ACADEMIA Letters

Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in

Central Dobrogea
Daniel Ungureanu, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geology and Geophisics
Eugen Barbu

Abstract
The remains of the Upper Jurassic sponge “reefal” belt in Europe are scattered from Portugal,
through Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, to Romania (Zimmerle, 1991). The
“reef” was already developed and living during the Oxfordian age. The Romanian occurrence
is the easternmost in Europe and here, Jurassic sponges and calcareous algae developed cylin-
drical bio thermal shapes. They are unique geological buildings that never repeated, either
before or after that time. The spongiolithic cylindrical structures border a part of the Canara-
Cheia Valley, where the water stream eroded in time the soil and washed the rubble, revealing
the buried “reefs.”
We introduce the cylindrical bio thermal structure as a major widespread pattern in the
facies built by algae and siliceous sponges.

Introduction and terminology

The study is about the unique sponge “reefal” build-ups in the Upper Jurassic of the Central
Dobrogea. The term of “reef” here does not refer to the typical structure of coral origin, but
to the bioherm deposits of microbial and spongal origin, developed in the European Upper
Jurassic. Their specific cylindrical morphology was described by Drăgănescu (1976) (Fig.

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

1
1). They are biohermal structures built on biostromal construction. The bioherms are bound
together in a biostromal complex or are simply linked one to another.

Fig. 1. Morphology of the bioconstructed spongalgal cylindrical structures (Drăgănescu,

1976)

Their external look is cylindrical, with a large, deep cup-shaped depression in the core of

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

2
the upper part. The depression is most often filled with rubble.
Only a few of these structures are well exposed. The rest are still burried in the sediments
and only the circular upper rim is visible at the terrain surface.

Research history
The Upper Jurassic sponge deposits in Dobrogea lie within a vast area, from Constanța –
Tulcea national road, at the Sîrtorman quarry and Gura Dobrogei village, in South-East, to
the Danube bank, between Scrofeni valley and the town of Hârșova, in North-West.
The spongiolithic deposits in Central Dobrogea were studied for more than a century. The
first thorough study dealing with the ring-shaped sponge bioherms was published by Patrulius
and Orghidan in 1964. The authors described small fossil fauna within two caves formed in
the core of the columnar spongiolithic build-ups. However, the authors could not recognize
the particular morphology of the “reef” they worked in. Bryozoan, echinoid, crinoid and
bivalve rich fauna was presented in their work. The Western occurrences of the cylindrical
spongiolithic bioherms in Casimcea plateau were studied by Aurelia Bărbulescu (1971). She
pointed out the specific shape, as well as they are biohermic structures made by sponges.
She also discussed about the silica impregnation of the bioherms that allowed the differential
erosion taking place, exposing the cylindrical shapes. The author underlines that the build-ups
are developed on various foundation rocks, depending on the location and she also settled the
spongiolithic deposits age in the time span of Lower, Middle, until the beginning of Upper
Oxfordian.
Information about the same area can be found in further geological, paleontological or
stratigraphical works of Bărbulescu (1972, 1974), Drăgănescu (1976), Grădinaru and Băr-
bulescu (1994), Leinfelder et al. (1994), Herrmann (1996). In his work, Drăgănescu (1976)
assigned the build-ups in discussion to the Visterna Member in the Casimcea Formation and
described their structure in detail. He also indicated a deposit depth range. The most com-
prehensive information is in the monography of Dragastan et al. (1998), where the authors
pointed out this kind of structures are spread in a larger area and can be clearly noticed in
aerial photos.

Geographical location
The studied perimeter is a wide area in the central part of Central Dobrogea including the
Casimcea syncline almost entirely and, also, the extension of the syncline towards West, to
Crucea and Stupina. The knowledge about the cylinder-shaped structures has begone with

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

3
the observation of about 15 build-ups in Canara-Cheia valley. More than 120 such cylindri-
cal bioherms are located today. They are more frequent in the central part of the Casimcea
syncline.
The widest outcrops lie on the Western bank of Casimcea river, on both sides of Visterna
valley, as well as in the Canara-Cheia valley. Another visible outcrop is located in the Western
part of the Central Dobrogea: Allah-Bair hill and surroundings: Saragea and Crucea hills (fig.
2). Beside these outcrops we could notice some similar structures burried under the loess
cover. These are scattered on a wide strip on the direction of South-East to North-West.

Fig. 2. Location of the spong-algal cylindrical build-ups in Central Dobrogea. In red the
previous known ones; in orange, the outcropping ones.

Morphological diversity
In Canara-Cheia valley, about 15 different ring-shaped bioherms of spongiolithic origin border
the banks of a small river, along the road South of Cheia village. They have 10 to 25 m in height
and are already well described in the geological references (Bărbulescu, 1972; Drăgănescu,

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

4
1976; Herrmann, 1996). They have column or tower appearance when well preserved, but
there are, also, partially crumbled or eroded cylindrical bioherms, showing up their internal
structure (fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Dobrogea gorges – Canara-Cheia valley. Well exposed ring-shaped bioherms.

Drăgănescu (1976) reconstructed the pattern of these constructions. His model suggests a
biostromal foundation. The biohermal build-ups, closely linked together have a massive base,
and developed upwards, forming a central space, now filled up with rubble from the reef. The
bioherms are linked by biostromal limestone of the same origin, but less resistant to erosion.
The biostromes were eroded first by the water stream and exposed the columnar spongioliths.
They can be easily noticed in the larger space gaps. The entire reefal-type structures had to be
synchronous developed and the water stream is the cause of revealing the cylindrical structures
by erosion.
The widest spread situation of the sponge-dominated bioherms is where they are fully
burried except for the ring-shaped rim visible on the soil surface. That kind of bioherms
occur on large areas in the central and Northern part of the Casimcea syncline, as well as in
the Allah-Bair hill (fig. 4). Aerial photographs show their upper rim at the ground level. The
internal space is now filled up with weakly cemented calcareous bioclastic rubble, consisting
mainly of large fragments of sponges. This supports the idea that the reefs were burried
since lifetime in their own remains. On the Southern slope of Visterna valley are located few
caves within the core of the atolls. Here Patrulius and Orghidan (1964) conducted their study
concerning small fauna in the cave sediments. It was about fossils naturally detached from
the “reef” filling and representing associated reefal fauna.
On the Northern slope of the same valley, the cylindrical bioherms are less visible, but
still present. They are 35 to 50 m wide ring-shaped structures, fully burried within the “reef”
remains. Their upper rim was probably at the same level with the surrounding biostromes
even during their lifetime, developing together. The series continues towards North, along the
Western limit of the syncline. There some subcircular and convolute forms of the spongiolithic
“reefs” occur, as in the Western occurrence area, in the Allah-Bair hill (fig. 5).

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

5
 Fig. 4. Northern slope of the Visterna valley in the central part of Casimcea syncline.

Fig. 5. Subcircular and convolute shapes of the spongiolithic bioherms. a – Eastern Central
part of the Casimcea syncline; b – North-Eastern part of the Casimcea syncline; c – Allah-Bair
Hill.

Ring-shaped spongiolithic “reefs” exists completely burried under the loess cover here and
there. They could not be noticed until the low altitude satellite photographs were available for
study (Fig. 6).
The build-ups in discussion are sunken structures, developed at depths of tens of me-
ters. The siliceous sponges, as the dominant fauna that built the bioherms, prefer deep water
(Tabachnick, 1991). The ring shaped rim is exposed by different erosion, due to silica impreg-
nation. However, these structures are developed as parts of and included in the surrounding

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

6
 Fig. 6. Hidden (burried) ring-shaped structures on Stupina Hill

reef type build-ups. Their development was probably limited by the water depth and, conse-
quently, by the regression started at the end of Oxfordian.

Stratigraphical data
Drăgănescu (1976) described the Casimcea Formation and, within it, the so-called “The bio-
constructed spongalgal facies” or the Visterna Member. The upper biohermal complex is part
of that Member. It includes cylindrical shaped build-ups of 15 to 30 m in diameter and 20 to
70 m in height. In our observations, the diameter may reach 50 m. The complex was assigned
to Lower or Medium to Upper Oxfordian age.

Faunal diversity
Transformation and alteration processes started during deposition and the calcification of
siliceous sponges immediately after death.

Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

7
 The associations include specimens of all marine invertebrate large groups. Sponges are
dominant, mainly the dish-shaped ones; but other shapes are present, too (cylindrical and cup-
shape, especially). In separate occurrences, are differences in composition of the associations,
as well as differences in preservation status.

Conclusions
The peculiar cylindrical sponge bioherms in Central Dobrogea are unique structures and a
major pattern of Upper Jurassic reefal build-ups in the area. In Dobrogea, during Oxfordian
sponge dominance, these constructions represent not only a specific feature, but the main
sponge built bioherm type. There are many more of them then previously considered. Some
are covered by loess.
They developed as sunken bioherms at depths of tens of meters. The perfect conditions
were in the Eastern part (Casimcea syncline), but they occur scattered on the peaks of the
former seafloor towards West-North-West, at least till Stupina.

References
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Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.

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Academia Letters, September 2021 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Daniel Ungureanu, dan.v.ungureanu@gmail.com

Citation: Ungureanu, D., Barbu, E. (2021). Upper Jurassic Spongiolithic Cylindrical Bioherms in Central
Dobrogea. Academia Letters, Article 3471. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL3471.