New paleontological evidence of the Carnian strata in the Mežica area (Karavanke Mts, Slovenia): Conodont data for the Carnian Pluvial Event
Abstract The Carnian carbonate succession in the Mežica area called “Raibl Beds” (Karavanke Mts, Slovenia) on the north of the Periadriatic Line in the Eastern Alps includes three clastic horizons of marly–shaly rocks. The most interesting is the second clastic horizon that contains unique layers or lenses of micritic limestone. Although many samples were collected for conodonts, only one single sample yielded well preserved Carnian (Julian) specimens. The monospecific conodont fauna is marked by elements of Nicoraella ? budaensis that enables us to reconstruct a multielemental apparatus. The sporomorph associations of the first and the second clastic horizons are well correlated to the humid sub-phases in the “Raibl Beds”. The recovered conodont fauna verifies the Julian age of the second clastic horizon in the Mežica area and it provides new significant information for definition of the Carnian Pluvial Event in the Karavanke Mts.