Krzysztof Birkenmajer
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences, Research Center in Kraków, Poland; ndbirken@cyf‑kr.edu.pl

The stratigraphic column of the Czertezik Succession (Pieniny Klippen Belt, West Carpathians) includes Upper Liassic through Upper Cretaceous rock units. The succession crops out in several tectonic windows from below the Pieniny Nappe and/or the Branisko Nappe which were thrust over the Czertezik Unit during Laramian folding of the Klippen Belt. Lithological development and succession of strata of the Czertezik Unit in these windows prove that its original sedimentary zone was a direct southern continuation of the Czorsztyn one.
In the present author's opinion, contrary to Wierzbowski et al. (2004), the Czertezik Succession in the territory of Poland lacks the Bajocian-Callovian ammonitico rosso unit = the Niedzica Limestone Formation. The Czorsztyn Limestone Formation (Kimmeridgian, also ammonitico rosso facies) distinguished by the present author in the Czertezik Succession at Czertezik and Pieniński Stream (Pieniny Range), and at Wysoka Mt (Little Pieniny Range), attributed by Wierzbowski et al. (2004) to the "Niedzica Limestone Formation", did not yield any age-diagnostic fossils to support their change of its Kimmeridgian (resp. Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian) age to an Upper Bajocian-Callovian one. This limestone occurs always above, and not below the radiolarite horizon (Czajakowa Radiolarite Fm.).
In the present author's opinion, two klippes with fossiliferous Niedzica Limestone Formation described by Wierzbowski et al. (2004) from Litmanová and Milpoš, East Slovakia, do not represent the Czertezik Succession but are typical examples of the Niedzica Succession. A palinspastic-sedimentological model proposed in this paper shows probable Middle Jurassic palaeogeographic position of the very discontinuous sedimentary area of the Niedzica Succession, between larger submarine crinoid limestone fans developed in the Czorsztyn and Czertezik sedimentary zones.

Key words: Jurassic, Cretaceous, Czertezik Succession, Pieniny Klippen Belt, Carpathians, stratigraphy, tectonics, palaeogeography

Krzysztof Birkenmajer & Przemysław Gedl
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences, Research Center in Kraków, Poland; ndbirken@cyf‑kr.edu.pl ;  ndgedl@cyf‑kr.edu.pl

A geological section on Mt Hulina at Szczawnica Niżna, the Małe Pieniny Range, exposes Jurassic through Cretaceous rocks of the Grajcarek Unit, the northernmost tectonic unit of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (West Carpathians, Poland). Dark marine shales of very similar lithology, but with different microfossil assemblages, occur twice in the section, representing the Middle Jurassic (Opaleniec Formation) and the Lower Cretaceous (Wronine Formation) units of the Magura (Grajcarek) Succession, respectively. This paper presents the results of dinocyst investigations from the Opaleniec Formatiom which indicate its Bathonian age, and the Sokolica Radiolarite Formation which point out to their Middle Oxfordian - ?Lower Kimmeridgian age.

Key words: Jurassic strata, dinocyst ages, stratigraphy, Grajcarek Unit, Carpathians

Elżbieta Gedl
Jagiellonian University, Institute of Geological Sciences, Kraków, Poland;  gedl@ing.uj.edu.pl

Dinocyst assemblages (150 taxa) were recognised in the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Grajcarek Unit, Pieniny Klippen Belt (West Carpathians). The following dinocyst based ages were established: a Hauterivian-Barremian boundary level age in the Sztolnia section (Pieniny Limestone Formation); a Late Barremian age of the top part of the Pieniny Limestone Formation (Rzeźnia section); a Late Barremian -Early Aptian age of the Kapuśnica Formation, Brodno Member (Rzeźnia section); latest Barremian-Early Aptian and Late Albian-Cenomanian ages of the Wronine Forma- tion (Rzeźnia section); Late Albian-Cenomanian (Hulina section) and the latest Albian-Cenomanian (Sztolnia section) ages of the Hulina Formation. Palynofacies assemblages were described and differentiated into five types, PT1 to PT5, reflecting various palaeoenvironments. Presence of anoxic events, as based on amorphous-organic-matter-dominated palynofacies, was recognized.

Key words: Dinocysts, palynofacies, Early Cretaceous, Grajcarek Unit, Pieniny Klippen Belt, West Carpathians

Przemysław Gedl
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences, Research Center in Kraków, Poland; ndgedl@cyf‑kr.edu.pl

Palynological analysis of some flyschoid rocks exposed in a tributary of the Potok Hałuszowski creek revealed the presence of dinocyst assemblages of two different ages. The Jurassic one from the Szlachtowa Formation includes the genera Nannoceratopsis, Dissiliodinium, Kallo- sphaeridium, Rhynchodiniopsis and Meiourogonyaulax. This assemblage most probably represents an Early-?Late Bajocian. A younger assemblage (Late Cretaceous), was found in rocks attributed to the Hałuszowa Formation.

Key words: Dinocysts, biostratigraphy, Jurassic, Late Cretaceous, Pieniny Klippen Belt, Carpathians, Szlachtowa Formation, Hałuszowa Formation

Elżbieta Gedl, Bogusław Kołodziej & Alfred Uchman
Jagiellonian University, Institute of Geological Sciences, Kraków, Poland;   gedl@ing.uj.edu.pl ;   bogdan@ing.uj.edu.pl ; fred@ing.uj.edu.pl

Dinocyst biostratigraphy adds new important data on the age of the Muráň Limestone Member of the Kościeliska Marl Formation in the Wściekły Żleb gully area, Polish Western Tatra Mts. Its early Late Hauterivian age is based on dinocysts indicative of the Canningia pistica (Capi) Interval Subzone of the Aprobolocysta eilema (Aie) Taxon Range Zone. This allows to correlate sedimentation of the Muráň Limestone Member with the Strážovce event recognized in the West Carpathians. As based on microfacies analysis, limestones of the Muráň Limestone Member (calcilutites and calcarenites developed as litho-bioclastic packstones and grainstones) represent distal parts of calciturbidites, which contain shallow-water bioclasts derived from a carbonate platform. The bioclasts include microproblematicum Pieninia oblonga, so far known from the Barremian to Eocene. Its stratigraphic range is thus extended down to the Late Hauterivian. Dinocyst age data allow to correlate the Muráň Limestone Member of the Western Tatra Mts with a lower part of the Muráň Limestone Formation in the Belanské Tatry Mts.

Key words: Dinocysts, palynofacies, carbonate microfacies, Muráň Limestone Member, Kościeliska Marl Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Tatra Mountains, Carpathians

Przemysław Gedl
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences, Research Center in Kraków, Poland;  ndgedl@cyf‑kr.edu.pl

Dinocysts have been described for the first time from Upper Cretaceous deep-water marine variegated deposits of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, Poland. They have been found in the Malinowa Shale Formation (Grajcarek Succession) exposed at the Potok Trawne creek. Latest Turonian-Coniacian dinocysts occur in dark-coloured shale intercalations. Their assemblage consists mainly of well preserved small peridinioids (Palaeohystrichophora infusorioides and Alterbidinium sp.) and gonyaulacoids (Pterodinium and Spiniferites). Their motile stages inhabited offshore waters of the Magura Basin during Late Cretaceous. Dominance of peridinioids may indicate eutrophic conditions in the photic zone of the offshore waters induced by upwelling.

Key words: Palaeoenvironment, variegated facies, dinocysts, Late Cretaceous, Malinowa Shale Formation, Pieniny Klippen Belt, Poland