Late Jurassic facies succession of the Kleszczów Graben area (southern border of the Łódź Depression, peri-Tethyan shelf, central Poland)

Abstract

Numerous fully cored boreholes completed in the last years in central Poland (Kleszczów Graben area, southern border of the Łódź Depression) enabled the researchers to obtain new sedimentological data on the Oxfordian-Tithonian continuous sedimentary record in the Polish part of the northern Tethys shelf. Twenty-two facies were distinguished in the sedimentological succession. The facies represent the outer-, mid- and inner-ramp environments, including evaporitic episodes and palaeosols. The facies document that the Oxfordian-Lower Kimmeridgian (up to Hypselocyclum) carbonate ramp has evolved to the Upper Kimmeridgian-Tithonian carbonate-siliciclastic ramp. Among the Kimmeridgian deposits, numerous hardgrounds, tidal channel deposits and gravity flow sediments were identified. The Kleszczów Graben sedimentary succession is discussed along with the lithostratigraphical units known from the adjacent regions of southern and central Poland.