A. S. Alekseev

Late Precambrian to Triassic history of the East European Craton: dynamics of sedimentary basin evolution

Abstract During its Riphean to Palaeozoic evolution, the East European Craton was affected by rift phases during Early, Middle and Late Riphean, early Vendian, early Palaeozoic, Early Devonian and Middle-Late Devonian times and again at the transition from the Carboniferous to the Permian and the Permian to the Triassic. These main rifting cycles were separated by phases of intraplate compressional tectonics at the transition from the Early to the Middle Riphean, the Middle to the Late Riphean, the Late Riphean to the Vendian, during the mid-Early Cambrian, at the transition from the Cambrian to the Ordovician, the Silurian to the Early Devonian, the Early to the Middle Devonian, the Carboniferous to Permian and the Triassic to the Jurassic. Main rift cycles are dynamically related to the separation of continental terranes from the margins of the East European Craton and the opening of Atlantic-type palaeo-oceans and/or back-arc basins. Phases of intraplate compression, causing inversion of extensional basins, coincide with the development of collisional belts along the margins of the East European Craton. The origin and evolution of sedimentary basins on the East European Craton was governed by repeatedly changing regional stress fields. Periods of stress field changes coincide with changes in the drift direction, velocity and rotation of the East European plate and its interaction with adjacent plates. Intraplate magmatism was controlled by changes in stress fields and by mantle hot-spot activity. Geodynamically speaking, different types of magmatism occurred simultaneously.

The Devonian and Carboniferous of the Moscow Syneclise (Russian Platform): stratigraphy and sea-level changes

Abstract The Moscow Syneclise is a vast sedimentary basin located in the centre of the East-European Platform. The Palaeozoic sequence of this syneclise, and especially its Devonian-Carboniferous part, is most suitable for sea-level fluctuation analysis. The Devonian and Carboniferous sediments consist mainly of shallow-marine carbonates, containing several minor terrigenous intervals; they attain total thicknesses of up to 1.5 km. The modern stratigraphic scale includes 33 regional stages for the Devonian and 32 for the Carboniferous. Correlation of this scale with global scales is supported by conodont, miospore and foraminifera zonations. The new calibrated Devonian and Carboniferous relative sea-level curves for the Moscow Syneclise reflect late Eifelian, mid-Frasnian, early Tournaisian, late Visean-early Serpukhovian and Moscovian-Gzhelian transgressions. Several of these sea-level changes, which are particularly evident on the margins of the Moscow Syneclise, originated in response to differential tectonic movements of the Voronezh Anteclise and the Tokmovo Uplift as well as to vertical oscillations of the entire East-European craton.

Cretaceous palaeogeography of the North-Eastern Peri-Tethys

Abstract The Cretaceous stratigraphy and main palaeogeographic features of the North-Eastern Peri-Tethys are briefly summarised on the base of new data. The study is mainly focused on the time-slices that were chosen for the recently published Peri-Tethys Atlas: Early Hauterivian, Early Aptian, Late Cenomanian, Early Campanian and Late Maastrichtian. Two main epochs in the development of this area are recognised. The Early Cretaceous is characterised by the prevalence of the terrigenous sedimentation and the existence of a large longitudinal strait through the Russian Platform, which controlled the Boreal/Tethyan connection. The southward Boreal water movement prevailed during the Neocomian. The strongest Boreal transgression took place in the Late Hauterivian, when cool water reached the Crimea basin. The Aptian–Albian time was characterised by a northward Tethyan water movement, interrupted by the Early Albian Boreal transgression. Tectonic rebuilding of the region took place in the Albian–Cenomanian. It resulted in the disappearance of the sea-strait through the Russian Platform and in the opening of another sea-strait in the Turgai area in the Turonian. This strait connected the Peri-Tethyan seas, the Western Siberia Boreal basin and joined with the Western Interior Seaway in the other side of the Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere Megastrait appeared. During this time mainly carbonate sedimentation prevailed, but the existence of a new longitudinal strait determined a two-way water and faunal exchange. Tethyan water moved up to the south and the south-east parts of the Western Siberian basin, while the cold Boreal water influence can be recognised along the northern margin of the Russian Platform basin.

Mesozoic to recent geological history of southern Crimea and the Eastern Black Sea region

Abstract We provide a synthesis of stratigraphic data to unravel the history of the geological evolution of South Crimea in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The South Crimea Orogen consists of three major mega-sequences: (1) the Triassic–Early Jurassic; (2) the Aalenian–Bathonian; and (3) the Callovian–Eocene. The Late Triassic–Early Jurassic deposits formed in the environment of a forearc basin and a remnant basin. The Aalenian–Bathonian deposits formed above subduction extension and a volcanic belt. Three main Callovian–Eocene tectonic units can be identified in South Crimea: (1) the South Crimean Shelf Basin; (2) the Sudak Deepwater Trough; and (3) the Alchak–Kaya Shelf Basin at the northern margin of the Shatsky Ridge. The Oligocene–Quaternary deposits are considered to be syn-orogenic. A description of the anticipated stratigraphic units on the Shatsky Ridge is suggested for the Middle Jurassic, Callovian–Late Jurassic, Neocomian, Aptian–Albian, Late Cretaceous–Paleocene, Eocene and Maykopian. We propose a model for the geological history of the Eastern Black Sea Basin. Graben formed during the Late Barremian–Albian at the location of the future Eastern Black Sea Basin and a phase of volcanism occurred in the Albian. The main phase of rifting and spreading of oceanic crust took place during Cenomanian–Santonian time. Supplementary material: A Google Earth kmz file of the location of the outcrops and sections is available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18850

Correlation of the Type Bashkirian Stage (Middle Carboniferous, South Urals) with the Morrowan and Atokan series of the midcontinental and western United States

The graphic correlation technique has been used to directly relate the stratigraphic appearances of key species in the Bashkirian Stage stratotype to those in a North American composite section. The type Bashkirian is separated from the underlying Serpukhovian Stage by an erosional unconformity and associated lacuna of undetermined, but probably minor duration. Accordingly, the base of the type Bashkirian (base of Bogdanovkian Horizon) is only slightly younger than the international mid-Carboniferous boundary. A level within the upper part of the Tashastian Horizon (Upper Bashkirian Substage) most likely correlates with the Morrowan-Atokan boundary. This level roughly coincides with a sequence boundary at the Bashkirian stratotype and with a regional unconformity in the North American midcontinent. The top of the Bashkirian Stage (top of Asatauian Horizon) is lower Atokan in North American terms. On the basis of recent 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and SHRIMP zircon geochronology studies, the age of the mid-Carboniferous boundary is estimated at 314 Ma and a horizon of early Atokan age is dated at 310.8 Ma. Accepting the present biostratigraphic correlations, these values suggest a duration for the Bashkirian Stage of slightly more than 3.2 m.y. and a duration of the Morrowan Series of slightly less than 3.2 m.y.

Biotic changes in a eustatic cyclothem: Domodedovo Formation (Moscovian, Carboniferous) of Peski quarries, Moscow Region

Stacking lithofacies in the Domodedovo Formation of Peski quarries show prominent changes in paleodepth and depositional environment. Distribution in the section of fusulinoids, algae, conodonts, and macrofossils are revealed. Among the latter, brachiopods and bryozoans are discussed in most detail.

All Finitely Axiomatizable Normal Extensions of K4.3 are Decidable

We use the apparatus of the canonical formulas introduced by Zakharyaschev [10] to prove that all finitely axiomatizable normal modal logics containing K4.3 are decidable, though possibly not characterized by classes of finite frames. Our method is purely frame-theoretic. Roughly, given a normal logic L above K4.3, we enumerate effectively a class of (possibly infinite) frames with respect to which L is complete, show how to check effectively whether a frame in the class validates a given formula, and then apply a Harropstyle argument to establish the decidability of L, provided of course that it has finitely many axioms.

Upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian sections of the northwestern Rostov region. Article 1. Description, paleontological assemblages, and lithobiostratigraphy

Four upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian reference sections are described in the Glubokaya and Kalitva river basins and in the Znamenka 1-A Borehole located in the northwestern Rostov region. The sections are composed of the upper Campanian Kagal’nik, Belgorod, Pavlovka, Sukhodol and lower Maastrichtian Efremovo-Stepanovka formations. They are characterized by successive stratigraphically significant macro- and microfossil assemblages: belemnites, calcareous nannoplankton, benthic foraminifers, and radiolarians. The Pavlovka and, particularly, Sukhodol formations contain a specific assemblage of coarsely-agglutinated benthic foraminifers. The first data obtained on radiolarians in upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian sections of the northwestern Rostov region revealed four assemblages, two of which were previously unknown from Upper Cretaceous sediments of the East European Platform. Most sections enclose a hiatus at the base of the Sukhodol Formation, which comprises two upper Campanian benthic foraminiferal zones. The problem of recognition of the lower Maastrichtian boundary on the East European Platform is considered in accordance with international GSSP requirements.

Upper carboniferous conodont zones of Russia and their global correlation

The last decade has been marked by significant progress in the study of the stratigraphic ranges of the conodonts characteristic of the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages in shallow-water sediments of the type sections in the Moscow Basin and the deeper facies of the South Urals. This paper discusses the history of studies of the Upper Carboniferous conodont zonation in Russia and abroad, and proposes a refined zonal conodont scale for the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages, which may be included, as a standard, into the general Carboniferous scale of Russia. In this scale, the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages correspond respectively to six (subexcelsus, makhlinae, sagittalis, cancellosus, toretzianus, firmus) and five (simulator, vitali, virgilicus, bellus, wabaunsensis) zones. The proposed scale works for the entire East European Platform and the Urals from the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago in the north to the Mugodzhary Mountains in the south. These regions of Russia are occupied by Upper Carboniferous marine facies. At several levels (especially in the Gzhelian Stage), the scale reliably correlates with zones of the Missourian and Virgilian stages in North America and also Dalaun and Mapingian stages in China.

“Sub-Triticites Beds” of the Donskaya Luka and lower boundary of the Kasimovian Stage

Micro- and macrofauna remains were studied from transitional deposits of Moscovian and Kasimovian Stages in the Donskaya Luka (Volgograd Region). The preliminary analysis of microfauna showed that “sub-Triticites Beds” of the Donskaya Luka contain fusulinid and conodont assemblages enabling correlation of the Middle and Upper Carboniferous deposits in the study region with the type sections of Moscow area and Donbass. Conodonts from the “sub-Triticites Beds” stratotype were studied for the first time. As is established, upper part of the Sukhov Fm. and the base of the Seleznev Fm. belong to the Protriticites pseudomontiparus-Obsoletes obsoletus Zone. Based on fusulinids, higher parts of the Seleznev Fm. belong to the Montiparus Zone of the Khamovnikian Substage, whereas conodonts suggest their correlation with lower part of the Khamovnikian Substage, i.e., with the Ratmirovo Fm. or a basal part of the Neverovo Fm. Middle part of the Seleznev Fm. is correlated to middle cycle of the Neverovo Fm. of the Khamovnikian Substage in Moscow area. The Middle-Upper Carboniferous boundary deposits of the Donskaya Luka are represented by deposits of extremely shallow-water settings and contain only sporadic microfauna. These sections cannot be considered as possible candidates for the GSSP of the Kasimovian Stage base.