Sedimentological and palaeocological records of the evolution of the southwestern part of the Carpathian Foredeep (Czech Republic) during the early Badenian

The depositional environment of the southern part of the Carpathian Foredeep in the Czech Republic was studied in two boreholes using sedimentological and palaeontological methods. Eight lithofacies were recognised within cores of the early Badenian deposits, comprising two facies associations, namely deposits of a coarse-grained Gilbert delta and offshore deposits. Assemblages of foraminifers document the early Badenian (Middle Miocene age). Two types of assemblages were recognised: (1) primary taphocoenoses reflecting the original environment of sedimentation, i.e. a relatively deep sublittoral (circalittoral) environment with low to normal oxygen bottom conditions and deep-water euryoxibiont foraminifers, numerous planktonic foraminifers, agglutinated foraminifers and mixed assemblages of deep- and shallow-water foraminifers, (2) secondary taphocoenoses of shallower sublittoral (infralittoral) condition redeposited into the basin by gravity currents. These assemblages contain shallow-water foraminifers coupled with an abundant and diverse bryozoan fauna.