Origin and Depositional Environments of the Evaporite and Carbonate Complex (Upper Permian) from the Central Part of the Dinarides (Southern Croatia and Western Bosnia)

Abstract

The Upper Permian sediments from central part of the Dinarides contain three main facies : 1. - carbonates; 2.- evaporites with early diageneticaldolomites and 3.- clastic rocks (siltstones and sandstones) and one special rock type- carbonate cavity breccias. The carbonate facies include lagoonal and intertidallimestone, evaporite facies contain gypsum (originated by hydration of anhydrites), early-diagenetical dolomites and anhydrites deposited in coastal sabkha environment.The clastic rocks were deposited either fore-shore or playa to saltlakeplaya environments. The carbonate cavity breccias are interpretatedas a terrestrial features, i .e. secondary surface products of physical and chemical weathering oftectonically disrupted carbonate-evaporitesediments. The Upper Permian evaporites and carbonates of the centralDinarides are sediments deposited in evaporitic conditions arround the edges of an epeiric marine basin which existed in conditions of a general regressive tendency and permanent coastal seawards progradation. The Upper Permian evaporites of central Dinarides are comparable with evaporites from the Bellerophon Formation from the Southern Alps, Italy.