GeolCarp_Vol66_No6_473

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, DECEMBER 2015, 66, 6, 473—487 doi: 10.1515/geoca-2015-0039

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the question of the
significance of (Middle-to-Late) Jurassic versus solely Early
Cretaceous  orogenic  processes  including  major  thrusting  in
the  Austroalpine  unit,  and  thus  also  present  arguments  for
the debate on gravitational tectonics (e.g. Mandl 2000, 2013)
versus strike-slip tectonics (e.g. Channell et al. 1990, 1992;
Frank & Schlager 2006; Ortner et al. 2008) versus obduction
related  tectonics  in  the  Jurassic  of  the  Austroalpine  domain
(Gawlick  et  al.  1999;  Faupl  &  Wagreich  2000;  Frisch  &
Gawlick 2003; Missoni & Gawlick 2011a,b).

For more details concerning the controversial discussion

the reader is referred to the publications of Ortner et al.
(2008) and Missoni & Gawlick (2011a,b).

In Missoni & Gawlick (2011a,b) invented for the Middle to

early Late Jurassic orogenic process along the Neotethys

Ophiolitic detritus in Kimmeridgian resedimented limestones

and its provenance from an eroded obducted ophiolitic nappe

stack south of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

HANS-JÜRGEN GAWLICK

, ROMAN AUBRECHT

, FELIX SCHLAGINTWEIT

SIGRID MISSONI

and DUŠAN PLAŠIENKA

Department of Applied Geosciences and Geophysics, Petroleum Geology, Montanuniversität Leoben, Peter Tunner Str. 5, 8700 Leoben, Austria;

gawlick@unileoben.ac.at; missoni@unileoben.ac.at

Department of Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic;

aubrecht@fns.uniba.sk

Earth Science Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, P.O. Box 106, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Lerchenauer Str. 167, 80935 Munich, Germany; EF.Schlagintweit@t-online.de

Department of Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic;

plasienka@fns.uniba.sk

(Manuscript received March 14, 2015; accepted in revised form October 25, 2015)

Abstract: The causes for the Middle to Late Jurassic tectonic processes in the Northern Calcareous Alps are still contro-
versially discussed. There are several contrasting models for these processes, formerly designated “Jurassic gravitational
tectonics”. Whereas in the Dinarides or the Western Carpathians Jurassic ophiolite obduction and a Jurassic mountain
building process with nappe thrusting is widely accepted, equivalent processes are still questioned for the Eastern Alps.
For the Northern Calcareous Alps, an Early Cretaceous nappe thrusting process is widely favoured instead of a Jurassic
one, obviously all other Jurassic features are nearly identical in the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Western Carpathians
and the Dinarides. In contrast, the Jurassic basin evolutionary processes, as best documented in the Northern Calcareous
Alps, were in recent times adopted to explain the Jurassic tectonic processes in the Carpathians and Dinarides. Whereas in
the Western Carpathians Neotethys oceanic material is incorporated in the mélanges and in the Dinarides huge ophiolite
nappes are preserved above the Jurassic basin fills and mélanges, Jurassic ophiolites or ophiolitic remains are not clearly
documented in the Northern Calcareous Alps. Here we present chrome spinel analyses of ophiolitic detritic material from
Kimmeridgian allodapic limestones in the central Northern Calcareous Alps. The Kimmeridgian age is proven by the
occurrence of the benthic foraminifera Protopeneroplis striata and Labyrinthina mirabilis, the dasycladalean algae
Salpingoporella pygmea, and the alga incertae sedis Pseudolithocodium carpathicum. From the geochemical composition
the analysed spinels are pleonastes and show a dominance of Al-chromites (Fe

—Cr

—Al

diagram). In the Mg/(Mg + Fe

)

vs. Cr/(Cr + Al) diagram they can be classified as type II ophiolites and in the TiO

vs. Al

diagram they plot into the SSZ

peridotite field. All together this points to a harzburgite provenance of the analysed spinels as known from the Jurassic supra-
subduction ophiolites well preserved in the Dinarides/Albanides. These data clearly indicate Late Jurassic erosion of obducted
ophiolites before their final sealing by the Late Jurassic—earliest Cretaceous carbonate platform pattern.

Key words: heavy minerals, chrome spinel, component analysis, Tethys Ocean, Jurassic Orogen, Eastern Alps.

Ocean  the  term  Neotethyan  Belt  striking  from  the  Western
Carpathians  in  the  north(east)  to  the  Hellenides  in  the  south
(compare Schmid et al. 2008; Gawlick et al. 2008), character-
ized  by  Middle  to  early  Late  Jurassic  thrusting  triggered  by
westward or northwestward ophiolite obduction. The thrusting
process  was  sealed  by  Kimmeridgian  to  earliest  Cretaceous
carbonate  platforms  in  the  whole  realm  (Schlagintweit  et  al.
2008; Gawlick et al. 2012 for the latest reviews).

For the southeasternmost Northern Calcareous Alps and

the Western Carpathians Jurassic mélange formation (Meliata
mélange  and  equivalents  –  Haas  et  al.  2011  for  latest  re-
view) is widely accepted. In contrast, for the southern part of
the eastern and central Northern Calcareous Alps, this Juras-
sic mélange formation related to thrusting is still a matter of
debate  and  the  Early  Cretaceous  is  still  widely  seen  as  the
main  thrusting  event  (Schorn  et  al.  2013).  Here  the  Lower
Cretaceous  turbiditic  Rossfeld  Formation  with  intercalated

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mass-flow deposits was interpreted to have been deposited in
front of the advancing Juvavic nappes. Recently Krische et
al. (2014) also demonstrated that Early Cretaceous thrusting
is minor in the southern Calcareous Alps on the basis of the
results of component analysis of the Early Cretaceous mass
flows in the Rossfeld Formation (compare Gawlick et al.
2008; Missoni & Gawlick 2011a,b).

One argument for an Early Cretaceous thrusting is the

occurrence  of  detrital  chrome  spinel  grains  (Faupl  &  Pober
1991) in the sedimentary rocks of the Early Cretaceous fore-
land basin fills (Rossfeld Basins) and their absence in older
strata beside a lot of geochronological age data in the crystal-
line  basement  (Frank  1987),  and  from  several  areas  of  the
southern  Northern  Calcareous  Alps  with  thermal  overprint
(Kralik  et  al.  1997;  Frank  &  Schlager  2006).  In  addition,
late Early Cretaceous to early Late Cretaceous thrusting pro-
cesses including ultra-high-pressure conditions (Janák et al.
2004;  Thöni  2006)  in  the  crystalline  basement  are  well
known.  Janák  et  al.  (2004)  presented  lithosphere  kinematic
reconstructions  of  the  Austroalpine  system.  However,  these
late Early Cretaceous to early Late Cretaceous tectonics are
slightly younger then the youngest sediments in the Rossfeld
Basin (Early—Middle Aptian – Fuchs 1968; Weidich 1990;
Schlagintweit et al. 2012). Moreover, deposition of the Ross-
feld Formation stopped contemporaneously with the onset of
the  late  Early  Cretaceous  to  early  Late  Cretaceous  tectonic
event, showing clearly that the Jurassic orogeny and the late
Early Cretaceous to early Late Cretaceous orogeny must be
clearly separated.

Missoni & Gawlick (2011a) pointed out the existence of

detrital  chrome  spinel  grains  in  the  Late  Kimmeridgian  but
without geochemical analyses. The reason for the still miss-
ing detailed analysis was the lack of their occurrence in in-
vestigateable quantities. To fill the gap, we present analyses
of  ophiolitic  detritic  material  from  Kimmeridgian  silicified
allodapic  limestones  from  the  Saalach  Zone  in  the  central
Northern Calcareous Alps (Fig. 1).

Geological setting

The study area is located southwest of Salzburg, south of

the  township  Unken  (Fig. 1)  and  north-northwest  of  Mount
Dietrichshorn  (Fig. 2)  and  belongs  to  the  Hallstatt  Mélange
area  of  the  Saalach  zone  (Tollmann  1985)  or  Saalach  Fault
Zone  (Frisch  &  Gawlick  2003).  A  more  detailed  geological
sketch map of the area was recently published by Ortner et al.
(2008) and for details the reader is referred to Fig. 2 in Ortner
et al. (2008). In Fig. 2 the former interpretation (Ortner et al.
2008) of the investigated rocks as Early Cretaceous (Valang-
inian—Barremian) is indicated. In contrast, our reinvestigation
of some of these rocks gives evidence for the Kimmeridgian
age.  This  means,  that  the  strike-slip  fault  separating  the
Saalach Zone Unit from the Tirolic Unit to the west is slightly
west  of  the  studied  localities,  cutting  here  through  similar
lithologies, the Rossfeld ( = Lackbach)  Formation  to  the  west
and  the  Sillenkopf  Formation  to  the  east.  By  following  this
strike-slip fault, for example, to the north, the separation of the

Fig. 1. Tectonic sketch map of the Eastern Alps and study area (black star) southwest of Salzburg (after Tollmann 1977; Frisch & Gawlick
2003). GPU – Graz Paleozoic Unit, GU – Gurktal Unit, GWZ – Greywacke Zone, RFZ – Rhenodanubian Flysch Zone.

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two units became much clearer: here the Hallstatt Mélange oc-
curs directly beside the Rossfeld ( = Lackbach) Formation.

Mount Dietrichshorn consists of Kimmeridgian—Tithonian

shallow-water  carbonates  (Darga  &  Schlagintweit  1991)  of
the southern Plassen Carbonate Platform (Lärchberg Carbon-
ate Platform – Gawlick et al. 2009), later overthrust – most
probably  in  the  latest  Tithonian  –  above  the  studied  Kim-
meridgian  resediments  ( = line  in  Fig. 2b,  formerly  inter-
preted  as  the  boundary  between  the  Saalach  Unit  and  the
Tirolic  Unit  –  Ortner  et  al.  2008).  The  investigated  resedi-
ments  are  attributed  to  the  Sillenkopf  Formation  (Fig. 3),
which  was  deposited  in  a  deep-water  basin  between  the
Lärchberg  Carbonate  Platform  to  the  south  and  the  Plassen
Carbonate Platform s. str. to the north (Fig. 3). Therefore the
boundary between the Saalach Unit and the Tirolic Unit must
be situated more to the northwest (dotted line). The exact posi-
tion  cannot  be  mapped  in  the  grassland  area  without  dense
sampling. For more stratigraphic and sedimentological details
the reader is recommended to consult papers by Gawlick et
al. (2009), Pestal et al. (2009) and the references therein. For
the reconstruction of the Jurassic to Early Cretaceous geody-
namic  history  the  reader  is  recommended  to  look  at  papers
by Missoni & Gawlick (2011a,b) and Gawlick et al. (2012).

Sampled sites, material and methods

Beside several smaller outcrops along the forest road and

in the grassland area, the main sampled outcrop is located on
a forest road north of Mount Dietrichshorn (Fig. 2). About
2 m of relatively thin-bedded series of allodapic limestones
are exposed here as a result of artificial digging (Fig. 3). For
heavy mineral investigations three samples were taken from
various beds (samples D1—3). For stratigraphic and microfa-
cies investigations the more coarse-grained carbonatic resedi-
ments were taken. Additional samples of the same formation
were taken in the wider surroundings northwest and west of
Mount Dietrichshorn (Fig. 2).

For heavy mineral investigations, the samples were crushed,

washed and sieved to get the sandy fraction (0.08—1 mm).

Fig. 2.  a  –  recent  block  configuration  of  the  western  part  of  the
central  northern  Calcareous  Alps  with  major  faults  active  during
Miocene  lateral  tectonic  extrusion  after  Frisch  &  Gawlick  (2003)
and  study  area;  b  –  position  of  the  sampling  sites.  Topographic
background photo from Google Earth (2014). The white line should
mark the boundary between the Upper Jurassic shallow-water plat-
form carbonates of Mount Dietrichshorn and the Lower Cretaceous
sedimentary  rocks  to  the  west  and  is  interpreted  as  a  normal  fault
according to Ortner et al. (2008). In fact the dotted line is the thrust
plane of Mount Dietrichshorn above the Sillenkopf Formation. All
Kimmeridgian samples plot into this area. The strike-slip fault sep-
arating  the  Sillenkopf  Formation  from  the  Lackbach  Formation
must be located in the northeastern grassland area (dotted line). See
text for explanation; c – outcrop situation in the year 2012. The ar-
tificial  digging  from  the  year  2006  (first  sampling  campaign)  is
mostly covered. Along the forest road several similar outcrops exist,
with the same dipping below Mt Dietrichshorn (eastward). In con-
trast, the Lackbach Formation shows a westward dipping.

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The  heavy  minerals  were  separated  in  bromoform  (density
ca.  2.8).  The  0.08—0.25 mm  fraction  was  studied  by  trans-
mitted  light;  the  whole  fraction  was  also  examined  under  a
binocular microscope. Percentage ratios of the heavy mineral
assemblages  were  determined  by  ribbon  point  counting.
Subsequently,  the  spinel  grains  were  hand-picked,  mounted
using epoxide resin and polished for microprobe analysis.

The chemical compositions of the spinels and the inclusions

inside them were determined using a CAMECA SX-100
electron microprobe at the State Geological Institute of
Dionýz Štúr in Bratislava. The analytical conditions were as
follows: 15 kV accelerating voltage, 20 nA beam current and
a beam diameter of 5 µm. Raw counts were corrected using
an X-PHI routine. Standards: Al – Al

, Mg – forsterite,

Si – wollastonite, Ti – TiO

, Ca – wollastonite, Fe – fay-

alite, Mn – rodonite, Cr – Cr, Ni – Ni, V – V, Zn – wil-
lemite. For all standards, the K

α spectral line was used.

Lithology, stratigraphy and microfacies

The studied succession west of Mount Dietrichshorn con-

sists of carbonatic sandstones in parts with graded bedding,
intercalated coarser grained resedimented limestones and
wacke- to packstones, rich in spicula or radiolarians. In parts
the beds are completely silicified.

The age determination was done on the basis of shallow-

water organisms from the intercalated limestone resediments

Fig. 3.  Stratigraphic  table  for  the  Middle  Jurassic  to  Early  Creta-
ceous for the central Northern Calcareous Alps (after Gawlick et al.
2009)  and  investigated  formation  (Sillenkopf  Formation  –  red).
Former interpretation as Rossfeld Formation (in blue, as synonym
the term Lackbach Fm is used in the study area). Reconstruction of
the  Kimmeridgian  paleotopographic  situation  (after  Missoni  &
Gawlick 2011b; Gawlick et al. 2012): After the late Middle to early Late Jurassic compressional tectonics a nappe stack was formed. From
latest Oxfordian times onwards several carbonate platforms started to evolve, the Wolfgangsee Carbonate Platform in the north, the Plassen
Carbonate Platform in a central position, and the Lärchberg Carbonate Platform in the south. Between the platforms deep-water basins re-
main, e.g. between the Plassen Carbonate Platform s. str. and the Lärchberg Carbonate Platform the Sillenkopf Basin (Sillenkopf Fm). The Sil-
lenkopf Basin receives material from the obducted ophiolite nappe stack and the shallow-water carbonate platform on top.

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(Figs. 4, 5). Determinable organisms occur only in the coarser-
grained  allodapic  limestones  with  only  few  chrome  spinels,
whereas  in  the  finer-grained  resediments  the  organism  are
highly  fragmented  but  the  chrome  spinels  are  relatively  en-
riched.  Notably  the  association  of  the  benthic  foraminifera
Protopeneroplis  striata  Weynschenk  (Fig. 4e)  and  Labyrin-
thina mirabilis Weynschenk (Fig. 4f) are typically associated
with high-energy platform margin depositional settings, such
as  shoals,  from  where  they  became  resedimented  downslope
into basinal sequences. The resedimented dasycladale Salpin-
goporella pygmea (Gümbel) (Fig. 4b) and the alga incertae se-
dis  Pseudolithocodium  carpathicum  Misik  (Fig. 4d)  are
typically associated with near-reefal to reefal facies of external
platform facies. A Kimmeridgian age can be deduced from the
occurrence of L. mirabilis and the general Alpine shallow-wa-
ter facies evolution (Schlagintweit et al. 2005, for details).

Debris of younger, Late Tithonian/?Early Berriasian shal-

low-water bioclasts is found in the Lackbach Formation with
the occurrence of the larger benthic foraminifer Anchispiro-
cyclina lusitanica (Egger) (Darga & Weidich 1986). Alloch-
thonous  older  clasts  beside  the  Late  Jurassic  shallow-water
clasts  are  missing.  The  resediments  consist  exclusively  of
shallow-water to slope material as is typical for the early on-
set of the Lärchberg Carbonate Platform. These resediments
are similar to the resediments of the type area of the Sillen-
kopf  Formation  (Missoni  et  al.  2001;  Gawlick  &  Frisch
2003),  but  without  Triassic  clasts.  Similar  resediments  are
also  known  from  the  early  Kurbnesh  Platform  in  Albania

(Schlagintweit et al. 2008), where Kimmeridgian resediments
of the early platform stage contain ophiolite debris. The stud-
ied succession resembles a proximal counterpart of the Sillen-
kopf Formation of the type-locality in Berchtesgaden (Missoni
et al. 2001; Gawlick et al. 2009), but deposited much nearer to
the Lärchberg Carbonate platform (Fig. 3).

The overall lithology and macroscopic lithofacies are

therefore  quite  similar  to  the  Lower  Cretaceous  Rossfeld
Formation (here = Lackbach Formation of Darga & Weidich
1986). The main lithological difference is the occurrence of
relatively coarse-grained resedimented limestones missing in
the  Early  Cretaceous  successions.  In  the  Lackbach  Forma-
tion  only  fine-  to  coarse-grained  breccia  layers  with  older
clasts,  also  of  Late  Jurassic  age,  occur  (Darga  &  Weidich
1986).  In  contrast  to  the  overall  lithology,  the  microfacies
characteristics  of  this  series  differ  significantly  (component
and  organism  spectrum)  from  the  Rossfeld  ( = Lackbach)
Formation to the west, in detail described and dated by Darga
&  Weidich  (1986).  The  underlying  succession  does  not  di-
rectly outcrop in the study area, but further to the north- or
southeast the Kimmeridgian strata are underlain by the Hall-
statt Mélange (Missoni & Gawlick 2010; Quast et al. 2010).

Description of the investigated samples for heavy mineral
analysis

The microscopic analysis shows that the sediment is repre-

sented by silicified, finely laminated allodapic limestone. The

Fig. 4. Microfossils of the Kimmeridgian allodapic limestones (sample GS132). a – benthic foraminifer Labyrinthina mirabilis Weyn-
schenk, b – Dasycladale Salpingoporella pygmaea (Gümbel), c – benthic foraminifer Mohlerina basiliensis (Mohler), d – incertae sedis
Pseudolithocodium carpathicum Misik, e – benthic foraminifer Protopeneroplis striata Weynschenk, f – benthic foraminifer Coscinoconus
cf. alpinus Leupold. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

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sediment is well-sorted, with mean size of allochems ranging
between 50—100 µm (Fig. 6a). The majority of the allochems
are represented by silicisponge spicula (rhaxa, monaxone to
bizarre  skeletons  of  lithistid  sponges)  and  radiolarians
(Fig. 6b).  Agglutinated  textulariid  foraminifers  (Fig. 6c—e)
and some planispiral foraminifers are quite common (Fig. 6f).
The  samples  also  contain  rare  tiny  echinoderm  particles  and
indeterminable,  yellowish,  probably  phosphatic  particles.
Some  allochems  bear  signs  of  very  fine,  probably  bacterial
borings  filled  with  opaque  diagenetic  Fe-Mn  minerals.  Si-
liciclastic admixture is represented by uncommon dispersed
fine-grained  quartz  sand  grains,  in  places  accompanied  by
tiny  muscovite  scales.  From  heavy  minerals,  spinel  grains
(Fig. 6g)  and  rare  zircons  are  visible  in  thin-sections  (details
of  the  heavy  mineral  analysis  below).  The  deposit  contains
pyrite seams to swarms, filling small pores along the lamina-
tion. Diagenetic overprint of the sediment is quite strong. It is
pervasively silicified, with silicification being rather selective
than frontal. The entire rock is penetrated by thin blocky-cal-

cite veinlets, also cutting through the silicified parts. This indi-
cates that the veinlets are the latest diagenetic phenomenon.

Heavy minerals

Percentage ratios of heavy minerals

The heavy mineral fraction is strongly dominated by

spinels, the percentage of which varies between 93 and 98 %
(Table 1). Other minerals occur subordinately; they are rep-
resented mostly by garnet, varying in the range of 0—4 %.
Other heavy minerals – zircon, rutile and tourmaline vary
from 0 to maximum 2 %.

Chemical composition of detrital spinels and their origin

The spinel grains were mostly fragmented; their roundness

is low (the grains are mostly subangular). The majority show

Fig. 5. Microfacies of the studied allodapic limestones (samples GS132, A346—352). a – poorly sorted packstone with benthic foramin-
ifera, debris of corals and a large radiolarian wackestone lithoclast, which resembles the basinal microfacies of the Sillenkopf Formation.
Width of photo: 1.4 cm; b – magnified view of a grain-/packstone with two specimens of Protopeneroplis striata Weynschenk. Width of
photo: 0.5 cm; c – grain-/packstone with incertae sedis Crescentiella morronensis (Crescenti) (C) and dasycladale Salpingoporella pygmaea
(Gümbel) (S); Width of photo: 1.4 cm; d – magnified view with ooids and a subangular quartz grain. Width of photo: 0.25 cm.

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Fig. 6. Microfacies of the sampled silicified allodapic limestones. a – well-sorted organodetrital sediment forming the main portion of the
examined allodapic limestones, b – parts of the rocks representing the fine-grained matrix consist of spiculitic-radiolarian microfacies,
c—e – Textulariids are the most common foraminifers in the sediment, f – Spirillina sp. Cr – detritic chrome spinel grain.

no zonation. Only some grains had alteration rims (Fig. 7a—c).
Some spinel grains have inclusions of other minerals, such
as ortho- and clinopyroxenes and various types of chlorites
and amphiboles (Fig. 7d—f).

The analysed spinels show some chemical variability,

mainly in the most important elements which are diagnostic
of their provenance, such as Mg, Fe, Cr, Al, and Ti (Table 2).
Two types of diagrams are widely used for this purpose:
(1) Mg/(Mg + Fe

) vs. Cr/(Cr + Al), and (2) Al

vs. TiO

The first one was introduced by Dick & Bullen (1984), who
distinguished three fields in their diagram: 1) Type I ophio-
lites which correspond to peridotite for which Cr/(Cr + Al) in
spinel does not exceed 0.60. These peridotites evolved in
mid-oceanic ridge settings; 2) Type III ophiolites represent-
ing peridotites bearing spinel with Cr/(Cr + Al) above 0.60,
which are related to the early stages of arc formation on oce-
anic crust; 3) Type II ophiolites bearing spinels with a wide
range of Cr/(Cr + Al), representing transitional phases. Based

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Table 1:

Percentage

ratio

heavy

minerals

the

examined

samples.

on these classifications, Pober & Faupl (1988)
discriminated spinels derived from harzburgite
and lherzolite rocks.

To distinguish the spinels derived from peri-

dotites and volcanics, a diagram of TiO

vs.

is used (Lenaz et al. 2000; Kamenetsky et

al. 2001). More than 95 % of spinel from mantle
rocks has TiO

lower than 0.2 wt. %, and volca-

nic spinel with TiO

lower than 0.2 wt. % is un-

common, the boundary between peridotitic and
volcanic spinels was set at a TiO

value of

0.2 wt. % (for overview see Lenaz et al. 2009).

On the basis of the chromite-magnesio spinel

prism  (Fig. 8a)  for  the  solidsolution  spinel-her-
cynite-chromite-magnesiochromitemagnesiofer-
rite-magnetite, two chemical variation diagrams
were constructed by Gargiulo et al. (2013) with
the projections on the triangular face “b” of the
spinel  prism  (Fig. 8b)  and  the  compositions  on
the  left-lateral  face  “c”  of  the  prism  (Fig. 8c).
The  diagrams  were  constructed  on  the  base  of
previously published diagrams of Stevens (1944),
Haggerty  (1991)  and  Deer  et  al.  (1992).  In  the
triangular,  Fe

— Cr—Al diagram (Fig. 8b), the

analysed spinels plot mostly in the Al-chromite
field and less in the picotite field. A single pri-
mary grain plot also in the chromite field. In the
binary diagram (Fig. 8c), all the primary grains
plot exclusively in the pleonaste field.

Only some altered zones show shifting to-

wards Cr and Fe, forming ferrian-chromite (fer-
rian pleonaste) to magnetite. Such pattern is
typical for ophiolite alteration, such as serpen-
tinization (see Mikuš & Spišiak 2007).

In the Mg/(Mg + Fe

) vs. Cr/(Cr + Al) dia-

gram, distribution of the fresh spinels best
match the field of type II ophiolites (Fig. 9a) of
Dick & Bullen (1984); in the same diagram of
Pober & Faupl (1988), they best match the field
of harzburgites (Fig. 9b).

In the TiO

vs. Al

of Lenaz et al. (2000)

and Kamenetsky et al. (2001), most of the fresh
spinel grains fall into peridotite fields (with
TiO

of less than 0.2 wt. %); only two mea-

sured values had higher TiO

values, falling

into the fields of back-arc basin and mid-oceanic
ridge  volcanics  (Fig. 10).  The  altered  zones  in
spinels  are  shifted  towards  low-Al  values  in
this  diagram.  The  peridotitic  spinels  show
mostly  lower  Al

values, which match the

supra-subduction zone peridotites field.

Discussion

The chemistry of spinels revealed their provenance from

harzburgitic  sources,  which  means  from  the  oceanic  crust
that  originated  rather  in  arc  to  back-arc  or  suprasubduction
ophiolites  (SSZ)  setting  rather  than  in  mid-oceanic  ridge.
Harzburgitic sources vastly predominate in most of the Cre-

Sample Spinel Garnet Zircon Rutile Tourmaline

93 4 1 2 1

98 1 0 0 0

97 2 1 0 0

97 0 1 0 0

Table 2: Representative microprobe analyses of the spinels
(in wt. %). Formula is based on 3 cations.

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Fig. 7. a—c – photographs of spinel grains with altered rims. Abbreviations: sp – spinel, mgn – magnetite, X, X1, X2, Y, Y1 – measure-
ment points corresponding to the measurements plotted in the diagrams of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6; d—f – examples of inclusions in spinel grains.
Explanations: chl – chlorite, Mg-chl – clinochlore, tr – tremolite, cpx – clinopyroxene, opx – orthopyroxene, hbl – hornblende.

taceous synorogenic flysches all over the Alpine-Carpathian-
Dinaridic belt (Pober & Faupl 1988; Árgyelán 1996; von
Eynatten & Gaupp 1999; Jablonský et al. 2001; Lužar-
Oberiter et al. 2009).

There are some cases described in literature which showed

that the Mg/(Mg + Fe

) vs. Cr/(Cr + Al) provenance dia-

grams of Dick & Bullen (1984) and Pober & Faupl (1988)
are not necessarily valid for all spinel sources. Power et al.
(2000) introduced a case from the Rum layered intrusion in
the Inner Hebrides, Scotland, where they revealed a wide
spectrum of spinels from chromite seams, covering the entire
Mg/(Mg + Fe

) vs. Cr/(Cr + Al) diagram. They also recorded

a strong shift of spinel chemistry towards Cr- and Fe-enrich-
ment, versus Al-depletion in the grains separated from sedi-
ments of the streams draining the intrusion body. The latter
they explained by a strong influx of spinels coming from the
wall-rock where they were dispersed and not sampled prima-
rily. However, Barnes & Roedes (2001) showed, that the en-
vironment  of  layered  intrusions  is  special  in  displaying  an
unusual  Al-increasing  and  Fe-decreasing  trend  with  falling
temperature which is opposite to normal. This is also respon-
sible for scattering of the values in diagrams bigger than in
ophiolitic  sources.  We  may  therefore  substantially  suppose,
that  there  is  still  a  provenance  value  of  the  Mg/(Mg+Fe

)

vs. Cr/(Cr+Al) diagrams for ophiolites.

From our own material we can compare the results from

Mount Dietrichshorn with more than 500 analyses from Cre-
taceous clastics of the Western Carpathians (see Jablonský et
al. 2001) and they show a perfect match (Fig. 11). Another

perfect match is found in the heavy mineral spectra from
Urgonian pebbles (Wagreich et al. 1995), which display
strong predominance of Cr-spinels (over 90 %) and they all
came exclusively from harzburgitic sources.

1. It indicates that Cretaceous chrome spinels and our

analysed samples have the same geochemistry and thus indi-
cate erosion of the same ophiolite nappe stack;

2. Our age data of the sedimentary rock succession thus

point to the fact that erosion of the same obducted ophiolite
nappe stack started already in the Kimmeridgian and lasted
in the study area until the Lower Cretaceous ( ~ Lower Ap-
tian; Rossfeld Fm), in other areas until the Paleogene.

Erosion of the ophiolite nappe stack was interrupted in the

time span Late Kimmeridgian to Tithonian by the evolution
of a shallow-water carbonate platform, as known, for example,
in  Albania  on  top  of  the  Mirdita  ophiolites  (Schlagintweit  et
al. 2008) or Greece on top of the Vourinos ophiolite (Carras et
al. 2004). Erosion of this platform started around the Juras-
sic/Cretaceous-boundary  as  is  proven  by  the  occurrence  of
Upper  Jurassic  shallow-water  pebbles  in  the  Lower  Creta-
ceous Firza Flysch (Gawlick et al. 2008; Schlagintweit et al.
2008)  in  Albania,  or  the  Lower  Cretaceous  Bosnian  Flysch
(Mikes et al. 2008). Reworked pebbles from the different fa-
cies  belts  of  this  shallow-water  platform  (similar  to  the
Kurbnesh  carbonate  platform  –  Schlagintweit  et  al.  2008)
were recently also described from the Berriasian—Valanginian
of the Vardar zone by Kostaki et al. (2013).

The younger, Gosau Group spinels show already a mixed,

harzbugitic-lherzolitic source, but only in the Coniacian to

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Fig. 8.  Chemical  classification  dia-
grams  (see  Gargiulo  et  al.  2013)  for
the spinel group minerals of the inves-
tigated  localities  near  Dietrichshorn.
a – Spinel prism for the multi-compo-
nent system: spinel-hercynite-chromi-
te-magnesiochromite-magnesioferrite-
magnetite  (after  Deer  et  al.  1992).
The  projections  of  the  triangular-
front  face  and  the  lateral-left  face  of
the  prism,  represent  the  diagrams  in
“b”  and  “c”;  b  –  Triangular  clas-
sification  diagram  (Cr

—Fe

—Al

“Spinel  gap”  field  from  Barnes  &
Roeder  (2001);  c  –  Binary  classifi-
cation  diagram  considering  the
Mg

—Fe

exchange in the structural

site “X”: Fe

/(Mg

+ Fe

Campanian  samples.  In  the  Maastrichtian  it  is  again  exclu-
sively  harzburgitic  (Stern  &  Wagreich  2013).  Later  appear-
ance  of  lherzolitic  material  in  sediments  may  indicate
progressive erosion, reaching a lower ophiolitic unit that was
long-time buried below the upper, harzburgitic nappe.

On the other hand, the present outcrops of primary ophio-

litic  rocks  of  the  Meliatic  and  Penninic  provenance  show
mostly  lherzolitic  origin  (Mikuš  &  Spišiak  2007)  and  their
spinel chemistry is mostly off the range of the samples from
Mount  Dietrichshorn  (Fig. 11).  In  the  present-day  position,
harzburgitic  ophiolites  are  more  common  in  the  Dinaridic
and  Hellenidic  obducted  ophiolites,  such  as  the  Vourinos
harzburgite  (Rassios  2008;  Rassios  et  al.  2010).  The  best
example  may  be  the  Mirdita  ophiolites  in  Albania,  which
represent  remnants  of  Mesozoic  oceanic  lithosphere  within
the Dinaride-Hellenide segment of the Alpine orogenic sys-
tem. In the Mirdita ophiolites two different rock associations
are  distinguished:  The  Western  Ophiolite  Belt  (WOB)  and

the Eastern Ophiolite Belt (EOB) (Beccaluva et al. 1994;
Bortolotti et al. 2002, 2005; Shallo & Dilek 2003).

The WOB with mainly lherzolitic basement is interpreted as

normal oceanic lithosphere whereas the EOB shows harzbur-
gitic  basement  and  is  interpreted  as  (Jurassic)  supra-sub-
duction lithosphere formed above an intra-oceanic subduction
zone  (Shallo  &  Dilek  2003).  The  WOB  represents  Middle
Triassic to Lower Jurassic Neotethys oceanic crust and occurs
in a lower nappe position. The EOB represents late Lower to
Middle Jurassic SSZ oceanic crust including boninites (Höck
et al. 2002; Koller et al. 2006). Due to intra-oceanic stacking
and  Middle  to  Late  Jurassic  obduction  the  EOB  occurs  in  a
higher  nappe  position  than  the  WOB  (Gawlick  et  al.  2008).
Therefore  erosion  of  the  EOB  ophiolites  and  equivalents
started  much  earlier  than  the  older  Neotethys  oceanic  crust
with the overlying oceanic sediments. Therefore we interpret
that  in  the  Kimmeridgian  resediments  only  chrome  spinels
from this harzburgitic source are found. Resediments from the

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Fig. 9. a – Dietrichshorn spinels plotted in the Cr/(Cr + Al) vs. Mg/(Mg + Fe

) diagram with

fields distinguished by Dick & Bullen (1984). The vertical distribution of the points best matches
to the type II ophiolites; b – the same measurements plotted in the diagram with the fields dis-
tinguished by Pober & Faupl (1988). In this diagram, the vertical distribution best matches the
field of harzburgites.

Fig. 10. Dietrichshorn spinels plotted in the TiO

vs. Al

diagram

of Lenaz et al. (2000) and Kamenetsky et al. (2001). Explanations:
LIP – large igneous provinces, OIB – ocean island basalts, ARC –
island-arc magmas, BABB – back-arc basin basalts, MORB – mid-
dle ocean ridge Basalts, SSZ – supra-subduction zone peridotites,
full circles – fresh spinels, empty circles – altered spinel rims.

Triassic Neotethys oceanic crust are
also missing in these Upper Jurassic
resediments.  They  become  more
common  in  the  Lower  Cretaceous
Rossfeld  Formation  (Krische  et  al.
2014) when the erosion cuts deeper
into  the  obducted  ophiolitic  nappe
stack  including  the  subophiolitic
mélange.

Therefore we can use a revised

model  of  the  Jurassic  geodynamic
evolution of the Albanides (Fig. 12),
presented by Gawlick et al. (2008),
also  for  the  Late  Jurassic  geo-
dynamic  scenario  of  the  Northern
Calcareous  Alps.  However,  the
provenance  area,  the  ophiolitic
nappe stack, originally south of the
Northern Calcareous Alps is today
completely eroded.

Our finding of ophiolite-derived

material  already  in  the  Upper  Ju-
rassic  strata  poses  the  question
about  relationships  of  the  Late  Ju-
rassic  and  mid-Cretaceous  (Eoal-
pine)  orogenic  processes,  the  two
events being clearly separated by a
comparatively calm phase with de-
velopment of the Kimmeridgian to
earliest  Cretaceous  carbonate  plat-
forms  sealing  the  Jurassic  thrust
structures  and  a  prolonged  period
of  ophiolite  erosion  until  com-

Fig. 11. Dietrichshorn spinels plotted in the TiO

vs. Al

diagram

and compared with spinel chemistry from the West-Carpathian Cre-
taceous synorogenic sediments (dark grey field, diagram from un-
published data of Jablonský et al. 2001) and Meliatic and Penninic
primary ophiolitic outcrops (light-grey fields, data from Mikuš &
Spišiak 2007).

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mencement of the renewed, Eoalpine shortening at ca. 120 Ma
(Early—Middle  Aptian).  According  to  the  current  views  (e.g.
Janák et al. 2004), the Eoalpine orogeny was initiated by an in-
tracontinental subduction of a belt of dense lower Central Aus-
troalpine  crust  attenuated  by  Permian  rifting  and  magmatic
underplating. Ensuing convergence and shortening triggered re-
newed  Upper  Austroalpine  thrust  stacking  and  further  erosion
of ophiolite-bearing units until their complete elimination from
the present surface structure. Consequently, evidence for the ex-
istence of this ophiolitic nappe stack in Late Jurassic to Paleo-
gene  times  south  of  today’s  Northern  Calcareous  Alps  comes
only from pebble analysis in the Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous
(e.g. van Eynatten & Gaupp 1999; Krische et al. 2014) and Late
Cretaceous to Paleogene sedimentary rocks (e.g. Wagreich et al.
1995; Stern et al. 2013). In the Lower Gosau sedimentary rocks
of the southeastern Northern Calcareous Alps a complete suite
of  ophiolite  rocks  including  the  Middle  Jurassic  metamorphic
sole (Schuster et al. 2007), together with the whole Middle to
Upper Triassic oceanic ribbon radiolarite sequence, and of the
subophiolitic mélange are proven (Suzuki et al. 2007).

Conclusions

The new data from detrital chrome spinel grains in the

western central Northern Calcareous Alps result in the fol-
lowing conclusions:

1. Erosion of the obducted ophiolite stack started in the

Kimmeridgian and not in the Early Cretaceous as previously
assumed. This clearly indicates that the first thrusting event
related  to  ophiolite  obduction  (upper  plate)  in  the  Northern
Calcareous  Alps  is  of  Jurassic  age.  In  a  Jurassic  strike-slip
tectonic  environment  redeposition  of  eroded  oceanic  crust
cannot be expected;

2. The geochemical composition of the detrital chrome

spinels points to a harzburgite provenance. The (Jurassic SSZ)
ophiolites occur in a higher nappe position than the (mainly)
lherzolitic (Triassic) ophiolites, as proven in the ophiolite
nappe stack, for example, in Albania (Mirdita ophiolites);

3. The southern Northern Calcareous Alps underwent the

same Jurassic to Early Cretaceous geodynamic history as the
Western Carpathians, the Dinarides, and the Albanides/Hel-
lenides  with  Middle  to  early  Late  Jurassic  ophiolite  obduc-
tion and the onset of erosion of the ophiolitic nappe pile in
the  Kimmeridgian.  A  Kimmeridgian  to  earliest  Cretaceous
carbonate platform evolved on top of the nappe stack includ-
ing the obducted ophiolites. Erosion of the obducted ophio-
lite nappe stack started in the Kimmeridgian and lasted until
the  late  Early  Cretaceous  (Aptian),  but  was  interrupted  by
the  (Late)  Kimmeridgian  to  earliest  Cretaceous  platform
evolution, which protected the ophiolite nappe stack against
erosion during that time span. In the Early Cretaceous much
of this platform was also eroded and can only be reconstructed
by pebble analysis from mass flows in the Lower-Upper Cre-
taceous sedimentary successions.

Acknowledgments: Supported by the OeAD WTZ Projects
SK 04/2011, SK 08/213 (HJG, SM, RA, DP) and the Projects:
APVV SK-AT-0002-12, APVV 0212-12 and VEGA 2/0195/12
(RA, DP). Reviews of Michael Wagreich and anonymous to a
previous version of the manuscript and Pavel Uher and 2 addi-
tional anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.

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