Biostratigraphy of the Emsian to Eifelian in the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland)

Abstract

The paper give a biostratigraphic interpretation of the Emsian to Eifelian in the Łysogóry and Kielce regions of the Holy Cross Mountains, based on the different groups of microfossils: miospores, conodonts, ostracods and foraminifers. Four miospore zones were identified in the uppermost Pragian, Emsian and lowermost Eifelian: Verrucosisporites polygonalis–Dibolisporites wetteldorfensis (PW), Emphanisporites annulatus–Brochotriletes bellatulus (AB), Emphanisporites foveolatus–Verruciretusispora dubia (FD) and Acinosporites apiculatus–Grandispora protea (AP). In the Łysogóry region, the Emsian and lowermost Eifelian comprises four conodont zones: serotinus, patulus, partitus and costatus, three ostracod assemblages and several foraminifer assemblages. In the Kielce region, deposits from the Emsian/Eifelian boundary interval yield conodonts from the patulus and partitus zones, two ostracod assemblages and assemblages of agglutinated foraminifers. The joint biostratigraphic analysis allows a tentative correlation of the lithostratigraphic units from both areas. It also provides independent control/calibration on the different biostratigraphical systems. The Pragian/Emsian boundary is located in the lower part of the Barcza Formation and in the lower part of the Haliszka Formation, whereas the Emsian/Eifelian boundary lies in the upper part of the Grzegorzowice Formation and in the upper part of the Winna Formation.