Charakterystyka litofacjalna utworów jury górnej i kredy dolnej w rejonie Dąbrowa Tarnowska – Dębica w oparciu o interpretację danych sejsmicznych i otworowych
Authors: Urbaniec Andrzej 
Published: June 2021

The main subject of this monograph is a reconstruction of the history of deposition and facial development of Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits in the basement of the Carpathian Foredeep, based on data available from boreholes and a 3D seismic survey. The research area is located in the central part of the Carpathian Foreland, between two cities: Dąbrowa Tarnowska in the north-west and Dębica in the south-east. The new 3D seismic survey made in 2015 and the O-1 deep borehole – drilled in the same year and portraying a full profile of the Mesozoic sediments – allowed for much better recognition and documentation of many details of the geological structure of this previously poorly mapped area. The sedimentation of the carbonate formations of the Carpathian Foreland during the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous took place in the shelf zone of the northern, passive margin of the Tethys Ocean. A characteristic feature of the Upper Jurassic sediments is their high facies diversity, due mainly to the presence of biohermal complexes and sets of layered marly-limestone sediments. Chapter 2 presents the geological structure of all structural stages in the area under study, including the lithological development, the lithostratigraphic divisions applied, and the regional palaeogeographic frameworks. Chapter 3 discusses both the history of research and the current state of knowledge regarding the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous carbonate sediments of the Carpathian Foreland. Chapter 4 describes the lithological characteristics of the carbonate sediments, considering lithostratigraphic units. This characterisation is based on a macroscopic examination of the available core material and analysis of the well logs. The lithostratigraphic profiles of selected deeper boreholes from the research area and its close vicinity document the current state of knowledge on lithostratigraphy and the facies development of the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits. Chapter 5 features the microfacies and micropalaeontological characteristics of the carbonate sediments under study. Based on the results of many years of research and literature data, the possibilities of determining the age of every lithostratigraphic unit are discussed. Chapter 6 presents the analysis of the seismic 3D image based on selected seismic attributes. As part of the work, the following attributes are discussed: RMS Amplitude, Envelope, Instantaneous phase, Dominant frequency, Instantaneous bandwidth, Apparent polarity, Relative acoustic impedance, First derivative, Iso-frequency component, Time gain, Chaos, Variance (Edge method), and Local flatness. The analysis revealed additional important information regarding both the lithological development and the spatial range of sediments of individual lithostratigraphic units, at the same time facilitating the detailed location of fault zones. Based on the interpretation of the seismic image within the studied rock complex, the occurrence of angular unconformity, disturbance, and deformation zones related to synsedimentary tectonic as well as probable gravity-flow deposits are also documented. Chapter 7 presents lithofacial cross-sections constructed along selected seismic sections reflecting the spatial distribution and relationships between the sediments of individual lithostratigraphic units. Chapter 8 analyses the distribution of Upper Jurassic biohermal complexes in relation to the morphology of the Jurassic base surface. An analysis of the distribution of organic buildups belonging to the Huge Sponge-Microbial Bioherms Series, interpreted indirectly from seismic image, indicates two main areas where they can be found. These are the north-west part of the study area – where a quite extensive biohermal complex occurs (‘Complex N’), the exact range of which is difficult to determine due to later regional dolomitisation processes – and the area located in the central part of the seismic survey, where a complex of several very tall buildups with steep edges was found (‘Complex S’). Chapter 9 is devoted to the issue of the depositional history of the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous sedimentary basin of the Carpathian Foreland and to a discussion of the role of the most important factors influencing facies distribution in the research area. It has been shown that a characteristic feature of a large part of the Jurassic sediments is the strongly diachronic nature of the distribution of facies controlled by the varying bottom relief of the sedimentation basin and by some local factors related to synsedimentary tectonic episodes. The Sponge-Globuligerinid Series, beginning the profile of the Upper Jurassic sediments and representing the deepest sedimentation stage in the open shelf conditions, is characterised by a relatively high homogeneity of lithology in the whole Carpathian Foreland area. The ‘S’ biohermal complex developed over the elevated zone composed of several smaller tectonic elements, whilst the ‘N’ biohermal complex developed on a large, elevated part of the horst zone. The intensively developing ‘N’ and ‘S’ biohermal complexes affected successive deposition of the Late Jurassic sedimentary basin in the study area more and more. Those biohermal complexes were the source of the material redeposited into deeper parts of the sedimentary basin. On seismic profiles in the south-east neighbourhood of the ‘S’ biohermal complex, there is a characteristic high-amplitude record including the entire reflection set of variable dip angles. The frequent polarity changes which are visible within this zone in the Apparent polarity attribute, as well as the extremely variable range of values the Relative acoustic impedance attribute, prove the strong lithological differentiation of this rock complex. During the Tithonian time (sedimentation of the Coral-Oncolite Series), there was clear unification of the sedimentation conditions in the entire Carpathian Foreland area, mainly due to disappearance of the bottom relief diversity. At the same time another stage of dislocation reactivation occurred, as evidenced by the angular unconformity and the erosion traces of older sediments associated with this unconformity. The deposits of the Lower Shellbed-Oolite Series scattered throughout the research area represent various types of shallow-water sedimentation environments (including tidal, lagoon, and barrier zones) that developed in the Carpathian Foreland area on the borderline between the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. The sedimentation environment of the Marly-Shellbed Series dated to the Berriasian can be described as extremely shallow-water, with lagoon facies and under the influence of brackish environments. The sediments of the last two series of the Lower Cretaceous (i.e. the Mudstone-Limestone and Upper Shellbed-Oolite Series) represent the shallow-marine facies associated with marine transgression that took place during the Valanginian. The processes that have had the greatest impact on the current character and preservation of the rock series under study can be pinpointed and a comprehensive characterisation of these formations can be undertaken thanks to the depositional history of the Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous sedimentary basin of the Carpathian Foreland presented herein, the macroscopic examination of the available core material, the microfacial and micropalaeontological analysis of individual lithostratigraphic units, and the interpretation of the seismic image. Keywords: Jurassic, Cretaceous, lithofacies, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, seismic interpretation, seismic attributes