Five protected outcrops of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in Bulgaria. – 50 years UMG

• Main Author: Dimitar Sinnyovsky
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1077.6077; http://mgu.bg/annual/public_html/2003/en/svityk1/dokladi_pdf/Sinyovski1_eng.pdf

ABSTRACT According to the famous 'impact theory', 65 million years ago a great meteorite caused explosion exceeding 10 000 times the present day nuclear weapon potential. This impact is considered to be one of the major disasters in the Phanerozoic history of the Earth. As a result, great quantity of ash material rose up into the atmosphere and covered the Earth for months. The subsequent fallout produced thin, globally traceable layer, enriched in iridium and other rare elements, oxides, minerals, shocked quartz and microtectites. This catastrophic event is probably responsible for disappearance of many typical Mesozoic animals and plantsdinosaurs, marine reptiles, ammonites, belemnites, over 90% of calcareous nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifera, 60% of angiosperm species, etc. In the present study geoconservation characteristics of five nominated for protection outcrops of this geological phenomenon in Bulgaria are proposed: geosite "Belite skali" in limestone-marl periodites near Byala Town, Varna District; geosite "Kozya reka" in cyclic limestone near Asparoukhovo village, Varna District; geosite "Kozichino" in turbidite sequence near Kozichino village, Bourgas District; geosite "Kamenitsa" in limestone sequence near Mezdra town and geosite "Kladorub" in marl-silty sequence near Kladorub village, Vidin district.