GEOL. CROA T. 51/2 175 - 193 21 Figs. I 
I 

ZAGREB 1998 I 

Nearshore Deposits in the Middle Eocene Clastic Succession in 
Northern Dalmatia (Dinarides, Croatia) 

Ljubomir BABIC' and Jozica ZUPANIC' 

Key words: Nearshore clastics, Shoreface, Beachface, 
Delta, Flysch, Molasse, Eocene, Northern Dalmatia, 
Croatia. 

Abstract 
The Midd le Eocene clastic sliccess ion in the Radovin Syncline is 

approximate ly 900 m thic k and consists of hemipelag ic and nysch­
type depos its in its lower part, and shallow-marine sediments in it s 
upper portio n. The upper portion embraces a unit of sandstones and 
conglomerates, which is represented by several facies. Flat- and low­
angle laminated. and hummocky cross-stratified sandstones (S 1) ori ­
ginated by storm-re lated processes in the sho re face. Cross-bedded 
sandstones (S2 ) reflect longshore. offshore. and onshore nows also in 
shoreface settings. Flat -laminated sandstones with planar truncation s 
(S3) refl ect swash processes. Some sandstones possibly originated in 
the o ffshore transition zone. Conglomerate- sandstone co upl ets (CS) 
originmed by storm-induced flows in the shoreface. Main conglome­
rates (CM) mostl y reflect various processes and modifications per­
formed in upper shore face and beachface sett ings of a refl ective 
coas t. Most Cross- bedded conglomerat es (CX) reflect longshore 
flow s lind di ssi pative conditions. There arc also conglomerates which 
have poss ibly been deposited by gravity fl ows re lated to river floods. 
The shoreline was ori ented NW - SE. 

The architecture o f the sandstone-conglomerate unit is thought to 
res ult from the interfingering of deltas and nears hore sandy systems. 
Deltas were of the shelf- type, and were predominantly "wave-domi ­
nated". The sed iments studied reflect mo lasse-type deposition, which 
was induced by early post- fl ysch changes in basin evolution and the 
palaeogeography of the Palaeogene clastic basin in the coastal Dina ­
rides . 

1. INTRODUCTION 

Palaeogene clas tic depos its in the coastal Dinarides 
overl ie Mesozo ic to Middle Eocene platform carbo­
nates. [n northern Da lmatia, these c lastics are 2.8 km 
th ick, and are represented by two large, superimposed 
units (rev iew in BABIC & ZUPANIC, 1983; BABIC et 
aI. , 1995). The lower unit is some 900 m thick, and it s 
age corresponds to the middle-la te part of the Middle 
Eocene (SCHUBERT, 1905a; MAJCEN & KOROLl-

I Fac ulty of Science, Univers ity of Zagreb, Institute of Geology and 
Palaeontology, Kralja Zvonimira 8, HR- l 0000 Zagreb, Croatia. 

2 Facult y of Sc ience, Un iversity of Zagre b, Institute of Mi neralogy 
and Petrography, Horvatovac bb, HR- loooo Zagreb. Croatia. 

JA, 1970, 1973; MULDINI-MAMUZIC, 1972; IVA­
NOV IC et aI. , 1976). This unit comprises the sediments 
described here. The upper unit of the Palaeogene clas· 
tics in northern Dalmatia is represented by the 1900 m 
thick Prom ina Beds, which are late Middle Eocene to 
Early Oligocene in age (IV ANOVIC et aI., 1976; SAK­
AC et aI., 1993), and is not discussed here. 

Thc lower clastics were the subject of different opin­
ions concerning their origin. Above a basal deeper­
water marl , SCHUBERT (1905a, 1909; in SCHUBERT 
& WAAGEN, 191 3) recognised sandstones, marls, and 
conglomerates of shall ow-marine and nearshore origin, 
which wou ld refl ect sea level oscillations. After 
MARINCIC (1981), these clastics are recognised as ny­
sch sediments, wh ich are part of a long flysch belt strik­
ing a long the Dinarides. Other reports are concerned 
with two specific areas of northern Dalmatia. In the 
Zadar· Radovin area (Fig. 1), the lower clastics have 
been ca ll ed flys ch by MULDINI-MAMUZIC (1972), 
whi le MAJCEN & KOROLIJA ( 1973) regarded these 
sediments as a molassc, which re fl ects the alternation of 
deep and shallow- marine cond itions. The same lowc r 
clastic un it exposed 10 the Southeast in the Benkovac 
area (Fig. 1) , has been regarded by IV ANOVIC et al. 
(1969) as fl ysch, and by IVANOV IC et al. (1976) as 
deep· sea deposits. For SIKIC (1969), these sediments 
(above the basal marl) may be called " Fl ysch-li ke 
Deposits". 

The works on the lower clastic unit in northern Dal­
matia mentioned above provide liltle evidence· in sup­
port of the various opinions. Only the lower portion of 
these clastics from a restricted area (ra il way section in 
the Benkovac area - BABIC & ZUPANIC, 1983) has 
bee n described in dctail. There is a need therefore to 
improve the knowledge of these sediments, which rep­
resent a record of the sedimentary and structural evolu­
tion of the Dinaric chain after platform carbonate depo­
sition ceased. Data presented here indicate that the low­
er unit of the Palaeogene clastics in the Radovin -Zadar 
area, northern Dalmatia, contains sediments which orig­
inated in nearshore environments, as already proposed 
by SC HUBERT (1905a, 1909). The interpreta ti on of 
these environments is supported by a description of the 
sed imentary features and relevant fac ies, whi ch have 
not been previously descr ibed either from the study 
area, or from elsewhere in the Eocene of the coastal 
Dinarides. 



176 

N 

A 
o 

G 
~ 
~ 

= L..:..:..:..:.. 

Quaternary 

Promi na Reds 
( E Ofl.' IIC 0 Olil!orene) 

I .ower clas t ics 
(Eocene) 

Carboll alU 
(Crcla~eous & Palacogl'nc) 

e 

" e & ,. 

Gl:ologia Croa tica 5 1/2 

, ~ ... . ... .. .. ... . .. 
I

' .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . 

I

' .. .... ... .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . , , . 

I
I . : : : : : : : : : : : : 

I ~
- : :: : :: : : : : : ... .... . . . . . . . . . 

. . .. . . - -

- ~ .. .... - . .. .... . .. . ... - - . . . . . . . . . . 
. . . - .:: : - : : .. .... . ,.8 .,., . 
BENKOVAC . 

ri g. 1 ( jc:o lo!! ica l sw ing o f th e Radtl vin SynClin e . w hi ch ~ l rik~~ bc lWCC tl Citp Ljll b l j all ~ t at ld Is lam l.'11i nski. a nd co tnpri sc~ the scd in1cll h 
describeci herc. nc~ idc~ be ing covered by Qual e rnary ~ed illl eJl I .'. Ihc Palaeogene lower C]; I ~ l ics arc large ly covt'red hy Ll lld irrcren iialed ~oil. 
T he fra med area i:-. ~ hown in hg.~. (ico log ica l Illap an cr \1 A JCI~N e l al. ( 1970), and IVA'lOV 1C cl;11. ( 1973 ). :-. i rn plifi cd. The ex tent of 
Q uatcrn;try sedimcnt s is partly aner SCHUBERT ( 1909) at ld SCI-/UIl ERT & W AA G EN ( 19 12) . 'I'wo in se rt s silow Ille ovcrall s iltl :llion . 

2. ST UDY AREA Ai\D THE SITUATION OF 
SEDIMEi\TS STUDIED 

The sed im e n ts s tudied occur in Ihc Rado v in Syn­

cline. \Vh ich is situated in l 11e northern p <lrl o r nonil l: rt1 

J);till1<1 1i a (Fig. I ). 111 th is are a , I<I \C M iddle Eoce ne clas­

l ies lire underla in by Crelaccolls and earl y Palaeogenc 

lilllc~ t () nes . The th in bas~:tI po rt ion o r Ihe <:iastic s ucces­

sion is represcIl( ccl by deep-wil ler marl s (SCH UI3E RT, 

1903, 1905", 1909 SCH CBERT & W AAGE:-I . 19 13). 

A rter SCHUBERT (01'. ci L) " nel Y1AJCEN & K ORO, 

L ilA ( 1970, 1973), Ihe ma in port ion or Ihe clas tic SlI C­

c e s si on con s is t s or SiU lli s tones, m ar ls , an d minor COI1 -

g l()lllcratcs. 

Field work d ala s ugges t a prel im inary s u bdi v is io n 

o f the 900 111 thick success io n into rOllr info rm a l u ni h 
(Fig . 2). T he third un it o f this subdivision con ~ i s lill g or 
sandsto ncs and cong lomcrates shows the rcaturcs des­
c ri bed here. T he occurrence of co ng lomerates makes 
this unit c1 i1l e rc !lt from hoth Ihe underly ing ane! overly­

ing units which consi st o r SGnd stol1CS. 

N Ulllerou s a nd variotl .') ly or iented fault s d issccl the 

area o r the Radovin S yncl ine . and d i:-.t urb the scd imc n o 



I3abic & Zupanil: : Nearshore Deposits in the Middle Eocene Clastic Success ion ... 

INFORMAL UNITS 

SANDSTONES 4 
8001'~'~"~"~'~"~"~'~' ________________________ -r~ 

o..<:? ? ~.9.9 

700 

... ..... ... .. 
000000 

. :: : 
•••• ........ ' .. : :. 

600'.:-: 
...... :. :: :: 

500 

400 

300 

200 

........... .... 

100 - - --

o 
m 

..... ....... . ............. 

--- -

SANDSTONE-CONGLOMERATE 3 

SANDSTONES 

SANDSTONES 
AND 

MUDSTONES 

~ (Bm;aIMarf) 

"Foraminiferal Limestone" 

2 

1 

Fi g. 2 Schematic log of the Eocene clastics in the Radovin Syncline 
showing informal subdivision of {he sedimentary succession. The 
sandstone-conglomerate unit (3) is described here . The clastic 
succession is underlain by the Eocene shallow-water carbonates 
('"Foraminiferal Limestone"). 

tary succession (SCHUBERT. 1905b. 1909. 1910). but 
the importance of these faults is mostly obscured, due 
to extensive cover of Palaeogenc clastics by Quaternary 
deposits and soil. Some of these faults have been shown 
on the geological map made by MAJCEN et al. (1970). 

Cape LjubljllllU 
.1 

2· 
Qo ·3 

N 

A 
STOJICI 

LJUBAC 

I km 

177 

3. TERMINOLOGY 

The term "sandstone" is used here for sediments 
consisting of sand-s ized particles regardless of the pro­
portion of non-carbonate and carbonate particles. Sand­
stones contai ning an important proportion of num­
mulites are called "numm ulitic sandstones". 

The term "nummulit ic conglomerate" is used here 
for those conglomerates containing an important pro­
portion of nummulites, and the term "nummulite con­
glomerate" for rarcly occurring sed iments consisting of 
packed nummulite tests. 

When discussing nearshore depositional envi ron­
ments of gravelly beach complexes. the geomorpholo­
gical terminology is adopted following suggestions by 
LEITHOLD & BOURGEOIS (1984) and definitions of 
term s by MASSARI & PAREA (1988). Specifically, 
the term "beachface" is used for the zone of the beach 
[rom the highest berm to the landward boundary of the 
shoreface, and the term "lower beachface" for that part 
of the beachface, which develops below the intert idal 
zone. 

4. GENERAL FEATURES OF SEDIMENTS 
STUDIED 

Lateral tracing of beds and bed packages, as well as 
the study of sed imen tary successions of the sandstone­
conglomerate unit, were difficult due to extensive cover 
and numerous faults. Most observations were made on 
scattered, "good quality" outcrops showing small parts 
of the entire vertical succession , situated in different 
parts of the Radovin Syncline. Some large exposures, 
such as those in the Razanac-Zadar road cut (Fig. 3, 
Section A), provided little adequate data on sedimenta­
ry structures and fabric. The thickness of the unit stu­
died is greater than 30 m, and smaller than 130 m, and 
is probably inpersislenllalerally (Fig. 4). 

8· • 
9 

10 • 
11,12 

":;.'-'~-= 

A Fig. 3 Location of logged 
sections and outcrops. 
See also framed area in 
Fig. I. 



178 Geologia Croalica 5 1n 

is UNIT 4 ------
UNIT 3 

= 55 

x 

"" 00 " --- X? 
11 0 

50 50 

---X? 

LEGEND 
~ 

IQQ Q Q. OI a UNIT 4 ------ :.~ ?~ ?§ Ie b 

UNIT 3 a conglomerate 
100 

~ 
<t> b granule cgJ, 

40 . . .. . . 40 pebbly sdst, 
<t> nummulite cgl , sandstone 

"","", " --- flat lamination 
~ cross stratification 
~ cross lamination 

HCS hummocky I Fig'. 15, 1. 
=<t> cross stratification 

00000 0 <t> plant remains ;, 0· · · · 0000 

00 0 00 "'40 006(f~ "'75 J!) bored clasts 
000 0 

"" 0 " " 90 "'50 is 
" " " 0 0 

00000 bioturbation 
30 --x 00000 30 

'" 
I Figs. II, 12 "" "0 " maximal clast HCS 00000 

"'50 size ( .<!= 25 em) 
°0 " 0

0""0°,,1 0000 0 

~o -X fault 
""",,0""0°,, 00000 "'.0 
"" 00 (> 

0000 0 
00000 --X 0000 c 
"" 0"" rto "00" " 
0" 0 0" 

:"-' ... ""00"0",,",, --X ,,0000 
,," 0" " 

0" 0 0 " 
" " 0" 

00000 
" 0 0 0 0 

00000 

80 " " ,,0 " 
0 0000 

"0" " " 00000 

20 00 ,,0 0 20 " " "0 " 
00000 

"'50 
00000 

0000 0 0000 0 
0 0 00 (1" ,,0 " 

,,0000 

"'40 1 ,,000 0 
0 00 = "'45 

Fig. 17 
00000 a a 
0000 0 

'" 50 
=--- X? 

00000 000 

00000 ---X? ---X? 

"" " " " 
~,o 

00000 "'.0 55 
" 000 0 

" " 0 0 00 "0 0 
000 0 0 00000 "'.0 00 00 0 70 ~o~o~o~o:o 0" 00 0 

10 0" 0 0 " 10 

\ 
00000 

X 0<>0 <> 0 - -- X? 
° ° ° ° 00000 <I!.O 

00 0 0 0 
"'30 

00000 
ipSO 000 ° <> a 

00000 J!) "'40 0°0°0°0°0°1 00000 

5 55 

I 
...... 

-55 
00000 J!) 

o 0 " " 0 J!) 
'" 30 

00000 "'25 o 0 " 0 ° 0000 

~~ 
0000 Fig. 5 

J!) 00000 J!) ",'0 
000 0 0 J!) "'25 UNIT 3 

-
000 " 0 .0 HCS? UNIT 3 " 0 0 ° 0 

0 0"" ° " <t> 0 , 
" 1 55 55 ~IT2 m .. . ... UNIT 2 m 

@ ® 
Fi g.4 Simpl ifi ed logs A and B of (he sandstone-conglomerate Unit 3. Differences in thi ckness and facies in the two logs are partl y due 10 fault s. 

Latcral changes are also due to differences in depositional setting as suggested by lat eral changes in some conglomerate packages local ly 
recognised at shorl di s tances. See tcxt for di scussion. Nu mmu litcs may be common to abundant in 111 0st part s o f the success ion, and thcir 
occurrences arc nO( indicated. Note the dominancc o f sandstones not showing any structures due to weathering ("wemhered sandstones" in 
tex t). See Fi g. 3 for location o f sections A and B. 



Babic & Zupanic: Nearshore Deposits in the Middl e Eocene Clastic Succession ... 

Sandstones are fine- to medium-grained, and locally 
coarse-grained. Typical sandstones have 45% to 60% 
carbonate particles in composition, the rest being non­
carbonate particles, predominantly represented by qua­
rtz and chert. Carbonate particles include skeletal parti­
cles and limestone clasts. Nummulites may be scattered 
in sands tones or be an important component of sand­
stones ("nummulit ic sandstones"). 

Conglomerates consist of clasts of limestones, sand­
stones, subordinate chert, and sand matrix. Limestone 
clasts are partly Palaeogene in age, including those with 
Alveolina, nummulites, and those containing miliolids, 
and some clasts were derived from the Late Cretaceous 
succession. Clasts of Eocene sandstones vary in compo­
sit ion from dominantly non -carbonate to dominantly 
carbonate varieties, and both types may contain num­
mulitcs. In the finer-grained conglomerates, nummulite 
tes ts may be important constituent particles ("nummu­
litic conglomerate"), or may rarely be the highly pre­
dominant to excl usive particle type ("nummuli te con­
glomerate") . In coarser-grained conglomerates, num­
mulites are common in the sandy matrix. Rare con­
glomerate beds contain a high proportion of bivalves, 
gastropods, and other marine macrofossils. 

5. UNDERLYING AND OVERLYING 
SEDIMENTS 

The following description and interpretation refer to 
approximately 10 m thick sequences, which appear just 
below and above the sandstone-conglomerate unit , and 
belong to the underlying and overlying sandstone units 
(Units 2 and 4 in Fig. 2) respectively. Field data suggest 
that transitions between these sediments and the sand­
stone-conglomerate unit are gradual (Figs. 4 & 5). 

Description 

The underlying sediments are sandstones, which are 
most ly massive, and may contain nummulites, echino­
derms, pelecypods, and plant detritus. Their massive 
appearance is a consequence of thorough bioturbation. 
Locally, the sandstones display horizontal laminae, 
which may be marked by nummulites and other skeletal 
particles. 

Sediments overlying the sandstone-conglomerate 
unit are dominant ly massive, bioturbated sandstones 
with subordinate horizontally laminated sandstones 
locally containing nummulites and plant detritus. 

Illferpretation 

Thorough bioturbation combined with occasionally 
preserved lam inat ions reflects alternating periods of 
high-energy sand deposition and bioturbation. As a gre­
ater part of the physical structures have been destroyed, 
the depositional rate was generally slower than the rate 
of homogenisation by bioturbation. Such condit ions 
correspond either to the offshore transition zone, or to 
the lower shoreface, in both of which sand layers depo-

179 

sited by storm-induced flows can be partly or strongly 
homogenised by organisms (GHIBAUDO et al., 1974; 
HOWARD & REINECK, 1981; HOWARD & SCOTT, 
1983; DUPRE, 1984). 

Thus, the deposition of the sandstone-conglomerate 
unit was both preceded and followed by deposition of 
sands in shallow-marine environments. 

6. SEDIMENTS OF THE SANDSTONE­
-CONGLOMERATE UNIT 

The sedimentary facies encountered may be gro­
uped into sandstone facies and conglomerate-dominated 
facies. 

6.1. SANDSTONE FACIES 

Description 

Sandstones form both individual beds and packages 
up to 12.5 m thick, which alternate with conglomerates 
(Fig. 4). The most common facies recognised are Flat­
and low-angle-laminated, and hummocky cross-strat i­
fied (HCS) sandstones (S I). Other types are Cross-bed­
ded sandstones (S2) and Flat- laminated sandstones with 
planar truncations (S3). It is to be noted that most sand­
stones encountered in the Radovin Syncline are strong­
ly weathered, and their structures are obscured (see also 
Fig. 4). 

(SI) Flat- and low-angle-laminated, and HCS 
sandstones. The lower contact of the beds is erosional, 
they may be rich in plant detritus, and are represented 
by several bed types and the transitions between them. 

One of the bed types (Sla) (Figs. 6 & 7) shows a 
relief on the basal surface of less than several centime­
tres. Beds are 0.05 to 0.8 m thick, mostly show flat 
laminae, and locally, low-angle inclined laminae. Sand­
stones locally contain scattered nummulites, which may 
be imbricated, and more nummulites and/or rare scat­
tered granules and pebbles may occur at the base of 
some beds. Some of these beds are capped by a ripple 
cross-laminated interval several centimetres. thick. 

Another bed variety (S I b) is 0.4 - 1.2 m thick, and 
shows basal scouring up to 0.2 m deep. The basal por­
tion of the bed, which is up to 0. 15 m thick, is com­
posed of either pebble to granule conglomerate, num­
mulitic conglomerate, or well-sorted nummulite con­
glomerate. This basal layer may vary in thickness and 
particle type composition laterally, and even pinch out 
or form wide lenses. The basal layer is sharply overlain 
by, or grades upwards into sandstone, which may show 
either flat lamination (Fig. 8), low-angle inclined lami­
nae , or, in places, HCS. This sandstone may contain 
nummulites commonly aligned along the lamination. 
Flat and low-angle lamination may include thick lami­
nae and several centimetre thick intercalations of num­
mulite conglomerate or nummu litic sandstone. Num­
mulite tests may be imbricated. Beds are rarely capped 
by thin ripple cross-lamination. 



180 Geologia Croalica sIn 

SPECIFIC FEATURES lFACIESI 
CODE) PROPOSED INTERPRETATION 

1 

Low - angle truncations 

EROSION 

----- EROSION 

Pebbles to boulders 
Discoidal clasts locally dominate 
Bored clasts 
Imbrication SW 
Amalgamated beds 

83 Swash/foreshore 

~~ Swash/ foreshore? 

S2 "oo"r", 

SI Stonn b,d/ uPP" ,oo"r", 

E. ~ b'"l upp., (?) ,bo"r", 

SI Sto,m 1 

SI Sto,m 1 

eM Uppermost shoreface 

----- EROSION -----t---\-------------I 
CM~ Uppermost shoreface 

Pebbles to boulders 
Discoidal clasts dominate 
Bored clasts 

eM Uppermost shoreface 

Imbrication SW 

----- EROSION 

Flat & low - angle 
lamination (lieS 1) 
capped by ripple x-lam. 

Laminated & bioturbated 
sandstones 

SI 

SI 

SI 
S2 

SI 

SI 

SI 

LEGEND 

flat lamination 
cross - stratification 

ripple cross - lamination 

Strong bioturbation 

Sto<m b,d/ 

Storm bed/ shoreface 

Sto,m b,d/ 

Storm bed/ shoreface 

Sto,m bod, 

Storm bed/ shoreface 

Lower shoreface or offshore 
transition zone 

nummulites 
bioturbation 

bored clasts 

Offshore transition zone 

sdst ---l I I L pebble to boulder cgl 
nUffimulitic ---.J L nummulite cgl 

sdst 

progradation of 
sandy nearshore 
( I. shoreface to 

foreshore) 

I flood;ng I 
I ,u,r", I 

delta front/ coast 
(sbort -lived 

distributary mouth) 

progradation 

I'" 
I~ 

-



Babic & Zup,mic: Nearshore Deposit" in the Middle Eocene Clastic Sua:e.<;s ion ... 

Fig. 6 Sundstone bed showin g fiat lamination and pa rtl y vi sibl e 
small -sca le c ross-laminati on in ils uppermos t porti on. Vi sible 
thic kness is 0.35 m. The base of the bed is not seen. An Ophio-
1/l00pha burrow cuts the enti re bed (parallel to the pencil). Loca­
lity 5 in Fig. 3. 

Severa l sandstone beds (S Ic) show either HCS , a 
lateral trans it ion from fl at or low-angle laminati on to 
HCS , or a transit ion from HCS to cross-bedded sand­
stone. The basal portions of these beds may cont ai n 
more nummu lites or scattered pebbles. 

In most S I beds bioturbation is ei ther absent or rep­
resented by rare individual , mostly vertical Ophiomor­
plio burrows and other shaft s (Figs. 6 & 8). In some 
beds, the lamination may be disturbed by dispersed ver­
tical (hi ghly predominant) , diagonal , and hori zo nta l 
Ophiomorpha burrows, and by V -shaped escape bu r­
rows tapering downward, and being marked by down­
warping lamination. Burrows may be marked by num­
mulites , and some burrows show tubes armoured with 
nummulit e tests. Rare beds show more intense biotur­
bation with some 20 -60 % of the lamination obliterated 
(e.g. Fig. 7). 

(82) Cross-bedded sandstones (Fig. 10) are mostly 
represented by soUtalY sets, and occasionally by two to 
three superimposed sets. Individual sets are 0.05 to 0.1 8 
m thick, and may contain scatte red nu mmul ites . Beds 
may show an erosional base up to 5 Cm in relief, and 
nummu lites concentrated at the base, as well as a basal 
layer (severa l centimetres thick) of nummulite con­
glomerate or nummulitic sandstone. Some cross-beds 
show prcserved bri nk point s and topset laminae (Fig. 
9). Occasionall y, cross-beds conti nue laterall y int o 
HCS , or fOfm comp lex structures including HCS and 
cross-beds (Fig. 9). 

Severalmcasurements reveal E- and NW-directed 
migrations of bedfonns. Furt hermore, very rough esti -

181 

Fig. 7 Three superimposed sandsto ne beds inferred to re present 
storm depos it s in the shorefacc_ The lower one overlies a con­
glomerate bed. and shows only relict flat taminae due to biotur­
balion (Oplliolllorp ha). The interm ediate bed is sharpl y based 
and shows nummulitc conglomerate at the base, and nummulites 
marki ng some laminae. The lam inati on is very gentl y inclined to 
the left. Nummulite tes ls fi ll bu rrow s in the underlying sand­
stone. The base of the upper bed truncates the tamination of the 
underlyi ng bed. Basal num mulite conglomerate of the upper bed 
contai ns rare pebbles . The fo ll owing fl at laminated sa ndstone 
contain rare nummulites. The key is 6.7 cm long. Locali ty 10 in 
Fig. 3. 

mates provide approximate direclions towards NW, SE, 
S, and E. 

(83) F lat-laminated sandstones with planar trun­
cations (Fig. 5). These sandstones are characterised by 
even lam inac and gently incl ined, planar erosional sur­
faces separating sequences of laminae. Lam inae sequ ­
ences may sli ghtly differ in attitude, usually by less 
than 10' . 

Interpretation 

Deposit ion of all variet ies of (81) Flat- and low­
angle-laminated, and HC8 sandstones was preceded 
by erosion induced by high-energy turbulent fl ows. 
Gravel-sized clasts (including nummulites) deposited at 
the base and followed by sand, refl ect decreasing ener­
gy condi tions during sto rms. Occasional HCS suggests 
storm -related depositional processes, and the various 
associations of HCS, low-angle lamination, flat lamina- ' 
tion and cross-bedding suggest a storm-induced orig in 
of such associations, and the same may be true for these 
structures when found ind iv idually. Low-angle inclined 
laminations could represent part of larger-sca le HCS 
structures, and may also be regarded as a form of HCS 
(NOTTVEDT & KREISA , 1987; WINN , 199 1). Lateral 
transit ions from fl at laminae to HCS observed in the 

Fi g. 5 Dctail ed log showing speci fi c features and proposed interprctati ons for the uppermost portion of the sandsl.one unit 2 and the lowermost 
part of the sandstone-conglomerate un it 3, which arc ex posed at locality 6 (Fig. 3). For vertical positi on see log B in Fig. 4. No te tran sitional 
conlaCt between unils 2 and 3, ,md the dominance of Slonn-relmed S I fac ies in sandy deposits. 



Fig. 8 1-"1;11 laminatcd sandsto llC bed showing a 0 .1 mlhi ck ba~a l COIl ­
glomerate layer. which consists of pebbles. nummul ites (wh ite 
particles), and rare cobbles. One cobb le occurs rig ht. below the 
pencil. which is 13.5 em long. Lowermost laminae con tain scat­
tered nummulites. The sandstone shows rare Ophiolllorplw blll"­
rows in the upper left and left cent re. and a vert ical. escape bur­
row to the right. Locality 9 in Fig. 3. 

Radovin Syncline are known elsewhere in the sedi mcn­
ta ry record (e.g. DUPRE, 1984) suggest ing depositi on 
of both by stonn-related flows. This also means that nat 
laminated sandstones fou nd alone may have orig inated 
by thc sam c processes . In fact , combined flow s may 
produce either nat lamination or cross-bedding depend­
ing on the relationship between the velocities of unidi ­
rect iona l and osc illat ory com ponents of the fl ows 
(MYROW & SOUTHARD, 1991 ). 

Basal scouring must have been related to peak s[onn 
conditions and probably resulted from [he ac tion of 
sto rm- induced rip current s. These eros ional surfaces 
and related beds consist ing of thi n basa l g rave l and 
overl ying sand, may be compared to sim ilar beds in the 
superb ly exposed Pleistocene beach-s horeface com­
plexes, in fe rred to represent a record of the alongshore 
migration of rip channels and associated low-re lief bars 
(MASSAR] & PAREA, 1988). Similar sediments have 
also been descr ibed by DUPR E ( 1984), who re lated 
them to storm condi ti ons in the upper shore face o r a 
barred nearshore. 

Gravel-s ized skeletal particles, wh ich arc the com­
mon to exc lusive components of basal gravel, as well as 
[he Icnsoid and sheet-like shapes of sueh gravel depo­
sit s, are well -known features of storm beds, ranging 

Geologia CrO:lIic:l 51/2 

Fi g. Y Low-angle laminated (probabte I [CS) sandstone bed in the 
lower part shows repe.tted small-scale scouring and filling at its 
top right. It is overlain by low-angle to high-angle crOss-bedded 
sandstone with preserved topsets. The upper part of the Oli tCrop 
consists of [ow-ang le and nat lami nated sandstone. Sandstones 
contain coarse pan icles (mostly nu mmulites) locally concentrated 
in lami nae and lenses. An OpitiolllOlpha shaft is seen in the cell­
Ire. and less di stinct vertical (escape?) burrows also occur. Lens 
cap is 5.8 em in diameter. Locality 9 in Fig. 3. 

Fi g. [0 Two superimposed cross-bedded sand stone sets overl ying a 
conglomerate bed (hardly recognisable in the picture), and under­
lying. rl at- laminated sa nd stone bed. Penci l is 13.5 cm long. 
Locality 5 in Fig. 3. 

from siliciclastic to carbonate in composi ti on (KUMAR 
& SANDERS , 1976; KRE1SA, 198 1; S HORT, 1984; 
HOBDA Y & MORTON, 1984). 

The rippl e- laminated upper portion of some beds 
resul ted from small-sca le unidirectional or osci lla[ ory 
flows, induced eit her by the final affects of [he waning 
storm , by minor storms, or poss ibly, by fair-weather 
processes. 

Highl y predominant ve rti ca l, deep Op/tiomorp/ta 
shafts in Sl sandstones reflcct the abilit y of this rele­
vant suspension feeder to use the shortest time interval 
compared to other burrowers [0 settle, burrow and con­
struct tube walls, before the nex t erosiona l and deposi­
tional evenls occurred (FREY et aI. , 1978; PEMBER­
TON et aI. , 1992). This indi cates a high freq uency of 
erosional/depositional events, i.e, frequent storms and a 
high deposition rate. Such conditions are also indicated 
by escape burrows. 



Babic & Zup;lnic: Near).horc Dcl)()~ils in lhe Middle Eocene CI;Islic Succes.~ i on ... 

Part of the sandstone beds of this facies (S I ) may be 
cons idered to represent the depositional record o f a 
storm -dominated upper shoreface. The uppcr shoreface 
setting is deduced from the combination of their verti­
cal s ituation closely below fores hore sand stones (S3 ; 
Fig. 5), perfectly preserved and intact primary phys ical 
struct ures (bi ot urbation alm ost absent) , and the lack of 
mudstone int erbed s or drapes . Anot her part of the S I 
sand stones lacks a c lose association with fores hore 
sandstones (S3; Fig. 5), inc ludes both wel l-preserved 
physical structures and partially bioturbated beds, also 
lacks mudstone int erbeds, and re fl ects less frequent 
depos itional and erosional event s compared to the 
upper shoreface storm beds mentioned above. These 
sandstones may represent the depositional record of the 
lower shoreface . Most g ravel -based sandstones (S I b) 
belong to th is group, and they resemble sandstone beds 
interpretcd by MASSAR I & PAREA (1988) as lowcr 
shorefacc deposi ts. 

(52) Cross-bedded sandstones. Alth ough duncs 
(megaripples) may be produced by fair-weat her cur­
rents in recen t shoreface env ironmen ts (CL IFTON et 
aI., 197 1), 1110st (if not all) cross-bcds in the Radovin 
exampl cs probably originated during higher-than-"nor­
ma l" energy cond itions, i. e. by sto rm -indu ced flows. 
NW, SE, and S di recti ons of bedform migra tion cou ld 
suggest probable longshore and offshore current s. 
These current s could result from storm -re lated fl ows 
along shore-parall el troughs associated with a bar and 
rip channel morphology (DAVIDSON-ARNOTT & 
GREEN WOOD , 1974; DUPRE, 1984). This is cons is­
tent within the depos itional context of the Radovin clas­
tics, i.e. with overall domination of storm beds in sandy 
depos it s. Preserved brink po ints and topsets, which 
indicate sand-rich nows, fit storm conditi ons well. Tho­
se cross-bcds, which probably reflecL onshore (E) trans­
port , may relleet either onshore-directed dune migration 
during fai r-weather periods (CLIFTON ct aI. , 1971 ) and 
recovery , or onshore-directed bar migrat ion du ring 
storlll S (DAVIDSON-ARNOTT & GREENWOOD , 
1974; DUPRE, 1984). Ri p-current s were probably 
responsible for the basal scouring in some beds. 

The occasional close assoc iation of cross-beds and 
I-ICS represcn ts a feature known for a long time (DOn' 
& BO URGEOIS, 1982), which suggests a va riation of 
the importance of unidirec tiona l and oscillatory com po­
nents in storm -induced combined flows (MYROW & 
SOUTHARD, 199 1). 

Cross- bedded sandstones commonl y orig inate by 
dune (mega rippl e) migration in the upper shoreface 
(READING & COLLINSON , 1996). Ho wevcr, apa rt 
fro m tide-domi nated selt ings , dunes have also been 
obse rved farth er offshore and have been considered to 
have becn ac tive in ancient lower sho reface and shelf 
se ttin gs (S HORT , 1984; revicws in WALKER & 
PLl NT, 1992; JOHNSON & BALDWIN, 1996) . Thcse 
c ross- beds, whi ch alternate wi th well -preserved sto rm 
sancistone beds and arc verticnll y situated closely below 

183 

sandstones inferred to record an ancient foreshore (S3), 
probably originated in the upper shoreface. Other eross­
bedded sandstones have probably been deposited some­
what lower in the shore face, as they are inte rcalated 
between storm sandstone beds inferred to reflect such 
an ellvironment (see above). 

(53) Flat laminated sandstones with planar trun­
cations refl ect deposition by swash processes , and 
interm ittent eros ion and/or other changes in shore line 
conditions, after which the attitude of subsequent lami­
nae may change (CLlFTON, 1969; REINECK & SIN­
GI-I, 1980). 

Some of the weat.hered sa ndstones the structures 
o f which arc obscured , ancl which are common in the 
Radovin Syncl ine (Fig. 4), might represent nearshore 
deposits basecl on close association with sandstone and 
conglomerate fac ies inferred to represent nearshore 
deposits. Other weathered sandstones may have origi­
nated in the offshore transition zone. 

6.2 . CONG LOMERATE-DOMINATED FACIES 

Conglomerate-dominated facies include (CS) Con­
g lomeratc-sandstone couplets, (CM ) Main conglomer­
ates cmbraci ng several facies variet ies, (eX) Cross ­
bcdded conglomerates and sandstones, and "Other con­
glomerates". 

(C5) Conglomerate-sandstone couplets 

D escriplioll (Figs. II & 12). 

An erosional base up to 0.1 m in relief, is overlain 
by up to 0.4 m or pol ymodal to moderatcly sOJ1ed peb­
ble to granule (rarely to cobble) conglomerate, contain­
ing nummu lites and sandy matrix. Thi s conglomerate 
may be overlain either directly by a sftndstonc division, 
or there may be an int crmedi ate, graded, pebbly-nulll­
mulitie conglomerate to granu le sandstone up to 0.1 m 
th ic k, which Illay show hori zon tal stratifi ca tion. The 
sandy d ivision is up to I III thick, ancl its primary thick­
lless has commonly been red uced by subseq uent ero­
s ion. Thi s sandstone sho ws eithe r fl at laminae, low­
angle inc lined lam inae , or I-I CS, occas ionally marked 
by scattered Ilummulites, and may be rich in plant det ri ­
tus including leaves. 

Interpretafion 

Vigorous erosion of underlying sediments preceded 
the emplacement of g ravel during hi gh-e nergy cond i­
tions, which were follo wed by the lowering of energy 
related to the gradi ng and deposi tion of sand. Structures 
in the sand stones suggest storm -relatcd fl ows were 
responsible fo r the origi n of entire couplets in a manner 
discussed above for the conglomeratic S I sa ndstones. 
Beds arc otherwise comparable to erosionall y based , up 
to 0.5 III thick gravel overlain by laminated sand des­
cribed from the modern shore face and from ancient 
successions by KUMAR & SANDERS (1 976). Accord­
ing to these authors, eros ion and depos ition or a gravel 



184 

4 

flat & low angle inclined lamination 

nude flat lamination 3 

~oo ~ EROSION ~----t---1 

lies 

.... . 

2 

~ EROSION ~----t---1 
":' . .' .' 1 

m sandstone, ~ I 
pebble cg\ -.J 

large nummulltes 

Fig. ! 1 Main features of several, superimposed conglomerate-sand­
stone couplets (SC) (1 to 4) inferred to reflect storm-i nduced 
processes in the shoreface. Besides large nummulites indicated in 
Ihe log, lhe cong lomerates contain smaller nummulites in sandy 
malrix. For exp lanation sec lext. Sec also Fig. 12. Localily II in 
Fig. 3. Verlical position in log A, Fig. 4. 

lag occurred in the shoreface, by strong, storm-induced 
!lows, and the overlying sand was deposited during the 
waning stage of the same storm event. DUPRE (1984) 
has also disclissed a storm-related origin of similar 
gravel/sand couplets deposited in the upper shoreface. 

(eM) Main conglomerates 

Description 

The above title embraces several facies, and inclu­
des combinations of superimposed conglomerate beds, 
which differ from one another mainly in clast size and 
shape. Trans it ional sediment types from fine-grai ned 
conglomerates to sandstones may also be associated as 
well as rare coarse sandstones. Outcrops being of limit-

M A I N FEATURES 
1.5 

I&'OC)0~ , 
~Oo~q Equant clasts 

, , 
Pi a9q,~ dominatc 

, 
Indistinct , 

I , stratification 
~OOOOOO() , 
GbO~~ 

, 
og 0 0 Equant clasts 

, 
0'2£ 00 ~------------

1\'0 oQ'}Cb dominate 
0.5 9~3;tt/bo8a 0 

t20D~ Discoidal clasts dominate 
Max. clast size = 40 cm 

/oO~t'?csf?a Imbrication 45" 
0 

m pebble -.J : ~ . 
cobbte 

bouJdcr -

Geologia Croalica 51/2 

Fig. [2 Conglomerate-sandstone couplets (CS) shown by log in Fig. 
II. The sandstone below the hammer is erosiona lly overlain by 
conglomerate, which grades upwards into a finer-grai ned con­
glomerate with large nummulites (white, up to 3 cm in diameter). 
and then into HCS sandstone (2 in Fig. 11 ). Thi s sandstone is 
erosionally overlain by the next couplet (3 in Fig. II) consisting 
of conglomerate (poorly exposed, marked by 13.5 cm long pen­
cil), followed by granule conglomerate [0 nummu li te sandstone. 
and then by [ow-angle inclined (HCS?) sandstone. The upper part 
of the succession is represented by an erosiona ll y based con­
glomerate. Hammer is 28 em long. Locality II in Fig. 3. Vertical 
position in log A. Fig. 4. 

ed extens ion and usua lly show ing str ike-parallel sec­
tions, display parallel bedding the primary (deposition­
al) attitudes of which may have been either horizontal 
or gently inclined perpendicularly to their strike. Con­
glomerates contain sand matr ix, and nummulites are 
present in most cases and may be abundant. Examples 
of these conglomerate associations are described below. 

INTERPRETATION 

Uppcr shorefacc or 
bcachface 

Beachfacc or 
upper shoreface 

Toe of bcachface 

Fig. 13 Main features and proposed 
interpretations for three super­
imposed conglomerate layers . 
For exp lanation see text. The 
matrix of conglomerates is 
nummulitic sandstone. Imbrica­
tion of large di scoidal clasts in 
the lower layer dips towards NE 
(45'). Locality 2 in Fig. 3. 



Babic & Zupanic: Nearshore Deposits in Ihc Middle Eocene Clastic Succession ... 

Fig. 14 ·· Imbricate-disc·' conglomerates of the beach face. Bedding is 
gently incl ined to the ri ght. Two adjacent beds show oppositely 
dipping imbrication, and the lower bed displays imbrication in 
oppos ite di recti ons occurring laterall y. The imbricati on is locally 
very sleep. Note the sand malrix and we ll -so rt ed and ro unded 
clasts. Lens cap is 5.8 CIll in diameter. Locali ty I in Fig. 3. 

( Ia) The outcrop at locality 2 (Fig. 13) shows a 1.5 
m thick succession consisting of (A) cobble to boulder 
conglomerate with steep imbrication of large discoidal 
clas ts dipping towards the NE, (B) small -pebble con ­
glomerate with scattered large pebbles and small cob­
bles; equant clasts dominate, and (C) moderately sorted 
pebble to cobble conglomerate with dominant equant 
clasts. 

( I b) El sewhere , coarse polymodal conglomerates 
show imbri cation of large clasts dipping toward s the 

SPECIFIC FEATURES 

: : 

185 

SW. They may contain abundant nummuli tes, and some 
of them contain li lhophaga-bored cobbles and boulders 
(Fig. 5). 

(2) A typical " imbricate-zone" (BLUCK, 1967) 
conglomerate success ion consists of superimposed 5-
10 cm thick bcds of well-packed, imbricatcd, dominant­
ly discoidal pebbles (Fig. 14). The imbrication in two 
superimposed beds , as well as in adjacent parts of the 
same bed may dip in opposite directions. ]n places, the 
imbricat ion may be very steep. The directions of imbri­
calion dips were 45 ' and 225' . Clasts arc well-rounded 
and well-sorted, which apart from the imbricate struc­
ture, make these conglomerate beds outstanding com­
pared to most other conglomerates observed. The con­
glomerates contain sand matrix. 

(3) Couplets consisti ng of a lower. coarse member 
and upper, fin e member (Figs. 15 - 17) . The coarse me­
mber is represented by erosionall y based (relief up lo 
0. 3 m) 0.15 to 0.5 m (or more) thick bimodal or poly­
modal conglomerate , which predominantly consists of 
pebbles and cobbles, and also contains scattered boul ­
ders, nummulites, granules ancl sand. Thi s member may 
di splay indi st inct or c rude stratification wi th several 
layers showing different size distributions. In bimodal 
varieties modes are in the pebble/cobble and granule/ 
sand size classes. In some cases, the uppel1110sl portion 
of the lower member shows the gravel fram e infi lled by 
fi ner material identical to the sedimen t of the upper 

TENTATIVE 
_""LKnu. 

swash 

lower beach face 

bimodal beach face or uppermost shoreface 

:c: 
; rna<. ~ 0.27 m 

max. ifJ 0.1 5 m 

",' "' 

upper shoreface 
(rip . channel fill + bar ?) 

EROSION ----
swash 

lower beachface 

tQ·~~~~'==-
----------------+-- -- -- -- - - ----- -- -

beachface or uppermost shoreface 

I~~~ ~~~b~;mOd'~I;;m~u.~[O~A'~mJt===~toc,~"~~~ 
I~~ )~ polymodal to moderately 15,S:J ""cd 
Irl~~( indistin ct beddiJlg 

upper shoreface 
Fi g. 15 Thc main fcat ures and ten­

tll tive interpretations of proces­
ses and se llings fo r the succes­
sion exposed at locality 12 (Fi g. 
3). For d isc uss ion and alt crna­
tive interpretations see text. Ve­
rtical pos ition in log A, Fig. 4. 



Fig. 16 Interval 0.3 - 1.7 In of (he log in Fi g. 15. The po lymodal con­
glomerate at the base is ove rlain by bimodal sediment consisting 
of large clasts dispersed in granule conglomerate to granu le sand­
stone. This sed iment grades upwards into granu le sandstone 
showing nat laminat ion. The congl omerate in the upper part or 
the photograph (above the pencil , which is [3.5 cm long), is ero­
sionally based (scours seen lateral ly up to 0.4 m deep). For inter­
pretation see text and Fi g. 15. Locality 12 in Fig. 3. Vertica l posi­
tion in log A, Fig. 4. 

membe r and di ffe ring from the matrix of the lower 
member (Fig. 17). In olher cases, the lower member is 
capped by a discont inuous layer of bimodal conglome­
rate containing large clasts (cobbl es, bou lders), which 
may be dispcrsed in granul e conglomerate to granul e 
sandstone (Fig. 15 - 0.5 -0.6 m). These clas ts arc the 
largest found in the sandstone-conglomerate unit , and 
may atta in 1.4 m in d iameter. The upper member is 0. 3 
to I m thick, and cons ists of laminated pebbl y sand­
stone, granule conglomerate and/or granule sandstone, 
and coa rse sand stone , whi ch may contain discont inu­
ous, one-clast thick pebble layers, d ispersed pe bbl es 
and common nummulites (Fig. 17). 

(4) DiSCOnlinuous tra ins of cobbles are intercalated 
in crudely strat ifi ed, poorly sorted , fi ne to coarse num­
muli tic pcbble conglomerates (Fig. 18). 

I flfe/ ·prelalio!1 

Assoc iati ons of sediments diffcring in clast shape 
and/or size, si milar to those described above, common­
ly result from sOJ1ing processes on gravel beachcs senSl/ 
laro (B LUCK, 1967; ORFORD, 1975; MASSA RI & 

Gcologi:a Cro:al ic:a 51/2 

Fi g. 17 The lower pari is represented by polymodal, pebbte-cobbte 
conglomerate. A boulder is partl y seen at the top o r thi s conglo ­
merat e, to the le rl. The cong lomerate is overlain by I"minated 
granule sandstone and cong lomerate contain ing trains or pebbles . 
The laminated unit is eros ionall y overlain by peb bl e to co bble 
conglomerat.e. All lithologies nre rich in nu mm ulites. Lower and 
upper cong lomerates arc inrerred to repre sent the upper shore­
r,lce, and the laminated unit could represent a lower beachracc 
sett ing. For di scussion see tex t. Hammer is 28 em tong. Locality 
7 in Fi g. 3. Vertical position in log B. Fi g. 4. 

PAREA, 1988; POSTMA & CRUICKSHANK, 1988; 
POSTM A & NEMEC, 1990) , but may also be genera­
ted in the upper shoreface (MASSARI & PAREA, 
1988). Directions of im brication dips towards the NE 
and SW indicate a general NW-SE strike of the ancienl 
shoreline. Seaward directed c1inos tratificat ion usuall y 
characterising beach gravel complexes, may be prese l1l 
in the sediments studied, but could not be identified duc 
to the limilcd extension o r exposures , and the usual ori ­
entation of exposed sec ti ons parall el to the pal aeo­
shoreline. 

Speci fi c features and conglomerate associat ions arc 
discllssed below. 

( I a) Coarse imbricated clasts in the lower layer (A) 
at locality 2 (Fig. 13) might re neet a concentrati on of 
the largest avai lable clasts at the toe of the beach fa ce, 
where imbrication may dom inantly dip landwards 
(MASSA RI & PAREA, 1988) as in the case described 
here. They also resemble the " large-disc zone" (BLU­
CK , 1967) i.c. the uppe r berm , or high sto rm berm 
grave l described by POSTM A & NEMEC ( 1990), but 
th is sell ing seems less probable as there is a domi nan t 
seaward imbrication. The middl e layer (B) resemb les 
bimodal conglomerates, whi ch may have orig inated by 
mixing and single-even t deposition in the upper shore­
face, or by two or more depos itional, eros ional, and/or 
reworking events in the beach race and upper shoreface 
sellings (MASSARI & PAR EA , 1988). Fin all y, the 
upper layer (C) dominaled by equant clasts and moder­
at e so rting cou ld be compared to Ihe "infill zone" or 
BLUCK ( 1967) and POSTMA & NEMEC (1990), i.e. 
10 the beachface in genera l, and similar gravel may also 
be generated in the upper shoreface as prev ious ly d is­
cussed in relat ion to the middle layer (B). 



Babic & Zup:tlli~ : Ncaf~hore Deposi ts in the Midd le Eocene Clastic Succes~ ion ... 

Fig. 1M Train of cobbles intercOllated in finer grained nummuliti c 
conglomerates. The cobbles are inferred to represent a lag depo~ it 

in the uppermost shoreface. Hammer is 28 cm long. Local it y 3 in 
Fig. 3. 

(lb) Coarse polymodal, nummulitic conglomerates 
showing seaward (S W) imbrication probabl y originated 
in the upper shoreface because of their mixed clast pop­
ulation and concentrat ion of marine foss ils (nummu ­
lites). Although landward imbrication directions predo­
minate in this zone, seaward imbricat ion may also be 
produced (MASSARI & PAREA, 1988). 

(2) " lmbricate-zone" conglomerates may be regard­
ed as the s ingle, best crite ri on for identifying a gravel 
beach in the fo ss il record (BOURGEOIS & LEIT­
HOLD, 1984). Among four shore-parallel zones identi ­
fied by BLUCK ( 1967) on a gravely coastline, the grav­
el consisting of imbricate discoida l pebbl es charac­
terised the " imbri cate zone", which formed in an upper 
pari of the beach face . Opposite directions of imbrica­
tion dips, such as in the Radovin examples, renect both 
landward and seaward traction processes, and back­
was h-induced s iev ing (BLUCK, 1967; MASSARI & 
PAREA, 1988). Based on a detailed study of excellent­
ly exposed sections of Pleistocene beach complexes in 
ita ly , MASSARI & PAREA (1988) found similar imb­
ricated gravels in bo th the inferred lower and upper 
beach face divi sion s. Gravels assigned by these authors 
to the lower beach face were moderately well -SOl1ed and 
steeply imbricated , usually landwards, wh ile those infe­
rred to have been deposited in the upper beach face sho­
wed better sorting, usual seaward or opposed (seaward 
and land ward) imbrication , and steep imbrication an­
g les are rare. The ex ampl es described here seem to 
more c lose ly resemble imbricate g ravel in the upper 
beach face of MASSARI & PAREA ( 1988). Imbricatc­
di sc facies in the Holocene gravels of Crete has been 
regarded as a mod erate wave-energy depos it of lower 
storm berm s (POSTMA & NEMEC, 1990), which is 
consistent with the selling proposed above. 

(3) The eros ional contact at the base of the lower 
member resulted from strong nows, which removed 
some of the previous sediments, ancl wcre related to the 
peak of storms or to swells. The coarser fraction of the 
lowcr member may have been deposited by less vigor­
ous storm waves, and has been mixed with small er 

187 

clasts, resulling in a polymodal to bimodal size distribu­
tion (BLUCK , 1967; MASSARI & PAREA, 1988). In 
the case of crudely/ind isti nctly s tratified conglome­
rates, individual layers could have been produced either 
by single resed imentation events mov ing beachface 
gravel into the shoreface, or by repeated reworking and 
mixing. Thi s also explains the origin of the open frame­
work (into which fin er sediment was deposited during 
subsequent lower energy condit ions, either pass ively or 
by active mix ing) (Fig. 17), and the concentrat ion of 
large clasts at the top of the coarse member (Figs. 15 & 
16). 

Polymodal varieties of the lower mcmber containing 
coarse cobbles and bou lders (Fig. 15: basal conglomer­
ates; Fig. 17: lower and upper conglomerates), probably 
originated in the upper shoreface, and the concentration 
of large clasts capping the lower member may represent 
the toe of the beach face, and were possibly related to 
minor storm waves or long-period waves (MASSARI & 
PAREA, 1988). These large c lasts may also be com­
pared to "storm lags" in the lowcr beachface of POST­
MA & NEMEC (1990). 

Part icles of the upper, fine member may have bcen 
re-mi xed wi th the underl y ing grave l, or infilled the 
gravel fram e, and these processes reflect lower-energy 
conditions. Laminated sed im ent cOlltaning di spersed 
pebbles and discont.inuous, one-clast th ick pebble layers 
may have originated by the transport of gravel from the 
upper shoreface, or lower beach face into the swash 
zone, and also by partial reworking of berms or cusps, 
and mixing of different size populations within the 
swas h zone, during lower-energy conditions (MAS ­
SARI & PAREA, 1988). Howe ver, stringers o f equant 
pebbl es may have resulted from the transport of such 
pebbles from the upper shoreface into the lower beach­
face by shoaling long-period waves (MASSAR I & 
PAREA, J988). Laminated sand of the uppermost part 
of the fine member could poss ibly have been produced 
by swash processes. 

Conceming the sed iments shown in Figs . 15 and 16 
other interpretat ions should also be mentioned, One of 
these includes storm-related processes and deposition in 
the upper shoreface as discussed above related to (CS) 
Conglom erate-sands tone co uplets. Thi s origin see ms 
less probable for the orig in of the lower couplet because 
of the large clast size present, but may be poss ible in ' 
the case or th e upper two coupl ets. Another poss ible 
origi n involves the depos ition of the coarse , lower 
mem ber by a non-cohes ive debris flow , and the fine 
member by turbulent flow, both relat ed to river flood. 
De lta- front sedim en ts of such orig in are kno wn from 
the geological record (e.g. KLEINSPEJ-IN et aI., 1984), 
and [he presence of a marine fauna (nummulit es) can 
not exclude thi s interpretation. 

(4) Di scontinuous train s of cobbl es wit hin nUIll ­
lTIuliti c fin e to coarse pebbl e conglome rates (Fig. 18) 
may be explained as lags, which resulted from rework­
ing in the uppermost shoreface during minor storm or 



188 

Fig . 19 ScI o f cross-bedded, finc-grained co nglomerates and granu le 
sandstones underlain by polymodal pebble to cobble conglome­
rate, and overlain ri rst by (hin horizontally laminated, granule to 
Ilummulilic sandstone and sandstone, and then by cobble to boul­
der conglomerate of Ihe probable upper shoreface . Cross-beds aTC 

inclined IOwards the NW, and are interpreted as havi ng been 
deposited in a longshore trough following the peak of a storm. 
Hammer is 28 em long. Locality 4 in Fig. 3. 

Fig. 20 In the lower part of the photograph there is a horizontally 
s tratified gralllJlc conglomerate (visible thi ckness=20 em) of 
probable bcachfacc/uppcrmost shoreface sett ing. The conglo ­
merate contains scattered pebbles in its lower part and a cobble in 
its upper portion. This conglomerate is overlain by cross~bedded 

conglomerate to granule sandstone (d ipp ing right) inferred to 
have originated by a longshore migrating bedform. Locality 8 in 
Fig . 3. 

swell condit ion s (sec MASSARI & PAREA, 1988). 
This is consisten t with the probable upper shoreface 
setting of the associated nummulitic conglomerate. 

Geologia Croarica SIJ2 

(CX) Cross-bedded conglomerates 

Description 

This facies (Figs. 19 & 20) is represented by singu­
lar sets up to 0.4 m thick, which may show an erosional 
base and are erosionally truncated. Cross-beds consist 
of granule to pebble conglomerates, granule sandstones, 
and sandstones. They are intercalated in pebble to boul­
der conglomerates, which may show imbricated clasts 
and probably represent upper shoreface deposits. Sets 
are mostly planar, with tangential and angular lower 
contacts, and the inclinations range up to the angle of 
repose. Nine out of a total of twelve measurements 
indicated NW, and SE to E directions, two were to~ 
wards the ENE, and one towards the S. 

Interpretation 

The dominant directions of bedform migration 
lowards the NW and SE renect longshore flows. These 
werc probably related to a shorelinc-parallel rhythmic 
topography and related dissipat ive conditions gencrated 
during storm s, and related longshore transport in tro­
ughs (D UPRE, 1984; LETTHOLD & BOURGEOIS, 
1984; MASSARI & PAREA, 1988). Longshore trans­
port of gravel has also been documented by HART & 
PLINT (1989). S-directed now (one measurement) may 
have been related to the end of the seaward-opened 
trough, or to the rip-channel fi ll. Directions towards the 
ENE (2 measuremcn ts) may represent either onshore 
bar or dune migration in the recovery stage (DUPRE, 
1984), or a longshore dune migration in the case of a 
shoreline with an irregular profile. 

"Other conglomerates" 

In some places (e.g. Fig. 4, A, bctween 65 and 90 
m), there arc conglomerates showing more than 0.5 m 
thick beds, which common ly contain boulder-sized 
clasts, and may contain nummulites. The matrix is 
sandy. Thi s conglomerate type m;:ty have been deposit­
ed by debris flows at the distributary mouths. 

Another conglomerate type shows overall g radcd , 
composite beds up to 1.3 m thick (e.g. Fig. 4, A, at 52 
111), and consists of pebble conglomerate in the lower 
part and flat laminated pebbly sandstone to sandstone in 
Ihe upper part both conta ining nummulites. They are 
intercalated in "weathered sandstones", which may be 
deposjts of the nearshore or offshore transit ion sett ing 
(sec above). Such beds could possibly represent slorm­
related, nearshorc deposits, or products of flood-related, 
gravity-flows. 

7, THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF 
NEARSHORE SETTINGS RECORDED BY THE 

SANDSTONE-CONGLOMERATE UNIT 

Descriptions and interpretations presented above 
depict nearshore settings, which were of two lypes: onc 
was dominated by gravel, and the other by sand. 



l3abic & Zupanic: Ne:lTshore DepOsits in the Middle Eocene Clastic Succession ... 

N 

A 
flot in .W:llle 

, , , , , , , , 
',J')~J 

<.J) ' -0')" 
'" , , , 

Fig.21 Conceptual piclUTe showing the palaeogeography and ide­
alised distribution of the dominant dcpos itional facies during 
deposition of the sandstone-conglomerate unit studied in the 
Radovin Syncline. Facies codes as in tex t. Codes in brackcts are 
subordinate components. For discussion see text. When Ihc flu ­
via l system was tc mporarily not active. the mouth co uld have 
been barred by marine processes. A previous posi tion of the stre­
Hill is also shown. 

The most common sed iments among the conglome­
rate-domi nated facies arc those included in the (CM) 
Main conglomerates, wh ich are interpreted here as 
upper shoreface and beach race deposit s. The character­
istics of these facies resulted from processes related to 
minor storms , declini ng- and post-storm periods, swell , 
and rair-weather conditions. These features describe the 
predominant reflective character of the coast during 
such condi tions. Processes relat ed to the high stage or 
major storms were responsible fo r the origin of most 
erosional surfaces. High-stage to declining storm pcri ­
ods were probably responsib le fo r longshore-oriented 
flows and strong rip currents, which resulted in depos i­
tion of most (CX) Cross-bedded conglomerates indi cat­
ing a bar and trough topography, i.e. the establ ish ment 
or dissipative conditions. The sto rm conditions were 
also respons ibl e for the orig in of (CS) Conglomerate­
sandstone couplets. The o rigin of some conglomerates 
may be rela ted to gravity flows during river fl oods. 

Conglomerates may be ri ch in boulder- and cobble­
s ized c las ts, whi ch were unlikely to have been trans­
ported far along the coast. The gravel therefore, espe­
cially the boulder gravel, reflects the close proximity of 
the mouths of river distributaries , and also the mouths 
themselves. Thus, the gravel-dominated beach face and 
shoreface may be rcgarded as the shoreline and shallow 
subaqucolls parts of coarse-grai ned fan-delta or braid­
delta complexes fed by high-gradient braided streams 
(Fig. 21). 

As described above, coarse-gra ined delta sediments 
arc associated with shallow~marine sandstones, both 
within the sandstone-conglomerate unit, and wi thin the 

189 

overall success ion of the Radovin Syncli ne. Therefore 
thi s delta is comparable to the shelf-type model of fan­
delt as differe ntiated by ETHRIDGE & WESCOTT 
(1984), based on differences in basin margin gradients, 
or to the relevant braid de ltas later recogni sed by 
McPHERSON et al. ( 1987). In respect to the dominant 
processes operating at the del ta front (NEMEC & 
STEEL, 1988; COLELLA & PRIOR, 1990) , a major 
pan of the Eocene deltas in the Radovi n Syneline may 
be assigned to the "wave-dominated" type of fan-deltas 
or braid deltas, as the material brought by ancient rivers 
10 the sea shore was reworked by marine processes. 
During some time intervals, some deltas may have been 
dominated by mass- fl ow deposits . 

The sandstone facies S I , S2, and S3 orig inated in 
the lower shoreface, upper shoreface, and foreshore set­
tings respect i vel y. I n shore fa ce se t! ings (facies S 1 and 
S2) of thc ancient Radovi n area, erosion, deposi tion and 
the biogenic disturbance or sedim ent s were s trongly 
influenced by storm-induced processes. Fair-weather 
processes including reworking during minor-storm peri ­
ods, and bi oturbation are scarcely recorded in these sed­
iments. The associations or various S I and S2 faci es 
described here may be compared to Recent amalgama­
ted storm sa nd beds described by AIGNER & REI ­
NECK (1982) from a storm-dominated sandy shore­
face . Tn such settings, sedimentary structures, which 
cou ld have been produced by fair-weather processes, 
have mostly been obliterated by storm-related processes 
(KUMA R & SANDERS, 1976; DUPR E, 1984). The 
relevant ancient env ironment s therefore were charac­
terised by a high freq uency of storms and hi gh deposi­
tional rate. 

Apart from gravel-dominated delta-fronts, there 
were pure sandy nearshore settings, which can be dedu­
ced from sa ndy progradati onal sequcnces such as the 
upper sandstone segment in Fig. 5. Such sandy settings 
could have been situated laterally to gravel-dominated 
dclta mOllths, at distances g reatcr than those attainable 
by the wave-d ri vcn longshore d rift of gravel. 1t is also 
possible that there were intervals when only sand was 
deposi ted along the cntire nea rshore belt of the former 
Radovin Sy ncline area. A part of storm-related sand­
stones was probably deposited seawarcls of the gravel­
dominated river mOllths (Fig. 2 1), and these sandstones 
would represent d istal delta-front deposits. 

The deposi tional architecture of the sandstone-con­
glomcrate unit can be inferred from the facies analysis 
presented above taking into account ( I) the entire sand­
stone-conglomerate unit in the Rad ovin Syncline con­
sisting of altcrnating sandstones and conglomeratcs; (2) 
all sed iment s showing depositional structures and fabric 
reflect ing nearshore sett ings (these scd imcnts appear in 
sma ll , isolated outcrops and up to 10 In thick succes­
sions scallered th roughout the unit and withi n the whole 
Radovin area, while larger cont inuous exposures, which 
would show vertica l s ll ccessions, lateral changes and 
facies relati onships, arc absent) (3) conglomeratic sed i­
ments and packages change their thickness latera ll y, 



190 

which implies a lateral change in thickness of the sand­
stones. Based on these features the overall architecture 
may be described as interfingering and overlapping 
deltas and nearshore sandy systems. Those sandstones, 
wh ich could have been deposited in the offshore transi­
tion zone, may be added to the above scenario. The 
architecture of the sandstone-conglomerate unit was 
generat ed by an interplay of external factors such as 
sediment supply, tectonics, and sea-leve l changes, and 
internal ractors including the lateral shifts of deltas or 
delta distributaries, and changes in fluvial input. Details 
of the related trends of depositional dynamics are rarely 
clearly observed, the best example being shown in Fig. 
5, wherc an overall progradational succession ranging 
from offshore to foreshore settings includcs two small­
scale, sandy progradational sequences, and an interme­
diate gravel package. The top of the gravel package is a 
flooding surface reflecting a relative sea-level rise. 

8. THE SANDSTONE-CONGLOMERATE UNIT 
AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE PALAEOGENE 

CLASTIC BASIN IN NORTHERN DALMATIA 

The evol ution of the Palaeogene clastic basin in 
northern Dalmatia began in the middle of the Middle 
Lutetian with the drowning of the previous carbonate 
platform, and deposition of hemipelagic marls over the 
platform carbonates (SCHUBERT, 1905a; review in 
BABIC & ZUPANIC, 1983). These marls arc followed 
by flysch-type sediments (Unit I, Fig. 2). 

Post-Ilysch evolut ion is characterised by develop­
ment of shallow-marine environments in the previous 
flysch-basin domain, as revealed by shallow-marine 
charactcr of the overlying sandstones and subsequent 
depos it s (Fig. 2). The sandstone-conglomerate unit 
described here (Unit 3, Fig. 2) includes coarse-grained 
delta front deposits, which must have been connected 
with high-gradient streams, and the dissected topogra­
phy of the SOurce area situated in the vicinity of the 
coast. Powerful transverse flows brought the detritus 
from land to the north-east to the NW-SE oriented 
shoreline, and this palaeogeography corresponds to the 
"model 2" of typical alluvial basin-fill patterns sum­
marised by MIALL (1996). Lithoclast types in the con­
glomerates reflect sediment supp ly from an emerged 
arca, where Eocene and Late Cretaceous sediments 
were exposed, as already reported by QUITZOW 
(1941) and MAJCEN & KOROLIJA (1973). The sup­
ply of coarse-grained detri tus may have been related to 
the Middle Eocene tectonic deformation, which was 
recognised by QUITZOW (1941). 

Middle Eocene shallow -water clastics may be 
regarded as molasse deposits, which postdate flysch­
lype deposits and predate the Prom ina Beds. Thus, this 
molasse was generated very early in the evo lution of 
the north Dalmatian Palaeogene clastic basin. This is in 
confirmation of previous propositions on early changes 
in the palaeogeography of the coastal Dinaric clastic 

Geologia Croalica 51(2 

belt (BABIC & ZUPANIC, 1990; ZUPANIC & BA­
BIC, 1991 ; BABIC et aI., 1993). 

9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 

The Middle Eocene clastic succession in the Rado­
vin Syncline, northern Dalmatia is approximately 900 
m thick and consists of basal hemipelagic marl and fly­
sch-type depos its in its lower part, and shallow-marine 
sediments in its upper part. Identification of shallow­
marine depos its in the upper part of the successions 
confirms the view prescnted by Schubert at the begin­
ning of this century (SCHUBERT, 1905a, 1909). 

Within the upper, shallow-marine portion of the 
clastic success ion in the Radovin Syncline, there is a 
distinct strat igraphi c unit consisting of sandstones and 
conglomerates. The overall architecture of this unit may 
be described as the interfingeri ng of deltas and near­
shore sandy systems. The unit was generated under the 
influence of several internal and external factors, and 
the most important of these werc sediment supply and 
changes in relative sea leve l. Deltas were of the shelf­
type, and were predominantly "wave-dominated". The 
sand and g ravel were transported by high-gradient 
st reams and possibly by grav ity flow s from emerged 
areas. Final deposition mostly occurred within the near­
shore environments of a high-energy coast. Most sand­
stones originatcd by storm -related processes in the 
shoreface. Conglomerate-dominated facies mostly res­
ulted from variolls and successivc eros ional, depositio­
nal and reworking processes in thc shoreface and 
beachfacc sett ings. 

The sediments studied document important post-fly­
sch changes in [he basin evolution and palaeogeography 
of the Palaeogene clastic basin in the coastal Dinarides, 
and the earliest post-flysch emersion of an inner part of 
the basin. 

Acknowledgement 

Constructive criti cism by Prof. Francesco MAS­
SARI helped greatly in c larifying and presenting the 
facies interpretations. An anonymous reviewer suggest­
ed improvements in petrographic tenninology. We also 
thank M. KLADNICKI for careful drawings. The work 
has been supported by the Ministry of Sc ience and 
Technology of the Republic of Croatia, through the 
Project 119302. 

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Manuscript received June 20, 1998. 
Revised manuscript accepted November 23, 1998. 



194 Geologia Croatica sIn