The Upper Miocene of the Rostov Dome (Eastern Paratethys): Implication of the chronostratigraphy and bivalvia-based biostratigraphy

The Rostov Dome is located in the south of the Russian Platform. In the Late Miocene this area was embraced by the Eastern Paratethys. The implications of a recently developed Neogene chronostratigraphy to the studied area are discussed. The Sarmatian regional stage corresponds to the upper part of the Langhian, the entire Serravalian and the lower part of the Tortonian global stages; the Maeotian regional stage corresponds to the upper part of the Tortonian and the lowermost horizons of the Messinian global stages; the Pontian regional stage corresponds to most of the Messinian and the lowermost Zanclean global stages. A first Bivalvia-based bio-stratigraphic framework is proposed for the territory of the Rostov Dome. Five biozones were established within the Serravalian-Messinian: Tapes vitalianus, Cerastoderma fittoni-Cerastoderma subfittoni, Congeria panticapaea, Congeria amygdaloides navicula and Monodacna pseudocatillus-Prosodacna schirvanica

Proportion of Mesozoic sedimentary rock types: data from northern Eurasia reveal similarities to North American patterns

Abstract The Mesozoic stratigraphic record of northern Eurasia includes a total of 1,739 formations. The proportion of conglomerate, sandstone + siltstone, shale, carbonates, evaporites, siliceous rocks, and volcanics + volcaniclastics among sedimentary complexes are evaluated for each epoch of the Mesozoic. Sandstone, shale, and conglomerate occur in 86%, 71%, and 42% of formations respectively. Less common are carbonates (28%) and volcanics and volcaniclastics (24%), whereas evaporites and siliceous rocks are rare (< 5%). The proportion of particular sedimentary rock types fluctuates throughout the Mesozoic. The proportion of sandstone + siltstone changes quite similarly to that of shale. A comparison of stratigraphic data from northern Eurasia and North America reveals some similarities, including a Lower Triassic increase in the conglomerate proportion, a Middle-Upper Triassic increase in the proportion of siliceous rocks, Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic and Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous “clastic spikes”, and a Middle-Upper Jurassic “carbonate-evaporite spike”. They may reflect any global-scale processes. Increases in clastic deposition coincided with eustatic lowstands, whereas voluminous accumulation of carbonates and evaporites tended to coincide with global sea-level rises. It remains unclear whether global climate was responsible for changes in the proportion of sedimentary rock types

Global carbonate accumulation from 145 Ma to Present (Cretaceous-Cenozoic): a new continental-scale analysis

Abstract Analysis of continental-scale lithostratigraphic data may facilitate an understanding of global sedimentary processes. The number of carbonate-bearing formations established in northern Eurasia (430 in total), northern Africa and Arabia (47 in total), and India (98 in total) is calculated per epochs for the last 145 Ma. The results show maxima in the Late Cretaceous, the Eocene, and the Miocene and minima in the Paleocene, the Oligocene, and the Pliocene. The Quaternary records are somewhat ambiguous. The similarity of the patterns established in the three regions argues for a single globalscale mechanism of carbonate accumulation. The noted patterns also coincide well with some modeled changes in the global amount of carbonates accumulated by epoch. Moreover, increases in the amount of carbonates in the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene, and a decrease in the Paleocene, reflect true changes in the accumulation rates. The global process of carbonate accumulation might have been controlled, at least, by eustatic changes (sea-level rise led to broad transgressions on continental margins and consequently to expansion of shelfal paleoenvironments) and climate dynamics (warm water facilitated carbonate production). Interestingly, no dependence between the global carbonate accumulation and marine biodiversity dynamics is established

Jurassic maximum flooding surfaces in the Greater Caucasus basin (Northern Neo-Tethys)

Abstract The Greater Caucasus evolved in the Jurassic as a large elongated back-arc basin on the northern periphery of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. The semi-quantitative analysis of proportions between marine and continental facies for each of 67 time slices produced a detailed curve depicting transgressive and regressive episodes. Five remarkable peaks on this curve are interpreted as the maximum flooding surfaces (MFSs). They are established at the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian boundary (MFS1), in the upper Pliensbachian (MFS2), the lower Aalenian (MFS3), the upper Bajocian (MFS4) and the lower Tithonian (MFS5). All surfaces except for MFS4 occur within typical MFS-marking layers. The Jurassic MFSs of the Greater Caucasus Basin do not match transgression peaks of the 1st-order cycles of Western Europe and the MFSs of Arabia. Their correspondence to the global eustatic peaks also remains uncertain. The most unexpected event is found in MFS3, which occurs at a time of prominent global sea-level fall. Errors in constraints and interpretations as well as influences of regional tectonic activity explain a specificity of the regional MFSs. The use of the regional Jurassic MFSs from the Greater Caucasus Basin for correlation purposes, therefore, appears doubtful

The siliciclastics/carbonates shift in the Jurassic of the Western Caucasus (central northern Neo-Tethys): reconsidering research over the last 50 years

A chain of carbonate platforms evolved in the northern Neo-Tethys during the Late Jurassic, but current knowledge remains incomplete as long as data from several larger regions, such as the Western Caucasus, are not included. In order to fill this gap, it is here suggested to reconsider the information accumulated chiefly during Soviet times. Although these data are too general, they still matter with regard to some regional characteristics and tentative interpretations. Available data on the spatio-temporal distribution of Bajocian-Callovian sedimentary rocks are summarised in a novel way which permits documentation of depositional trends at six representative localities in the Western Caucasus. The extent of the carbonate platform increased at two localities since the Late Callovian and at a third since the Middle Oxfordian. Three additional sites were characterised either by non-deposition or deep-marine sedimentation. The onset of carbonate platform development marked a remarkable shift from chiefly siliciclastic to carbonate deposition, although this event was not sudden everywhere. The Bathonian pulse of tectonic activity, coupled with the eustatic sea level rise, allowed shelves to expand during the Callovian-Oxfordian, with a reduction in siliciclastic input from islands and seawater that became well oxygenated and warmer. These conditions were conducive to biogenic carbonate production, allowing the carbonate platform to expand subsequently

AESTHETIC PROPERTIES OF GEOLOGICAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPES: EVIDENCE FROM THE LAGONAKI HIGHLAND (WESTERN CAUCASUS, RUSSIA)

Beauty adds value to unique geological features because the former is important for tourist emotional satisfaction. Aesthetic properties of geological heritage landscapes (landscapes dominated by unique geological phenomena) should be distinguished from their aesthetic attractiveness. Field studies permit ranging all basic aesthetic properties according to their local importance. The same information allows realizing appearance of the properties, which can be either positive or negative. The aesthetic properties of a world-class geosite representing ancient carbonate platform and diverse karst features, namely the Lagonaki Highland (western part of the Greater Caucasus Mountains) are examined. It is established that the Lagonaki Highland has physical parameters that determine a specific set of aesthetic properties. Three most important aesthetic properties of the studied object are openness, pattern, and uniqueness. These properties match the expected tourists’ idea of beauty, and, thus, the geological heritage landscape of the Lagonaki Highland is characterized by significant aesthetic attractiveness, which is important for tourism development

Long-term shoreline shifts on continental blocks during the Bajocian: an updated interpretation based on synthetic stratigraphical and palaeogeographical developments on regional scales

Available reconstructions of Jurassic global sea level changes differ and are in need of an update. New stratigraphical charts and palaeogeographical developments for a number of large continental blocks or their portions of these (e.g., Germany, India, northeast Africa, northwest Australia, the Russian Platform and western Siberia) reveal regional long- term shoreline shifts (i.e., transgressions and regressions) during the Bajocian Stage (168.3–170.3 Ma). A comparison of these allows to document only a single coherent feature, namely the earliest Bajocian transgression, in the majority of the continental blocks considered. Undoubtedly, this event was triggered by a eustatic rise. However, long-term shoreline shifts were either weak to absent or differed between the blocks during almost the entire Bajocian, thus pro- viding evidence of the apparent stability of global sea level and the importance of regional tectonic activity as a control mechanism on particular transgressions and regressions. Interestingly, it appears that the earliest Bajocian eustatic rise was a constituent of a long-term eustatic pattern; the nature of this event has yet to be fully understood. Generally, the findings presented here are in better agreement with Anthony Hallam’s view of Jurassic eustasy and question some other global sea level reconstructions

The late Silurian–Middle Devonian long-term eustatic cycle as a possible control on the global generic diversity dynamics of bivalves and gastropods

A long-term eustatic cycle (fall and subsequent rise of the global sea level) embraced the late Silurian–Middle Devonian time interval. Potentially, these sea-level changes could drive global biodiversity. The stratigraphic ranges of 204 bivalve genera and 279 gastropod genera included into the famous Sepkoski database allow reconstructing changes in the total diversity and the number of originations and extinctions of these important groups of marine benthic macro- -invertebrates during this interval. None of the recorded parameters coincided with the long-term global sea-level cycle. It cannot be not excluded, however, that the global sea-level changes did not affect the regions favourable for bivalve and gastropod radiation because of regional tectonic mechanisms; neither can it be excluded that the eustatic control persisted together with many other extrinsic and intrinsic controls. Interestingly, the generic diversity of gastropods increased together with a cooling trend, and vice versa. Additionally, the Ludlow, Eifelian, and Givetian biotic crises affected, probably, both fossil groups under study. There was also a coincidence of the relatively high bivalve generic diversity, initial radiation of gastropods and the entire biota, and the diversification of brachiopods with the Early Devonian global sea-level lowstand, and this may be interpreted as evidence of a certain eustatic control on the marine biodiversity

The Nowdan anticline of the Zagros orogen as a geoheritage ‘window’ into the late Mesozoic– Cenozoic evolution of the African–Arabian continental margin

Geological heritage can contribute to our understanding of the long-term evolution of important sectors of our planet. Cretaceous–Neogene rocks (chiefly carbonates) crop out in the Nowdan anticline of the Zagros orogen. Field investigations have permitted the establishment of 10 key localities (stratigraphical reference sections) that represent these rocks within this anticline, which is a single large geosite. The formations are related to the main phases in the evolution of the northeastern sector of the African–Arabian continental margin. For instance, carbonate rocks of the Asmari Formation mark changes in the affinity of the study area, from the African–Arabian plate to only the Arabian plate, separated in conjunction with Red Sea rifting during the Oligocene. Information on the palaeogeographical changes is really precious to geoscientists and geotourists alike, and contributes to the great value of the Nowdan anticline geosite. Evidence from the latter, as well as from a few other places (i.e., the Mountainous Adygeya geodiversity hotspot in Russia, the North Coast of São Paulo in Brazil and the possible Gondwanan geopark in Namibia) illustrates the necessity of distinguishing a palaeomapping subtype in palaeogeographical characterisation of geological heritage