Geochemical Correlation of Limnic-marine Upper Cretaceous Successions Underneath the Vienna Basin (Gosau Group, Austria)

The interplay of Late Cretaceous basin subsidence and sea-level oscillations produced a mixed freshwater-marine succession within the Gosau Group of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The Gosau Group comprises Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene strata unconformably overlying folded and faulted Permian to Lower Cretaceous units. These sediments are exposed at the south-western (Austria) and the north-eastern (Slovakia) margin of the basin and continue as NE-SW-striking synclines underneath the Neogene fill of the basin pursuable over several boreholes. Cored sections (courtesy of OMV AG) from the Glinzendorf Syncline, the Gießhübl Syncline and the Brezová Syncline as well as sediments from the outcrop area of Grünbach-Neue Welt have been investigated geochemically (bulk rock) with the aim to distinguish between freshwater and marine deposits, to compare geochemical characteristics of the different Gosau synclines and basins, and to investigate sedimentary provenance using major, trace and rare earth elements, C, O and Sr isotopes and heavy minerals. Geochemical tools that are used in the literature like indicators for paleoenvironments or provenance as well as different sensible element concentrations and ratios in combination with results from the heavy mineral analysis are performed and interpreted.