Astronomical forcing of Lower Cretaceous deep-marine turbidites in the Outer Western Carpathians (southern Poland)

Abstract

Deep-marine turbiditic systems are controlled by the supply of terrigenous material and are predominantly influenced by autocyclic processes related to channel migration or lobe switching. Despite advances in understanding cyclic sedimentary successions linked to orbital forcing, research on orbital cycles in deep-marine, turbiditic sequences remains rare. This study examines the relationship between terrigenous material supply, and astronomical forcing, offering insights into the timing and mechanisms of turbidite deposition in the Lower Cretaceous deep-marine deposits of the Alpine thrust-and-fold belt, Outer Western Carpathians in southern Poland. The 220 m log investigated from the Krzyworzeka river section at Poznachowice Górne was analysed using a general lithological log treated as a time series. A series of statistical tests assessed whether lithological variations were random, influenced by deterministic processes, or showed cyclicity. The results reveal a strong correlation between sedimentary patterns and climate oscillations driven by precession, obliquity, and eccentricity, with short eccentricity and obliquity modulation exerting the strongest influence. Combining three independent cyclostratigraphic methods allowed identification of recurring trends in bed thickness across five well-defined turbiditic facies. These findings provide new insights into the role of astronomical forcing in controlling deep-marine sedimentation and highlight the new, advanced statistical approaches such as multi-channel singular spectrum analysis, and recurrence plots, in reconstructing past climate dynamics.