Post‐impact event bed (tsunamite) at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary deposited on a distal carbonate platform interior |
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Authors: | Tvrtko Korbar Iain McDonald Vlasta Premec Fućek Ladislav Fuček Hrvoje Posilović |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Geology, Croatian Geological Survey, Zagreb, Croatia;2. School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK;3. Exploration Sector, INA‐Industrija nafte d.d., Zagreb, Croatia |
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Abstract: | We show crucial evidence for the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary event recorded within a rare succession deposited in an inner‐platform lagoon on top of a Mesozoic, tropical, intra‐oceanic (western Tethys) Adriatic carbonate platform, which is exposed at Likva cove on the island of Bra? (Croatia). The last terminal Maastrichtian fossils appear within a distinct 10–12 cm thick event bed that is characterised by soft‐sediment bioturbation and rare shocked‐quartz grains, and is interpreted as a distal tsunamite. Directly overlying this is a 2 cm thick reddish‐brown clayey mudstone containing planktonic foraminifera typical of the basal Danian, and with elevated platinum‐group elements in chondritic proportions indicating a clear link to the Chicxulub asteroid impact. These results strongly support the first discovery of a “potential” K–Pg boundary tsunamite on the neighbouring island of Hvar, and these two complementary sections represent probably the most complete record of the event among known distal shallow‐marine successions. |
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