<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The Neogene Transylvanian Basin (TB), enclosed between the eastern and southern Carpathians and the Apuseni Mountains in Romania, is a significant natural gas province with a long production history. In order to improve the (bio) stratigraphic resolution, correlations and dating in the several 100-m-thick upper Miocene (Pannonian) succession of the basin, the largest and most fossiliferous outcrop at Guşteriţa (northeastern part of Sibiu) was investigated and set as a reference section for the <italic>Congeria banatica</italic> zone in the entire TB. Grey, laminated and massive silty marl, deposited in the deep-water environment of Lake Pannon, was exposed in the ~55-m-high outcrop. The uppermost 25 m of the section was sampled in high resolution (sampling per metres) for macro- and microfossils, including palynology; for authigenic 10Be/9Be dating and for magnetostratigraphy; in addition, macrofossils and samples for authigenic 10Be/9Be isotopic measurements were collected from the lower part of the section as well. The studied sedimentary record belongs to the profundal <italic>C. banatica</italic> mollusc assemblage zone. The upper 25 m can be correlated to the <italic>Hemicytheria tenuistriata</italic> and <italic>Propontoniella candeo</italic> ostracod biozones, the uppermost part of the <italic>Spiniferites oblongus</italic>, the entire <italic>Pontiadinium pecsvaradense</italic> and the lowermost part of the <italic>Spiniferites hennersdorfensis</italic> organic-walled microplankton zones. All samples contained endemic Pannonian calcareous nannofossils, representing the <italic>Noelaerhabdus bozinovicae</italic> zone. Nine samples were analysed for authigenic 10Be/9Be isotopic measurements. The calculated age data of six samples provided a weighted mean value of 10.42 ± 0.39 Ma. However, three samples within the section exhibited higher isotopic ratios and yielded younger apparent ages. A nearly twofold change in the initial 10Be/9Be ratio is a possible reason for the higher measured isotopic ratios of these samples. Magnetostratigraphic samples showed normal polarity for the entire upper part of the outcrop and can be correlated with the C5n.2n polarity chron (11.056–9.984 Ma, ATNTS2012), which is in agreement with the biostratigraphic data. Based on these newly obtained data and correlation of the biozones with other parts of the Pannonian Basin System, the Guşteriţa section represents the ~ 11.0–10.5 Ma interval, and it is a key section for correlation of mollusc, ostracod, dinoflagellate and calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphic records within this time interval.</abstract>

Integrated stratigraphy of the Guşteriţa clay pit: a key section for the early Pannonian (late Miocene) of the Transylvanian Basin (Romania)

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>The Upper Triassic (Norian–Rhaetian) Nayband Formation is situated at the southwestern margin of Central East Iranian Microcontinent and records Eo-Cimmerian events. The formation is composed of mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposits. This study presents information on the tectonic reconstruction and palaeoclimate of the southwestern margin of Central East Iranian Microcontinent during the Late Triassic. Petrography and modal analyses of sandstones show a variety of quartz-rich petrofacies including subarkose, lithic arkose, sublitharenite, feldspathic litharenite and litharenite. The combined modal analysis and geochemical results of major and trace elements of the sandstone samples represents mixed sedimentary, intermediate, felsic igneous rocks and moderate- to high-grade metamorphic provenance areas. The major elements and modal analyses of the Nayband Formation sandstone samples suggest an active continental margin tec-tonic settings. The palaeoclimatic conditions were sub-humid to humid with relatively low to moderate weathering in the source area which is in agreement with the palaeogeography and palaeotectonic history of southwestern margin of Central East Iranian Microcontinent during the Late Triassic.</abstract>

Sandstone petrography and geochemistry of the Nayband Formation (Upper Triassic, Central Iran): Implications for sediment provenance and tectonic setting

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> Sarmatian and Pannonian cores, drilled at the western margin of the Vienna Basin in the City of Vienna, reveal a complex succession of marine and lacustrine depositional environments during the middle to late Miocene transition. Two Sarmatian and two Pannonian transgressive-regressive sequences were studied in detail. Identical successions of benthic faunal assemblages and similar patterns in magnetic susceptibility logs characterise these sequences. This allows a correlation of the boreholes over a distance of ~3.5 km across one of the major marginal faults of the Vienna Basin. Biostratigraphic data, combined with rough estimates of sedimentation rates, reveal large gaps between these sequences, suggesting that only major transgressions reached this marginal area. In particular, during the Sarmatian-Pannonian transition, the basin margin completely emerged and turned into a terrestrial setting for at least 600 ka.</abstract>

The Sarmatian/Pannonian boundary at the western margin of the Vienna Basin (City of Vienna, Austria)

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> Glacigenic perialpine lakes can constitute continuous post-last glacial maximum (LGM) geological archives which allow reconstruction of both lake-specific sedimentological processes and the paleoenvironmental setting of lakes. Lake Mondsee is one among several perialpine lakes in the Salzkammergut, Upper Austria, and has been previously studied in terms of paleoclimate, paleolimnology and (paleo)ecology. However, the full extent and environment of Late Glacial to Holocene sediment deposition had remained unknown, and it was not clear whether previously studied core sections were fully representative of 3D sediment accumulation patterns. In this study, the sedimentary infill of Lake Mondsee was examined via high-resolution seismic reflection survey over a 57-km extent (3.5 kHz pinger source) and a sediment core extracted from the deepest part of the lake, with a continuous length of 13.76 m. In the northern basin, seismic penetration is strongly limited in most areas because of abundant shallow gas (causing acoustic blanking). In the deeper areas, the acoustic signal reaches depths of up to 80 ms TWT (two-way travel time), representing a postglacial sedimentary sequence of at least 60-m thickness. Holocene deposits constitute only the uppermost 11.5 m of the sedimentary succession. Postglacial seismic stratigraphy of Lake Mondsee closely resembles those of well-studied French and Swiss perialpine lakes, with our data showing that most of Lake Mondsee’s sedimentary basin infill was deposited within a short time period (between 19,000 BP and 14,500 BP) after the Traun Glacier retreated from the Mondsee area, indicating an average sedimentation rate of about 1.4 cm/yr. Compared to other perialpine lakes, the seismic data from Lake Mondsee reveal little indication of mass movement activities during the Holocene. One exception, however, is rockfalls that originate from a steep cliff, the Kienbergwand, situated on the southern shore of Lake Mondsee, where, in the adjacent part of the lake, seismic profiles show mass transport deposits (MTDs), which extend approximately 450 m from the shore and are mappable over an area of about 45,300 m2. Sediment cores targeting the MTDs show two separate rockfall events. The older event consists of clast-supported angular dolomitic gravels and sands, showing high amounts of fine fraction. The younger event exhibits dolomitic clasts of up to 1.5 cm in diameter, which is mixed within a lacustrine muddy matrix. Radiocarbon dating and correlations with varve-dated sediment cores hint at respective ages of AD 1484 ± 7 for Event 1 and AD 1639 ± 5 for Event 2. As our data show no evidence of larger-scale mass movements affecting Lake Mondsee and its surroundings, we infer that the current-day morphology of the Kienbergwand is the result of infrequent medium-scale rockfalls.</abstract>

Late Glacial and Holocene sedimentary infill of Lake Mondsee (Eastern Alps, Austria) and historical rockfall activity revealed by reflection seismics and sediment core analysis

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>We present the results of a field study in the Karwendel mountains in the western Northern Calcareous Alps, where we analysed the boundary between two major thrust sheets in detail in a key outcrop where nappe tectonics had been recognized already at the beginning of the 20th century. We use the macroscopic structural record of thrust sheet transport in the footwall and hanging wall of this boundary, such as folds, foliation and faults. In the footwall, competent stratigraphic units tend to preserve a full record of deformation while incompetent units get pervasively overprinted and only document the youngest deformation.Transport across the thrust persisted throughout the deformation history of the Northern Calcareous Alps from the late Early Cretaceous to the Miocene. As a consequence of transtensive, S-block down strike-slip tectonics, postdating folding of the major thrust, new out-of-sequence thrusts formed that climbed across the step, and ultimately placed units belonging to the footwall of the initial thrust onto its hanging wall.One of these out-of-sequence thrusts had been used to delimit the uppermost large thrust sheet (Inntal thrust sheet) of the western Northern Calcareous against the next, tectonically deeper, (Lechtal) thrust sheet. Based on the structural geometry of the folded thrust and the age of the youngest sediments below the thrust, we redefine the thrust sheets, and name the combined former Inntal- and part of the Lechtal thrust sheet as the new Karwendel thrust sheet and the former Allgäu- and part of the Lechtal thrust sheet as the new Tannheim thrust sheet.</abstract>

Structural evidence of in-sequence and out-of-sequence thrusting in the Karwendel mountains and the tectonic subdivision of the western Northern Calcareous Alps

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> In this study, we present chemical denudation rates derived from measuring the dissolved load of an alpine catchment located in Salzburg, Austria. The catchment has a drainage area of about 7 km2 and is predominantly covered by limestone- rich glacial deposits and carbonate rocks that are characteristic of the Northern Calcareous Alps. To obtain catchment-wide chemical denudation rates, we integrated discharge time series that were measured by a permanent water gauge of the Austrian Service for Torrent and Avalanche Control to compute the total discharge of the investigated catchment over a period of one year. During the same period, samples were taken during several campaigns to consider variations of the dissolved load. Samples were collected at high and low runoff conditions to study the effect of precipitation and at different locations along the tributaries to account for lithological variations of the river beds on the dissolved load. For the investigation period of one year, 2.97 ×106 m3 of discharge was measured at the catchment outlet. The summed cation-concentration varies between about 85 mg/l for dry-conditions and 75 mg/l for rainy-conditions at the gauge and consists predominantly of Ca2+and Mg2+ cations. Based on the total discharge of the river integrated over a period of one year, and the average dissolved load determined from water samples, we obtained a chemical denudation rate of 0.094 mm/a. The results imply that chemical denudation is a significant driver for redistributing mass in carbonate-dominated catchments and might be the dominant erosional process in such settings.</abstract>

Chemical denudation rates of a small torrential catchment in the Northern Calcareous Alps

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Low-relief surfaces at high elevations are peculiar features of the Eastern Alps that are best explained as relicts of morphological base levels that escaped erosive decay during uplift. To expand our knowledge of such surfaces in the Eastern Alps, the Fischbach Alps at the eastern end of the range are investigated. There, a large number of these elevated low-relief surfaces have been known for some time, but modern mapping is absent and their genesis is not well understood. A combined approach of field mapping, morphometric analysis of a digital elevation model and downstream projection of geomorphic equilibrium sections in river profiles was employed to: (i) create a geomorphological map of the region and (ii) to extract quantitative data from river profiles to infer the amount of uplift and incision. Six discrete levels of low-relief surfaces and relict landscapes are recognized at elevations between ~500 m and ~1600 m. Some of the lower levels are interpreted to relate to the well-known <italic>Trahutten, Landscha</italic> and <italic>Stadelberg</italic> levels, known from other parts of Styria, respectively. Mapped low-relief surface levels follow the northward directed topographic gradient in the mountainous region of the Fischbach Alps. The formation of elevated low-relief surfaces is consistent with a Piedmonttreppen model, where successive phases of tectonic uplift and tectonic quiescence led to a succession of incised landscapes and low-relief surfaces. However, the entire region south of the Murztal was also then tilted towards the Styrian Basin by about ~1–2°. Swath profile analysis for the Raab and Weizbach Klamm suggests a minimum of ~400–450 m incision since the formation of the so called <italic>Hubenhalt</italic> level. This implies that the geomorphic response to tectonic uplift after the formation of the higher <italic>Wolscheneck</italic> and <italic>Koralm</italic> relict landscapes led to an estimated incision of up to 1000 m (868±101 m), relative to the base level of today’s Styrian Basin at ~380 m. By comparing published age data to the presented mapping results, the onset for much of the uplift at the eastern end of the Alps is suggested to lie between ~4–7 Ma, before the formation of the <italic>Hubenhalt</italic> and <italic>Trahutten</italic> levels. Because the mapped levels correlate well with those in many other regions at similar elevations, a growing body of work now suggests that the underlying uplift event has a large wavelength.
</abstract>

The Fischbach Alps: A Geomorphological Record of late Neogene Uplift at the Eastern Margin of the European Alps

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The Carnic Alps (eastern Southern Alps) provide a classical area to study polyphase very-low- to low-grade metamorphism within the Variscan belt of Europe. Temperature indicators collected during the past three decades map the general metamorphic structure of a mountain chain affected by three major tectonic events (Variscan and Alpine thrusting, Oligocene transpression). Thermometric data obtained by Raman Spectroscopy of carbonaceous material (RSCM) described in this study extend the already published database, provide a map of metamorphic isotherms, and are interpreted in the view of current tectonic concepts. The RSCM temperatures of this study describe a gradient between ca. 460 °C in the tectonically deepest segments, bordered by the Periadriatic Fault System, and temperatures of ca. 200 °C in Permian- Triassic boundary strata of the Gartnerkofel-1 core. Mapped isotherms indicate three domains with different thermal histories, characterized by Variscan imbrication of an accretionary wedge, Permo-Mesozoic burial, and Oligocene contact metamorphism.
</abstract>

Raman Spectroscopy of carbonaceous material thermometry in the Carnic Alps (Austria, Italy)

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Recently, samples of natrochalcite, NaCu2(SO4)2∙H3O2, were discovered from the Esperanza Mine, Lavrion Mining District, Greece. In the present study this material is characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction at ambient and LT conditions. Natrochalcite is monoclinic, space group <italic>C</italic>2/<italic>m</italic>, with <italic>a</italic> = 8.809(2), <italic>b</italic> = 6.196(1), <italic>c</italic> = 7.504(2) Å, <italic>β</italic> = 118.56(3)°, <italic>V</italic> = 359.7(1) Å3, <italic>Z</italic> = 2, <italic>R</italic>1 = 0.0195 at room temperature. No symmetry change was observed down to 100K.
</abstract>

Natrochalcite NaCu2(SO4)2∙H3O2 from the Lavrion Mining District – a brief characterisation

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
In the 1980s, large parts of the Bohemian Massif in Austria were explored for the occurrence of raw materials (Göd, 1988), and a trace content of topaz was discovered in channels draining the eastern slope of the Ostrong (Lower Austria). Orthogneiss bodies in the Ostrong Nappe System are shown to be the source of these topaz occurrences, and Raman spectroscopy indicates that topaz is fluorine rich. So far, this is the only occurrence of topaz-bearing orthogneiss within the entire Moldanubian Superunit. The orthogneiss shows a tectonic overprint and exhibits a weak to well-developed foliation, as well as local folding. Samples taken near the tectonic boundary of the Ostrong to the Drosendorf Nappe Systems show stronger shear deformation with a pronounced mylonitic foliation and stretching lineation. Detailed geo-chemical investigations of the major and trace elements indicate a classification as S-type granite with a high degree of differentiation and a peraluminous character. The orthogneiss has a high SiO2 content of 72.8–77.3 wt%, as well as a noteworthy high fluorine content of up to 2760 ppm. Mineral compositions show zoned plagioclase with an albite component of about 87–99 mol%, increasing towards the grain margin. Garnet occurs rarely, but consistently in those samples near the tectonic boundary of the Ostrong- to the Drosendorf Nappe Systems. Garnet is almandine-dominated, shows no zoning and is single-phased. Sillimanite is common and samples near the tectonic boundary also contain kyanite. To determine the previously unknown protolith age of the orthogneiss, U-Pb zircon dating was applied. Three zircon fractions from two samples yield concordia ages of 475.3 ± 1.0 Ma, 474.8 ± 2.9 Ma, and 473.5 ± 1.5 Ma, identical in assigned uncertainties, reflecting magmatic zircon growth. Furthermore, the short prismatic habit of zircon grains indicates a plutonic rather than volcanic origin of the protolith. Dating results also provide a minimum sedimentation age for the rocks of the Ostrong Nappe System within Austria. In comparison with other metagranitoids and orthogneisses of the Moldanubian Nappes, the investigated orthogneiss shows strong similarities with the Gföhl Gneiss and the Moldanubian Granulite. The orthogneiss therefore is considered as a more fractionated equivalent of the Gföhl Gneiss. In conclusion we suggest to name the studied orthogneiss <italic>Laimbach Orthogneiss</italic> in the rank of a lithodeme (NACSN, 2005), after the locality Laimbach am Ostrong (48°19′01″N; 15°07′19″E), which is located centrally with respect to the occurrences of this gneiss.
</abstract>

Topaz-bearing Lower Ordovician orthogneiss within the Ostrong Nappe System – The Laimbach Orthogneiss (Bohemian Massif, Lower Austria)

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Ophiolites are remnants of oceanic crust and mantle, now typically found within continental mountain ranges like the Alps. Particularly in areas once part of the Tethys Ocean, ophiolites are often accompanied by narrow stripes of metamorphic rocks, commonly referred to as metamorphic soles. These metamorphic soles typically exhibit peak metamorphic conditions characteristic of either granulite or amphibolite facies. Geochronological studies of Tethyan ophiolites indicate that the development of these metamorphic soles occurred almost simultaneously with the crystallization of the ophiolite’s crustal sequence. Geological evidence also suggests that the metamorphism of the sole rocks took place concurrently with deformation, likely at the same time as the ophiolite’s obduction. In our research, we explore the metamorphic effects of shearing in an ophiolite sequence overlying a crustal sequence. Our findings reveal that strong lithologies like ophiolites can produce additional heat through the dissipation of mechanical energy, which can potentially explain the high temperatures found in metamorphic-sole rocks. In addition, heating-driven softening of the footwall rocks eventually leads to the migration of the active shear zone from the mantle sequence into the upper crustal domain. This migration may be responsible for the metamorphic sole incorporation at the base of the ophiolite. Finally, we demonstrate that stopping the shearing process rapidly cools these rocks, corresponding with the findings from thermochronological studies from Oman ophiolite.
</abstract>

A thermo-mechanical model of the thermal evolution and incorporation of metamorphic soles in Tethyan ophiolites: a case study from Oman

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Extensive bulk-sampling of the continuous Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary section at Gams (Styria, Austria) allows for the first time the description of the elasmobranch communities inhabiting the bathyal environment of this well-known section. The sampled succession comprises six horizons from the uppermost Maastrichtian (upper part of <italic>Nephrolites frequens</italic> Zone CC26) and five horizons from the lowermost Danian (Zone NP1), which yielded a total of 1852 elasmobranch teeth. Although the majority of the teeth are not well preserved, this study enabled the description of at least 16 taxa of the orders Hexanchiformes, Squaliformes, Orectolobiformes, Lamniformes and Carcharhiniformes, providing a rare snapshot of elasmobranch diversity of this specific environmental setting. Beside minor diversity fluctuations between the assemblages, the extensive bulk-sampling of this section did not reveal a marked diversity decline related to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event. However, a noteworthy correlation between the deepening upward trend of the section with the appearance of frilled and goblin sharks points to changes in palaeobathymetry, which is also reflected in the increase of the total proportion of squaliform teeth in the uppermost sampled horizon. Furthermore, teeth of the extinct triakid <italic>Palaeogaleus</italic> were recovered exclusively from the Danian deeper deposits, expanding the palaeoecological range of the genus down to fairly deep marine environments. In addition, this study provides the first record of the lamniform <italic>Cretolamna</italic> ex gr. <italic>borealis</italic> from the Danian of the Tethyan Realm expanding the palaeogeographic distribution of this group.
</abstract>

Elasmobranch assemblages from a bathyal environment spanning the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in Austria

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>A first consistent and homogenized polygon-based inventory of rock glaciers of the Austrian Alps is presented. Compiling previous inventories and updating them by using digital elevation models (1 m grid resolution) derived from airborne laser scanning yield a dataset of 5769 rock glaciers in a ca. 48400 km2 large area. A consistent methodological approach for assigning attributes, stored in a detailed attribute table, was developed and applied here to improve comparability and reproducibility. The majority (60 %) of the studied landforms is considered to be relict (no permafrost); the remaining 40 % may still contain permafrost ice and are thus classified as intact. Rock glaciers range in elevation from 476 to 3312 m a.s.l. and cover a total area of 303 km2. The distribution of rock glaciers is mainly related to the topography of the Austrian Alps and related effects such as past glaciation history.In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the hydrological catchment areas of all individual rock glaciers was carried out. A hydrological catchment analysis in rock glacier areas is of great interest for sustainable water management issues in alpine catchments as these landforms represent shallow aquifer systems with a relatively high storage and thus buffer capability, especially in crystalline bedrock areas. A total area of almost 1280 km2 is drained through rock glaciers.The presented rock glacier and rock glacier catchment inventories provide an important basis for further research, particularly for a better understanding of the hydrogeology and geomorphology of alpine catchments and their potential alteration in the light of climate change, but also in terms of paleoglaciation and deglaciation in the Alpine Lateglacial to Holocene period. As such, the inventories are seen as an important base to stimulate further research.</abstract>

The first consistent inventory of rock glaciers and their hydrological catchments of the Austrian Alps

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>For the first time, a concise lithostratigraphic scheme for the lower and middle Miocene (Ottnangian – Badenian) of the northern and central Vienna Basin is proposed, which is based on the integration of core-material, well-log data and seismic information from OMV. For all formations and members type sections are proposed, geographic distribution and thickness are provided, typical depositional environments and fossils are described and age constraints are discussed. This time frame allows for a more reliable calculation of sedimentation rates. This in turn might be important for the reconstruction of the tectonic history of the Vienna Basin as we do not see fundamental differences between the piggy-back stage and the subsequent pull-apart regime. Following lithostratigraphic units are formalized herein and/or are newly introduced: Bockfließ Formation (Ottnangian), Aderklaa Formation, Gänserndorf Member and Schönkirchen Member (Karpatian), Baden Group, Rothneusiedl Formation and Mannsdorf Formation (lower Badenian), Auersthal Formation, Matzen Formation, Baden Formation, Leitha Formation (middle Badenian) and Rabensburg Formation (upper Badenian).</abstract>

Miocene lithostratigraphy of the northern and central Vienna Basin (Austria)

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>This paper presents a revised sequence stratigraphy for the lower, middle and upper Badenian depositional systems of the Austrian Vienna Basin based on the integration of 3D seismic surveys and well data. The study area in the central and northern part of the Austrian Vienna Basin is covered with 3D seismic data. According to a new sequence stratigraphic framework established in the southern part of the Vienna Basin, the Badenian is subdivided into three 3rd order depositional sequences. For each sequence, paleogeographic maps are created, representing coeval depositional systems within a chronostrati-graphic interval. Lower Badenian sediments of the 1st sequence (Ba1) represent fillings of the pre-Badenian sub-basins with a major change of sediment transport direction. The early stage of the 1st sequence is dominated by subaerial braided river deposits which use two pronounced canyon systems (Mistelbach Canyon and Reinthal Canyon) on the northwestern margin of the Vienna Basin as a bypass zone towards the marine depositional system of the North Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep. The late stage of the 1st sequence reflects the change from subaerial to marine depositional environments with main sediment influx from the west, creating two major eastwards prograding delta systems (Zistersdorf Delta and Mühlberg Delta). Depositional systems of the middle Badenian 2nd sequence (Ba2) reflect the interplay between ongoing extensional fault tectonics and major sea-level changes. Lower Badenian paleo-highs in the northern part are drowned during the 3rd sequence (Ba3), thus the Mühlberg Delta and the Zistersdorf Delta merge into one delta system. During the Ba3 the drowning of the Spannberg Ridge initiates a clockwise rotation of the Zistersdorf Delta. Thus, the former Zistersdorf Delta transforms into the Matzen Delta covering the Spannberg Ridge. Together with the Mühlberg Delta, they represent the last full marine depositional system of the eastward prograding paleo-Danube Delta in the Austrian Vienna Basin.</abstract>

Revised Badenian (middle Miocene) depositional systems of the Austrian Vienna Basin based on a new sequence stratigraphic framework

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>One of the major issues in Neoproterozoic geology is the extent to which glaciations in the Cryogenian and Ediacaran periods were global in extent and synchronous or regional in extent and diachronous. A similarly outstanding concern is determining whether deposits are truly glacial, as opposed to gravitationally initiated mass flow deposits in the context of a rifting Rodinia supercontinent. In this paper, we present 115 publically available, quality-filtered chronostratigraphic constraints on the age and duration of Neoproterozoic glacial successions, and compare their palaeocontinental distribution. Depositional ages from North America (Laurentia) clearly support the idea of a substantial glacial epoch between about 720-660 Ma on this palaeocontinent but paradoxically, the majority of Australian glacial strata plot outside the previously proposed global time band for the eponymous Sturtian glaciation, with new dates from China also plotting in a time window previously thought to be an interglacial. For the early Cryogenian, the data permit either a short, sharp 2.4 Ma long global glaciation, or diachronous shifting of ice centres across the Rodinia palaeocontinent, implying regional rather than global ice covers and asynchronous glacial cycles. Thus, based on careful consideration of age constraints, we suggest that strata deposited in the ca. 720-660 Ma window in North America are better described as belonging to a Laurentian Neoproterozoic Glacial Interval (LNGI), given that use of the term Sturtian for a major Neoproterozoic glacial epoch can clearly no longer be justified. This finding is of fundamental importance for reconstructing the Neoproterozoic climate system because chronological constraints do not support the concept of a synchronous panglacial Snowball Earth. Diachroneity of the glacial record reflects underlying palaeotectonic and palaeogeographic controls on the timing of glaciation resulting from the progressive breakup of the Rodinian supercontinent.</abstract>

The Laurentian Neoproterozoic Glacial Interval: reappraising the extent and timing of glaciation

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 AUSTRIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES is the official journal of the Austrian Geological (ÖGG), Mineralogical (ÖMG), Palaeontological (ÖPG) and Hydrogeological (ÖVH) Societies, hosted by a country...

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 AUSTRIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES is the official journal of the Austrian Geological (ÖGG), Mineralogical (ÖMG), Palaeontological (ÖPG) and...

Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences

An International Journal of the Austrian Earth Science Societies

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