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Summary: Sedimentological, paleontological and sequence analyses of Cenomanian limestones in Sicily reveal the facies architecture and dynamics of a Mid Cretaceous rudistdominated platform margin from Western Tethys. The studied deposits outcrop near Palermo, as part of a large structural unit of the Sicilian Maghrebids. They belong to the Panormide carbonate platform, a Mesocenozoic paleogeographic domain of the African margin. The lateral continuity of the beds along three nearly parallel E-W outcrop sections allowed the recording of cm/dm thick lithological and faunal variations. Nine main lithofacies associations have been recognised along about 200 m of subvertical strata. Their vertical and lateral organisation points to a transition from highenergy shelf-margin rudist patches and shoals to more internal lagoonal-tidal environments over a short distance. The lithofacies evolution and stacking pattern along the three sections made it possible to define elementary cycles, composite cycles and larger-scale sequences with a dominant shallowing-upward trend. Their hierarchical organisation implies that sea-level fluctuations were an important factor in their formation. The cycles are characterised by a great variation in facies as a result of transgressive-regressive events in different sectors of the inferred Cenomanian shelf. Subtidal cycles typical of the shelf margin (4–10 m-thick) are particularly well identifiable. They are made of large Caprinidae and Sauvagesiac rudstone-to-floatstone (about 2/3 of the total thickness), capped by rudist-conglomerates, often organised into 3–5 fining-upward amalgamated beds and showing, in places, effects of surface-related diagenesis. In more internal shelf areas the cycles consist of Caprinidae-Radiolitidae floastone grading up into amalgamated beds of angular bioclastic rudstone/grainstone. Alternations of foraminifer/ostracod mudstone/wackestone and bioclastic grainstone/fine-rudstone, capped by loferites and/or by other emersion-related overprintings, characterise the cycles formed in the peritidal zones. these cycles are stacked into three incomplete depositional sequences. The sequence boundaries have been identified by the abrupt interposition of peritidal cycles in subtidal rudist-rich cycles, with evidence of brief subaerial exposure.

Summary: In the Late Cretaceous the carbonate platforms modified the organization of their depositional systems owing to vast and complex geologic events. In this view, detailed analyses have been made on Senonian shelf-to-slope rudist-bearing limestones resting on pre-Coniacian erosive surfaces or slope facies in the Nurra region (northwestern Sardinia, Italy), in the central-southern Apennines and in the Gargano area (central-southern Italy). The main characteristic of the analyzed deposits is the spreading of rudists in a context of foramol-type calcite-dominated benthonic sediment-producer communities. The reconstructed Senonian depositional environments match a large complex of unprotected shelves that produced loose, diagenetically stable mollusc-dominated bioclastic debris which were not involved in significantin situ cementation processes. High energy episodes led to repeated and more or less total remobilization of the sedimentary sheet. On the shelves, both storm- and wind-induced currents and waves exercised a strong driving control on the sedimentary arrangement of the shifting biogenic sediments. The latter constituted large coalescing sheets of winnowed, loose, fine-to-coarse skeletal sands. Sandy sediments were easily involved in remobilization processes across the shelves toward the redepositional sites. Transport modality largely depended on the granular composition of the sediments. The early and almost continuous sweeping of the finer fraction (bioeroded-derived silt) resulted in an effective pre-sorting of the skeletal debris stored in the Senonian open shelf settings.In situ preservation potentiality of the produced skeletal material was low and huge amounts of sands may have concurred in forming slope aprons. In the studied successions a two-stage evolution is documented during the Senonian.

Senonian carbonate sediments rich in rudists are widespread throughout central-southern Italy. TheConiacian-Santonian series, analyzed in the Lattari Mountains (Sorrento Peninsula), are almost completely composed of limestones, with very subordinate dolomitic beds. On a field scale we can distinguish rudist-rich beds rhythmically alternating with finer-grained foraminiferal beds. The studied series testify to a deposition in shallow-sea environments. In the lower part of the series periodical, more or less prolonged emersions (subaqueous with fresh/brackish waters or subaerial exposure) are documented. The upper part of the series lacks emersion evidence; submarine exposure surfaces are testified by firmgrounds or hardgrounds. Wave- and cross-laminations, HCS and the lack of fine sediments document an overall deposition under influence of occasional high-energy water regimes with some storm-related events. The sedimentology and taphonomic signature of the rudist shell beds have been described in order to get a better understanding of depositional environment and the physical processes that controlled the Senonian sedimentation. Monospecific tabular beds mainly characterize the lower part of the series; more complex rudist concentrations, characterized by moderate species diversity, increase up-section. The recognized lithofacies are organized in shallowing-upward depositional cycles that show a gradual change from peritidal/shallow-subtidal cycles to dominantly subtidal cycles up-section; this change records a general deepening-upward trend as a possible result of an increase of the accommodation space provided by a relative sea-level rise, according to what is suggested for other coeval Apennine and Sardinia series.