Revised conodont stratigraphy of the Cellon section (Silurian, Carnic Alps)

The Cellon section, located in the Carnic Alps, is a reference section for the Silurian of the world. The conodont association of the section is revised according to the most recent taxonomy and the biostratigraphy updated in the basis of the recently published zonation schemes. Seventy taxa (species and subspecies) belonging to 23 genera have been identified, allowing the discrimination of fifteen biozones from the upper Llandovery to the end of the Pridoli. However, some of the uppermost Llandovery and Wenlock biozones, corresponding to black shale intervals, have not been documented

The Pre-Variscan sequence of the Carnic Alps

The Pre-Variscan sequence of the Carnic Alps includes rocks deposited between the Middle Ordovician and the early Late Carboniferous, and represents one of the most continuous sequence of the world in that time interval. In a relatively small area it is possible to distinguish rocks deposited at various latitudes and climate (from cold in the Ordovician to tropical in the Devonian), and in different sedimentary environments (from shallow water, including reef deposition, to basin). The lithostratigraphy of the sequence has been recently revised and formalised, and 36 formations have been discriminated

Impact of snow state variation for design flood simulations in glacierized catchments

A continuously running hydrological energy balance model was used to analyse the influence of different snow covers on the formation of large floods within glacierized catchments. Model outputs from three different catchments in the Austrian Alps with glacierizations ranging from 30 to 39% were statistically interpreted to cover a wide range of possible combinations of areal snow cover distribution and mean snow water equivalent (SWE_m) and to define initialisation values for extreme runoff scenarios. These model states consider snow conditions between less than 10% snow coverage up to almost complete snow coverage, with different snow depths represented by minimum, mean or maximum levels of SWE_m. For the utilization of extreme runoffs, these snow cover states were combined with design storm input data. An analysis of the resulting flood hydrographs showed that the maximum runoff values occur with minimal snow cover conditions. With increasing snow coverage and SWE_m, flow magnitudes tend to decrease while the relevant precipitation time increases significantly. The influence of topographical catchment features, snow cover and SWE_m on the simulated scenario discharge is discussed. The contribution of the different runoff components to the modelled peak flows confirms the assumption that floods in glacierized catchments are a combination of directly discharging rain and ice melt

Plotta Formation

The Plotta Formation is mainly composed of white, grayish or blackish porous chert. Locally, at its base, a thin breccia layer is developed. It is composed by small subrounded limestone clasts, angular relict chert fragments and dark siliceous crust

Stars in the Silurian sky : Echinoderm holdfasts from the Carnic Alps, Austria

A small collection of echinoderm holdfasts from the Ludlow Cardiola Formation of the Carnic Alps (Austria) contains a wide range of morphologies as a response of environmental adaptation. In general, the holdfasts have a globous and massive dome-like profile with several processes arranged in a sub-radial disposition, so to create a sort of 'star-like' outline. A small central depression is common but not present on all specimens. The distinctive holdfasts are preserved in an iron-rich phase, documenting a substitution that has also affected other non-echinoderm calcareous material

Stars in the Silurian sky: Echinoderm holdfasts from the Carnic Alps

A small collection of echinoderm holdfasts from the Ludlow Cardiola Formation of the Carnic Alps (Austria) contains a wide range of morphologies as a response of environmental adaptation. In general, the holdfasts have a globous and massive dome-like profile with several processes arranged in a sub-radial disposition, so to create a sort of ‘star-like’ outline. A small central depression is common but not present on all specimens. The distinctive holdfasts are preserved in an iron-rich phase, documenting a substitution that has also affected other non-echinoderm calcareous material