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, APRIL 2013, 64, 2, 117—132 doi: 10.2478/geoca-2013-0008
Introduction
During the last decades, the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the
Eastern Carpathian flysch in Romania were micropaleontolog-
ically studied by Neagu (1970, 1990), Neagu et al. (1992), Ion
et al. (1995), Melinte & Bubík (2005), Melinte et al. (2007),
Bojar et al. (2009), Bindiu & Filipescu (2011), and Cetean et
al. (2011). The Late Santonian to Late Campanian interval
was reported as a period of major sea-level fluctuations in the
Tethyan area (Lüning et al. 1998; Li et al. 2000; Cetean et al.
2011) and therefore it offers a high potential for identification
of stratigraphic events. This offered us a reason to look for
new stratigraphic correlation criteria by examining the relation-
ship between micropaleontological assemblages and paleo-
environments in the northern part of the Eastern Carpathians.
The Tarcău Nappe (Joja 1954) of the northern Moldavides
(Săndulescu 1984) exposes Upper Cretaceous deposits
throughout a relatively large area between the Suceava and
Dâmbovi a Valleys (Mutihac & Ionesi 1974). This study fo-
cuses on a representative continuous section of Upper Creta-
ceous bathyal deposits cropping out along the Suceava
Valley (N 47.87150°, E 25.39642° – Fig. 1) in order to es-
tablish the biostratigraphy and to reconstruct the paleoenvi-
ronmental settings based on foraminifera and calcareous
nannoplankton assemblages.
Biostratigraphy and paleoenvironment of the Upper
Cretaceous deposits in the northern Tarcău Nappe
(Eastern Carpathians) based on foraminifera and
calcareous nannoplankton
RALUCA BINDIU
1
, SORIN FILIPESCU
1
and RAMONA BĂLC
2
1
Babe -Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Department of Geology, Mihail Kogălniceanu Street 1, 400084 Cluj-Napoca,
Romania; sorin.filipescu@ubbcluj.ro; bindiuraluca@gmail.com
2
Babe -Bolyai University, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fântânele Street 30 , 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
ramona.balc@ubbcluj.ro
(Manuscript received July 2, 2012; accepted in revised form December 11, 2012)
Abstract: Late Cretaceous foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton assemblages from the northern part of the Tarcău
Nappe, Hangu Formation in the northern Eastern Carpathians are documented in order to reconstruct paleoenvironmental
settings and biostratigraphy. The foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by flysch-type agglutinated taxa suggesting
bathyal environments, close to the calcite compensation depth (CCD), and mesotrophic to oligotrophic conditions. The
morphogroup analyses display variations in tubular and infaunal morphotypes suggesting different levels of oxygenation
and seafloor disturbance caused by currents. Reddish hemipelagites containing only agglutinated foraminifera (dominant
infaunal forms) occurring in the middle part of the section suggest an increase of water depth and changes in redox
conditions. Based on foraminifera, the deposits were assigned to planktonic Globotruncana ventricosa and agglutinated
Caudammina gigantea Zones. The first occurrence of Uniplanarius trifidus and last occurrence of Reinhardtites anthophorus
demonstrate the presence of Late Campanian UC15
c
TP
—UC16/CC21—CC23 calcareous nannoplankton Zones. Foramin-
iferal and nannofossil assemblages in the red beds have a high potential for stratigraphic correlation on a regional scale.
Key words: Eastern Carpathians, paleoecology, biostratigraphy, morphogroup analysis, red beds, calcareous
nannoplankton, agglutinated foraminifera.
Material and methods
The studied section is part of the Hangu Formation
(Atanasiu 1939, 1943; Juravle 2007) and consists of medium-
grained siliciclastic turbidites with T
b-c
(in the lower part of
the section) and T
c-e
divisions of Bouma sequence (Bouma
1962); very fine-grained hemipelagites occur in the middle
and upper part of the section. Twenty one samples for fora-
minifera and twenty three for calcareous nannofossils were
collected from the fine-grained intercalations of the turbiditic
sequence (Fig. 2). Sediment samples were processed by stan-
dard micropaleontological methods and more than 300 fora-
minifera were picked from the > 63 µm fraction. Primary
identification was done under the stereomicroscope, while
several specimens were examined in detail with a scanning
electron microscope. Paleoecological methods included the
analysis of agglutinated foraminiferal morphogroups (Nagy et
al. 1995; Van der Akker et al. 2000; Kaminski & Gradstein
2005; Cetean et al. 2011; Murray et al. 2011; Setoyama et al.
2011) and the diversity analysis (Fisher et al. 1943; Murray
2006). The lithological log was drawn using the StratDraw ap-
plication (Hoelzel 2004), the abundance graphics with Gpal-
Win (Goeury 1997) and the diversity was calculated using the
PAST-Paleontological Statistics (Ryan et al. 1995). Tubular
species were counted as one individual because fragmentation
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Fig. 1.
Location
of
the
investigated
sections.
1
–
Quaternary,
2
–
Miocene,
3
–
Oligocene,
4
–
E
ocene,
5
–
Paleocene—Eocene,
6
–
Upper
Cretaceous—Paleocene,
7
–
undivided
Creta-
ceous,
8
–
Lower
Cretaceous,
9
–
Triassic,
10
–
Upper
Proterozoic—Paleozoic,
11
–
front
of
the
nappes
thrusting,
1
2
–
faults,
13
–
anticline
(symmetrical,
overturned),
14
–
syncline
(symmetrical,
overturned),
15
–
location
of
the
investigated
section
(modified
after
the
Geol
ogical
Map
of
Romania,
1
:200,000,
Rădăui
sheet;
Joja
et
al.
1968).
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Fig. 2. Sedimentary log and biostratigraphy of the Suceava section.
(mostly observed on relatively rare Rhizammina individuals)
was considered to have a low influence on the counting. Bio-
stratigraphical interpretations are based on the agglutinated
foraminiferal zonation of Cetean et al. (2011) for the Roma-
nian Eastern Carpathians. Additional information was provided
by the planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton.
The samples studied for calcareous nannofossils were pro-
cessed using the gravity settling technique (Bown & Young
1998). On every smear slide a minimum of 300 specimens
were counted. 1000 fields of view (FOV) were examined from
each sample in order to observe biostratigraphical index taxa
and rare species. The individual abundance of the observed
taxa was assessed as follows: R – rare: < 1 specimen per > 50
fields of view (FOV); F – few: 1 specimen per 2—50 FOV;
C – common: 1 to 10 specimens per FOV; A – abundant:
> 10 specimens per FOV. Preservation
of nannofossils was put into the follow-
ing categories: M – moderate (over-
growth and etching are present but
the specimens are easily identifiable),
P – poor (overgrowth and etching is
intensive and making identification of
some specimens difficult). Relative
abundance of nannofossils in each sam-
ple: M – moderate (1—5 specimens per
FOV), L – low ( < 1 specimen per
FOV). Zones defined by Burnett (1998)
correlated with CC Zones (Sissingh
1977; Perch-Nielsen 1985) were used
for biostratigraphic zonation. The taxa
were studied at magnifications of
×1000, under a Zeiss Axiolab A light
microscope and the photographs were
captured with a digital microscopy cam-
era AxioCam ERc5s. All the identified
taxa are listed in the Appendices 1, 2.
Results
Types of foraminiferal assemblages
Most samples (except for samples 12
and 18) are rich in foraminifera (Ta-
ble 1) and the preservation of the indi-
viduals varies from moderate to good.
Two different assemblages of fora-
minifera have been identified in the
Suceava section:
Assemblage A, consisting mostly of
agglutinated taxa (60—90 % – Nothia,
Bathysiphon, Hyperammina, Psammo-
sphaera, Ammodiscus – Fig. 4) and
subordinately
calcareous
benthics
(1—5 % – Eponides, Chrysalogonium)
and planktonics (Globotruncana – es-
pecially in samples nos. 4 and 11;
Fig. 6) was identified in the basal part of
the section (samples 1—14).
Assemblage B, consisting mostly of agglutinated benthics
and rare calcareous benthics; this is preserved in reddish
claystones (red beds) located in the middle part of the section
and greyish claystones in its upper part (samples 15—23). The
following agglutinated genera are present: Bathysiphon,
Nothia, Rhabdammina, Glomospira, Paratrochamminoides,
Recurvoides, Karrerullina, Caudammina all having normal
sizes (Fig. 5).
Foraminiferal morphogroups
M1 morphogroup (tubular forms represented mainly by
specimens of Nothia, Bathysiphon and Rhabdammina) is
present in all samples and represents more than 70 % of the
assemblage in the basal and upper part of the section.
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Table 1: Distribution of foraminifera in the examined samples. R – rare, 1—3 specimens; F – frequent, 4—9 specimens; C – common,
10—29 specimens; A – abundant, 30 or more specimens.
Lithostratigraphic unit
Hangu Formation
Stage
Upper Campanian
Planktonic foraminiferal Zone
Globotruncana ventricosa
Agglutinated foraminiferal Zone
Caudammina gigantea
Sample
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Agglutinated foraminifera
Ammobaculites sp.
F
F
Ammodiscus cretaceus
R F C R F R F R R F C F R R F R
Ammodiscus glabratus
R
R
R
F
R R R R R R R
Ammodiscus peruvianus
R R R R R R F F F R R F R R F F F R R R
Ammodiscus tenuissimus
F R R F R F R R F C F R R
Ammosphaeroidina pseudopauciloculata
R F F F F F C R R C R F C F F F R C
Arthrodendron grandis
R
R
R R
F R
Bathysiphon sp.
C A A C C A A A C C C A C A C A C C C A A
Caudammina ovula
R R R F F R R R R C R R F F C R R R
Caudammina ovuloides
R R R R R F R R
Caudammina gigantea
F R R R F
Conglophragmium irregularis
F F F F C R F R
R
Cribrostomoides subglobosus
R
Cribrostomoides sp.
F
Glomospira charoides
R
R R F
Glomospira gordialis
R
R
F
R
R
F F
Glomospira irregularis
R
Glomospira serpens
R
R
Glomospira sp.
R R R
R R F R R
R R
Haplophragmoides kirki
R
R
Hormosina trinitatensis
R
F
Hormosina velascoensis
R F F F C R R F F C R R
Hormosinella distans
R R R R R R F R R
R
Hyperammina dilatata
R
Hyperammina elongata
F R R R R R R R
F R R F R R R R
Hyperammina granulosa
F
R
R
Hyperammina rugosa
R F R R R C F C C F C C C C R F R
Hyperammina sp.
C
C
C
Kalamopsis grzybowski
R R R R R F R R
Karrerulina conversa
F
F
Karrerulina horrida
R
C
F
C
R
C
C F C A R A A A C R R
Karrerulina sp.
R
Lituotuba lituiformis
R R
R
R
R R R R R R
Nothia excelsa
A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Nothia latissima
C C C R R R C C C R R R R R R R R R
Nothia robusta
R R R F R R
Paratrochamminoides gorayskii
R
R
Paratrochamminoides heteromorphus
A R R R R F C R F F F F R R R
Paratrochamminoides mitratus
R R F R R
R R
Paratrochamminoides olszewskii
R R R R F R
Psammosiphonella cilindrica
F C C C C C A A F C C F F F C C R R
Psammosiphonella discreta
R R R R R R
Psammosphaera fusca
R
R
Psammosphaera irregularis
C C F F C C F C C F F F F F C F F C R R
Rectoprotomarssonella rugosa
R
R
R R F F R
R
Recurvoides anormis
F C R C C R C C A C F A A A C R F R
Recurvoides sp.
F
Reophax duplex
R R R R R F R R R F F R R R
Reophax globosus
R R R F R F F F R F F R F F
Reophax pilulifer
R R
R R R
Reophax subfusiformis
F
R R R R R R
Reophax sp.
R
Rhabdammina linearis
F R R F R R R R F R R F R R R R R R
Rhabdammina sp.
R
C
F F A A
A
C C
A
Rhizammina sp.
C C C R C A
F A R C A C A A A C
Rzehakina epigona
R
R
R
Rzehakina lata
R
Saccammina grzybowski
R
F F
R
R R R R F R F R R
Saccammina placenta
R F C F F C C F C F F F R F A R F R R R
Spiroplectammina sp.
R
Spiroplectinella dentata
R R R F R F R R
Subreophax pseudoscalaris
R
Subreophax scalaris
R R
F
R
R R R R R R R R R
Trochamminoides dubius
R R R C R R
Trochamminoides proteus
F
R
Trochamminoides subcoronatus
R R F R F R
Trochamminoides variolarius
F F A F F C C F C F R F
Continued on the next page.
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A decrease in the relative abundance of M1 and an increase
of M4b (infaunal forms of Karrerulina, Reophax, Sub-
reophax) were observed in the red beds. The other morpho-
groups are present in relatively low proportions, never
dominate the assemblages and are relatively uniformly dis-
tributed along the section (Fig. 3).
Diversity of foraminifera
The diversity of benthic foraminiferal species is highly
variable along the studied section (Fig. 3). The high relative
abundance of tubular forms can be correlated with low val-
ues of the alpha index. The diversity increases towards the
Table 1: Continued.
Lithostratigraphic unit
Hangu Formation
Stage
Upper Campanian
Planktonic foraminifera Zone
Globotruncana ventricosa
Agglutinated foraminifera Zone
Caudammina gigantea
Sample
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Calcareous benthic foraminifera
Chrysalogonium elongatum
R
R
F R R
Cibicidoides velascoensis
R
R
Eponides praemegastomus
F F R F R F F F R F R R
Stillostomella sp.
R
Planktonic foraminifera
Contusotruncana fornicata
R
Globotruncana angulata
R
Globotruncana arca
C
Globotruncana bulloides
C
Globotrunana concavata
R
Globotruncana elevata
R
Globotruncana orientalis
R
Globotruncana stuartiformis
F
Globotruncana ventricosa
R
F
A
F
C
F R
Globotruncana sp.
C
C
R
F
Fig. 3. Agglutinated foraminifera morphotypes (M1 – tubular; M2a – globular; M2b – rounded trochospiral and streptospiral/planconvex
trochospiral; M2c – elongate keeled; M3a – flattened trochospiral/flattened planispiral and streptospiral; M3c – flattened streptospiral;
M4a – rounded planispiral; M4b – elongate subcylindrical/elongate tapered), planktonic foraminifera, calcareous benthic foraminifera,
diversity (Fisher alpha), and relative abundance (% of the assemblage) of two nannofosil taxa Watznaueria barnesiae and Micula staurophora.
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Fig. 4. Agglutinated foraminifera from the Suceava Valley section. 1 – Nothia excelsa (Grzybowski, 1898) emend. Geroch & Kaminski,
1992; Sample 2. 2 – Nothia excelsa (Grzybowski, 1898) emend. Geroch & Kaminski, 1992; Sample 6. 3 – Nothia excelsa (Grzybowski,
1898) emend. Geroch & Kaminski, 1992; Sample 13. 4 – Rhizammina indivisa Brady, 1884; Sample 5. 5 – Rhizammina sp.; Sample 11.
6 – Reophax globosus Sliter, 1968; Sample 13. 7, 8 – Subreophax scalaris (Grzybowski, 1896); Sample 6. 9, 10 – Hormosina velascoensis
(Cushman, 1926); Sample 4. 11 – Saccammina placenta (Grzybowski, 1898) emend. Geroch, 1960; Sample 11. 12 – Psammosphaera
irregularis (Grzybowski, 1896) emend. Liszka & Liszkowa, 1981; Sample 4. 13 – Caudammina ovula (Grzybowski, 1896); Sample 2.
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Fig. 5. Agglutinated foraminifera from the Suceava Valley section. 1 – Ammodiscus cretaceus (Reuss, 1845); Sample 2. 2 – Ammodiscus
peruvianus Berry, 1928; Sample 13. 3 – Glomospira gordialis (Jones & Parker, 1860); Sample 22. 4 – Glomospira irregularis (Grzybowski,
1898); Sample 22. 5, 6 – Spiroplectinella dentata (Alth, 1850); Sample 4. 7 – Recurvoides sp.; Sample 3. 8, 9 – Recurvoides anormis
Mjatliuk, 1970; Sample 16. 10 – Portatrochammina profunda Kender, Kaminski & Jones, 2007; Sample 22. 11 – Haplophragmoides
sp. 1.; Sample 22. 12 – Haplophragmoides sp. 2.; Sample 23.
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Fig. 6. Planktonic foraminifera from the Suceava Valley section. 1—4 – Globotruncana ventricosa White, 1928; Sample 4 (1, 2 – umbilical
view; 3, 4; spiral view); 5, 6 – Globotruncanita elevata (Brotzen, 1934), spiral view; Sample 11.
middle and upper part of the section and reaches a maximum
in the red shales containing only deep-water agglutinated
foraminifera.
In the Upper Campanian red beds (middle part of the sec-
tion – Fig. 2) the only observed micropaleontological assem-
blage consists of agglutinated foraminifera. Their diversity is
moderate, but higher than throughout the rest of the section;
the epibenthic and inbenthic morphotypes are abundant and
trace fossils are present.
Calcareous nannofossils
The preservation of the nannofossils is moderate to poor in
most analysed samples. It is very poor only in the upper part
of the section. The assemblage is characterized by a moderate
to low abundance (Table 2). The calcareous nannofossil as-
semblages contain both low-latitude and high-latitude species.
Cold water taxa occur in moderate proportions in most of the
analysed samples: Ahmuellerella octoradiata, Gartnerago
segmentatum, Kamptnerius magnificus, Biscutum constans,
Biscutum magnum, Prediscosphaera stoveri, Monomargina-
tus quaternarius. In contrast, the Tethyan taxa (Uniplanarius
sissinghii, Uniplanarius trifidus, Uniplanarius gothicus, Cera-
tolithoides aculeus) are present in low proportions.
The calcareous nannofossil diversity curve displays a peak
just below the red beds where the planktonic foraminifera are
present in high numbers (sample 11). At the base of the red beds
the calcareous nannofossil assemblage is dominated by cos-
mopolitan species. A drop in diversity and abundance has
been observed in the upper part of the section, around the Cam-
panian-Maastrichtian boundary (Fig. 3). The most abundant
species is Micula staurophora, which locally can reach up to
87 %. It is followed by Watznaueria barnesiae (up to 49 %),
Prediscosphaera cretacea and Reinhardtites anthophorus.
The ratio between Micula and Watznaueria has been cal-
culated as follows: 3 : 1 in UC15
c
TP
Zone, 1 : 1 in UC15
d
TP
—
UC15
e
TP
Zones (except for two samples where the ratio is
1 : 2), and 6 : 1 in UC16 Zone.
Biostratigraphy
According to the agglutinated foraminifera, the deposits
from the Suceava section can be assigned to the Caudammina
gigantea Zone (Fig. 2) of the Early Campanian to Maastrich-
tian (Olszewska 1981; Neagu et al. 1992; Olszewska 1997;
Morgiel & Bąk 2004; Cetean et al. 2011). The first occurrence
(FO) of Caudammina gigantea was observed in sample 15
(lower part of the CC22 Zone of calcareous nannoplankton).
Caudammina gigantea was considered by Kuhnt et al. (1998),
Bąk (2000), and Cetean et al. (2011), as not living above the
middle bathyal zone and it seems that its first occurrence is
diachronous along the Carpathians. In the Polish Outer Car-
pathians, Olszewska (1997) described an acme zone with
Caudammina gigantea in the Late Santonian to Early Campa-
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Table 2: Calcareous nannofossil stratigraphical distribution on Suceava section.
Age
Late Campanian
Nannofossil zones
(Sissingh, 1977; Perch-Nielsen,
1985; Burnett, 1998)
UC15
c
TP
/ CC21
UC15
d
TP
–UC15
e
TP
/ CC22
UC16/
CC23
Sample
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Preservation
M P M M M M M M M P M M M M M M M M M M VP VP P
Abundance
L L M L L L M M
L L M M L L L M M L M L L L M
Ahmuellerella octoradiata
F R R R F R R R F R R R R
Ahmuellerella regularis
R
R
R
Amphizigus brooksii
R R R R
Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis
R R F R R R F F R R F F R R R R F R R R R R
Biscutum constans
R F R F R R F R R R R F R R R
Biscutum ellipticum
R R R R F F F F F F F R R R F R R F R R R
Biscutum magnum
R
R
R
R
R
Braarudosphaera bigelowii
R
R
R R
R
R R R
Broinsonia enormis
R
R
Broinsonia parca constricta
R R R R R R F R R R F R R R R R F R F R R R
Broinsonia parca expansa
R
R
R
R
Broinsonia parca parca
R R R R R R R R R R F R R R R R F R F R R F
Broinsonia signata
R
R
R
R
Calculites obscurus
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Calculites ovalis
R
R
R
R
R
R
R R
R R
Ceratolithoides aculeus
R R R R R R R R R R R R
Ceratolithoides prominens
R
Ceratolithoides sesquipedalis
R
R
R
Chiastozygus amphipons
R
R
R
Chiastozygus bifarius
R R R R R R F R R R R F R F R
Chiastozygus litterarius
R
R
R
R
Cretarhabdus striatus
R
R
R
R
Cribrosphaerella ehrenbergii
R R R R R R R R R R R F R R R R R R R
Cribrocorona gallica
R R
R
R R
R
R
R
Cylindralithus nieliae
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R F R R R R R
Discorhabdus ignotus
R R R R R R R R R R R R
Eiffelithus eximius
R R R R R R R R R R F R R R F F R F R R
Eiffelithus gorkae
R R
R
F
R R
Eiffelithus turriseiffelii
R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Gartnerago segmentatum
R F F R R R R F R R R F F R R
Helicolithus anceps
R F R
R
R
F R
Helicolithus trabeculatus
R R R R
R R
R
R
Kamptnerius magnificus
F R R R R R F R R F F R R R R R R
Lithastrinus quadricuspis
R
R
R
R
R R
Loxolithus armilla
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Lucianorhabdus maleformis
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R F R R R R R
Manivitella pemmatoidea
R R R R R R R R R R
Markalius inversus
R R
R
R
R R R R
Microrhabdulus decoratus
R R R R F R R R R R R F
Micula concava
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Micula cubiformis
R R R R R
Micula staurophora
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C A C C R C
Micula swastica
R
R
R
R
Monomarginatus quaternarius
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Octolithus multiplus
R R
R
R R
R R
R
R
Orastrum campanensis
R R R R R R R R R R R R
Placozygus fibuliformis
R R R
R R
R R
Prediscosphaera arkhangelskyi
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Prediscosphaera cretacea
F R F R F F F F F R F F F F F F F R F F R R R
Prediscosphaera grandis
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Prediscosphaera ponticula
R R R R R R R R R R R
Prediscosphaera spinosa
R
R
R
R
Prediscosphaera stoveri
R R
R F F
R R R
Reinhardtites anthophorus
F R F F R R F F F R F R R F R F F R R R
Reinhardtites levis
R
R F R
R R
Retecapsa angustiforata
R R
R
R R R R
Retecapsa crenulata
R R R R R F R F F R F F F R R F F F F F R F
Retecapsa ficula
R
R
Retecapsa schizobrachiata
R
R
Seribiscutum gaultensis
R R R R R F R R R R F
Staurolithites imbricatus
R
R
R
R
Staurolithites laffittei
R R
R
R R
R
R
F R
R
R R
Tranolithus minimus
R
R
R
R
Tranolithus orionatus
R
R
R R
R
F
R R
R R
R
R
R
Uniplanarius gothicus
R
Uniplanarius sissinghii
R R R R R
R R
Uniplanarius trifidus
R
R R
R R
R R
Watznaueria barnesiae
C F F F C F C C F F C C F F F C A C C F F R F
Watznaueria britannica
R
R
Watznaueria ovata
R R R R
R R R
R
Zeugrhabdotus bicrescenticus
R R R R R R R R R R R R F R R R
Zeugrhabdotus diplogrammus
R
R
R R R F
R
Zeugrhabdotus embergeri
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Zeugrhabdotus praesigmoides
R R R R R R R R
126
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Fig. 7.
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Fig. 7. Calcareous nannofossils from the Suceava Valley section. The photographs were taken under cross-polarized light. 1 – Arkhangel-
skiella cymbiformis; Sample 11. 2 – Biscutum constans; Sample 11. 3 – Biscutum magnum; Sample 14. 4 – Broinsonia parca constricta;
Sample 4. 5 – Broinsonia parca parca; Sample 11. 6 – Broinsonia parca expansa; Sample 8. 7 – Broinsonia signata; Sample 16. 8 – Cal-
culites obscurus; Sample 12. 9 – Ceratolithoides aculeus; Sample 6. 10 – Ceratolithoides prominens; Sample 9. 11 – Ceratolithoides
sesquipedalis; Sample 6. 12 – Cribrocorona gallica; Sample 14. 13 – Cribrosphaerella ehrenbergii; Sample 7. 14 – Cylindralithus sp.;
Sample 13. 15 – Discorhabdus ignotus; Sample 13. 16 – Eiffelithus eximius; Sample 16. 17 – Eiffelithus turriseiffelii; Sample 8. 18 – Gart-
nerago segmentatum; Sample 3. 19 – Helicolithus anceps; Sample 2. 20 – Kamptnerius magnificus; Sample 5. 21 – Lucianorhabdus
maleformis; Sample 13. 22 – Manivitella pemmatoidea; Sample 11. 23 – Microrhabdulus decoratus; Sample 7. 24 – Micula staurophora;
Sample 20. 25 – Monomarginatus quaternarius; Sample 15. 26 – Orastrum campanensis; Sample 6. 27 – Placozygus fibuliformis; Sam-
ple 13. 28 – Prediscosphaera arkhangelskyi; Sample 16. 29 – Prediscosphaera cretacea; Sample 18. 30 – Prediscosphaera grandis;
Sample 15. 31 – Prediscosphaera stoveri; Sample 6. 32 – Retecapsa crenulata; Sample 11. 33 – Reinhardtites anthophorus; Sample 11.
34 – Tranolithus orionatus; Sample 11. 35 – Uniplanarius sissinghii; Sample 4. 36 – Uniplanarius trifidus; Sample 23. 37 – Watznaueria
barnesiae; Sample 11. 38 – Watznaueria britannica; Sample 11. 39 – Zeugrhabdotus bicrescenticus; Sample 11. 40 – Zeugrhabdotus
diplogrammus; Sample 11.
nian, while in the Romanian Eastern Carpathians, Neagu et al.
(1992) reported it from the Early Campanian & Cetean et al.
(2011) identified it in the Late Campanian.
Planktonic foraminifera occur only in the basal part of the
section (grey marlstones) with high proportions in samples 4
and 11 (Fig. 2), where Globotruncana arca, G. elevata, G.
angulata, G. orientalis are characteristic. Additionally, the
presence of Globotruncana ventricosa (FO in sample 1 and a
maximum in sample 4) allows the correlation with the
Globotruncana ventricosa Zone (e.g. Postuma 1971; Caron
1985) of the Late Campanian. The high proportion of Globo-
truncana arca in sample 11 correlates with the base of the
Late Campanian and CC22 Biozone (defined between the
first occurrence of Uniplanarius trifidus and the last occur-
rence (LO) of Reinhardtites anthophorus) of calcareous nan-
noplankton (Fig. 2). The interval between samples 11 to 15
contains foraminifera with long stratigraphic range and
therefore can hardly be assigned to a certain planktonic fora-
miniferal zone; useful information is given by calcareous
nannofossils instead.
According to UC Zones introduced by Burnett (1998), cor-
related with the Tethyan biozonation schemes of Sissingh
(1977) and Perch-Nielsen (1985), the calcareous nannofossils
are characteristic for the Late Cretaceous (UC15c
TP
—UC16;
CC21—CC23) – Fig. 2. The absence of Uniplanarius trifidus
in the basal part of the section argues for the presence of
UC15
c
TP
Subzone (early Late Campanian). The FO of Unipla-
narius trifidus (base of UC15
d
TP
Subzone – approximately
early Late Campanian or base of Late Campanian CC22
Zone in the Tethyan Realm) was recorded at sample 11, while
the LO of Reinhardtites anthophorus (base of Late Campa-
nian CC23 Zone or UC16 Zone) was observed in sample 21.
The boundary between UC15
d
TP
—UC15
e
TP
Subzones cannot
be drawn due to the absence of the marker species (Eiffe-
lithus parallelus). These two subzones can be approximately
correlated with CC22 Biozones of Sissingh (1977) and
Perch-Nielsen (1985). Thus, the studied interval can be con-
sidered as Late Campanian in age. Two additional bioevents
have been recorded in the UC15
d
TP
—UC15
e
TP
/CC22 Bio-
zone: FO of Biscutum magnum in sample 14 followed by FO
of Lithastrinus quadricuspis at sample 17 (Late Campanian
CC22 Zone – Le Callonec et al. 1997). Other Late Campa-
nian species constantly occurring, but in low proportions in
the Hangu Formation are Ceratolithoides aculeus, Unipla-
narius sissinghii, Reinhardtites levis, Orastrum campanensis,
Monomarginatus quaternarius, Octolithus multiplus.
Discussion and interpretation
The foraminiferal assemblage A is very similar to assem-
blages described from the Subsilesian Unit of the Polish
Carpathians (Waśkowska-Oliwa 2005); this correlation sug-
gests that the interval between samples 1 to 14 corresponds
to an environment placed just above calcite compensation
depth (CCD). This is consistent with the calcareous nanno-
fossil diversity curve which displays a peak just below the
red beds where the planktonic foraminifera are present in a
high proportion (sample 11).
On the basis of the identified species, the foraminiferal
assemblage B fits very well into the “flysch-type” aggluti-
nated foraminiferal biofacies, characteristic of the middle to
lower bathyal settings (Kaminski & Gradstein 2005). The
lack of planktonic foraminifera and the very rare calcareous
benthics point to a lower bathyal settings, probably above
but close to the CCD.
Dominance of the tubular forms (M1 morphorgoup) in the
basal and upper part of the section suggests low energy, mid-
dle to lower bathyal environments with moderate to low levels
of organic flux to the sea bottom; this is confirmed by the
low values of the alpha index (Fig. 3).
The decrease in the relative abundance of M1 and increase
of M4b, noticed in the red beds, suggest seafloor distur-
bance, changes in the circulation of the bottom waters and
well-oxygenated oligotrophic conditions on the seafloor (Hu
et al. 2005). This is supported by the relatively higher diver-
sity, the abundance of epifaunal and infaunal morphotypes
and the presence of trace fossils (Bąk 2000 and Hu et al.
2005). These red shales, containing only deep-water fora-
minifera and showing an increase of the species diversity,
also support the hypothesis of Setoyama et al. (2011) that the
diversity of benthic foraminiferal assemblages usually in-
creases with greater water depth.
Hu et al. (2005) stated that similar Upper Cretaceous de-
posits formed in relation to a major change in the oceanic
sedimentation starting with mid-Cretaceous. Same kind of de-
posits was reported in the Romanian Eastern Carpathians by
Melinte (2002) and Melinte & Jipa (2005) and was assigned to
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the Late Campanian-Maastrichtian CC21—CC26 Nannozones.
A possible explanation of the red colour is a change in redox
conditions on the ocean floor (Hu et al. 2005), low sedimentary
rate and oligotrophy. This is supported by the relatively high
proportion of inbenthic forms.
The differences in the number of cold water vs. Tethyan cal-
careous nannoplankton taxa suggest a possible migration of
the high-latitude boreal nannoplankton into the Tethyan
Realm. This could be related to the existence of a corridor
between the Tethyan basins and North European basins dur-
ing the Campanian—Maastrichtian, as suggested by Malata &
Poprawa (1997). The influence from the Boreal Realm has
been demonstrated by Švábenická (2001) based on studying
calcareous nannofossils in Upper Campanian deposits from
the Outer Western Carpathians.
Micula staurophora (recognized as an abundant species in
poorly-preserved samples and reaching the lowest abundance
in well-preserved ones – Eshet & Almogi-Labin 1996) is the
most abundant species throughout the section. It is followed
by Watznaueria barnesiae, Prediscosphaera cretacea and
Reinhardtites anthophorus. Their high proportions may be re-
lated to a better resistance to dissolution compared to other
taxa. Micula overcoming Watznaueria in most of the samples
can also be interpreted as a cooling episode since Watznaueria
barnesiae was defined as a warm water taxon (Bukry 1973;
Thierstein 1981; Huber & Watkins 1992; Lees 2002 o.a.).
The dominance of the cosmopolitan calcareous nannofos-
sil species at the base of red beds was also noted by Melinte
& Jipa (2005) in relation to a high sea level. The relative
abundance of Watznaueria barnesiae in the studied red beds
overcomes Micula staurophora in two samples (samples 12
and 18 in Fig. 3) suggesting increase in paleoproductivity
(the distribution of Watznaueria barnesiae usually shows a
positive correlation with the productivity curves – Eshet &
Almogi-Labin 1996).
The drop of calcareous nannoplankton diversity and abun-
dance in the upper part of the section (Fig. 3) suggests
changes in the environmental conditions (a regressive epi-
sode and/or high productivity interval).
Distinct distribution of micro- and nannofossil assemblages
correlates with the sedimentological data. The transgressive
interval can be documented by fining upwards turbidites (T
b-c
followed by T
c-e
) containing mainly agglutinated foraminifera
and afterwards large amounts of planktonics. The hemipelagic
red beds must have been deposited in even deeper settings
(containing agglutinated foraminifera that lived below the
CCD). The reactivation of turbiditic sedimentation after the
deposition of red beds demonstrates the beginning of the re-
gressive trend. By marking a sea-level maximum, the red beds
and associated agglutinated foraminiferal assemblage have a
high correlation potential for the Late Campanian.
Conclusions
The Suceava section (northern Tarcău Nappe of the East-
ern Carpathians) provided rich foraminiferal and calcareous
nannoplankton assemblages, suitable for biostratigraphic
and paleoenvironmental analyses. The data allow biostrati-
graphic correlation support for the Hangu Formation, by
assigning the deposits to the Late Campanian Caudammina
gigantea Zone, Globotruncana ventricosa (foraminifera) and
UC15
c
TP
—UC16 (calcareous nannoplankton) Biozones.
The foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by aggluti-
nated taxa. Low proportions of planktonic and calcareous
benthic forms in the lower part of the section suggest envi-
ronments placed above the CCD. On the other hand, the
dominance of agglutinated foraminifera and the presence of
calcareous nannofossils and sporadic forms of calcareous
benthic foraminifera in the median and upper parts suggest
deposition above the CCD but close to it.
The character of the foraminiferal assemblages is typical
of “flysch type” biofacies from middle to lower bathyal set-
tings. The morphogroup analysis suggests that for the lower-
most deposits the bottom water environments were
mesotrophic and relatively well oxygenated. The red beds
display higher diversities and high proportions of infaunal
forms suggesting an increased oxygenation, higher water
depth, low sedimentation rate and oligotrophic conditions.
Sedimentological and micropaleontological data suggest a
deepening trend up to the level of the red beds, followed by a
regressive trend. The red beds and associated micropaleonto-
logical assemblage have a high potential for stratigraphic
correlation at regional scale.
Acknowledgments: Raluca Bindiu thanks the Grzybowski
Foundation for the financial support provided by “The Brian
J. O’Neill Memorial Student Grant-in-aid for PhD Research
in Stratigraphic Micropalaeontology” and to the Sectoral
Operational Programme for Human Resources Development
2007—2013, co-financed by the European Social Fund, under
the Project number POSDRU/107/1.5/S/76841 with the title
“Modern Doctoral Studies: Internationalization and Interdis-
ciplinarity”. The fieldwork was funded S.N.G.N ROMGAZ
(contract 18/2011). Ramona Bălc thanks to CNCSIS-
UEFISCSU, Project PN II-RU_TE_ 313/2010 for the finan-
cial support. The authors are grateful to Lilian Švábenická
and the anonymous reviewers for suggestions that improved
the present manuscript.
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Ryan P.D., Harper D.A.T. & Whalley J.S. 1995: PALSTAT, Statis-
tics for paleontologists. User’s manual and case histories.
Chapman & Hall, London, 1—133.
Săndulescu M. 1984: Geotectonics of Romania. Technical Publish-
ing, Bucharest, 1—334 (in Romanian).
Setoyama E., Kaminski M.A. & Tyszka J. 2011: The Late Creta-
Agglutinated foraminifera
Ammobaculites sp.
Ammodiscus cretaceus (Reuss, 1845)
Ammodiscus glabratus Cushman & Jarvis, 1928
Ammodiscus peruvianus Berry, 1928
Ammodiscus tenuissimus Grzybowski, 1898
Ammosphaeroidina pseudopauciloculata (Mjatliuk, 1966)
Arthrodendron grandis (Grzybowski, 1898)
Bathysiphon sp.
Caudammina ovula (Grzybowski, 1896)
Caudammina ovuloides (Grzybowski, 1901)
Caudammina gigantea (Geroch, 1960)
Conglophragmium irregularis (White, 1928)
Cribrostomoides subglobosus (Cushman, 1910)
Cribrostomoides sp.
Glomospira charoides (Jones & Parker, 1860)
Glomospira gordialis (Jones & Parker, 1860)
Glomospira irregularis (Grzybowski, 1898)
Glomospira serpens (Grzybowski, 1898)
Glomospira sp.
Haplophragmoides kirki Wickenden, 1932
Hormosina trinitatensis Cushman & Renz, 1946
Hormosina velascoensis (Cushman, 1926)
Hormosinella distans (Brady, 1881)
Hyperammina dilatata Grzybowski, 1896
Hyperammina elongata Brady, 1878
Hyperammina granulosa (Brady, 1879)
Hyperammina rugosa Verdenius & van Hinte, 1983
Hyperammina sp.
Kalamopsis grzybowski (Dylążanka, 1923)
Karrerulina conversa (Grzybowski, 1901)
Appendix 1
List of identified foraminiferal taxa
Karrerulina horrida (Mjatliuk, 1970)
Karrerulina sp.
Lituotuba lituiformis (Brady, 1879)
Nothia excelsa (Grzybowski, 1898) emend. Geroch &
Kaminski, 1992
Nothia latissima (Grzybowski, 1898)
Nothia robusta (Grzybowski, 1898)
Paratrochamminoides gorayskii (Grzybowski, 1898) emend.
Kaminski & Geroch, 1993
Paratrochamminoides heteromorphus (Grzybowski, 1898)
Paratrochamminoides mitratus (Grzybowski, 1901)
Paratrochamminoides olszewskii (Grzybowski, 1898)
Psammosiphonella cylindrica (Glaessner, 1937)
Psammosiphonella discreta (Brady, 1881)
Psammosphaera fusca Schultze, 1875 emend. Heron—Allen
& Earland, 1913
Psammosphaera irregularis (Grzybowski, 1896)
Rectoprotomarssonella rugosa (Hanzlíková, 1955)
Recurvoides anormis Mjatliuk, 1970
Recurvoides sp.
Reophax duplex Grzybowski, 1896
Reophax globosus Sliter, 1968
Reophax pilulifer Brady, 1884
Reophax subfusiformis Earland, 1933 emend. Höglund, 1947
Reophax sp.
Rhabdammina linearis Brady, 1879
Rhabdammina sp.
Rhizammina sp.
Rzehakina epigona (Rzehak, 1895)
Rzehakina lata Cushman & Jarvis, 1928
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Saccammina grzybowski (Schubert, 1902)
Saccammina placenta (Grzybowski, 1898)
Spiroplectammina sp.
Spiroplectinella dentata (Alth, 1850)
Subreophax pseudoscalaris (Samuel, 1977)
Subreophax scalaris (Grzybowski, 1896)
Trochamminoides dubius (Grzybowski, 1901)
Trochamminoides proteus (Karrer, 1866) emend. Rögl, 1995
Trochamminoides subcoronatus (Grzybowski, 1896)
Trochamminoides variolarius (Grzybowski, 1898)
Calcareous benthic foraminifera
Chrysalogonium elongatum Cushman & Jarvis, 1934
Cibicidoides velascoensis (Cushman, 1925)
Appendix 2
List of identified calcareous nannoplankton taxa
Eponides praemegastomus (Mjatliuk, 1953)
Stillostomella sp.
Planktonic foraminifera
Contusotruncana fornicata (Plummer, 1931)
Globotruncana angulata Tilev, 1951
Globotruncana arca (Cushman, 1926)
Globotruncana bulloides Vogler, 1941
Globotrunana concavata (Brotzen, 1934)
Globotruncana elevata (Brotzen, 1934)
Globotruncana orientalis El Naggar, 1966
Globotruncana stuartiformis Dalbiez, 1955
Globotruncana ventricosa White, 1928
Globotruncana sp.
Ahmuellerella octoradiata (Górka, 1957) Reinhardt, 1966
Ahmuellerella regularis (Górka, 1957) Reinhardt & Górka,
1967
Amphizigus brooksii Bukry, 1969
Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis Vekshina, 1959
Biscutum constans (Górka, 1957) Black, 1959 in Black &
Barnes, 1959
Biscutum ellipticum (Górka, 1957) Grün in Grün & Allemann,
1975
Biscutum magnum Wind & Wise in Wise & Wind, 1977
Braarudosphaera bigelowii (Gran & Braarud, 1935) Deflandre,
1947
Broinsonia enormis (Shumenko, 1968) Manivit, 1971
Broinsonia parca (Stradner, 1963) Bukry, 1969, ssp. constricta
Hattner et al., 1980
Broinsonia parca (Stradner, 1963) Bukry, 1969, ssp. expansa
Wise & Watkins in Wise, 1983
Broinsonia parca (Stradner, 1963) Bukry, 1969, ssp. parca
Broinsonia signata (Noël, 1969) Noël, 1970
Calculites ovalis (Stradner, 1963) Prins & Sissingh in Sissingh,
1977
Calculites obscurus (Deflandre, 1959) Prins & Sissingh in
Sissingh, 1977
Ceratolithoides aculeus (Stradner, 1961) Prins & Sissingh in
Sissingh 1977
Ceratolithoides prominens Burnett, 1997
Ceratolithoides sesquipedalis Burnett, 1998
Chiastozygus amphipons (Bramlette & Martini, 1964) Gartner,
1968
Chiastozygus bifarius Bukry, 1969
Chiastozygus litterarius (Górka, 1957) Manivit, 1971
Cretarhabdus striatus (Stradner, 1963) Black, 1973
Cribrocorona gallica (Stradner, 1963) Perch-Nielsen, 1973
Cribrosphaerella ehrenbergii (Arkhangelsky, 1912) Deflandre
in Pivetteau, 1952
Cylindralithus nieliae Burnett, 1998
Discorhabdus ignotus (Górka, 1957) Perch-Nielsen, 1968
Eiffelithus eximius (Stover, 1966) Perch-Nielsen, 1968
Eiffelithus gorkae Reinhardt, 1965
Eiffelithus turriseiffelii (Deflandre in Deflandre & Fert,
1954) Reinhardt, 1965
Gartnerago segmentatum (Stover, 1966) Thierstein, 1974
Helicolithus anceps (Górka, 1957) Noël, 1970
Helicolithus trabeculatus (Górka, 1957) Verbeek, 1977
Kamptnerius magnificus Deflandre, 1959
Lithastrinus quadricuspis Farhan, 1987
Loxolithus armilla (Black in Black & Barnes, 1959) Noël, 1965
Lucianorhabdus maleformis Reinhardt, 1966
Manivitella pemmatoidea (Deflandre in Manivit, 1965) Thier-
stein, 1971
Markalius inversus (Deflandre in Deflandre & Fert, 1954)
Bramlette & Martini, 1964
Microrhabdulus decoratus Deflandre, 1959
Micula concava (Stradner in Martini & Stradner, 1960) Ver-
beek, 1976
Micula cubiformis Forchheimer, 1972
Micula staurophora (Gardet, 1955) Stradner, 1963
Micula swastica Stradner & Steinmetz, 1984
Monomarginatus quaternarius Wind & Wise in Wise &
Wind, 1977
Octolithus multiplus (Perch-Nielsen, 1973) Romein, 1979
Orastrum campanensis (Cepek, 1970) Wind & Wise in Wise
& Wind, 1977
Placozygus fibuliformis (Reinhardt, 1964) Hoffmann, 1970
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Prediscosphaera arkhangelskyi (Reinhardt, 1965) Perch-
Nielsen, 1984
Prediscosphaera cretacea (Arkhangelsky, 1912) Gartner, 1968
Prediscosphaera grandis Perch-Nielsen, 1979
Prediscosphaera ponticula (Bukry, 1969) Perch-Nielsen,
1984
Prediscosphaera spinosa (Bramlette & Martini, 1964) Gartner,
1968
Prediscosphaera stoveri (Perch-Nielsen, 1968) Shafik &
Stradner, 1971
Reinhardtites anthophorus (Deflandre, 1959) Perch-Nielsen,
1968
Reinhardtites levis Prins & Sissingh in Sissingh, 1977
Retecapsa angustiforata Black, 1971
Retecapsa crenulata (Bramlette & Martini, 1964) Grün in
Grün & Allemann, 1975
Retecapsa ficula (Stover, 1966) Burnett, 1998
Retecapsa schizobrachiata (Gartner 1968) Grün in Grün &
Allemann 1975
Seribiscutum gaultensis Mutterlose, 1992
Staurolithites imbricatus (Gartner, 1968) Burnett, 1998
Staurolithites laffittei Caratini, 1963
Tranolithus minimus (Bukry, 1969) Perch-Nielsen, 1984
Tranolithus orionatus (Reinhardt, 1966a) Reinhardt, 1966
Uniplanarius gothicus (Deflandre, 1959) Hattner & Wise,
1980
Uniplanarius sissinghii Perch-Nielsen, 1986
Uniplanarius trifidus (Stradner in Stradner & Papp, 1961)
Hattner & Wise, 1980
Watznaueria barnesiae (Black, 1959) Perch-Nielsen, 1968
Watznaueria britannica (Stradner, 1963) Reinhardt, 1964
Watznaueria ovata Bukry, 1969
Zeugrhabdotus bicrescenticus (Stover, 1966) Burnett in
Gale et al., 1996
Zeugrhabdotus diplogrammus (Deflandre in Deflandre &
Fert, 1954) Burnett in Gale et al., 1996
Zeugrhabdotus embergeri (Noël, 1958) Perch-Nielsen, 1984
Zeugrhabdotus praesigmoides Burnett, 1998