Jurassic corals in Poland

Authors

  • Ewa RONIEWICZ

Keywords:

Jurassic, Scleractinian corals, Environment, coral facies

Abstract

In the epicontinental Jurassic of Poland, scleractinian corals appeared in the Bathonian, but only in the Middle Oxfordian-Lower Kimmeridgian became a significant element of the shallow-water fauna. Over the whole area, Upper Jurassic coral facies are situated above the Oxfordian sponge megafacies. Middle Oxfordian Jurassic corals are the best known from the NE margin of the Holy Cross Mts and represented chiefly by lamellate colonies. The Upper Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian coral facies extends from the Pomerania, through central Poland to the fore-Carpathian region. Taxonomical and morphotypical coral diversifications of the Upper Oxfordian and Kimmeridian were higher than that of the Middle Oxfordian. In the Tethyan region, corals are known from the exotic pebbles of the Stramberk-type Tithonian limestones in the Carpathian Flysh and Pieniny Klippen Belt. The arguments against the interpretation of epicontinental coral accumulations as reefs, are as follows: abundance of lamellate corals and epithecate phaceloid taxa (the latter incapable to repair skeletal damages), high taxonomical diversification and frequency of corals with menianes representing presumable adaptations to filtering mode of nutrition, comparable rate of growth of coral constructions and of accumulation of surrounding sediment, association of corals characterized above with soft bottom and turbid water.

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