Andrej Šmuc

Upper Ladinian to Lower Carnian sedimentary evolution in the Idrija-Cerkno Region, Western Sovenia

SummaryAn Upper Ladinian to Lower Carnian succession in the Idrija-Cerkno region (W Slovenia) is described and correlated with similar successions in the Dolomites. Structurally, the area belongs to the Rodne unit (Trnovo nappe, NW Dinarides). The succession was reconstructed from three stratigraphically superimposed sections.The Orehovska Grapa section is characterised by finegrained turbidites composed of sandy mudstones with intercalations of lenses and beds of trachy-andesite tuff and resedimented tuffs. Beds of hemipelagic light grey wackestone are rarely interstratified. These rocks are correlative with the Upper Ladinian Wengen Group.The Police1 section is composed of black shaly marls and mudstones, hemipelagic wackestone, tuffaceous sand-stones, and in the upper part, of calciturbidites overlain by black laminated shales. The section is correlated with the lower part of the San Cassiano Formation.The Police 2 section consists mainly of wavy bedded peloidal and bioclastic limestone, alternating with thin interbeds of shaly mudstones and marls. The limestone and mudstones are interpreted as tempestites and gradually pass into bedded and massive dolomite of Early Carnian age. This succession is similar to the transition from the San Cassiano Formation to the Cassian Dolomite.The studied succession represents a shallowing upward basinal sequence capped by carbonate platform deposits. Palaeogeographically it is a Late Ladinian transition from the carbonate platform in the south to the typical basinal area in the north.

Integrated Rhaetian foraminiferal and conodont biostratigraphy from the Slovenian Basin, eastern Southern Alps

Conodonts and re-deposited shallow-water benthic foraminifera co-occur in the Upper Norian-Rhaetian Slatnik Formation of the Slovenian Basin (Southern Alps). The Mt. Kobla and Mt. Slatnik sections were investigated in order to give the first direct correlation between these two groups. The Norian-Rhaetian boundary (NRB) is placed at the First Appearance Datum of the conodont Misikella posthernsteini and is approached with the First Occurrence of the foraminifer Involutina turgida. An association of Trocholina turris with duostominids is a good marker for the Rhaetian. Careful revision of literature combined with our data culminated in reambulation of stratigraphical ranges for several foraminiferal species. The foraminiferal Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB) can be defined with the Last Occurrence of Galeanella tollmanni, “Sigmoilina” schaeferae or duostominids. The absence of the uppermost Rhaetian Misikella ultima conodont zone and the close coincidence of foraminiferal and conodont TJB could point to the presence of hiati in the upper part of the Slatnik Formation. Consequently, the exact pattern of disappearance of Late Triassic foraminifera at the boundary could not be observed. It is clear, however, that the foraminiferal assemblage was decimated for reef-dwelling foraminifera, duostominids and most of the platform-dwelling foraminifera. Biotic changes at the TJB are best explained as a result of a biocalcification crisis.

DUOSTOMINIDAE (FORAMINIFEREA, ROBERTINIDA) FROM THE UPPER TRIASSIC BEDS OF THE SLOVENIAN BASIN (SOUTHERN ALPS, SLOVENIA)

Twelve species of genera Diplotremina Kristan-Tollmann, 1960, Duostomina Kristan-Tollmann, 1960, and Variostoma Kristan-Tollmann, 1960 have been described from the Norian and Rhaetian strata of the Slovenian Basin (eastern Southern Alps). A lamellar wall structure has been confirmed for Duostomina and observed for the first time in Variostoma. The multi-layered nature of the lamellae of Diplotremina and Duostomina may be a result of a diagenetic alteration of the single-layered lamellae. The position of Variostoma in the family Duostominidae remains doubtful due to the alveolar nature of its wall.

Geomorphology and wine: the case of Malvasia in the Vipava valley, Slovenia

The concept of terroir incorporates interaction between geogenic and anthropogenic parameters and defines the typicity and quality of wine in a particular geographic area. Geomorphology represents one of the most important geogenic parameters of terroir. In 2008 we produced two wines from two different sites located within the same vineyard in the Vipava valley (Slovenia). Despite identical vine-growing and winemaking techniques, the two sites yielded grapes and wines of different quality. Both sites are identical in terms of macroclimate and bedrock, thus the differences are related to soil composition, drainage and microclimate, all directly linked to different geomorphic positions.

Sedimentological and geomorphological characteristics of Quaternary deposits in the Planica-Tamar Valley in the Julian Alps (NW Slovenia)

ABSTRACT We present a geomorphological map on a scale of 1:15,000, with detailed sedimentological descriptions, and a general relative spatio-temporal depositional reconstruction of Quaternary sediments in the Planica-Tamar Valley (NW Slovenia). After the Last Glacial Maximum, the retreating Quaternary glacier deposited large amounts of glacial sediments. These were followed by Holocene sediments, which differ in their sedimentological characteristics, transport mechanisms, and morphology. These sediments are deposited as sedimentary bodies with complex depositional geometries. They form areas of active, partly active, and inactive sedimentation in response to local/regional climate and bedrock geology. Previous research of the valley was mainly focused on bedrock mapping, while almost completely neglecting Quaternary deposits. This work is the first broader analysis of Quaternary sedimentary deposits in the research area, which offers an insight into the complex geomorphological and sedimentological processes, which shape the current mountainous landscape.

The Karst Region of Slovenia: A Potential Global Heritage Stone Province

The Karst (Kras) region of Slovenia is one of the world’s most interesting areas of natural stone reserves. The region is mainly composed of Cretaceous shallow-water limestone, with the most common type currently excavated being the rudist limestone of the Lipica Formation, which date to the Santonian to Campanian times. The Karst region has been associated with the quarrying and processing of stone for over two thousand years, i.e. since the Roman period. The exploitation and international recognition of the Karst region provide abundant support for its nomination as a Global Heritage Stone Province.

Lehnjakasti kapniki v spodmolih v slovenski Istri // Tufaceous speleothems in rock shelters in Slovenian Istria

Apnencaste stene spodmolov v slovenski Istri so pogosto prekrite s karbonatnimi tvorbami. Za te tvorbe so predhodno obstajale domneve, da gre za sige, nasa domneva pa je, da so lehnjaki. Opravili smo raziskave tvorb na dveh lokacijah – Veli Badin in Stena v dolini Dragonje. Tvorbe smo fotografirali, izmerili in zabeležili posebnosti. V laboratoriju smo opravili petroloske, sedimentoloske, mineraloske in geokemicne analize tvorb. Ugotovili smo, da gre za poseben tip lehnjakov – lehnjakaste kapnike. Njihov nastanek je vezan na mikroklimatske pogoje, drugacne od tistih v jamah, na njihovo odlaganje pa vplivajo organizmi, ki prerascajo stene spodmolov. Prisotnost lehnjakov na izbranih lokacijah kaže, da spodmoli glede na morfologijo predstavljajo polodprti prostor tudi v predhodnih fazah njihovega razvoja in da tvorbe niso nastale v nekdanjih jamskih prostorih. The distinct feature of rock shelters in Slovenian Istria is that the host limestone rock is frequently overlain by freshwater calcareous deposits. These deposits were in the past described as speleothems, but our assumption was that these deposits are tufas. In our study we focused on two locations – Veli Badin and Stena in Dragonja Valley. Calcareous formations were photographed and measured in the field; an inventory of the specifics of formations was made. In the laboratory we made petrological, sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of samples of the deposits. In contrast to previous assumptions the deposits represent a specific form of tufa – tufaceous speleothems. The formation of these tufas is related to microclimatic conditions, different from those in cave environment, and the presence of organisms, which have influence on tufa deposition. As the presence of speleothems would indicate that rock shelters are former cavities now exposed to surface by erosion, the presence of tufas corroborates the idea that rock shelters in their previous formation phases morphologically represented a semi-open space.