Upper Devonian conodonts, stratigraphy and facial development in the Holy Cross Mts

Abstract

The problems of stratigraphy, facial differentiation and the history of sedimentation of the Upper Devonian in the western part of the Holy Cross Mts (Central Poland) are the subject of the paper. The stratigiraphical subdivision have been based on the conodonts. All platform conodonts and a few other, stratigraphically important species have been monographed. Of the 80 species described (together with subspecies) which are assigned to 11 genera, the following five species or subspecies are new: Ancyrodella sinecarina sp. n., Palmatolepis circularis sp. n., Palmatolepis minuta wolskae subsp. n., Polygnathus sinuosus sp. n. and Pelekysgnathus? sp.n. The conodont zonation, adopted for the correlation of profiles, enabled the solution of several problems of regional stratigraphy. The history of the Frasnian and Famennian sedimentation has been restored on the basis of their facial (including microfacial) analysis.