Upper Famennian and Lower Tournaisian sections of the Moravian Karst (Moravo‐Silesian Zone,Czech Republic): a proposed key area for correlation of the conodont and foraminiferal zonations

Foraminiferal and conodont faunas at the Devonian–Carboniferous (D–C) boundary in the southern part of the Moravian Karst (Czech Republic) were studied in different facies of the basin slope. The joint presence of foraminifers and conodonts in calciturbidites along with a positive δ¹³C excursion of the Hangenberg anoxic event enabled the high‐resolution calibration of the late Famennian–early Tournaisian interval (Upper expansa–crenulata conodont zones). The conodont stratigraphic and biofacies succession reveals a strong correlation with other European areas. The Siphonodella sulcata morphotype (close to Group 1 sensu Kaiser and Corradini and “nov. gen. nov. sp. 1” sensu Tragelehn) enters prior to the Hangenberg Event, which resembles Upper and Uppermost Famennian conodont successions from Franconia, Bavaria and Morocco. The diversification of the early siphonodellids takes place after the Hangenberg Event and after the protognathodid radiation. In terms of foraminiferal biostratigraphy, the D–C boundary interval is characterized by the first appearance datum (FAD) of Tournayellina pseudobeata close below the D–C boundary followed by a sequence of Tournaisian bioevents, where apart from the last appearance datums (LADs) of quasiendothyrs, the FADs of the Neoseptaglomospiranella species and chernyshinellids play an important role in a similar manner as in Eastern Europe. The correlation of these bioevents elsewhere is often hindered by glacioeustatically‐driven unconformities and widespread occurrences of unfavourable facies for plurilocular foraminifers (Malevka beds and Bisphaera beds). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.