In the late Middle to early Late Jurassic carbonate-clastic Sirogojno M?lange
in the Zlatibor Mountain there is one roughly 35 m thick overturned block
with an intact Late Triassic fore-reefal Dachstein Limestone succession that
was studied here for its biostratigraphic age, faunal content and
microfacies characteristics. The succession starts with coarse-grained
rudstones followed by meter-sized reefal blocks intercalated in partly
layered resedimented grainstones and packstones with abundant reef-building
organisms like calcareous sponges, corals and encrusting organisms. Inside
this part of the succession open-marine influenced layers are rare. The
succession continues with a partly turbiditic sequence and chaotic
rudstones, densely packed with reef-derived material like broken
reef-building organisms and shallow-water material like gastropods, bivalves
and foraminifers. Grainstones with clear open-marine influence (e.g.,
thin-shelled bivalves, crinoids, conodonts) appear in between those
rudstones, in cases lumachelle layers consisting of halobiids were
deposited. To the end of the succession some layers show turbiditic bedding
with mixed shallow- water and deep-marine grains and organisms, i.e.
filaments and crinoids. On base of conodonts, foraminifers, calcareous
algae, holothurians and halobiids throughout the whole studied succession, a
Middle Norian (Alaunian) to Rhaetian 1, most probably a Late Norian
(Sevatian) age can be assigned to this forereefal Dachstein Limestone
succession, with a similar sedimentation pattern like Late Triassic
Dachstein fore-reef limestone facies, e.g., in the Northern Calcareous Alps
or the eastern Southern Alps. The study of this block in the Sirogojno
M?lange closes an important gap in knowledge about the extent, facies and
stratigraphy of the Dachstein Carbonate Platform evolution in the Dinarides.