Biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the Lower Cretaceous sediments in the Outer Western Carpathians (Silesian Unit, Czech Republic)

Almost black shale filling fissures in the Stramberk Limestone belonging to the Silesian Unit, Outer Western Carpathians contain prolific and poorly to moderately well preserved spores, pollen, organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts, foraminifers, and calcareous nannofossils. A detailed micropaleontological analysis of the proved stratigraphical interval from the Valanginian to the Albian indicated sedimentary conditions of brackish, restricted marine, shallow-marine and neritic sedimentation. Moreover, it drew attention to occasional influence from the Boreal province in the depositional area of the NW part of Tethys, especially during the Early Valanginian and Hauterivian, as supported by the presence of high-latitude nannofossils and organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts. Terrestrial miospores form a significant component of palynoassemblages and give evidence of continent proximity in the Valanginian-Barremian interval. Samples were acquired from isolated fissure fills in the Stramberk Limestone and, therefore, they do not represent a continuous section.