Lower Jurassic to lower Middle Jurassic succession at Kopy Sołtysie and Płaczliwa Skała in the eastern Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians) of Poland and Slovakia: stratigraphy, facies and ammonites

The Lower Jurassic and the lower part of the Middle Jurassic deposits corresponding to the Sołtysia Marlstone Formation of the Lower Subtatric (Krížna) nappe in the Kopy Sołtysie mountain range of the High Tatra Mts and the Płaczliwa Skała (= Ždziarska Vidla) mountain of the Belianske Tatra Mts in the eastern part of the Tatra Mts in Poland and Slovakia are described. The work concentrates both on their lithological and facies development as well as their ammonite faunal content and their chronostratigraphy. These are basinal deposits which show the dominant facies of the fleckenkalk-fleckenmergel type and reveal the succession of several palaeontological microfacies types from the spiculite microfacies (Sinemurian–Lower Pliensbachian, but locally also in the Bajocian), up to the radiolarian microfacies (Upper Pliensbachian and Toarcian, Bajocian–Bathonian), and locally the Bositra (filament) microfacies (Bajocian–Bathonian). In addition, there appear intercalations of detrital deposits – both bioclastic limestones and breccias – formed by downslope transport from elevated areas (junction of the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian, Upper Toarcian, and Bajocian). The uppermost Toarcian – lowermost Bajocian interval is represented by marly-shaly deposits with a marked admixture of siliciclastic material. The deposits are correlated with the coeval deposits of the Lower Subtatric nappe of the western part of the Tatra Mts (the Bobrowiec unit), as well as with the autochthonous-parachthonous Hightatric units, but also with those of the Czorsztyn and Niedzica successions of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, in Poland. The character of the deposits in the sequences, and their biostratigraphical analysis, show that sedimentation during the Early Jurassic, and up to the Late Bajocian, was controlled by rifting phases which were active at the junction of the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian (Zliechov Phase), during the Late Pliensbachian and Toarcian (Devín Phase), and during the Bajocian (Krasín Phase). The onset of pelagic sedimentation overlying the rift strata took place during the latest Bajocian. Selected ammonite taxa are illustrated and discussed.