Jurassic evolution and the structure of the central part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Carpathians) in Poland – new insight from the Czertezik Succession type area

Abstract

The Czertezik Succession of the Pieniny Klippen Belt in Poland is assigned herein to its type area of occurrence – the main Pieniny Range, between Zamkowa Góra and Czertezik mounts. The reworked deposits of uppermost Pliensbachian, Toarcian and possibly Aalenian to lowermost Bajocian discovered in crinoidal limestones which indicate redeposition processes, especially during the Bajocian, are considered to be clearly important for reconstructing the depositional history. The redeposited Pliensbachian is represented by clasts of spotty limestones, the Toarcian by ferruginous grains and fragments of crusts/large oncoids of the ammonitico-rosso type (?Adnet Fm.), whereas the Aalenian and lowermost Bajocian is possibly represented by clasts of siliciclastic deposits and phosphatic nodules. This part of the succession resulted from the activity of rifting phases at the end of the Early Jurassic, and in the Bajocian, which caused the development of the special sedimentary environments typical of the Czertezik Succession. The younger Middle to Late Jurassic deposits represented by nodular limestones, radiolarites and micritic well-bedded limestones show a less distinct facies pattern, which is in part similar to that of other successions of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, although some rock-units such as the newly established Zamkowa Góra Bed, revealing the continuation of redeposition processes, remain specific to the Czertezik Succession. The Jurassic structure of the central part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt in Poland is revised due to the introduction of the Czertezik Ridge as a new palaeogeographic unit being the place of deposition of the Czertezik Succession. The revised position of the deposits shifts the structural affinity of the Czertezik Succession from the Subpieniny Nappe to the base of the Pieniny Nappe sensu Uhlig, 1907, and implies its closer palaeogeographic position to the Branisko–Pieniny successions than to the Czorsztyn–Niedzica successions as has been interpreted so far.