First Paleozoic Zoophycos trace fossils from the Sudetes (the Bardo Unit)

The trace fossil Zoophycos has been first time recognized in the Sudetes within the lower Carboniferous (upper Visean, crenistria Zone) of the Paprotnia Beds in the Bardo Unit. A distinct concentration of Zoophycos occurs in the lower part of the Paprotnia profile, in mudstones interbedded with bentonites, which were most likely deposited between storm wave base and fair weather wave base, in oxygenated water

Arborescent lycopsid cone from Lower Carboniferous flysch of the Bardo Mts (Sudetes)

The Lower Carboniferous sediments of the Bardo Mts. is mainly composed of biostratigraphically undocumented flysch sequences. A cone impression was found in clayey-mudstone bed of the Srebrna Góra formation that represents one of these flysch sequences. The estimated Middle or even Upper Viséan relative age of this formation was determined based on the underlying paleontologically documented Nowa Wieś formation. The strobilus specimen is morphologically similar to cones assigned to genera Flemingites and Lepidostrobus, that were produced by arborescent lycopsids. The absence of in situ spores makes a precicse taxonomical determination of the cone impossible. The currently known stratigraphical ranges of the two genera are consistent with the previous opinions on the age of Srebrna Góra formation

Famennian, thermally altered chert exotic clasts from the Jędrzychowice/Ludwigsdorf wildflysch (Sudetes)-stratigraphic and tectonic implications

A wildflysch sequence recently recognized in the Görlitzer Schiefergebirge/western Kaczawskie Mts. boundary zone permits the characterization of the westernmost Kaczawa Unit as a chaotic complex. The cherts,many of which contain numerous radiolarians, occur as exotic clasts within the olistostrome deposits of the wildflysch. They are associated with allochthonous blocks of blueschist, andesite pillow lavas and pyroclastic rocks, flysch facies clastic rocks, mudstones (often of black shale lithology) and carbonates. The conodonts extracted from the grey-greenish radiolarite cherts indicate a mid-Famennian age (Early rhomboidea Zone to Early marginifera Zone). The conodont-bearing radiolarite clasts reveal no trace of a tectonometamorphic fabric. Their 4-4.5 conodont colour alteration index (CAI) indicates that the rock underwent low-temperature (250-285C) thermal alteration. The lack of thermal overprint in the olistostrome matrix allows this alteration to be interpreted as a part of the tectonothermal, post-mid-Famennian evolution of the source area. A number of the exotic blocks of unmetamorphosed volcanic rocks associated with the chert exotics seems to indicate igneous (volcanic) activity as the reason for the chert alteration. The fact that exotic blocks of the Devonian chert have been found as clasts within deposits earlier believed to represent Upper Proterozoic (Cadomian) flysch suggests the need for reassessement of the extent of Cadomian rocks in the westernmost Sudetes

Conodont-based graphic correlation of upper Givetian-Frasnian sections of the Eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco)

A high-resolution correlation of ten upper Givetian-Frasnian sections spread over the differ ent facies environments of the Eastern Anti-Atlas (Morocco) is established using graphic correlation. The mea sured strati graphic ranges of eighty-five cono dont taxa have been as sem bled into a chronostratigraphic framework. The developed regional composite subdivides the Frasnian into 501 composite standard units (CSU) based on the original thickness of the reference section (Bou Tchrafine). This is a higher resolution than obtained by the classic biozone correlation. Based on the conodont data available for this correlation project, the jamieae and Lower rhenana zones could not be recognised in the sections