El Sinemuríense y el Pliensbachiense en la Sección de Alfara, Cordillera Costero-Catalana (Tarragona)

Lower Jurassic deposits at the Alfara region, in the so-called Catatan coastal Chain (NE Spain) have been the subject of numerous biostratigraphic studies from the beginning of the 20ih century, even though favourable outcrops in this area are generally rare and sparse. Recent works on the road connecting ihe localities of Alfara de Carles and Tortosa have lcd to tlie appearance of fairly good exposures of the Lower Jurassic units which overlie the Upper Triassic Imon Fm. Some of the lithologic units distinguished in this area can easily be compared to, and correlated with, those defined for the Iberian Basin. Aboye the so-called Cortes de Tajuna Fm., the following units are recorded and studied in detail: Cuevas Labradas Fm. (mainly Sinemurian), Almonacid dc la Cuba Unit (Lower Pliensbachian) and Barahona Fm. (Upper Pliensbachian to Lower Toarcian). Sediments in these studied units are organized in shallowing upwards sedimentary sequences, generally bounded on top by ferruginous crusts and sometimes by hard-ground surfaces. Invertebrate fossils are extremely scarce until the upper part of the Cuevas Labradas Fm., so the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian boundary cannot be precisely delineated. Yet, some brachiopod and ammonite assemblages characterizing the Lower Pliensbachian are found in the upper levels of this unit.Unlike the mentioned units, the so-called Sant Blai Fm. is clearly more fossiliferous. lts lower part has yielded rich brachiopod and amrnonite assemblages characterizing Lower Toarcian.