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Meter-scale cycles as a proxy for the evolution of the Apulian Carbonate Platform during the late Cretaceous (Llogara Pass, Albania)
Le Goff, J.; Cerepi, A.; Ghysels, G.; Swennen, R.; Loisy, C.; Heba, G.; El Desouky, H.; Muska, K. (2015). Meter-scale cycles as a proxy for the evolution of the Apulian Carbonate Platform during the late Cretaceous (Llogara Pass, Albania). Facies 61(4). https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10347-015-0448-2
In: Facies. Springer: Heidelberg; Berlin. ISSN 0172-9179; e-ISSN 1612-4820
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Non-open access 318589 [ request ]
Author keywords
    Apulian Platform; Carbonates; Meter-scale cycle; Fischer plots
Authors  Top 
  • Le Goff, J.
  • Cerepi, A.
  • Ghysels, G.
  • Swennen, R.
  • Loisy, C.
  • Heba, G.
  • El Desouky, H.
  • Muska, K.
Abstract
    Sedimentological investigations have revealed ten facies in Upper Cretaceous platform carbonates (1220 m thick) at Llogara Pass in southern Albania that can be grouped into four facies associations. These reflect specific environmental conditions, ranging from intertidal to subtidal. The facies form small-scale patterns attesting to high-frequency/low-amplitude cyclicity characteristic of relative sea-level fluctuations. Meter-scale cycles have been classified into six distinct types and characterized on the basis of diagnostic surfaces, diagenetic features, and reservoir properties. A closer look at diagenetic and petrophysical features revealed a drastic porosity reduction at each cycle top (i. e., cycle boundary). This underlines a strong interconnection of facies types and reservoir properties at the cycle scale, thus impacting the whole carbonate succession. The cycle stacking pattern is a reflection of the sedimentary evolution during the late Cretaceous in this southern part of the Apulian Platform. (1) Meter-scale peritidal cycles suggest that the Cenomanian was characterized by stable shallow-water conditions. (2) Thick stromatolitic-dominated cycles typify Turonian deposits. Although the nature of the deposits indicates inner platform conditions, the long-term hiatus documented from Italy (Turonian bauxites) is not evidenced in Llogara. (3) The thin (a few tens of meters) Coniacian-Santonian interval suggests the onset of a significant tectonic control over the sedimentary dynamics, likely accompanied by morphological changes on the Apulian Platform and an emergence of rudist-dominated cycles. (4) Peritidal-subtidal cycles persist during the Campanian, accompanied by a broad development of rudist organisms that evidence significant and repeated relative sea-level rise. These data allow refinement of the general sedimentological evolution during the late Cretaceous on the Apulian Platform.
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