Sedimentary cycles and rhythms in a Sarmatian to Pannonian (Late Miocene) transitional section at Oarba de Mures/Marosorbó, Transylvanian Basin

A continuous Sarmatian/Pannonian boundary section, which rarely crops out within the Pannonian Basin, was studied near Oarba de Mures/Marosorbo. Alternating beds of clay marl, calcareous marl, siltstone, sandstone and andesitic tuff are present up to a thickness of about 100 m. Traditionally the Sa/Pa boundary was placed at the top of the last significant tuff layer, which has been confirmed by mollusk-bearing strata a few meters above belonging to the "Lymnocardium" praeponticum Zone. This zone is coeval with the Early Pannonian Mecsekia ultima dinoflagellate zone and the C5r magnetic polarity zone. Three ranks of cyclicity connected to sediment gravity flows are present in the outcrops. Coarse silt to sandstone beds were formed by low-density turbidity currents. These individual events represent "dilution cycles" connected to the intensity and abundance of turbidity currents. Turbiditic beds, some 2-5 m-thick series of sandstones, form coarsening/thickening upward cycles of 8-20 m of thickness. This cyc...