Depositional history of the Miocene Lake Sinj (Dinaride Lake System,Croatia): a long-lived hard-water lake in a pull-apart tectonic setting

Early Miocene transpressional wrenching yielded a series of NW–SE-elongated pull-apart basins in the Dinarides of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They accommodated a huge lake system that gave rise to spectacular endemic mollusk radiation. Lake Sinj, moderately sized at 342 km², flooded the south-westernmost basin of this system. Due to the karstic environment, the hard-water, alkaline, long-lived lake developed a sediment infill with an average thickness of 370 m, dominated by authigenic limestone. The studied section represents the upper third of the basinal infill and provides detailed insights into the critical period of the lake and of the basinal evolution during the final stages of its filling. It comprises two large-scale, shallowing-upward cycles, both starting with fossil-poor limestones, gradually passing into coal-bearing carbonate rocks and coal seams. The fossil-poor intervals are interpreted as phases of repetitive acidification events due to changing lake level, which induced periodic drying and flooding of the uppermost littoral zone inhabited by starfruit (Damasonium) meadows. The flooding of the aerated, limy mud plain introduced H+ ions from organic-matter decay reactions into the shallow lake. This decreased its pH level, with catastrophic consequences for its biota. The ecosystem then stabilized during the orbitally-forced, dry climate phases. Based on the mollusk record, streams still influenced the marginal lake environment and rich organic-matter production created swamps and mires. The onset of mollusk radiation in the section correlates with stabilized lake alkalinity, as indicated by the disappearance of starfruits, ongoing authigenic carbonate production and by coal seams representing textbook examples for coal formation in alkaline environments. The inferred basinal setting fits well with the pull-apart basin model, pointing to the presence of an extended shallow ramp in front of a steep, fault-induced hillside of the hinterland.     

The Neogene Fohnsdorf Basin: basin formation and basin inversion during lateral extrusion in the Eastern Alps (Austria)

The evolution of the early/middle Miocene Fohnsdorf Basin has been studied using borehole data, reflection seismic lines, and vitrinite reflectance. The basin is located along the sinistral Mur-Mürz fault system and probably formed as an asymmetric pull-apart basin, which was subsequently modified by halfgraben tectonics, as a consequence of eastward lateral extrusion. Sedimentation started with the deposition of fluvio-deltaic sediments. Thick coal accumulated in the northwestern basin. Thereafter subsidence rates increased dramatically with the formation of a lake several hundred meters deep. The lake was filled mainly from the north with more than 1500?m of sediments showing a coarsening-upward trend due to southward prograding deltaic lobes. A sequence of more than 1000?m of boulder gravels (Blockschotter) in the southeastern part of the basin are interpreted as the upper part of a coarse-grained fan delta succession, which accumulated along a normal fault along the southern basin margin. Fan deltas reached the central basin only during the early stages of sedimentation and during the late stages of basin formation. Miocene heat flow was approximately 65–70?mW/m², which is significantly lower than in other basins along the Mur-Mürz fault system. The present-day southwestern basin margin is a recent feature, which is related to transpression along the dextral Pöls-Lavanttal fault system. It is formed by reverse faults constituting the northeastern part of a flower structure. Miocene sediments in the Feeberg valley are preserved along its southwestern part. Uplift of the central part of the flower structure was at least 2.4?km. North–south compression resulted in the deformation of the basin fill, uplift of the E/W-trending basement ridge separating the Fohnsdorf and Seckau basins, and in the erosion of 1750?m of sediments along the northern basin margin.     

Gas accumulations in Oligocene–Miocene reservoirs in the Alpine Foreland Basin (Austria): evidence for gas mixing and gas degradation

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Two petroleum systems are present in the eastern (Austrian) sector of the Alpine Foreland Basin. Whereas oil and thermogenic gas in Mesozoic and Eocene...     

Relations of petrographical and geochemical parameters in the middle Miocene Lavanttal lignite (Austria)

Samples from two lignite seams (Lower Seam, Upper Seam) of the Lavanttal basin (Austria) and additional xylite were investigated for variations in maceral composition, petrography-based facies indicators, bulk geochemical parameters, and molecular composition of hydrocarbons. Both seams originated in a topogenous mire and evolved within a transgressive setting. The final drowning of the mire is indicated by sapropelic shales. Whereas the sapropelic shale overlying the Lower Seam was deposited in a freshwater lake, the sapropelic shale above the Upper Seam represents a brackish lake.Numerous relationships are found between petrography-based facies indicators and the geochemical composition of organic matter. The contents of macerals of the liptinite group are positively correlated with soluble organic matter (SOM) yields and hydrogen index (HI). Consistent with maceral composition and high HI values, enhanced proportions of short-chain n-alkanes, which are predominantly found in algae and microorganisms, are obtained from samples of the sapropelic shales. The final drowning of the mire is reflected by decreasing pristane/phytane ratios, due to the rise in (ground)water table and the establishment of anaerobic conditions, as well as by decreasing ratios of diasterenes/sterenes, indicating increasing pH values in the mire. The degree of gelification of plant tissue (gelification index) is governed by the microbial activity in the mire, as indicated by the hopanes concentration. The differences in floral assemblage during the formation of the Lavanttal lignite seams are reflected by major differences in tissue preservation. Preservation of plant tissue (TPI) in the Lavanttal lignite is obviously controlled by the presence/absence of decay-resistant gymnosperms in the peat-forming vegetation, and additionally influenced by the relative contribution of wood to coal formation. The results provide evidence that valuable information for coal facies characterization could be obtained by petrography-based and geochemical facies indicators. An influence of the floral assemblage (gymnosperms/angiosperms ratio) and of the contribution of algal biomass on carbon isotopic composition of the organic matter (δ¹³C = − 24.2 to − 28.6‰) is proposed. Carbon cycling during biogeochemical decomposition of plant tissue by bacteria is suggested to affect the δ¹³C values of the coal. The chemotaxonomical classification of the xylites as gymnosperm remnants, based on the molecular composition of terpenoid biomarkers, is corroborated by the carbon isotopic composition of the xylites (mean δ¹³C = − 24.1‰) and the extracted cellulose (mean δ¹³C = − 20.2‰). The higher isotopic difference of about 3.9‰ between cellulose and total organic carbon of the xylites, compared to the difference between cellulose and wood found in modern trees, is explained by the smaller effect of decomposition on δ¹³C of cellulose.     

Hydrocarbon-bearing fluid inclusions in the Drau Range (Eastern Alps, Austria): implications for the genesis of Bleiberg-type Pb-Zn deposits

Summary Hydrocarbons in ore minerals of Bleiberg-type Pb-Zn deposits and in authigenic quartz of the Drau Range (Eastern Alps) have been analysed by bulk-sample gas chromatography and fluorescence microscopy. Microthermometric data and the molecular composition of the hydrocarbons indicate a hot (120° to 130°C) pulse of migrating condensate-like hydrocarbons within Late Triassic sediments during Middle Cretaceous to Early Tertiary times. The molecular composition of hydrocarbons enclosed in authigenic quartz corresponds to the composition of hydrocarbons trapped in Bleiberg-type ore minerals, therefore a common fluid source is assumed. The hydrocarbons possibly played an important role as reducing agents in the late stage of sulfide precipitation.

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Kohlenwasserstoffhältige Flüssigkeitseinschlüsse im Drauzug (Ostalpen, Österreich) und ihre Bedeutung für die Genese der Pb-Zn-Lagerstätten vom Bleiberg-Typ

Zusammenfassung Die organo-chemische Zusammensetzung von Kohlenwasserstoffen, die in Erzmineralen vom Typus Bleiberg and in authigenen Quarzen des Drauzuges (Ostalpen) eingeschlossen sind, wurde durch gaschromatographische and fluoreszenzmikroskopische Untersuchungen charakterisiert. Mikrothermometrische Daten und die molekulare Zusammensetzung dieser Kohlenwasserstoffphasen weisen auf migrierende kondensatartige Kohlenwasserstoffe in den Sedimenten der Obertrias während des Zeitraumes zwischen der Mittelkreide und dem Alttertiär hin. In Erzmineralen der Pb-Zn-Vererzungen vom Bleiberg-Typ können Kohlenwasserstoffe nachgewiesen werden deren molekulare Zusammensetzung dem Chemismus von Kohlenwasserstoffen, die in authigenen Quarzen eingeschlossen wurden, entspricht. Es wird vermutet, daß diese Kohlenwasserstoffe während der späten Vererzungsphase als Reduktanten wirkten.

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With 6 Figures     

Vegetation differences and diagenetic changes between two Bulgarian lignite deposits – Insights from coal petrology and biomarker composition

During the Miocene numerous sedimentary basins formed on the territory of Bulgaria as a result of the extensional tectonic settings related to the post-orogenic development of the late Alpine orogen. In this study, we review the petrographic composition and biomarker assemblage of two adjacent basins in western Bulgaria, i.e. Beli Breg and Staniantsi basins. Both contain lignite formed during late Miocene (c. 6 Ma). Despite similar tectonic settings and depositional environments, the lignite seams possess different petrographic and organic geochemical characteristics, reflecting differences in the peat forming palaeo-communities and facies variations. The peat-forming vegetation in Beli Breg Basin was dominated by decay resistant coniferous plants, as indicated by abundant fossil wood remains, very good tissue preservation and a biomarker assemblage dominated by diterpenoids. In contrast, Staniantsi lignite is poor in fossil wood and contains a significant amount of triterpenoid biomarkers, suggesting the predominance of angiosperm plants in the swamp. The results of the biomarker analyses are consistent with palaeobotanical and palynological data from the literature.The lignite seams in both basins formed under frequently changing Eh conditions, as indicated by the severe degradation of the non-gymnosperm tissues, the low gelification index values and the variations in pristane/phytane ratio, probably as a result of seasonal drying of the swamps and changes of the ground water table. Hopanoid contents in Beli Breg lignite are very low and are consistent with the abundance of decay-resistant vegetation. In contrast, bacterial activity was obviously higher in the Staniantsi swamp, however, resulting only in slightly enhanced gelification of plant tissues. The geochemical data suggest that the diagenetic changes of the organic matter were mainly governed by thermal degradation, rather than bacterial activity.     

Numerical modelling of the thermal evolution of the northwestern Dniepr–Donets Basin (Ukraine)

The Dniepr–Donets Basin (DDB) is a Late Devonian rift structure located within the East-European Craton. Numerical heat flow models for 13 wells calibrated with new maturity data were used to evaluate temporal and lateral heat flow variations in the northwestern part of the basin.The numerical models suggest that heat flow was relatively high during Late Carboniferous and/or Permian times. The relatively high heat flow is probably related to an Early Permian re-activation of tectonic activity. Reconstructed Early Permian heat flow values along the axial zone of the rift are about 60 mW/m² and increase to 90 mW/m² along the northern basin margin. These values are higher than those expected from tectonic models considering a single Late Devonian rifting phase. The calibration data are not sensitive to variations in the Devonian/Carboniferous heat flow. Therefore, the models do not allow deciding whether heat flows remained high after the Devonian rifting, or whether the reconstructed Permian heat flows represent a separate heating event.Analysis of the vitrinite reflectance data suggest that the northeastern Dniepr–Donets Basin is characterised by a low Mesozoic heat flow (30–35 mW/m²), whereas the present-day heat flow is about 45 mW/m².     

Petrography and geochemistry of Carboniferous coal seams in the Donets Basin (Ukraine): implications for paleoecology

The Carboniferous succession in the Donets Basin hosts about 130 seams, each with a thickness over 0.45 m. Nine economically important seams from the (south)western Donets Basin are studied using organic petrographical, inorganic geochemical, and organic geochemical techniques. The main aim of the study is the reconstruction of peat facies of Serpukhovian (Mississippian) and Moscovian (Middle Pennsylvanian) coals.Formation of major coal seams commenced during Serpukhovian times. Early Serpukhovian coal accumulated in a relatively narrow shore-zone and is rich in inertinite and liptinite. Very low ash yields, low to moderate sulphur contents, and upward increasing inertinite contents suggest coal deposition in raised mires.Moscovian coal has a significantly wider lateral extension and is generally rich in vitrinite. Coal properties vary widely in response to different peat facies. Low-sulphur, low-ash k₇ coal was formed in a raised mire or in a low-lying mire without detrital input. l₁ and l₃ seams containing several fluvial partings were formed in low-lying mires. Both seams are more than 2 m thick. Seams m₂ and m₃ contain high-sulphur coal, a consequence of deposition in a peat with marine influence. In contrast, syngenetic sulphur content is low in the m₅^{1 upper} seam, which was formed in a lacustrine setting. The late Moscovian n₁ seam, up to 2.4 m thick, accumulated in a swamp with a vegetation rich in bryophytes and pteridophytes. The properties of the n₁ seam are transitional between those of Serpukhovian and other Moscovian seams. Differences in maceral composition between Serpukhovian and Moscovian coals probably reflect changes in climate and vegetation type.Tuff layers are observed in the l₁, l₃, and m₃ seams. The l₃ and m₃ seams contain abundant authigenic quartz. Trace element contents are high in many seams. As contents are especially high in seams c₁₀², k₇, l₃ and m₃. Ash in the l₃ seam contains up to 8000 ppm As. Co is enriched near the base of several seams. Maxima up to 2400 ppm occur in the ash of the k₇ and l₃ seams. Cd contents in ash are frequently as high as 30 or 40 ppm.