of benthic
assemblage diversity indicate strongly increased stress condi-
tions  followed  by  the  change  of  quality  and/or  quantity  of
food. The low oxygen level and evident lamination in the up-
per  part  of  the  section  point  to  the  increased  organic  matter
content.  B.  elongata  appears  commonly  offshore,  in  front  of
stream  outlets  where  the  high  content  of  organic  matter  re-
flects  the  increased  nutrient  input  (Sgarella  &  Moncharmont
Zei 1993; Spezzaferri & Ćorić 2001).

The composition of the benthic assemblage and increased

content of transported shallow water species suggests the pres-

ence of a nearby stream outlet providing input of nutrients and
debris material into the depositional environment. The freshwa-
ter influx resulting in stratification of the marine water would go
along with the increased sediment lamination within the inter-
val. Yet, the siliciclastic debris-flow is completely missing in
the interval showing in contrast abundant and continuous fine-
grained material input (distal tempestites) from the carbonate
platform, apparently responsible for transported microfossil re-
mains. The presence of stratification can be indeed explained by
other mechanisms such are basinal restriction and/or rapid sea
level increase, evident for the initial part of this interval.

A plausible alternative mechanism is put forward by the

presence  of  diatomites.  Hence  for  the  lithologically  very
similar clay-diatomite succession along the steep escarpment
of the Bohemian Massif in the North Alpine Foreland Basin
local  upwelling  conditions  have  been  inferred  based  on
geochemical  and  micropaleontological  multiproxy  evidence
(Grunert et al. 2010). Considering the inferred depth, the vi-
cinity  of  the  coast-line  suggested  by  the  calcareous  nanno-
plankton  compositions  and  paleogeographical  setting,  the
presence of a steep escarpment is also a reliable setting inter-
pretation  for  the  studied  section.  The  presumed  upward
transport  of  the  cold  nutrient-rich  bottom-water  responsible
for benthic foraminifera compositions and diatomite blooms
should be proved by additional proxy measurements.

In the Ugljevik section an apparent upsection trend is

present toward the decrease of oxygen content at the sea bot-
tom  and  benthic  assemblage  diversity,  and  increased  trend
for  stress  indicators  and  domination.  The  recorded  primary
production  indicators  values  (<18 %)  imply  strongly  de-
creased  primary  production  during  the  Badenian  and  espe-
cially  during  the  Early  Badenian.  Thus  the  order  and
composition  of  assemblages  must  have  resulted  from  deep-
ening of the basin associated with marine transgression, fol-
lowed by subsequent sea-level oscillation phase, shallowing
and finally the input of organic matter and nutrients into the
depositional system.

Comparison with other localities

Deposits of the Upper Lagenidae Zone in the region of

Ugljevik can be compared with the synchronous deposits of
Badenian  stratotype  at  Baden-Sooss  in  the  Vienna  Basin
(E Austria) (Hohenegger & Wagreich 2012). Wagreich et al.
(2008)  interpreted  the  latter  deposits  as  originating  from  a
quiet offshore depositional environment at depths below the
fair  weather  wave  base.  The  enhanced  bioturbation  points
typically  to  oxic  bottom  conditions.  They  were  only  occa-
sionally interrupted as indicated by a few intervals of primary
lamination  bounded  to  disoxic  conditions.  Going  upward,  a
slight  increase  of  sand  intercalations  occurs  pointing  to  a
shallowing  trend  or  enhanced  sand  transport.  Beyond  that,
we find a conglomerate debris flow bed interpreted as a sub-
marine  mass  flow.  The  cyclic  sedimentation  results  mainly
from differences in strength of the siliciclastic input. Organic
matter is likely of terrigenous origin.

We infer a similar depositional environment for the lower

part of the Ugljevik section. After initial transgression, the

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

more or less stable deep water environment established with
an approximate depth of 200 m. Only minor oscillations of
depositional depth and input of organic matter from the land
were present. The shallowing is evident within the transi-
tional deposits of the Upper Lagenidae to Spirorutilus Zone,
accompanied by gradually ever more intensive intercalation
of calcarenite before the carbonate platform depositional en-
vironment established at about 30 to 50 m sea depth. In the
Vienna Basin that phase is represented by marginal environ-
ments of the Badenian Leitha limestone (Strauss et al. 2006).

The results of benthic assemblage analysis correlate well

with environmental change at the regional level of the Cen-
tral  Paratethys  for  the  investigated  time  interval.  Hence  we
recorded  during  Early  Badenian  the  anti-estuarine  circula-
tion pattern present without or with weak pronounced strati-
fication  of  the  water  column.  A  well  ventilated  sea  bottom
results in high diversity of benthic foraminifera assemblages
(Báldi 2006; Kováč et al. 2007). In contrast, during the Mid-
dle Badenian, stress conditions developed at the sea bottom
associated with increase of food quantity and decrease of the
oxygen  content  (Báldi  2006;  Holcová  &  Zágoršek  2008;
Kováčová et al. 2009).

The precise age inference for marine transgression in the re-

gion of Ugljevik provides evidence on the late Early Badenian
initial transgression on the southern margin of the Pannonian
Basin. We consider this event synchronous with the initial ma-
rine  flooding  of  the  Tuzla  Basin  according  to  new  biostrati-
graphic  results  by  Vrabac  et  al.  (2011)  and  the  close  lateral
distance  to  our  investigation  area  ( 25 km  SW).  Hence  the
later authors not only confirmed the marine origin of the mas-
sive salt-bearing deposits in that basin (see Čičić & Jovanović
1987 for opposite opinion), but also provided evidence on the
Badenian age for the underlying marine series. The salt depo-
sition  subsequent  to  initial  flooding  (TST)  can  be  related  to
HST—LST phase triggering the basin restriction. The Ugljevik
section demonstrates the presence of such a phase culminating
in the Middle Badenian with the establishment of long-lasting
carbonate-platform shallow-water conditions.

The Badenian (Wielician) Salinity Crisis (BSC) represents

one  of  the  major  paleoenvironmental  events  in  the  Central
Paratethys (Harzhauser & Piller 2007). Particularly in the Car-
pathian  Foredeep  vast  evaporite  deposits  (Bąbel  2004,  2005)
developed as a result of a major regional sea-level fall in the
Middle Badenian (Kováč et al. 2007). The intercalated marls
in  the  evaporites  bear  a  conspicuously  similar  benthic  fora-
miniferal assemblage (Bukowski et al. 2010) to our Bulimina-
Valvulineria  cluster  in  the  uppermost  part  of  the  section
Prokoš/Bogutovo Selo. De Leeuw et al. (2010, 2012b) recently
confirmed  the  causal  relationship  of  the  BSC  onset  and  the
glacial event Mi-3b, resulting in significant drop in global sea
level ( 40—50 m), astronomically dated to 13.82 Ma (Abels et
al. 2005). The data from benthic foraminifera inferred an even
stronger sea-level drop in the studied region that could, how-
ever, be a methodological artefact as discussed previously in
the text. Furthermore, the abundant hermatypic corals during
the LST deposition are a conspicuous phenomenon correlating
not only with the latter short-term glacial event, but also with
the long-term global cooling trend of the Middle Miocene Cli-
mate Transition (Holbourn et al. 2007; Mourik et al. 2011).

The stratigraphic position of the sequence boundary

(LST2 base) in the studied section defined 35 m below the
NN5/6 boundary, correlates well with its position in the
Mediterranean sections (Hilgen et al. 2009). There, the 3

order

sequence  boundary  Ser1  coinciding  with  the  Serravallian
lower boundary precedes the later event by  170 kyr. Further-
more, the late start of the HST coinciding there with the NN6
onset  also  seems  to  correlate  with  the  Ugljevik  record.
Hence,  future  sequence  stratigraphic  studies  both  from  the
Mediterranean and from the Central Paratethys should inves-
tigate in more detail their apparent causality.

Conclusions

The marine transgression in the late Moravian Upper La-

genidae Zone (late nannoplankton Zone NN5) starts with the
moderately  diverse  Asterigerinata-Cibicidoides  assemblage
that lived in the highly oxic environment of the inner shelf.
Ongoing transgression is indicated by the gradual increase in
contributions  of  planktonic  foraminifera,  deep  infaunal  and
opportunistic species of benthic foraminifera and decrease in
oxygen  content  at  the  sea  bottom.  Very  soon,  the  stable,
moderately oxic conditions of the outer shelf became estab-
lished,  characterized  by  the  species  rich  Cibicidoides—Val-
vulineria and Valvulineria-Lenticulina assemblages, without
enhanced dominances. Upsection small scale oscillations of
oxygen  and/or  nutrient  content  and  quality  are  reflected  by
alternation of Valvulineria-Globocassidulina and Valvulineria
assemblages. Such assemblage composition points to tempo-
rary input of organic matter in that region presumably by ac-
tive rivers and streams.

The Valvulineria-Globocassidulina assemblage interval

shows  slight  decrease  of  oxygen  content  at  the  sea  bottom,
and strong decrease of the diversity with increase of domina-
tion  and  environmental  stress  indicators.  Such  increased
stress conditions coincide with the long-term regressive con-
ditions  of  the  HST  and  gradual  upward  shallowing.  Hence
the Asterigerinata-Cibicidoides assemblage below and above
the massive carbonate body point to a sea-level difference of
up  to  200 m  between  the  carbonate  platform  conditions  in
the middle part of the section and the maximal recorded dep-
ositional depths below and beyond that interval.

In the upper part of the section, lamination and almost

continuous  low  oxic  conditions  occur  pointing  to  enhanced
input of the organic matter into the sea bottom. Beyond that
the striking increase of dominance and the decrease of benthic
community species richness point to alternating environmen-
tal conditions. Indicators of such conditions – the Bulimina-
Valvulineria  assemblage  –  characterize  that  interval.  The
composition  of  benthic  assemblage  together  with  increased
content of transported, shallow water species could point to
input from the land by the river inflow resulting in a strati-
fied  water  column.  The  absent  siliciclastic  input  in  the  sec-
tion  makes  this  scenario  improbable  putting  forward  the
alternative  mechanisms  such  are  rapid  transgression,  restric-
tive basin conditions, or local upwelling conditions, although
these were never previously suggested for the  southern Cen-
tral Paratethys domain.

MIDDLE MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN THE S PANNONIAN BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

The strongest influences on the composition and distribu-

tion of benthic foraminifera assemblages were the deepening
of the depositional settings as a result of the initial Badenian
transgression, followed by the oscillations of depositional
depth and temporary input of terrigenous matter triggering
the decrease of oxygen content at the sea bottom. During the
Early Badenian the bottom water was well ventilated, whereas
in the Middle Badenian, stress and low oxic conditions pre-
vailed except during the interval of sea-level fall and the car-
bonate production event.

Acknowledgments:  Our  sincere  thanks  go  to  the  authorities
of RiTE Ugljevik for a permit to work in the mine area, and to
Svetlana  Renovica,  Zlatko  Ječmenica,  and  their  mine  geo-
logist  team  for  hospitality  and  help  with  the  field  work.
Thanks  go  also  to  Dragan  Mitrović  (Geozavod  Zvornik),
Sejfudin Vrabac (University of Tuzla), and Hazim Hrvatović
(Federal  Geol.  Survey  Sarajevo)  for  valuable  organizational
help, to Arjan de Leeuw, Karin Sant, Wout Krijgsman (all Uni-
versity  of  Utrecht)  and  Dörte  Theobalt  (University  of  Bonn)
for help with the field work, to Patrick Grunert (University of
Graz),  Mathias  Harzhauser  (NHM  Vienna),  Vlasta  Ćosović
(University  of  Zagreb),  and  reviewers  Katarína  Holcová  and
Marta Oszcypko-Clowes for critical suggestions that helped to
improve  the  manuscript.  We  acknowledge  financial  supports
by the Friends of the Natural History Museum Vienna and by
the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Grant P18519-B17.

References

Abels H.A., Hilgen F.J., Krijgsman W., Kruk R.W., Raffi I., Turco

E. & Zachariasse W.J. 2005: Long-period orbital control on
middle Miocene global cooling: Integrated stratigraphy and as-
tronomical tuning of the Blue Clay Formation on Malta. Pale-
oceanography 20, PA4012.

AGIP s.p.A. 1982: Foraminiferi Padani (Terziaro e Quateriniario).

Carlo Saccardo & Figli, Milano, 1—52.

Bąbel M. 2004: Badenian evaporite basin of the northern Car-

pathian Foredeep as a drawdown salina basin. Acta Geol. Pol.
54, 3, 313—337.

Bąbel M. 2005: Event stratigraphy of the Badenian selenite evapor-

ites (Middle Miocene) of the northern Carpathian Foredeep.
Acta Geol. Pol. 55, 1, 9—29.

Báldi K. 1999: Taxonomic notes on benthic foraminifera from

SW-Hungary, Middle Miocene (Badenian) Paratethys. Acta
Geol. Hung. 42, 2, 193—236.

Báldi K. 2006: Paleoceanography and climate of the Badenian (Mid-

dle Miocene, 16.4—13.0 Ma) in the Central Paratethys based on
foraminifera and stable isotope (

O and

C) evidence. Int. J.

Earth Sci. 95, 119—142.

Báldi K. & Hohenegger J. 2008: Paleoecology of benthic foramin-

ifera of the Baden—Sooss section (Badenian, Middle Miocene,
Vienna Basin, Austria). Geol. Carpathica 59, 5, 411—424.

Bukowski K., De Leeuw A., Gonera M., Kuiper K.F., Krzywiec P.

& Peryt D. 2010: Badenian tuffite levels within the Carpathian
orogenic front (Gdów—Bochnia area, southern Poland): radio-
isotopic dating and stratigraphic position. Geol. Quart. 54,
449—464.

Cicha I., Rögl F., Rupp C. & Čtyroká J. 1998: Oligocene-Miocene

foraminifera of the Central Paratethys. Abh. Senckenberg.
Naturforsch. Gessell. 549, 1—325.

Cimerman F. & Langer M.R. 1991: Mediterranean Foraminifera.

Prir. Istraž. Slov. Akad. Znan. Umjetn. 30, 1—118.

Crihan I.M. 2002: Palaeoecology of the Badenian foraminifera be-

tween the Prahova Valley and Teleajen Valley (Subcarpathians
of Muntenia). Geol. Carpathica, Spec. Issue, 53.

Čičić S. 1961: Contribution to stratigraphic-tectonical knowledge

coal-bearing region Zabr e—Ugljevik near Bijeljina. Geol.
Glasnik Sarajevo 5, 61—76 (in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Čičić S. 1964: Eocene and lower Miocene between villages Humci

and Maoča, west Majevica. Geol. Glasnik Sarajevo 9, 33—46
(in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Čičić S. & Jovanović Č. 1987: Contribution to knowledge of geo-

logical structure, genesis, evolution and tectonics of Tuzla ba-
sin with emphasis to conditions of Jala and Solina watersheed.
Geol. Glasnik Sarajevo 30, 113—155 (in Bosnian/Serbian/
Croatian).

Ćorić S. & Hohenegger J. 2008: Quantitative analyses of calcareous

nannoplankton from Baden-Sooss section (Austria). Geol.
Carpathica 59, 447—460.

Ćorić S. & Rögl F. 2004: Roggendorf-1 borehole, a key-section for

Lower Badenian transgressions and the stratigraphic position
of the Grund Formation (Molasse Basin, Lower Austria). Geol.
Carpathica 55, 2, 165—178.

Ćorić S., Pavelić D., Rögl F., Mandic O., Vrabac S., Avanić R.,

Jerković L. & Vranjković A. 2009: Revised Middle Miocene
datum for initial marine flooding of North Croatian Basins
(Pannonian Basin System, Central Paratethys). Geol. Croatica
62, 1, 31—43.

De S. & Gupta A.K. 2010: Deep-sea faunal provinces and their in-

ferred environments in the Indian Ocean based on distribution
of recent benthic foraminifera. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol.
Palaeoecol. 291, 3—4, 429—442.

De Leeuw A., Bukowski K., Krijgsman W. & Kuiper K.F. 2010:

Age of the Badenian salinity crisis; impact of Miocene climate
variability on the circum Mediterranean region. Geology 38,
715—718.

De Leeuw A., Mandic O., Krijgsman W., Kuiper K. & Hrvatović H.

2012a: Paleomagnetic and geochronologic constraints on the
geodynamic evolution of the Central Dinarides. Tectonophysics
530—531, 286—298.

De Leeuw A., Filipescu S., Ma enco L., Krijgsman W., Kuiper K. &

Stoica M. 2012b: Paleomagnetic and chronostratigraphic con-
straints on the Middle to Late Miocene evolution of the Transyl-
vanian Basin (Romania): Implications for Central Paratethys
stratigraphy and emplacement of the Tisza-Dacia plate. Global
and Planetary Change, doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2012.04.008

De Stigter H.C., Jorissen F.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J. 1996: Modeling

the population dynamics of benthic foraminiferal communities
under seasonally fluctuating bottom water oxygen concentra-
tions. Geol. Ultraiectina 144, 179—208.

De Stigter H.C., Jorissen F.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J. 1998: Bathy-

metric distribution and microhabitat partitioning of live (Rose
Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera along a shelf to bathyal
transect in the southern Adriatic Sea. J. Foram. Res. 28, 40—65.

Den Dulk M., Reichart G.J., Van Heyst S., Zahariasse W.J. & Van

Der Zwaan G.J. 2000: Benthic foraminifera as proxies of organic
matter flux and bottom water oxygenation? A case history from
the northern Arabian sea. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeo-
ecol. 161, 337—359.

Di Stefano A., Foresi L.M., Lirer F., Iaccarino S.M., Turco E.,

Amore F.O., Mazzei R., Morabito S., Salvatorini G. & Abdul
Aziz H. 2008: Calcareous plankton high resolution bio-magne-
tostratigraphy for the Langhian of the Mediterranean Area.
Riv. Ital. Paleont. Stratigr. 114, 51—76.

Dilek Y. 2006: Collision tectonics of the Mediterranean region:

Causes and consequences. In: Dilek Y. & Pavlides S. (Eds.):

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

Postcollisional tectonics and magmatism in the Mediterranean
region and Asia. Geol. Soc., Spec. Pap. 409, 1—13.

Duijnstee I.A.P., De Lugt I., Vonk Noordegraaf H. & Van Der

Zwaan B. 2004: Temporal variability of foraminiferal densities
in the northern Adriatic Sea. Mar. Micropaleont. 50, 125—148.

Filipescu S. & Gîrbacea R. 1997: Lower Badenian sea/level drop on the

western border of the Transylvanian Basin: Foraminiferal palaeo-
bathymetry and stratigraphy. Geol. Carpathica 48, 5, 325—334.

Fontanier C., Jorissen F.J., Licari L., Alexandre A., Anschutz P. &

Carbonel P. 2002: Live benthic foraminiferal faunas from the
Bay of Biscay: faunal density, composition, and microhabitats.
Deep-Sea Res. I 49, 751—785.

Frezza V. & Carboni M.G. 2009: Distribution of recent foraminiferal

assemblages near the Ombrone River mouth (Northern Tyrrhe-
nian Sea, Italy). Rev. Micropaléont. 52, 1, 43—66.

Gooday A.J., Bernhard J.M., Levin L.A. & Suhr S.B. 2000: Fora-

minifera in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone and other
oxygen-deficient settings: taxonomic composition, diversity,
and relation to metazoan faunas. Deep-Sea Res. II, 47, 25—54.

Grill R. 1941: Stratigraphische Untersuchungen mit Hilfe von Mikro-

faunen im Wiener Becken und den benachbarten Molasse-An-
teilen. Oel. U. Köhle Berlin, 595—602.

Grimsdale T.F. & Morkhoven F.P.C.M. 1955: The ratio between pe-

lagic and benthonic foraminifera as a means of estimating depth
of deposition of sedimentary rocks. Proc. World Petroleum
Cong. 4th, Rome 4, 1, 473—491.

Grunert P., Soliman A., Harzhauser M., Müllegger S., Piller W.E.,

Roetzel R. & Rögl F. 2010: Upwelling conditions in the Early
Miocene Central Paratethys Sea. Geol. Carpathica 61, 129—145.

Hajek-Tadesse V., Belak M., Sremac J., Vrsaljko D. & Wacha L.

2009: Early Miocene ostracods from the Sadovi section (Mt
Požeska gora, Croatia). Geol. Carpathica 60, 3, 251—262.

Hammer O., Harper D.A.T. & Ryan P.D. 2001: PAST: paleontolog-

ical statistics software package for education and data analysis.
Palaeont. Electronica 4, 1, 1—9.

Harzhauser M. & Piller W.E. 2007: Benchmark data of a changing

sea – Palaeogeography, palaeobiogeography and events in the
Central Paratethys during the Miocene. Palaeogeogr. Palaeo-
climatol. Palaeoecol. 253, 8—31.

Haunold T.G. 1990: The new genus Pappina in the new family Pap-

pinidae: polymorphine mode of chamber addition in the Bu-
liminacea. J. Foram. Res. 20, 1, 56—64.

Hilgen F.J., Abels H.A., Iaccarino S., Krijgsman W., Raffi I.,

Sprovieri R., Turco E. & Zachariasse W.J. 2009: The Global
Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Serravallian Stage
(Middle Miocene). Episodes 32, 3, 152—166.

Hohenegger J. 2005: Estimation of environmental paleogradient

values based on presence/absence data: a case study using
benthic foraminifera for paleodepth estimation. Palaeogeogr.
Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 217, 115—130.

Hohenegger J. & Wagreich M. 2011: Time calibration of sedimen-

tary sections based on insolation cycles using combined cross-
correlation: dating the gone Badenian stratotype (Middle
Miocene, Paratethys, Vienna Basin, Austria) as an example.
Int. J. Earth Sci. 101, 339—334.

Hohenegger J., Ćorić S., Pervesler P., Rögl F., Rupp C., Selge A.,

Uchman A. & Wagreich M. 2009a: Cyclostratigraphic dating in
the Lower Badenian (Middle Miocene) of the Vienna Basin
(Austria): the Baden-Sooss core. Int. J. Earth Sci. 98, 915—930.

Hohenegger J., Rögl F., Ćorić S., Pervesler P., Lirer F., Roetzel R.,

Scholger R. & Stingl K. 2009b: The Styrian Basin: A key to
the Middle Miocene (Badenian/Langhian) Central Paratethys
transgressions. Austrian J. Earth Sci. 102, 102—132

Holbourn A., Kuhnt W., Schulz M. & Erlenkeuser H. 2007: Impacts

of orbital forcing and atmospheric carbon dioxide on Miocene
ice-sheet expansion. Nature 438, 483—487.

Holcová K. 1999: Postmortem transport and resedimentation of for-

aminiferal tests: relations to cyclical changes of foraminiferal
assemblages. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 145,
1—3, 157—182.

Holcová K. & Zágoršek K. 2008: Bryozoa, foraminifera and calcar-

eous nannoplankton as environmental proxies of the “bryozoan
event” in the Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys (Czech
Republic). Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 267,
216—234.

Hrvatović H. 2006: Geological guidebook through Bosnia and

Herzegovina. Geol. Surv. Federation BiH, Sarajevo, 1—172.

Iaccarino S.M., Di Stefano A., Foresi L.M., Turco E., Baldassini

N.,  Cascella  A.,  Da  Prato  S.,  Ferraro  L.,  Gennari  R.,  Hilgen
F.J., Lirer F., Maniscalco R., Mazzei R., Riforgiato F., Russo
B.,  Sagnotti  L.,  Salvatorini  G.,  Speranza  F.  &  Verducci  M.
2011: High-resolution integrated stratigraphy of the upper Bur-
digalian—lower  Langhian  in  the  Mediterranean:  the  Langhian
historical stratotype and new candidate sections for defining its
GSSP. Stratigraphy 8, 2—3, 199—215.

Jannink N.T., Zachariasse W.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J. 1998: Living

(Rose Bengal stained) benthic foraminifera from the Pakistan
continental margin (northern Arabian Sea). Deep-Sea Res. I,
45, 1483—1513.

Jorissen F.J. 1999: Benthic foraminiferal successions across Late

Quaternary Mediterranean sapropels. Mar. Geol. 153, 91—101.

Jorissen F.J., De Stigter H.C. & Widmark J.G.V. 1995: A conceptual

model explaining benthic foraminiferal microhabitats. Mar.
Micropaleont. 26, 3—15.

Jorissen F.J., Fontanier C. & Thomas E. 2007: Paleoceanographical

proxies based on deep-sea benthic foraminiferal assemblage
characteristics. In: Hillaire-Marcel C. & Vernal A. de (Eds.):
Proxies in Late Cenozoic Paleoceanography: Pt. 2: Biological
tracers and biomarkers. Elsevier, 263—326.

Kaiho K. 1994: Benthic foraminiferal dissolved-oxygen index and dis-

solved-oxygen levels in the modern ocean. Geology 22, 719—722.

Kaiho K. 1999: Effect of organic carbon flux and dissolved oxygen

on the Benthic Foraminiferal Oxygen Index (BFOI). Mar. Mi-
cropaleont. 37, 67—76.

Kouwenhoven T.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J. 2006: A reconstruction of

late Miocene Mediterranean circulation patterns using benthic
foraminifera. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 238,
373—385.

Kouwenhoven T.J., Hilgen F.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J. 2003: Late

Tortonian—early Messinian stepwise disruption of the Mediter-
ranean – Atlantic connections: constrains from benthic fora-
miniferal and geochemical data. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol.
Palaeoecol. 198, 303—319.

Kováč M., Andreyeva-Grigorovich A.S., Brzobohatý R., Fodor L.,

Harzhauser M., Oszypko N., Pavelić D., Rögl F., Saftić B., Sliva
L. & Stráník Z. 2003: Karpatian paleogeography, tectonics and
eustatic changes. In: Brzobohatý R., Cicha I., Kováč M. &
Rögl F. (Eds.): The Karpatian – A lower Miocene stage of the
Central Paratethys. Masaryk University, Brno, 49—72.

Kováč M., Andreyeva-Grigorovich A., Bajraktarević Z., Brzobo-

hatý  R.,  Filipescu  S.,  Fodor  L.,  Harzhauser  M.,  Nagymarosy
A.,  Oszczypko  N.,  Pavelić  D.,  Rögl  F.,  Saftić  B.,  Sliva  L.  &
Studencka  B.  2007:  Badenian  evolution  of  the  Central  Para-
tethys  Sea:  paleogeography,  climate  and  eustatic  sea-level
changes. Geol. Carpathica 58, 6, 579—606.

Kováčová P., Emmanuel L., Hudáčková N. & Renard M. 2009:

Central Paratethys paleoenvironment during the Badenian
(Middle Miocene): evidence from foraminifera and stable iso-
tope (

C and

O) study in the Vienna Basin (Slovakia). Int.

J. Earth Sci. 98, 5, 1109—1127.

Loeblich A.R. & Tappan H. 1987a: Foraminiferal genera and their

classification. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1—970.

MIDDLE MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DYNAMICS IN THE S PANNONIAN BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

Loeblich A.R. & Tappan H. 1987b: Foraminiferal genera and their

classification. Plates. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1—1059.

Lourens L., Hilgen F., Shackleton N.J., Laskar J. & Wilson D.

2004a: The Neogene Period. In: Gradstein F.M., Ogg J.G. &
Smith A.G. (Eds.): A Geologic Time Scale 2004. Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 409—440.

Lourens L., Hilgen F., Shackleton N.J., Laskar J. & Wilson D.

2004b:  Orbital  tuning  calibrations  and  conversions  for  the
Neogene  Period.  In:  Gradstein  F.M.,  Ogg  J.G.  &  Smith  A.G.
(Eds.):  A  Geologic  Time  Scale  2004.  Cambridge  University
Press, Cambridge, 469—484.

Malez M. & Thenius E. 1985: Über das Vorkommen von Amyno-

donten (Rhinocerotoidea, Mammalia) im Oligo-Miozän von
Bosnien (Jugoslawien). Paleaont. Jugoslavica Zagreb 34, 1—26.

Mandic O. & Harzhauser M. 2003: Molluscs from the Badenian

(Middle Miocene) of the Gaindorf Formation (Alpine Molasse
Basin, NE Austria) – Taxonomy, paleoecology and biostratig-
raphy. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 104, A, 85—127.

Mandic O., De Leeuw A., Bulić J., Kuiper K., Krijgsman W. & Ju-

rišić-Polšak Z. 2012: Paleogeographic evolution of the South-
ern Pannonian Basin:

Ar/

Ar age constraints on the Miocene

continental series of northern Croatia. Int. J. Earth Sci.,

doi: 10.1007/s00531-011-0695-6
Margreth S., Rüggeberg A. & Spezzaferri S. 2009: Benthic fora-

minifera as bioindicator for cold-water coral reef ecosystems
along the Irish margin. Deep-Sea Res. I, 56, 2216—2234.

Martini E. 1971: Standard Tertiary and Quaternary calcareous nan-

noplankton zonation. Proceedings of the II Planktonic Confer-
ence. Ed. Tecnoscienza, Roma, 739—785.

Miljuš P. 1961: Results of geological mapping of Bosanska Posa-

vina. Geol. Glasnik Sarajevo 5, 77—91 (in Bosnian/Serbian/
Croatian).

Mourik A.A., Bijkerk J.F., Cascella A., Hüsing S.K., Hilgen F.J.,

Lourens L.J. & Turco E. 2010: Astronomical tuning of the La
Vedova High Cliff section (Ancona, Italy) – Implications of
the Middle Miocene Climate Transition for Mediterranean
sapropel formation. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 297, 249—261.

Murray J.W. 1991: Ecology and paleoecology of Benthic foramin-

ifera. Longman Scientific and Tehnical, Harlow, Essex, 1—397.

Murray J.W. 2006: Ecology and applications of benthic foramin-

ifera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1—438.

Pantić N., Eremija M. & Petrović M. 1964: Biostratigraphic analy-

sis of Miocene flora and fauna from Ugljevik region. Geol.
Glasnik Sarajevo 10, 27—61 (in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Papp A. & Schmid M.E. 1985: The fossil foraminifera of the Tertiary

basin of Vienna. [Die fossilen foraminiferen des Tertiaren
Bekens von Wien.] Abh. Geol. Bundesanst. 37, 1—311.

Papp A., Cicha I. & Čtyroká J. 1978a: Foraminifera. In: Papp A., Cicha

I., Seneš J. & Steininger F. (Eds.): Chronostratigraphie und Neo-
stratotypen im Miozän der Zentralen Parathetys. Badenian. Verlag
der Slowak. Akad. der Wissen., Bratislava, 263—325.

Papp A., Cicha I., Seneš J. & Steininger F. 1978b: Chronostratigra-

phie und Neostratotypen im Miozän der Zentralen Parathetys.
Badenian. Verlag der Slowak. Akad. der Wissen., Bratislava,
1—594.

Pavelić D. 2001: Tectonostratigraphic model for the North Croatian

and North Bosnian sector of the Miocene Pannonian Basin
System. Basin Res. 13, 359—376.

Piller W.E., Harzhauser M. & Mandic O. 2007: Miocene Central

Paratethys stratigraphy – current status and future directions.
Stratigraphy 4, 151—168.

Pippérr M. & Reichenbacher B. 2010: Foraminifera from the bore-

hole Altdorf (SE Germany): Proxies for Ottnangian (early
Miocene) palaeoenvironments of the Central Paratethys. Palaeo-
geogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 289, 1—4, 62—80.

Popov S.V., Rögl F., Rozanov A.Y., Steininger F.F., Shcherba I.G. &

Kováč M. 2004: Lithological-Paleogeographic maps of Para-
tethys. 10 Maps Late Eocene to Pliocene. Cour. Forsch.-Inst.
Senckenberg 250, 1—46.

Rathburn A.E., Corliss B.H., Tappa K.D. & Lohmann K.C. 1996:

Comparisions of the ecology and stable isotopic compositions
of living (stained) benthic foraminifera from the Sulu and
South China seas. Deep-Sea Res. 43, 1617—1646.

Reolid M., Rodr

guez-Tovar F.J., Nagy J. & Olóriz F. 2008: Benthic

foraminiferal  morphogroups  of  mid  to  outer  shelf  environ-
ments  of  the  Late  Jurassic  (Prebetic  Zone,  southern  Spain):
Characterization  of  biofacies  and  environmental  significance.
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 261, 280—299.

Rögl F. 1999: Mediterranean and Paratethys. Facts and hypotheses

of an Oligocene to Miocene Paleogeography (Short overview).
Geol. Carpathica 50, 4, 339—349.

Rögl F. & Spezzaferri S. 2003: Foraminiferal paleoecology and bio-

stratigraphy of the Mühlbach section (Gaindorf Formation,
Lower Badenian), Lower Austria. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien
104, A, 23—75.

Rögl F. & Steininger F. 1983: Vom Zerfall der Tethys zu Mediter-

ran und Paratethys. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 85, A, 135—163.

Rögl F., Ćorić S., Harzhauser M., Jimenez-Moreno G., Kroh A.,

Schultz O., Wessely G. & Zorn I. 2008: The Middle Miocene
Badenian stratotype at Baden-Sooss (Lower Austria). Geol.
Carpathica 59, 5, 367—374.

Rundić Lj., Trofimovich N. & Savić Lj. 2000: Badenian microfauna

of Bogutovo selo, Ugljevik. In: Karamata S. & Janković S.
(Eds.): Proceedings of the International Symposium Geology
and Metallogeny of the Dinarides and the Vardar Zone. Academy
of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpska, Banja Luka and
Serbian Sarajevo, 225—233.

Savić Lj., Ječmenica Z., Žumberković V., Krstić N., Jovanović G. &

Tančić P. 2000: Badenian sediments of Vučjak hill (Ugljevik).
In: Karamata S. & Janković S. (Eds.): Proceedings of the Inter-
national Symposium Geology and Metallogeny of the Dinarides
and the Vardar Zone. Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Re-
public of Srpska, Banja Luka and Serbian Sarajevo, 235—243.

Savić Lj., Krstić N., Trofimovič N., Ječmenica Z. & Jovanović G.

2005: Badenian lagoons of Ugljevik. Zapisnici Srpskog Geol.
Društva 1998—2003, 25—33 (in Serbian).

Schmid H.P., Harzhauser M. & Kroh A. 2001: Hypoxic events on a

Middle Miocene Carbonate Platform of the central Paratethys
(Austria, Badenian, 14 Ma). Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 102,
A, 1—50.

Schmid S.M., Bernoulli D., Fügenschuh B., Matenco L., Schefer S.,

Schuster R., Tischler M. & Ustaszewski K. 2008: The Alpine-
Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: correlation and evolu-
tion of tectonic units. Swiss J. Geosci. 101, 1, 139—183.

Sen Gupta B.K. & Machain-Castillo M.L. 1993: Benthic foraminifera

in oxygen poor habits. Mar. Micropaleont. 20, 1, 183—201.

Sgarrella F. & Moncharmont Zei M. 1993: Benthic Foraminifera of

the Gulf of Naples (Italy): systematics and autoecology. Boll.
Soc. Paleont. Ital. 32, 145—264.

Spezzaferri S. & Ćorić S. 2001: Ecology of Karpatian (Early Mio-

cene) foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton from Laa an
der Thaya, lower Austria: A statistical approach. Geol. Car-
pathica 52, 6, 361—374.

Spezzaferri S., Ćorić S., Hohenegger J. & Rögl F. 2002: Basin-scale

paleobiogeography and paleoecology: an example from Karpa-
tian (Latest Burdigalian) benthic and planktonic foraminifera
and calcareous nannofossils from the Central Paratethys. Geo-
bios 24, 241—256.

Stefanelli S. 2004: Cyclic changes in oxygenation based on fora-

minifera microhabitats: Early-Middle Pleistocene, Lucania Ba-
sin (southern Italy). J. Micropaleont. 23, 81—95.

Strauss P., Harzhauser M., Hinsch R. & Wagreich M. 2006: Se-

100

PEZELJ, MANDIC and ĆORIĆ

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2013, 64, 1, 81—100; Electronic Supplement, i—ii

quence stratigraphy in a classic pull-apart basin (Neogene, Vienna
Basin). A 3D seismic based integrated approach. Geol. Car-
pathica 57, 185—197.

Van Der Zwaan G.J. & Jorissen F.J. 1991: Biofacial patterns in river-

induced shelf anoxia. In: Tyson R.V. & Pearson T.H. (Eds.):
Modern and ancient continental shelf anoxia. Geol. Soc. London,
Spec. Publ. 58, 65—82.

Van Der Zwaan G.J., Dujinstee I.A.P., Den Dulk M., Ernst S.R.,

Jannink N.T. & Kouwenhoven T.J. 1999: Benthic foramin-
iferes: proxies or problems? A review of paleoecological con-
cepts. Earth Sci. Rev. 46, 213—236.

Van Der Zwaan G.J., Jorissen F.J. & De Stigter H.C. 1990: The

depth dependency of planktonic/benthic foraminiferal ratios:
constrains and applications. Mar. Geol. 95, 1—16.

Van Hinsbergen D.J.J., Kouwenhoven T.J. & Van Der Zwaan G.J.

2005: Paleobathymetry in the backstripping procedure: Correc-
tion for oxygenation effects on depth estimates. Palaeogeogr.
Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 221, 245—265.

Vrabac S. & Mihajlović Đ. 1990: Paleontological-biostratigraphical

character and relationship of Badenian and Sarmatian at open-
pit mine Bogutovo Selo near Ugljevika (NE Bosnia). XII Kongr.
Geol. Jugoslavije Ohrid, 312—327 (in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Vrabac S., Cuculić V., Mulaosmanović D., Pavlić G. & Okuka S.

1995: Character of the geological structure of coal-bearing sedi-
ments and coal in district Bogutovo Selo near Ugljevika. Geol.
Glasnik Sarajevo 33, 73—80 (in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Vrabac S., Ferhatbegović Z., Đulović I. & Bijedić Dž. 2011: Findings

of marine fossils in salt formation of the salt rock reservoir
Tetima near Tuzla. Zbornik Radova III. Kongresa Geologa BiH
Sarajevo (in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian).

Wade B.S., Pearson P.N., Berggren W.A. & Pälike H. 2011: Re-

view and revision of Cenozoic tropical planktonic foraminiferal
biostratigraphy and calibration to the geomagnetic polarity and
astronomical time scale. Earth Sci. Rev. 104, 111—142.

Wagreich M., Pervesler P., Khatun M., Wimmer-Frey I. & Scholger

R. 2008: Probing the underground at the Badenian type locality:
geology and sedimentology of the Baden-Sooss section (Mid-
dle Miocene, Vienna Basin, Austria). Geol. Carpathica 59, 5,
375—394.

Zágoršek K., Holcová K. & Třasoň T. 2008: Bryozoan event from

Middle  Miocene  (Early  Badenian)  lower  neritic  sediments
from  the  locality  Kralice  nad  Oslavou  (Central  Paratethys,
Moravian  part  of  the  Carpathian  Foredeep).  Int.  J.  Earth  Sci.
97, 4, 835—850.

Document Outline