1. INTRODUCTION The Sava depression represents the most southern part of the Pannonian basin (Fig. 1). After the Middle Eocene, a long continental phase started in the area rep- resented by the present depression, during which tec- tonic movements occurred and a fault network was cre- ated along which the basin subsided by extension. The oldest proven sediments belong to the fresh-water Ottnangian deposits which are overlain by Carpathian, Badenian and Sarmatian clastic marine sediments. Pan- nonian and Pontian sediments were deposited in a brackish to fresh water environment, while Pliocene sediments represent fresh water-lacustrine deposits. The thickness of this clastic complex exceeds 4,000 m in the deepest parts of the depression. The complex was inter- preted by FILJAK et al. (1969) as a single sedimentary Facies and Facies Architecture of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation (Upper Pannonian) - Sava Depression, NW Croatia Boris VRBANAC macro-cycle that can be subdivided in three distinct parts. The oldest is composed of coarse clastics (brec- cias, conglomerates and sandstones), overlain by clays, marls, limestones and biogenic limestones deposited in fresh-water and marine environments with occasional intercalations of effusives. This part of the macro-cycle comprises sediments of Ottnangian, Badenian and Sar- matian age. The middle part of the complex is com- posed of marls and sandstones that were deposited in a brackish to fresh-water environment, and is of Pannon- ian and Pontian age. These sediments represent several turbidite cycles. The final part of the macro-cycle con- stitutes Pliocene and Quaternary sediments of a mixed lithological composition - sands, gravels, clays and lig- nite. They were deposited in an alluvial environment, either within the river bed or in the large swamps extending along the rivers, following the elongation of marginal depressions. The studied sediments of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation (Fig. 2) form part of this clastic complex. The Forma- tion contains sandstone bodies in the central parts of the depression, while the marginal and external parts are represented exclusively by massive marls. The upper boundary of the formation in the marginal parts of the depression occurs at a depth of 300-400 m; in the cen- tral parts this boundary is below 3,000 m. The total thickness of this formation in the marginal parts is from 150-250 m, while in the central sections it reaches 800 m (Fig. 3). Part of the sedimentary body composed of turbidite sediments has an elongated narrow fan mor- phology extending NW-SE, 100 km long and 25 km wide. Although the exact relationship between the lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic units was not determined, the fossil content shows that most of this formation, if not the whole, is Upper Pannonian in age (Fig. 4). The cored material from the central parts of depres- sion, that coincide with the deepest parts of the deposi- tional basin during the Late Pannonian, is, as a rule, either barren of fossils, or contains fragments of unidentifiable ostracods. In the cores taken from the marginal parts of depression (which were the subsur- face uplifts), the Upper Pannonian sediments are mostly represented by marls occasionally interbedded with thin sandstones. These marls were found to contain fossils. The Upper Pannonian sediments were also investigated Geologia Croatica 55/1 57 - 77 14 Figs. ZAGREB 2002 Key words: Facies, Facies association, Areal distribu- tion, Turbidites, Massive marls, Upper Pannonian, Sava Depression, Croatia. INA - Naftaplin, Exploration Department, ©ubiÊeva 29, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. e-mail: boris.vrbanac@ina.hr Abstract Four facies were distinguished within the IvaniÊ Grad Formation of the Sava Depression: massive marl facies (F1), thick-bedded to mas- sive sandstone facies (F2), thin-bedded sandstone facies (F3) and thin- bedded sandstone, siltite and marl facies (F4). Interpretation of the depositional mechanisms confirmed the presence of two basic sedi- mentary processes. Hemipelagic deposits are represented by fine- grained detritus. The lithification of these produced a massive marl (facies - F1). Sand detritus was transported into the depression by tur- bidite currents (facies - F2- F4), and formed a narrow elongated sedi- mentary body. By comparing the facies defined on the basis of core samples, the spontaneous-potential curve (SP) and the resistivity curve (Ra) of identical intervals, four facies associations were defined on well log diagrams: channel filling (FA), depositional lobe (FB), lateral and dis- tal turbidites (FC) and massive marls (FD). 58 Geologia Croatica 55/1 at outcrop, on Mt. Medvednica, Mt. MoslavaËka gora and elsewhere. The presence of macrofossils was also determined. However, no publication describing this Upper Pannonian fossil fauna, from either outcrops or cores, explains the possible environment habitat of the fauna. It is usually only stated that deposition took place in a protected low-energy environment. Over almost the entire area of the Sava depression, the IvaniÊ Grad Formation overlies the Lower Pannon- ian sediments of the Prkos Formation. Only in a narrow strip of Dinaridic strike, located in the SW part of depression, does the IvaniÊ Grad Formation directly overlie the Badenian sediments. The lithological com- position of the Prkos formation is mainly of shallow- water thin or thick-layered marls, calcareous marls and marly limestones. Sandstones are only rarely found in the form of millimetre-thick layers or laminae. The Lower/Upper Pannonian contact has not been precisely defined, but it can be concluded that it roughly corre- sponds with the contact between the lithostratigraphic units. The Prkos formation is relatively easily identified on the well logs, but its age is rarely palaeontologically documented, due to the very scarce fossil content of the cores. Nevertheless, the cored material of the Prkos Formation contains a Lower Pannonian fauna without exception, while the cores taken from the overlying IvaniÊ Grad Formation mostly contain an Upper Pan- nonian fauna, if any. Similarly, the sediments of the Kloπtar IvaniÊ Formation, overlying the IvaniÊ Grad Formation over the entire exploration area, exclusively contain a Lower Pontian fauna. The Kloπtar IvaniÊ For- mation bears lithological and depositional similarities with the IvaniÊ Grad Formation which means that such lithostratigraphic subdivision was conditioned by the practical, petroleum-geological reasons. Two basic concepts have been postulated to explain the depositional environment of these sediments. According to PLETIKAPI∆ (1965) the water depth was shallow, and the cyclic character of the sediments was due to frequent moving of the shore line and a high energy area. Only in limited area and the constant sub- sidence of blocks along active tectonic lines, could the water depth have increased significantly in very narrow channels where turbidite currents could have devel- oped. According to MILJU© & VUGRINEC (1977) the IvaniÊ Grad Formation was deposited during a regres- sive phase. In zones of shallow water coasts pelites were mostly deposited, while sandstones were deposit- ed in the places of higher energy such as channels. LU»I∆ (1994) interpreted the facies as coastal sedi- ments, bar and beach sediments, interbar shoals, lagoon sediments and tidal channel sediments of coastal plains. The results of palynological analyses are contained in an unpublished work (LU»I∆ & KRIZMANI∆, 19931). The established palyno flora is composed of environ- mentally different phytoplankton fossils. The genus S p i n i f e r i t e s is very common and is characteristic of shallow environments. Alternatively, Impaginidium and G o n y a u l a x are phytoplankton that lived in deep water. Despite the possibility that such an association can be interpreted in terms of the deep water environment wherein the shallow water organisms were transported by resedimentation, the authors express the opinion (after SÜTÖ-SZENTAI, 1982) that this was the case of a shallow environment with occasional transport of the deep water organisms by the sea currents, which means that they were mixed with other fossils in the littoral zone. There are significant differences in the age deter- mination between the palynological analyses of the core material from the three major oil fields - IvaniÊ, Æutica and Okoli. These results remained unpublished in pro- fessional studies within the Department of the Central Laboratory. The samples from the IvaniÊ Grad Forma- tion were found to pertain the Lower and Upper Pon- tian, and Upper Pannonian. It has to be noted that not a single sample with palynological findings has also been documented by macrofossils. DALI∆ (1996) singled out five different lithofacies - offshore homogeneous marl deposits; well sorted marl intercalated with silt- stones and marl deposited as progradational shoreface and/or as barrier bar; marl with coal laminae and lithoarenite layers deposited on tidal flat in estuaries; marl intercalated with siltstone and fine grained sand- stones were interpreted as shallow shelf deposits with lagoonal characteristics; well sorted lithoarenites as a subtidal barrier bar. ©IMON (1980) believed, on the basis of the geome- try and lithological properties, that these sediments belong to “the family of redeposited coarse clastics”. He applied the concept of “submarine-sublacustrine fan” to explain deposition. In defining the depositional environment of the Okoli sandstones (the youngest Fig. 1 Location map of the Sava depression. 1 LU»I∆, D. & KRIZMANI∆, K. (1993): Zavrπno izvjeπÊe, buπotina Okoli-57, Biostratigrafska, litofacijesna i sedimentoloπka inter- pretacija.- Unpubl. report, INA-Naftaplin Archive, Zagreb. member of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation), in part of the Æutica oil field, VRBANAC (1989, 1990) believed that they belonged to the channelised part of a submarine fan (to its middle proximal part). The detritus was car- ried by gravitational flows which could be compared to turbidity flows. In his later work VRBANAC (1996) reconstructed a palaeogeographic view of the Sava depression during the Upper Pannonian, and concluded that it was a marked sub-sea (sub-lake) palaeorelief, the major feature of which was a central tectonic graben surrounded by submarine highs - the Medvednica horst in the NE, MoslavaËka Gora horst in the north, Martins- ka Ves horst in the south, and the Psunj-Prosara ridge in the east (Fig. 2). The bottom of this graben was irregu- lar and mildly inclined in a SE-E direction, with some occasional steepening. He also concluded that this was a calm, low-energy environment, with a sedimentary basin large and deep enough to ensure a stable deposi- tional environment, to compensate for the variations of the factors that respectively influence depositional mechanisms in a tectonically active basin.The source area of the clastic material was N-NW from the area named the “Alps mineral association”, and it can be concluded that there was lengthy transport of the proba- bly extensively resedimented material (©∆AVNI»AR, 1979). Although they did not directly study the areas of the Drava and Sava depressions, Hungarian authors also think that during the Pannonian (Pannonian s.s.) a deep water system existed with early turbidites, and later 59Vrbanac: Facies and Facies Architecture of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation... Fig. 2 Location map of the explored area. 60 Geologia Croatica 55/1 delta slope sediments (MATTICK et al., 1985, 1988; SZENTGYÖRGYI & JUHÁSZ, 1988; CLAYTON & KONCZ, 1994; HÁMOR & BÉRCZI, 1999). 2. SEDIMENTOLOGICAL ANALYSES OF CORE SAMPLES Detailed sedimentological analysis, layer-by-layer, was carried out on the cores from 29 wells distributed throughout the Sava depression. The 61 cored intervals were analysed with a total length of 569 m that covers almost the entire interval of the studied formation. The cores are mostly in isolated intervals that are not more than 6 m length. Only 6 wells were found to have con- tinuous coring ranging from 27-82.1 m in length. Since most of the cores were taken 20 or more years ago, lots of the core material was either missing or was found fragmented in irregular small pieces that were unsuit- able for sedimentological analysis. 2.1. Petrography Sandstone, siltite and marl alternate with each other. Data on the petrographic, mineralogical and physical properties of the sediments are provided by experts from INA-Naftaplin’s Central Laboratory. Sandstones are present only in the central part of the depression, pinching out towards the edges. They are grey (mostly light grey) in colour, only those saturated with oil are brown. Sandstone bedding is well ex- pressed in parts where they are interbedded with marl; bed thickness may reach several metres. They belong to a group of very fine to fine-grained sands with average grain size of 0.08-0.2 mm, rarely medium grained (≤0.5mm). Roundness varies between 0.2-0.3, belong- ing to the group of subangular grains. Sphericity grade values are balanced and vary between 0.68-0.74, mak- ing them highly spherical particles. Sandstone porosity is 10-33%, with significant dif- ferences in these values regarding the regional spatial Fig. 3 Isopach map of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation. 61Vrbanac: Facies and Facies Architecture of the IvaniÊ Grad Formation... distribution of sandstones in relation to the source area of the detrital material and different facies. Parallel pre- sentation data of porosity on several oil fields (BOKOR et al., 1979) show a distinct decrease of these values from northwest to southeast. Great differences in poros- ity and permeability values are also statistically proven in IvaniÊ Grad sandstones which belong to different facies. Maximum values are determined in the distribu- tory channel sandstones, while sandstones of levees and lobes have considerably lower values (–UREKOVI∆, 1995). The petrographic uniformity of the Upper Pannon- ian sandstones has long been noted (©∆AVNI»AR, 1979). Quartz is the main component, together with rock fragments, micas and feldspars. Quartz does not exceed 60% of the detritus. Among rock fragments (18- 35% of composition), the most dominant are limestone and dolomite, while grains of cherts, quartzite, clay shale, chloritic and sericite shales, quartz-muscovitic shale and gneiss, with rare fragments of granite and tuff are also present. The clay mineral content is very low (<5%, mostly 1-2%). Cement is formed by a mixture of prevailing calcite and detritic silt-clayey matrix. The detrital matrix contains illite, kaolinite, quartz, chlorite, plagioclase and mica. Sandstone cementation is not always complete, so many sandstone beds are poorly cemented and friable. According to their composition, they are litharenites, respectively calclithoarenites since in rock cuttings carbonate sediments are dominant2. Relatively large quantities of unstable grains indicate the low maturity of sandstones (©∆AVNI»AR, 1979). The best indicator of the petrographic uniformity of this formation is the identical composition of accessory heavy minerals, with the dominance of chlorite and gar- net and to a lesser extent biotite, staurolite, disthene, epidote, zoisite, apatite, tourmaline, zircon and rutile. Such an association of heavy minerals indicates that the source areas of the detritic material were probably the Alps with metamorphic rocks of epi and mezzo zones, as well as with limestones and cherts (©∆AVNI»AR, 1979). A great number of sandstone beds contain dark grey marl clasts. Clasts are mostly of an irregular and suban- gular shape. Their dimensions vary considerably; more often to 1-2 cm, very rare to 10 cm. They are found either dispersed, scattared in great numbers, or massive- ly. They can be scattered irregularly but mostly appear so that their longer axis is parallel or subparallel to the bedding plane. They are mostly found in the lower parts of sandstone beds, although they can also be present in the central and upper parts. The mineralogical composition of siltites is identical to that of the sandstones except for a higher mica con- tent. Flat and/or cross-lamination is almost always pre- sent, and visible due to presence of organic matter or mica. Burrows of ichnofossils are frequently noticed, as well as tiny marl clasts. Siltite porosity is mostly below 5%; permeability is also very poor, less then 10 µm- 2x10-3. Marls are grey brown, brown, dark grey and often almost black in colour. They are mostly hard, fissile and show parallel bedding planes where numerous car- bonised plant remnants are frequently obseved. These remnants are mostly particle-sized but can be larger than 10 cm. Bioturbation is sporadically strongly Fig. 4 Correlation table of the chronostrati- graphic and lithostratigraphic units and position of the EK markers. 62 Geologia Croatica 55/1 expressed. Ichnofossils look like winding tubes filled with sand or marl material. Petrographic analyses show that the marls consist of a clay-carbonate and cryp- tocrystal base with more or less fine grained quartz and mica of silt or sand dimensions. The CaCO3 content is about 60%. 2.2. Facies According to the sedimentological properties of the cored deposits (lithology, bedding, texture, relation between lithological members) four facies were identi- fied: massive marl facies (F1), thick bedded to massive sandstone facies (F2), thin bedded sandstone facies (F3), and laminated sandstone, siltite and marl facies (F4) 2.2.1. Massive marl facies (F1) This facies consists of homogenous and massive, most- ly unbedded marls, dark grey to almost black in colour (Fig. 5a). Sporadically preserved signs of bedding and lamination are mainly expressed by a colour change, and occasionally by thin siltite or sandstone laminae or beds. The massive homogenous appearance is sporadi- cally disturbed by burrows, but those traces of organism activities did not disturb rare primary internal structure and textural properties. Massive marls are the “normal” basin deposit, as hemipelagic muds which covered the basin floor relief under stable conditions. The uniform petrographic structure of detritical material indicates material trans- ported by turbidity currents, but the transport mecha- nism and mode of deposition is different. Thickness of massive marls in the marginal, morphologically higher parts of the depression, reaches 150-250 m, and up to 250 m in the central lower parts. Thin siltite and sand- stone intercalations and laminae in the massive marl are of turbidite origin, reflecting the enlargement of turbidi- ty flow area in the direction of movement as well as in their lateral spreading. 2.2.2. Thick bedded to massive sandstone facies (F2) This facies is represented by thick-bedded to massive homogenous sandstones with a few siltite and marl intercalations which can be compared to massive sand- stone facies (WALKER, 1978). The thickness of indi- vidual sandstone beds from the cored intervals is from 0.5-6 m (Fig. 5b). Amalgamation is frequently present. It is expressed by sharp changes in colour nuance with- in homogenous sandstone beds, or by sharp changes in grain size of sandstones. Frequently, several metre long intervals of sandstone cores were broken into pieces only a few cm long or even smaller, making sedimento- logical analysis impossible. It is debatable whether these significant thicknesses of sandstone beds could be the consequence of amalgamation which, due to the identical content and physical properties of sand detri- tus, and broken of cores, can not always be determined. This facies appears exclusively within distributory channels where the energy of turbidity flows was the highest and where the effects of erosion on the base by mud flows were most strongly expressed. Lower bedding planes are sharp and with more or less expressed traces of erosion. Sandstones of this facies can be of different structure. A lot of beds are massive and homogenous. Normal gradation can be noticed only in a few beds, in their upper part, while it is less frequent in their lowest part or within the bed. Even though there is usually no gradual transition between a sandstone bed and overlying marl, some sandstones gradually grade into siltite and marl. In such beds horizontal and lateral siltite lamination can be noticed, as well as convolution. The thickness of these seal marls does not exceed several centimetres. Less commonly there are cases of inverse gradation. Lami- nation is very seldom present. Frequently, horizontal or wavy lamination within sandstones which are abruptly cut off on the upper side by a massive sandstone with no texture, points to amalgamation, during which the upper laminated part was carried away, probably together with the capping marl. Deformed bedding and lamination, and convolute bedding or lamination is common. This is the result of hydroplastic deformation of unconsolidated deposits over which strong water flows passed during sedimen- tation (SANDERS, 1965), as well as in the post-sedi- mentation phase as the result of the sudden displace- ment of pore water (LOWE, 1975). In this way dish structures and sand dikes are formed. Frequently, flame structures occur on the lower surface of sandstone lay- ers, and it could be established for some clasts that they were formed by the breaking of thin marl beds due to the sudden displacement of pore water, and their “intru- sion” into overlying sandstone or even siltite beds. Some deformations are probably the result of sliding of poorly compacted material down the slope. Due to expressed lamination, sinsedimentary faults of small dimensions are often noticed, both normal and reverse. On lower bedding surface visible traces were left by erosion of the flow itself and/or traces of erosion by objects moving over the bottom: clasts, plant parts etc. Marl clasts of different dimensions and different round- ness grades and carbonised plant remnants are quite common. While carbonised plant remnants of different dimensions originate from continental regions, marl clasts were formed by the erosion of poorly consolidat- ed sediments of the channel flanks and bottom, started by turbidity flows. The estimated proportion of marl and siltite in this facies does not exceed 10%. The internal bed constitution and textural properties are mostly the result of the final stage of transport and 2 Physical and petrographic data - Department of Central laboratory INA-Naftaplin. 6 3 V rb a n a c: F a cie s a n d F a cie s A rch ite ctu re o f th e Iva n iÊ G ra d F o rm a tio n ... F ig . 5 L ith o lo g ic co lu m n s. .. ) 21$1 In 21S6 m Ok- S7 'i:~!r_· I ,~:.., ;'-',' II 1 ~'=-- cO-;;:, 1 ;:.:,i.';:; ;.d·~~~j ;~l~:~ n~f~ 1 ~:fut-~, tt~~-:.;:-·: ~;r~ J ~-;=~ ~ ~'~~t ';...i ·~~ l-;~:~' J ·~·~ii.~~: BJ-J b) 26) 1m "'I"',,-'-~"TI--"" 2616 m ~~ H ~) 1200.9 m 1203.!f m LEGEND Lilh"'DkJI GI-J1 c:J _dlrro •• o sillite k cLj marl T""~r~ r;. u ~ carboni.cd plallr. renmanlS bioturbation borUciatioll _ FB · Ikpooilionallob< f.d", U>Ociariou _ Fe· IaIem IO>d di.lal _diI< ~,_ '_"'0' I I'D • __ i"" tnar1 fo<;os __ _ act""", or <"""'01 J)"I< f>,ci .. __ _ Fe • 1.I. massive marl &.cia ...... ioIi"" «>IIIact m:. of_I a)'SI! lob< U