Lava Formation

For molten rock erupted from volcanoes, see Lava.

The Lava Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation in Lithuania and Kaliningrad, being either the sister or the same unit as the Ciechocinek Formation.^[7][8] It represents the outcrop of Lower Toarcian layers in the Baltic Syncline and in the Lithuanian-Polish Syneclise (C8-borehole in Gdańsk Bay). It is known by the presence of Miospores and Pollen, as well Plant remains.^[9] The formation contains grey, greenish, and dark grey silt and clay with interealatians and lenses of fine-grained sand, pyritic concretions and plant remains (carbonised wood fragments).^[10] The Jotvingiai Group Toarcian deposits represent deposits laid down in fresh water and brackish basins, possibly lagoons or coastal plain lakes.^[11] The Bartoszyce IG 1 of the Ciechocinek Formation shows how at the initial phase of the Toarcian there was a regional transgression in the Baltic Syncline, indicated by greenish-grey mudstones, heteroliths and fine-grained sandstones with abundant plant fossils and plant roots, what indicates a local delta progradation between the Lava and Ciechocinek Fms.^[8] Then a great accumulation of miospores (+2500 specimens) indicates a local concentration, likely due to a rapidly decelerating fluvial flow in a delta-fringing lagoon forming a “hydrodynamic trap”, with the wave and currents stopping the miospores to spread to the basin.^[8] Latter a marsh system developed with numerous palaeosol levels, being overlayed by brackish-marine embayment deposits that return to lagoon-marsh facies with numerous plant roots (Radicites sp) and palaeosol levels in the uppermost section, ending the succession.^[8] Overall the facies show that the local Ciechocinek-Lava system was a sedimentary basin shallow and isolated, surrounded by a flat coastal/delta plain with marshes, delivering abundant spores and Phytoclasts, indicators of proximal landmasses with high availability of wood and other plant material.^[8] This climate at the time of deposition was strongly seasonal, probably with monsoonal periods.^[12] Due to the abundant presence of deltaic sediments on the upper part, it is considered to be related to the retry of the sea level. The Lava Formation was deposited on a mostly continental setting, with its upper part, dominated by argillaceous sediments, corresponding to the Ciechocinek Formation.^[8] There is a great amount of kaolinite content, being present laterally in the basin, decreasing and lifting space to increasing smectite to the south-west of the formation. On the other hand, there is a great amount of coarsest sediments, which consist mostly of sands.^[13]

Lava Formation
Stratigraphic range: Lower Toarcian 183–179 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ [1]
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Jotvingiai Group[2]
Underlies	Skalviai Group
Overlies	Neringa Formation
Thickness	45 m [3]
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone and clay with a coaly admixture and the inclusion of wood remains.[4][5]
Other	Shallow, continental basins with sandy-clayey sediments deposited with traces of breaks and weathering. Upper part is dominated by argillaceous sediments. Cemented sandstones with interlayers of kaolinite-hydromica clays.[6]
Location
Country	Lithuania  Kaliningrad Oblast
Type section
Named for	Lava River

Palynology

Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Leiotriletes[14]	Leiotriletes rotundiformis	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with Botryopteridaceae, Cooksoniaceae, Schizaeaceae, Sermayaceae and Zosterophyllaceae. Likely reworked from Devonian-Permian layers
Acanthotriletes[14][15]	Acanthotriletes elatus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Botryopteridaceae and Selaginellaceae. Reworked from primitive ferns found in Devonian and Carboniferous rocks of Europe
Staplinisporites[15]	Staplinisporites caminus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Encalyptaceae inside Bryopsida. Branching Moss Spores, related with high water-depleting environments	Example of extant Encalypta specimens, Staplinisporites come probably from similar genera
Lycopodiumsporites[14][15]	Lycopodiumsporites semimuris	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Lycopodiaceae inside Lycopodiopsida.
Foveosporites[14][15]	Foveosporites microreticulatus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Lycopodiaceae inside Lycopodiopsida. Lycopod spores, related with herbaceous to arbustive flora common on humid environments	Extant Lycopodium specimens. Genera like Foveosporites probably come from a similar plant
Uvaesporites[14]	Uvaesporites argenteaeformis	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Selaginellaceae inside Lycopsida.
Densoisporites[14][15]	Densoisporites crassus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Selaginellaceae inside Lycopsida. Relatively abundant
Heliosporites[14]	Heliosporites altmarkensis	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Selaginellaceae inside Lycopsida. Herbaceous Lycophyte flora, similar to Ferns, related with Humid Settings. This Family of Spores are also the most diverse on the Formation.	Extant Selaginella, Heliosporites probably come from a similar or a related Plant
Leiozonotriletes[14]	Leiozonotriletes sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Uncertain Affinities with the Pteridopsida.
Cingulatisporites[14]	Cingulatisporites scabratus Cingulatisporites sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with Cibotiaceae and Selaginellaceae inside Pteridopsida. Relatively abundant
Leptolepidites[14][15]	Leptolepidites major Leptolepidites sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Dennstaedtiaceae inside Polypodiales. Forest Fern Spores	Example of extant Dennstaedtia specimens, Leptolepidites come probably from similar genera
Pilosisporites[14]	Pilosisporites brevipapillosus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miopores	Affinities with Schizaeaceae and Lygodiaceae inside Pteridophyta. Either from herbaceous or climbing ferns
Klukisporites[14][15][16]	Klukisporites sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole C8-borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Lygodiaceae inside Polypodiopsida. Climbing fern spores	Example of extant Lygodium, Lygodioisporites come probably from similar genera or maybe a species from the genus
Clathropterisospora[14][15]	Clathropterisospora obovata Clathropterisospora "sp. 1" Clathropterisospora "sp. 2"	Nida-44 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with Dipteridaceae inside Polypodiales.
Dictyophyllidites[14][15]	Dictyophyllidites sp sp. nov.	Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with Dipteridaceae inside Polypodiales. Dictyophyllum is a common Dipteridacean genus of the mid-Mesozoic	Dictyophyllum nilssonii specimen
Marattiopsis[14][15]	Marattiopsis scabratus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Marattiaceae inside Polypodiopsida.
Matonisporites[14][15]	Matonisporites phlebopteroides	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miopores	Affinities with the Matoniaceae inside Polypodiopsida. Fern spores from lower herbaceous flora	Example of extant Matonia specimens, Matonisporites come probably from similar genera
Cyathidites[14]	Cyathidites minor	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the family Cyatheaceae inside Cyatheales. Arboreal Fern Spores	Example of extant Cyathea, Cyathidites come probably from similar genera
Tripartina[14][15][16]	Tripartina variabilis Tripartina sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole C8-borehole	Miospores	Affinities with Dicksoniaceae inside Cyatheales. Common cosmopolitan Mesozoic Tree fern genus.	Coniopteris specimen
Camptotriletes[14][15]	Camptotriletes anagrammensis Camptotriletes cerebriformis Camptotriletes triangularis	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Lepidodendraceae and Botryopteridaceae. Reworked Carboniferous Palynomorphs
Hymenozonotriletes[14]	Hymenozonotriletes dalinkevidiusi Hymenozonotriletes speciosus	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Miospores	Affinities with the Lepidodendraceae. Reworked
Protopinus[14][15]	Protopinus sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Pollen from the Family Caytoniaceae inside Caytoniales. Caytoniaceae are a complex group of Mesozoic Fossil floras, that can be related to both Peltaspermales and Ginkgoaceae.
Chasmatosporites[14][16]	Chasmatosporites apertus Chasmatosporites hians Chasmatosporites sp.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole C8-borehole		Affinities with the family Cycadaceae inside Cycadales. Is among the most abundant flora recovered on the upper section of the coeval Rya Formation, and was found to be similar to the pollen of the extant Encephalartos laevifolius.[17]	Extant Encephalartos laevifolius. Chasmatosporites maybe come from a related plant
Paleoconiferus[14][15]	Paleoconiferus sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Voltziaceae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae and Araucariaceae inside Pinopsida.
Pseudopinus[14][15]	Pseudopinus oblatinoides	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Voltziaceae inside Pinopsida.
Protopodocarpus[14][15]	Protopodocarpus sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Voltziaceae inside Pinopsida.
Paleopicea[14][15]	Paleopicea sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Pinaceae and Voltziaceae inside Pinopsida.
Pseudopicea[14][15]	Pseudopicea sp. sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Pinaceae inside Pinopsida. Relatively abundant Pinaceae Pollen, appears specially on Kaolinite-abundant strata.	Extant Picea. Pseudopicea maybe come from a related plant
Cerebropollenites[14][15][16]	Cerebropollenites dalinkeviciusi	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole C8-borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Sciadopityaceae or Miroviaceae inside Coniferales. This Pollen resemblance with extant Sciadopitys suggest that Miroviaceae can be an extinct lineage of sciadopityaceaous-like plants.[18]	Extant Sciadopitys. Cerebropollenites likely come from a related plant
Perinopollenites[14][16]	Perinopollenites sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole C8-borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the family Cupressaceae inside Pinopsida. Pollen that resembles extant genera such as the Genus Actinostrobus and Austrocedrus, probably derived from Dry environments.	Extant Austrocedrus. Perinopollenites maybe come from a related plant
Cupressacites[16]	Cupressacites coriaceus Cupressacites subgranulatus	C8-borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the family Cupressaceae inside Pinopsida.
Taxodiites[16]	Taxodiites pallens	C8-borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the family Cupressaceae inside Pinopsida.
Classopollis[14][15][16]	Classopollis corniculatus Classopollis sp.1 sp. nov. Classopollis sp.2 sp. nov. Classopollis sp.3 sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole Kybartai-29 Borehole C8-borehole	Pollen	Affinities with the Cheirolepidiaceae inside Pinopsida. Indicator of Dry settings

Megaflora

Genus	Species	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Phlebopteris[3][12][15]	Phlebopteris cf. smithii	Nida-44 Borehole	Isolated pinnae	Affinities with Matoniaceae inside Gleicheniales.	Example of Phlebopteris specimen
Ginkgoites[4][3][12]	Ginkgoites acuta Ginkgoites "sp. 1"	Nida-44 Borehole Belyj Jar-1 Borehole	Leaves	Affinities with Ginkgoaceae inside Ginkgoales. Large to medium Arboreal trees, common on the Fennoscandinavian realm, but also on the Siberian strata	Ginkgoites specimen
Picea?[4][14][15]	Picea? sp sp. nov. Picea? sp.1 sp. nov. Picea? sp.2 sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole Uljanovo-3 Borehole	Cones	Affinities with the Piceoideae inside Coniferales.	Example of extant Picea cones
Pinus?[14][15]	Pinus? sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole	Cones	Affinities with the Pinaceae inside Coniferales.	Example of extant Pinus cones
Podozamites[4][14][15]	Podozamites sp sp. nov.	Nida-44 Borehole	Leaves	Affinities with Krassiloviaceae inside Voltziales. The local Podozamites show a rather great range of Growth, reflecting Tropical to subtropical conditions.	Podozamites reconstruction
Elatocladus[4][3][12][15]	Elatocladus sp.	Nida-44 Borehole	Leaves	Affinities with the Cupressaceae inside Coniferales.	Elatocladus

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Lithuania
• Toarcian turnover
• Toarcian formations
  • Marne di Monte Serrone, Italy
  • Calcare di Sogno, Italy
  • Mizur Formation, North Caucasus
  • Djupadal Formation, Central Skane
  • Sachrang Formation, Austria
  • Saubach Formation, Austria
  • Posidonia Shale, Lagerstätte in Germany
  • Ciechocinek Formation, Germany and Poland
  • Krempachy Marl Formation, Poland and Slovakia
  • Azilal Group, North Africa
  • Whitby Mudstone, England
  • Fernie Formation, Alberta and British Columbia
    • Poker Chip Shale
  • Whiteaves Formation, British Columbia
  • Navajo Sandstone, Utah
  • Los Molles Formation, Argentina
  • Mawson Formation, Antarctica
  • Kandreho Formation, Madagascar
  • Kota Formation, India
  • Cattamarra Coal Measures, Australia

References

1. Grigelis, A. (2007). "Geology of Lithuania (Lietuva)". Geology of the Land and Sea Areas of Northern Europe: A Collection of Short Descriptions of the Geology of Countries and Sea Are as within the Region Covered by the. 1 (4): 51–55. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
2. Grigelis, A. (1982). Geology of the Soviet Baltic Republics. Leningrad: Publishing House "Nedra". p. 167. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
3. Grigelis, A. (1994). "Jura". Lietuvos geologija. Grigelis, A. & Kadūnas, V. (Eds.). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, Vilnius. 1 (1): 139–153.
4. Šimkevičius, P. (2004). "Triasas ir jura". Lietuvos Žemės gelmių raida ir ištekliai. Geologijos ir geografijos institutas, Vilnius. 12 (3): 81–90.
5. Paškevičius, J. (1997). "The geology of the Baltic Republics". Lietuvos geologijos tarnyba, Vilnius. 387 (3): 13–78.
6. Zhamoida, V.; Sivkov, V.; Nesterova, E. (2017). "Mineral resources of the Kaliningrad Region". In Terrestrial and Inland Water Environment of the Kaliningrad Region. 56 (3): 13–32. doi:10.1007/698_2017_115.
7. Grigelis, A.; Monkevich, K.; Vishniakov, I. (1985). "Sedimentatsiya i paleogeograftya mezozoya v zapadnoy chasti Vostochno-Evropeyskoy platformy (Mesozoic sedimentation and palaeogeography in the western part of the East European Platform)". Nauka I Technika. 23 (1): 1–215.
8. Pieñkowski, G. (2004). "The epicontinental Lower Jurassic of Poland". Polish Geological Institute Special Papers. 12 (1): 1–154. S2CID 128922070.
9. McCann, T. (2008). The Geology of Central Europe. Volume 2: Mesozoic and Cenozoic. London: Geological Society of London. pp. 883–922. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
10. Grigelis, A.; Norling, E. (1999). "Jurassic geology and foraminiferal faunas in the NW part of the East European Plalform: a Lithuanian-Swedish geotraverse study" (PDF). Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning. 89 (2): 1–108. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
11. Šimkevičius, P.; Ahlberg, A.; Grigelis, A. (2003). "Jurassic smectite and kaolinite trends of the East European Platform: implications for palaeobathymetry and palaeoclimate". Terra Nova. 15 (4): 225–229. Bibcode:2003TeNov..15..225S. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3121.2003.00489.x. S2CID 129123079. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
12. Simkevicius, P. (1998). Jurassic of the SE Baltic: Lithology and Clay Minerals. Vilnius: Lithuanian Institute of Geology.
13. Grigelis, Algimantas (1994). "Lithostratigraphy of the Jurassic in Lithuania: Lower and Middle Jurassic". Geologija. 17 (4): 30–35. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
14. Venozhinskene, A.I. (1971). "Palynological indications of the Early Jurassic deposits in the southern part of the Balticum [Palinologicheskoe Obosnovaie Nizhneyurskikh otlozhenii Yuzhnboi Pribaltiki]". Trudy Ministerstvo Geologii SSR,Akademiya Nauk SSR. 45 (3): 19–30.
15. Venozhinskene, A.I.; Kisnerius, J. (1978). "Stratigraphy of Upper Triassic, (Rhaetian,), Jurassic, (Pre Middle Callovian), continental deposits of the western part of the southern Baltic area [ Stratigrafiya verkhetriasovykh (retskikh) Yurskikh (Dosrednekelloveiskikh) kontinental'nykh otlozhenii Zaladnoi Chasti Yuzhnoi Pribaltiki]". Trudy Ministerstvo Geologii SSR,Akademiya Nauk. 53 (5): 127–138.
16. Vasileva, N.S. (1973). "Mesozoic spore-pollen assemblages of the South Baltic off-shore region and their stratigraphic significance". International Palynological Conference,3rd, Proceedings; Nauka, Moscow, Russia. 6 (2): 104–108.
17. Guy-Ohlson, D. (1988), "The use of dispersed palynomorphs referable to the form genus Chasmatosporites (Nilsson) Pocock and Jansonius, in Jurassic biostratigraphy" (PDF), Congreso Argentino de Paleontologia y Bioestratigrafia, 3 (1–2): 5–13, retrieved 9 April 2021
18. Hofmann, Christa-Ch.; Odgerel, Nyamsambuu; Seyfullah, Leyla J. (2021). "The occurrence of pollen of Sciadopityaceae Luerss. through time". Fossil Imprint. 77 (2): 271–281. doi:10.37520/fi.2021.019. S2CID 245555379. Retrieved 27 December 2021.

Further reading

• Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.