Foraminifera – based estimation of water depth in epicontinental seas: Badenian deposits from Glavnica Gornja (Medvednica Mt., Croatia), Central Paratethys

Durig the Middle Miocene Medvednica Mt., situated on the southwestern margin of the Central Paratethys Sea, was a part of Pannonian Basin System. This study, except for some preliminary research, presents the first attempt to estimate the paleo-depths based on quantified data of small benthic foraminifera and to describe the conditions that at the sea bottom during the deposition of older Badenian deposits of the North Croatian basin. Studied time interval indicate Upper Lagenidae Zone (substage Moravian), Middle Badenian (sensu Hohenegger et al. 2014), traditionally Early Badenian, and can be correlated with Middle Miocene sea level cycle TB 2.4. At the area of Glavnica Gornja section diverse and abundant assemblages of small benthic foraminifera lived in deeper water basin (outer shelf) with well oxygenated sea bottom. In the central part of section more stressful conditions at the sea-bottom were recorded point to occasional episodes of fluctuations in flux of organic matter and nutrients into the basin. The results obtained from this study suggest that due to specific paleoecological conditions in epiconitental sea like Paratethys was, for paleo-depth estimation, much better results are obtained by using the gradient analysis, than with P/B ratio and modified P/B ratio.