Thin-shelled bivalve buildup of the lower Bajocian, South Iberian paleomargin: development of opportunists after oceanic perturbations

An exceptional buildup of thin-shelled bivalves (3.5 m thick and more than 12 m long), apparently the largest in the literature, is reported from the External Subbetic (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain). Calcareous nannofossils indicate the NJT8 biozone (late Aalenian) below the buildup and the NJT9 biozone (early Bajocian) at the base of the buildup. The thin-shelled bivalves, commonly referred to as filaments, are Bositra-like forms, an opportunistic bivalve that flourished under stressed conditions. Geochemical proxies (carbon isotopes, P-org and Ba-bio, and Cr/Al, V/Al and Ni/Co ratios) indicate that the marine environment was subjected to changes in oxygenation and trophic conditions, which, under the optimum states, promoted extremely high rates of production of the thin-shelled bivalves. The large buildup accumulated on the sea-floor under favorable hydrodynamic conditions and local topography. The significance of these depositional characteristics in relation to the previous literature is discussed