THE MEDITERRANEAN LOWER CRETACEOUS

limestones, clayey and sandy limestones, and marls. The thickness of the Hauterivian
between Dragoman and Kalotina is 50-210 m, increasing from the southeast
to the northwest.
The Barremian in this region is developed to the southwest of Letnica and to
the south of Prekraste villages, as well as to the west of Kalotina (Ma ид о в,
1971). It is represented by alternation of marls, sandy marls and clayey limestones.
Marls gradually increase upwards in the section. The thickness of the Barremian
sediments is up to 200 m.
The Aptian is revealed rather extensively near the town of Dragoman: at the
villages Nedeliste, Visan and Corul, and between Dragoman and Kalotina village.
The section of this stage is particularly characteristic in the Nisava river valley at
Kalotina village, described in detail byMandov (Мандов, 1971). Packets
of limestones and marls, thin-bedded sandy marls, alternation of calcareous sandstones,
sandy limestones and sandy marls, massive limestones with crinoides,
oolite limestones, detritic limestones and thick-bedded limestones, are represented.
These sediments are the peripheral Paraurgonian facies of the Urgonian massif,
developed on Yugoslav territory. The thickness of the Aptian is above 520 m.
To the north the Lower Cretaceous is developed in the Gubes and Javorec
syncline (Николов, Сапунов, 1970; Мандов, 1971; 1972b).
The Berriasian in this zone is connected with the micrite limestones of the Glozene
Formation and with the clayey calcareous sediments of the Salas Formation.
Intercalations of sandstones, clayey-calcareous siltstones and aleuritic clayey limestones
are included among the clayey-calcareous sediments of the Salas Formation,
from west to east in the sections of the Berriasian Stage in this zone. Sandy
beds increase particularly to the east, from Ginci village to the villages of Breze,
Zimevica and Bov.
Berriasian sediments in the zone investigated resemble greatly the coeval sediments
from the northern part of the Teteven region (the villages Lesidren — Malka
2eljazna), where the transition between the Cerni Osa m and the Salas Formations
occurs.
The S arbenica tongue which was defined by Mandov (Мандов, 1971)
for the sandy-marl materials from the lower part of the Berriasian sections in the
Javorec syncline, is conditioned by influx of terrigenous material from southsoutheast.
The Berriasian in the Gubes and Javorec syncline is well characterized palaeontologically
by Mandov (Мандов, 1971; 1972 a), who has demonstrated the
presence of the F. boissieri ammonite Zone s. I., i. е. T. occitanica Zone+F. boissieri
Zone s. s. The total thickness of the stage in this zone is 30-70 m.
The Valanginian in the Gube§ syncline is also connected with the Salas Formation.
Its lower part is analogous with respect to its facies to Berriasian sediments,
whereas the marls increase quantitatively upwards. Sandstones appear among the
Valanginian sediments to the south-southeast of Gubes village.
Mandov (Мандов, 1971) has defined a rich ammonite association
characterizing both ammonite zones in the Valanginian Stage: Thurmanniceras
thurmanni (P i с t., Cam p.), Kilianella salientina (Say n), Sarasinella trezanensis
(LOT y), Neocomites beaumugnensis S a y n, Neocomites spp., Olcostephanus
(O) psilostomus (N e u m., U h 1.), Saynoceras verrucosum (d'O г b.), etc.
The thickness of the Valanginian sediments is about 100 m.
The Hauterivian is well represented in the Gubes syncline, where it is connected
with the Salas Formation. The facies of Hauterivian sediments changes
to the east-southeast of Gube§ village towards Ginci village. Thick sandstone beds
appear (with total thickness of 100-110 m), and in their uppermost part there
are also lenses of conglomerates composed of quartz, quartzites and lydite-
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