This study reports the first high-resolution, integrated facies analysis of the lowermost Albian Pietraroja Lagerstätten (Apennine Carbonate Platform) which yields the first dinosaur (Scipionyx samniticus) found in Italy and other terrestrial vertebrates and plants. Aiming to clarify the long-debated palaeoenvironmental significance of the Pietraroja succession, the following have been carried out: (i) a field survey to establish stratigraphic position and number of the fossil Lagerstätten; (ii) the centimetre-scale facies analysis of a new section, ca 15 m thick, consisting of two new lithostratigraphic units, the ‘Cyclically organized Limestones’ and the ‘Cherty Limestones’; (iii) the scanning electron microscopy – energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and backscattered electron – energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses of clay mineral proxies for palaeoclimate and non-carbonate grains; and (iv) the regional and supra-regional investigation of the event stratigraphical context of the fossil Lagerstätten, in order to elucidate the controls on their formation. The section includes two out of the three observed fossil-rich Lagerstätten, each up to 1.5 m thick. The arrangement of lithofacies and early diagenetic overprint defines shallow-water depositional cycles suggestive of precession and short-eccentricity periodicities. The Middle Lagerstätte yielding Scipionyx samniticus consists of three intervals. The lower, paralic interval was deposited during arid conditions and passes gradually to the plant-rich, coastal wetland carbonaceous marls of the upper interval. The ‘Cherty Limestones’, yielding the Upper Lagerstätte with terrestrial vertebrates, contains two spiculitic intervals suggesting the development of siliceous sponge meadows in a shallow, restricted lagoon. Genetic stratigraphy suggests that the Pietraroja Lagerstätten were formed during glacioeustatic lowstands; interestingly, the Middle Lagerstätte mirrors the earliest Albian sea-level lowstand (KAl1 event, ca 111.2 Myr), during a semi-continuous supply of windblown volcaniclastics. Findings herein substantiate the pivotal role of paralic–continental Lagerstätten for deriving high-frequency palaeoclimatic dynamics and glacioeustacy from carbonate platform archives. The origin of Tethyan continental bridges between Africa and Europe during the late Aptian–earliest Albian cold interval is discussed.

中文翻译：

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对碳酸盐岩 Lagerstätten 的古环境-古气候意义和沉积动力学的新见解：Pietraroja 的下阿尔布阶（意大利南部）

这项研究报告了对最低阿尔比安 Pietraroja Lagerstätten（亚平宁碳酸盐台地）的首次高分辨率综合相分析，该台地孕育了在意大利发现的第一种恐龙（Scipionyx samniticus）以及其他陆生脊椎动物和植物。为了澄清长期争论的 Pietraroja 序列的古环境意义，我们进行了以下工作： (i) 进行实地调查，以确定化石 Lagerstätten 的地层位置和数量；(ii)约15 m 厚的新剖面的厘米级相分析，由两个新的岩石地层单元“循环组织石灰岩”和“Cherty 石灰岩”组成；(iii) 扫描电子显微镜 - 能量色散 X 射线光谱和背散射电子 - 能量色散 X 射线光谱分析，对古气候和非碳酸盐颗粒的粘土矿物代理进行分析；(iv) 对化石 Lagerstätten 的事件地层背景进行区域和超区域调查，以阐明对其形成的控制。该剖面包括观察到的三个富含化石的 Lagerstätten 中的两个，每个厚度达 1.5 m。岩相的排列和早期成岩叠印定义了暗示岁差和短偏心率周期性的浅水沉积旋回。产自Scipionyx samniticus 的Middle Lagerstätte由三个区间组成。下部陆陆层段在干旱条件下沉积，并逐渐过渡到上部层段植物丰富的沿海湿地碳质泥灰岩。“Cherty Limestones”产生了拥有陆生脊椎动物的上 Lagerstätte，包含两个针状层段，表明在浅的、有限的泻湖中发育有硅质海绵草甸。遗传地层学表明，Pietraroja Lagerstätten 是在冰川平衡低位期间形成的。有趣的是，Middle Lagerstätte 反映了最早的阿尔比亚海平面低位（KAl1 事件，约111.2 Myr），当时风吹火山碎屑半连续供应。本文的研究结果证实了陆陆-Lagerstätten 对于从碳酸盐台地档案中推导高频古气候动力学和冰川平衡的关键作用。讨论了阿普第晚期至阿尔布早期寒冷期期间非洲和欧洲之间的特提斯大陆桥的起源。