Campanian Pseudosabinia from the Pučišća Formation on the island of Hvar (Adriatic Sea, Croatia)

Authors: TVRTKO KORBAR, BLANKA CVETKO TESOVIC, IVO RADOVANOVIC, KATARINA KRIZMANIC, THOMAS STEUBER, PETER W. SKELTON

Abstract: The Upper Cretaceous carbonates on the Island of Hvar were deposited within the central Tethyan, intra-oceanic Adriatic carbonate platform (s. str). The Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy of the platform has been described in detail from the neighbouring island of Brac. Following the intra-platform deeper-water carbonate sedimentation of the Dol Formation, the Campanian Pucisca Formation (the Brač 'Marbles' unit) in the area of the town of Hvar are characterized by massive bioclastic rudist-bearing carbonates deposited in relatively deeper subtidal environments. Within the uppermost part of the Pucisca Formation we recognized massive rudist valves, characterized by a complex canaliferous inner shell structure, and determined them as Pseudosabinia klinghardti. The valves are embedded in massive, light-grey to white, mostly recrystalized peloidal-bioclastic packstone to rudstones, characterized in places by chalky appearance. The macrofossil association comprises various radiolitids, rare hippuritids, plagioptychids and inoceramid bivalves. Microfossil association includes index species of orbitoids and siderolitines. The range of the microfossils, along with results of strontium-isotope stratigraphy, indicate the latest Middle Campanian age of the Pseudosabinia horizon. Thus, it is the youngest horizon of the Pucisca Formation in the Adriatic carbonate platform reported to date.

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