Proterozoic acritarchs from the Precambrian-Cambrian transition in southern Moravia (Měnín-1 borehole, Czech Republic)

 

Authors: Vavrdová M

Published in: Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 83, issue 1; pages: 85 - 92; Received 15 May 2007; Accepted in revised form 17 January 2008;

Keywords: Vendian, acritarchs, basal clastics, southern Moravia,

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Abstract

Well preserved and varied sphaeromorphs, filamentous trichomes and synaploid organic-walled microfossils occur in fine-grained clastics in the Měnín-1 borehole. Thirty genera with 40 species have been identified, previously known from Meso- and Neoproterozoic sediments. The Proterozoic microfossils are excellently preserved, not affected by post-diagenetic thermal alteration. The Vendian age is documented by the presence of the taxa Bavlinella faveolata (Shepeleva) Vidal, 1976, Chabiosphaera bohemica Drábek, 1972, Obruchevella valdaica (Shepeleva ex Aseeva) Jankauskas et al., 1989, Podolina minuta Hermann in Timofeev et al., 1976, and Primoflagella speciosa Gnilovskaya, 1983. The palynological residuum contained no acritarch species of Early Cambrian age, although the basal Cambrian Asteridium tornatum-Comasphaeridium velvetum palynozone was ascertained from 266 m below the level with acritarchs. Thin sections from the Měnín-1 borehole suggest a possible presence of more than 600 m of Vendian sediments. Irrespective of the possible secondary origin of the recovered microfossils, the existence of extensive Proterozoic marine sedimentation within the southern part of the Brunovistulicum is clearly demonstrated. Sediments from the Precambrian-Cambrian transition were not subjected to Cadomian or younger metamorphic processes.

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