Budoš Limestone

It is located within the High karst zone, and represents a unique terrestrial setting with abundant plant material, one of the few know from the Toarcian of Europe.

[4] In the Adriatic section, this unit is an equivalent of the Calcare di Sogno of north Italy, as well represents almost the same type of ecosystem recovered in the older (Pliensbachian) Rotzo Formation of the Venetian region and the Podpeč Limestone of Slovenia, know also for its rich floral record.

The Toarcian paleogeography of Montenegro was characterised by two major units, mostly found in the Dinarides: the High Karst Zone, representing the Carbonate Platform, and the Budva Basin, that represented a shallow marine setting where ammonites are abundant, separated at the W of the Apulian Carbonate Platform by the "deep-water Adriatic Basin".

[6] The previous Pliensbachian platform suffered in the Toarcian a partial flooding in some sectors and simultaneous emergence in others, with the carbonate facies recovered at W of Nikšić, NE of Podgorica and in the Rumija Mt remaining as environments close to the marginal part.

[4] These layers, generally overlaid by younger sediments, exhibit oolitic limestone characteristics, with late-diagenetic dolomite intercalations indicative of formation near the platform's margin.

[4][6] While at the Pliensbachian most of the area was dominated by the "Lithiothis Facies" from Tolmin to Podgorica, with no proper emegent lands nearby, in the Toarcian the nearest emergent lands expanded were located at the NE-SE, from the west of Zagreb to Prozor, while the sectors at Montenegro and Albania were located in between ooid grainstone levels, representing a proximal carbonate ramp.

[5] The Budoš Limestone was delimited as younger than the Rotzo Formation due to its floral composition and the fact is overlain by the Late Toarcian-Aalenian greenish local claystone-limestone layers.

[5] The unit is mostly known by its rich macroflora, the most complete of the Mediterranean Toarcian realm along with the Marne di Monte Serrone, with several characteristics, such as the abundant presence of thermophilic Bennettitales and the dominance of the Seed Fern Pachypteris, that grew on semi-arid climates.

[9] This particular province is characterized by fossil plants that belonged to the specific vegetation of intra-oceanic islands with the dominance of "Mangrove" type swamps were Pachypteris dominated, and drier vegetation within the island regions of "Maquis shrubland" type (probably a number of species of the genera Brachyphyllum and Pagiophylum).

[10] The nearest emgerged areas were present in the terrains of Sinjavina and Durmitor, marked by a paleorelief of Jurassic Bauxite-abundant deposits within karstified limestones and rare dolomites.

[12] Latter however, was interpreted that this flora developed on an island setting in the Dinaric Carbonate Platform, likely linked with the exposed layers of Seoce.

This setting would be made of the emerged Budoshi High, representing an island flora; a humid belt would have existed along the shore, while coniferous vegetation would have prevailed in the drier interior.

[3][13] The Budoš flora, as well Rumija and Seoce lithiotis facies were made after the Livari Supersequence created a massive lagoon in the inner ramp.

[3][7] The main consensus is that the layers rich in flora belong to a Bahamian-type Mangrove system developed on a coastal setting with a nearby Macchia arid inland setting dominated by Hirmeriellaceae and Araucariaceae conifers, as well Bennettites, that was either an island inside a Carbonate platform or part of a larger landmass.

[12] The inland setting was dry and with common wildfire activity, as proven by the great amount of charcoal recovered in some of the layers.

[12] The same type of ecosystem was also recovered more recently on slightly older (Late Pliensbachian) rocks on Albania that may belong to the same unit, with also great dominance of the genus Pachypteris linked with root systems along Lithiotis reefs, with evidence of catastrophic events which "killed" the flora.

[15] The Budos Mountain facies, like the Rotzo Formation, the Podpeč Limestone or the Aganane Formation, are known mostly due to its massive bivalve associations of the genera Lithiotis, Cochlearites and Lithioperna that extended all along the Pliensbachian-Toarcian Adriatic-Dinaric-Hellenic Platforms forming mass accumulations of specimens that formed Reef-Like structures.

Horsetail spores, associated with the genus Equisetostachys, herbaceous flora related to riparian high humid environments.

Recent research has reinterpreted it a stem group of the Polypodiales (Closely related with the extant genera Dennstaedtia, Lindsaea, and Odontosoria).

The dominant floral remain over the mangrove-type layers Pagiophyllum[1][10] Branched shoots Affinities with Araucariaceae or Hirmeriellaceae inside Pinales.

Recosntruction of the Genus Calamites , found associated with Calamospora
Extant Araucaria . Callialasporites maybe came from a related plant
Extant Sciadopitys . Cerebropollenites likely come from a related plant
Example of extant Gleichenia , Concavisporites come probably from similar genera
Extant Cycas platyphylla . Cycadopites maybe come from a related plant
Example of extant Cibotium
Extant Lycopodium specimens.
Example of extant Dipteris specimens, Granulatisporites come probably from similar genera
Example of extant Dennstaedtia specimens, Leptolepidites come probably from similar genera
Example of extant Drynaria specimens, Leptolepidites come probably from similar genera
Extant Tsuga Cone, example of the Abietoideae . Pinaceae Pollen like Pityosporites likely come from a similar plant
Extant Podocarpus . Podocarpidites maybe come from a related plant
Example of Brachyphyllum specimen
Coniopteris specimen
Example of Equisetites specimen
Elatides specimens
Otozamites specimen
Example of Pagiophyllum specimen
Zamites specimen