GeolCarp_Vol52_No3_173

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 52, 3, BRATISLAVA, JUNE 2001

173—181

MIOCENE MARINE DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHY

OF THE EASTERN PARATETHYS (UKRAINE)

ALEXANDRA OLSHTYNSKA

Department of Marine Sedimentology, Institute of Geological Sciences of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,

Oles Gonchar st. 55B, 01054 Kiev, Ukraine

(Received August 14, 2000; accepted in revised form March 15, 2001)

Abstract: The diatom flora from the Miocene deposits of Ukraine was studied. Diatom zonation for the Early Miocene
to Late Miocene is proposed. The first and last occurrences of diatoms, mass development of taxa, and level of recon-
struction of the diatom association have been useful. The following diatom zones and beds with diatoms are defined:
Craspedodiscus elegans-Cavitatus jouseanus in deposits of Batisiphonova Formation; Delphineis subtilissima in
Korolevsky Beds; Lancineis parilis in the upper part of Balichska Formation; Actinocyclus ingens in Kartvel Beds and
in the deposits of Tereblianska Formation; Anaulus mediterraneus in Kosovska Formation; Navicula pinnata in Buglovski
and in Baskhevska deposits; Mastogloia szonthaghii-Cymatosira biharensis, Achnanthes baldjikii var. podolica and Nav-
icula zichii in Sarmatian deposits; Thalassiosira delicatissima, Lyrella pigmea, Amphitetras sp., Actinoptychus senarius
var. tamanica, Cymatosira savtchenkoi and Rhizosolenia bezrukovii in Meotian deposits; Stephanodiscus proprius-
Stephanodiscus multifarius in Pontian. The stratigraphic position of the diatom zones and correlation with calcareous
nannofossil zone are considered.

Key words: Miocene, Ukraine, biostratigraphy, marine sediments, zones, diatoms.

Introduction

The diatom zonation of the Neogene sediments of Ukraine is
based  on  consecutive  change  of  diatom  assemblages.  It  in-
cludes  the  zone,  mainly  the  cenozone,  as  the  basic  biostrati-
graphic unit, and layers with flora as an auxiliary unit. Each of
them is characterized by specific taxonomic structure of a dia-
tom assemblage, differing from those of above – and underly-
ing  levels.  The  diatom  zonation  of  the  Neogene  of  Ukraine
unites  both  the  first  diatom  zones  defined  by  us  and  those
known in other regions and found in Ukraine (Fig. 1).

Material and methods

The areas of marine and nonmarine sedimentary develop-

ment of the Euxin part of the Eastern Paratethys, of some re-
gions of Central Paratethys and modern Black Sea region were
investigated. The diatoms from Neogene deposits of different
geological regions of Ukraine were studied. Samples with
Neogene diatoms from neighbouring areas of Russia, North-
Eastern Bulgaria and the Bulgarian shelf of the Black Sea, as
well as published materials were also used. Early Miocene di-
atoms in Ukraine are known in the Crimean region, on the
southern slope of the Ukrainian Shield and in the Black Sea
side. Marine Middle Miocene diatoms are known in the Vol-
hyno-Podolia, Zakarpatie and in Crimean regions, nonmarine
are known in the Donbass. Late Miocene diatoms are distrib-
uted in South-Eastern and Central Ukraine, in the Crimean re-
gion and in the sediments of the Black Sea (Fig. 2).

The frustules of diatoms were studied under light and scan-

ning electron microscopes. The obtained results have served as
the basis for diatom zonation of Ukraine.

Diatom zonation

The following diatom biostratigraphic levels can be distin-

guished in Miocene sediments of Ukraine.

The bed with Craspedodiscus elegans—Cavitatus jousea-

nus

is defined in laminate clay of Batisiphonova Formation

near mount Karagach of the Kerch Peninsula. The genera of
Chaetoceros Ehr., Coscinodiscus Ehr., Xanthiopyxis Ehr. and
Actinocyclus Ehr. are the most diverse. The species of Craspe-
dodiscus  elegans  Ehr.,  Cr.  coscinodiscus  Ehr.  and  spores  of
Xanthiopyxis  predominate  and  Thalassionema  nitzschioides
Grun. var. obtusa, Cavitatus jouseanus f. linearis Sheshuk. are
also  abundant.  Moreover,  Coscinodiscus  grossheimii  Gles.,
Actinocyclus  kisselevii  Makar.,  Actinoptychus  undulatus  var.
tamanica Jouse are present in this layer. The assemblage of the
Cr. elegans-C. jouseanus Bed is similar to the Eggenburgian
Melosira hispanica Zone in the Central Paratethys, which was
correlated  (Řeháková  1975,  1977;  Hajós  1986)  with  the  cal-
careous  nannofossil  zone  NN2  and  planktonic  foraminiferal
zone N5 (Fig. 3). Diatoms from Ukraine differ with their high
endemism and by the absence of many characteristic species
of the M. hispanica Zone.

The presence of Craspedodiscus elegans here and Cr. cosci-

nodiscus allows us to define the stratigraphic position of the
diatoms. Barron (1985, 1992) has defined the datum levels of
Cr. elegans s. lato in the Early Miocene as the interval 22.2 to
18.7 Ma and of Cr. coscinodiscus as the interval 23.5—12.5
Ma. The Cr. elegans Zone of the North Atlantic correlates with
the top part of the planktonic foraminiferal zone N5 and undif-
ferentiated NN2—NN3 calcareous nannofossil zone (Baldauf
1986). Cavitatus jouseanus is known from Late Oligocene and
it is typical for the Early Miocene flora (Fig. 4). The bed with
Cr. elegans—C. jouseanus can be correlated with a part of the

174 OLSHTYNSKA

Rocella vigilans-Synedra jouseana and Nitzschia maleinter-
pretata zones (Schrader & Fenner 1976), with the first half of
the Rhizosolenia norvegica Zone (Dzhinoridze et al. 1979) and
can be compared with a part of the Rossiella paleaceae and Cr.
elegans zones (Barron 1985, 1992).

The Delphineis subtilissima Zone is defined in the Ko-

rolevsky Beds of core 23591, height 93.3 m near Lubimovka
village in the southern part of the Ukrainian Shield and spread
in the northern part of the Black Sea side. Diatoms are charac-
terized by monotonous genera composition, high endemism
and the appearance of Delphineis subtilissima (Pant.) Loss.

The assemblage contains 10 species of the genus Actinocyclus
and solitary species of Aulacoseira Thw., Ellerbeckia Craw.,
Istmia Ehr., Rhaphoneis Ehr., Delphineis Andrews, Sceptro-
neis Ehr., Diploneis Ehr., Navicula Bory. The species Acti-
nocyclus aff. gorbunovii (Shesh.) Moiss. et Shesh., A. kozyren-
koi Olsht., Aulacoseira praegranulata (Jouse) Sim. dominate
and Ellerbeckia arenaria (Moore et Rolphs) Crawford, Istmia
szaboi Pant. are most characteristic (Fig. 5.1—4) (Olshtynska
1993, 1996, 1997).

The Delphineis subtilissima Zone of Ukraine is correlated

with both the Rhaphoneis subtilissima Zone from the bottom

Fig. 1. Miocene diatom zonation of Ukraine.

Mediterranean

Paratethys

Ukraine

(Berg

gren

al.

)

ochs

Blou

1979

Martini

1978

stages

Diatom zones and beds

with flora

(Olshtynska)

N17

NN11

Mes

sini

Pontian

Stephanodiscus
multifarius-
Stephanodiscus proprius
Rhizosolenia bezrukovii

Cymatosira savtchenkoi

NN10

Actinoptychus senarius
var. tamanica

Amphitetras sp.
Lyrella pigmea

N16

NN9

Meotian

Thalassiosira
delicatissima

Navicula zichii

NN8

noni

Achnanthes baldjikii
var. podolica

N15

N14
N13

NN7

Sarmatian

Mastogloia szontaghii -
Cymatosira biharensis

N12

Navicula pinnata

Konkian

N11

NN6

Anaulus mediterraneus

errav

all

N10

Karaganian

Tschokrakian

mid

NN5

Lang

adeni

Tarkhanian

Actinocyclus ingens

NN4

Karpatian

Lancineis parilis

Kotsakhurian

NN3

Ottnangian

Delphineis subtilissima

Sakaraulian

20
21

I O C E N E

early

NN2

rdi

lia

Eggenburgian

Craspedodiscus elegans–
Cavitatus jouseanus

1 — Stephanodiscus multifarius — diatom zones
2 — Amphitetras sp. — beds with flora

— distribution of diatoms in Ukraine
— diatom data are barren

MIOCENE MARINE DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 175

of  the  upper  part  of  Ottnangian  of  the  Central  Paratethys
(Hajós 1986) (Fig. 3) and the upper part of the Coscinodiscus
moronensis Zone of the Central Paratethys also with the cal-
careous  nannofossil  zone  NN3,  the  planktonic  foraminiferal
zone N6 and the lower part of the silicoflagellata Corbisema
triacantha var. flexuosa Zone (Hajós 1986; Řeháková 1977). In
contrast to the R. subtilissima Zone of Central Paratethys the
diatom assemblages from Ukraine are more monotonous, how-
ever  they  show  similarity  in  their  dominant  group  of  species
and also the presence of D. subtilissima having a narrow strati-
graphic range.

The Lancineis parilis Zone is defined in clay of upper part

of  Balichska  Formation  in  core  119-D,  height  230  m  near
Ustechko village, Volhyno-Podolia. It is characterized by the
appearance of Lancineis parilis (Fig. 5.5—6), diversity of gen-
era  Rhaphoneis  Ehr.,  Mastogloia  Thw.,  Diploneis,  plenty  of
Lancineis  sp.,  Rhaphoneis  scalaris  Ehr.,  Rh.  obesula  Hanna,
Hyalodiscus  planus  Kozyr.,  Thalassionema  obesula  (Grun.)
Andrews, Delphineis penneliptica Andrews, by the presence of
Diploneis  szontaghii  Pant.,  Cocconeis  vetusta  A.S.,  Denticu-
lopsis aff. lauta Bail., Macrora stella (Azp.) Hanna. The Bade-
nian  species  Eunotogramma  variabile  Grun.,  Triceratium  la-
etum  f.  quadrata  Hajós,  Cymatosira  biharensis  Pant.,
Mastogloia  splendida  (Greg.)  Cl.,  Nitzschia  vermicularis
(Ktz.) Grun. and Navicula jarrensis Grun. occur at the top of
the L. parilis Zone.

Diatoms are found together with planktonic foraminifers of

the Quinqueloculina distrata Zone, calcareous nannofossils of
the NN4 Zone and palynomorpha. It gave the possibility to
prove the stratigraphical ranges of the diatoms and dating of
the late Karpatian (Prisyazhnjuk et al. 1997).

The Lancineis parilis Zone of Ukraine can be correlated with

the Rhaphoneis parilis Zone of the Karpatian formation of the
Central Paratethys which is defined by the appearance of Rh.
parilis Hanna (Hajós 1986). It was compared with the mostly
Rhaphidodiscus  marilandicus-Actinocyclus  grunovii  Zone
sensu  Řehaková  (1977)  and  correlated  with  the  nannofossil
zone NN4, planktonic foraminiferal zone N7 (Fig. 3). The as-
semblage  of  the  L.  parilis  Zone  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Rh.
parilis Zone in its diversity of Rhaphoneis, Lancineis, Sceptro-

neis. In contrast to the Central Paratethys species Cymatogo-
nia amblioceras (Ehr.) A.S., Actinoptychus stella A.S.,
Rhaphidodiscus marilandica (Christ.) Christ. are absent in
Ukraine.

The genus Denticulopsis Simonsen is an important bios-

tratigraphic marker of the Miocene sediments and the occur-
rence of D. aff. lauta is a marker of Middle Miocene age of
the L. parilis Zone (Fig. 4). Delphineis penneliptica also has a
short range and wide geographical distribution and can be
used for correlation. According to Abbott & Andrews (1979),
Andrews (1990) and Yanagisava (1998) the first occurrence of
D. penneliptica is noticed in the first half of Middle Miocene.
It is present at approximately the same level in the Eastern
Paratethys. Its last occurrence in the Northern Pacific is fixed
at 14 Ma (Barron 1985).

The Actinocyclus ingens Zone was found in Kartvel Beds

of the Karagan Formation of the Crimea and in deposits of the
Tereblianska Formation of Zakarpatie. The A. ingens Zone of
Ukraine is divided into subzones “a” and “b”. It is character-
ized by an abundance of Actinocyclus ingens Rattr., mass of
Paralia crenulata (Grun.) Gles. and Pseudopodosira modesta
(Grun.) Gles., the presence of Triceratium condecorum Ehr.,
Macrora stella, Psammodiscus nitidus (Greg.) Round et
Mann, Actinoptychus thumii A.S., Thalassionema nitzschio-
ides Grun. The top part contains Denticulopsis hustedtii (Sim.
et Kanaya).

The Actinocyclus ingens-Denticula lauta Zone was defined

in the lower part of the Badenian formation of Czechia (Ře-
háková 1977) and correlated with the planktonic foraminiferal
zones N8 -9 -10 and the calcareous nannofossil NN5 -6 zones
of the Badenian. Its bottom part corresponds to the top Cosci-
nodiscus pannonicus Zone of the Early Badenian of Hungary.
The top part corresponds to the first half of Actinocyclus in-
gens Zone of the Middle Badenian of Hungary, which is cor-
related with the N9 -10 -11 zones and NN6 Zone (Fig. 3).

The Actinocyclus ingens Zone (subzone “a”) is defined in

the  sandy  clays  of  the  Tereblianska  Formation  near  Lipcha
village, of the Solotvino depression of Zakarpatie and spread
in Volhyno-Podolia. The assemblage is characterized by the
variety  of  genus  Actinoptychus,  Rhaphoneis,  Coscinodiscus,
Diploneis (Vodopjan 1981). A. ingens is the dominant species;
Paralia sulcata (Ehr.) Cl., Actinocyclus octonarius Ehr., Rha-
phoneis amphiceros Ehr., Rh. hungarica, Psammodiscus niti-
dus,  Thalassionema  nitzschioides  are  subdominant;  while  T.
hirosakiensis (Kanaya) Schrader, Diploneis szontaghii Pant.,
Azpeitia vetustissima (Pant.) Sims, Coscinodiscus lewisianus
Grev.,  Denticulopsis  lauta  are  also  present.  The  A.  ingens
Subzone “a” corresponding to the part of the A. ingens-D. lau-
ta  Zone  (Řeháková  1975,  1977)  is  also  correlated  with  the
Early  Badenian  Coscinodiscus  pannonicus  Zone  and  NN5
Zone (Hajós 1986).

The same species are characteristic for the D. lauta Zone of

the Middle Miocene of the Norwegian Sea (Dzhinoridze et al.
1979), where the occurrence of D. lauta coincides with nu-
merous A. ingens. The D. lauta Zone in Middle Miocene de-
posits of the oceans is also characterized by numerous A. in-
gens and the presence of C. lewisianus (Koizumi 1973).

The Actinocyclus ingens Zone (subzone “b”) is defined

in calcareous clay of the Kartvel Beds of the Karagan Forma-

Fig. 2. Localities of Miocene diatoms in Ukraine.

176 OLSHTYNSKA

CENTRAL PARАTETHYS

(M.Hajós 1986)

NORTH-EASTERN

BULGARIA

UKRAINE

Řeháková 1975

(in 1977)

Hajós 1986

Temniskova-Topalova

1994

Olshtynska 1996

Regional

age

classification Central Paratethys

Diatom zones

Silicoflagellata

zones

Regional

substages

Diatom zones and

subzones

Regional

substages

Diatom zones and

beds with flora

Chersonian

Navicula zichii

Chersonian

Navicula zichii

Bessarabian

Achnanthes baldjikii
var. podolica

Bessarabian

Achnanthes baldjikii
var. podolica

Sarmatian

Coscinodiscus
doljensis

Anaulus simplex

Anaulus
simplex

Distephanus
slavnicii

Volhynian

Mastogloia szontaghii-
Cymatosira biharensis

Volhynian

Mastogloia szontaghii-
Cymatosira biharensis
Navicula pinnata

Navicula
pinnata

Konkian

Stictodiscus californicus

Konkian

Anaulus mediterraneus

Karaganian

Dimerogramma
tortonicum,
Rossiella mediopunctata
v. matrensis

Karaganian

Actinocyclus
ingens

Dictiocha
fibula
Distephanus
crux

f. longispina

Actinocyclus ingens

Badenian

Denticula lauta

Actinocyclus
ingens

Tschokrakian Pontodiscus baldjikianus

Tschokrakian

Coscinodiscus

pannonicus

Karpatian

Rhaphidodiscus
marilandicus

Rhaphoneis
parilis

Mesocena
elliptica

Tarkhanian

Lancineis parilis

Ottnangian

A. truanii -
Coscinodiscus
moronensis

Rhaphoneis
subtilissima

Corbisema
triacantha var.
flexuosa f. IV

Kotsakhurian

Delphineis subtilissima

M I

O C

Eggen-
burgian

Melosira
hispanica

Corbisema
triacantha var.
flexuosa f. III

Sakaraulian

Craspedodiscus elegans -
Cavitatus jouseanus

Fig. 3. Correlation of Central Paratethys, North-eastern Bulgaria and Ukraine Miocene diatom zonation.

tion in core 23, height 258.0—265.0 m, near Sovetskiy village
in the Crimea. Diatom assemblage is characterized by the
abundance of A. ingens and the presence of A. octonarius,
Denticulopsis hustedtii, Coscinodiscus cf. tabularis Grun. and
Azpeitia sp. The assemblage of A. ingens Zone (subzone “b”)
can be correlated with the top part of the A. ingens Zone of the
Middle Badenian sensu Hajós (1986) (Fig. 3).

The samples of the subzone “b” contain diatoms together

with typical Kartvelian foraminifers Quinqueloculina ex. gr.
consobrina., Q. indet., Cassidulina (?) bogdanowiczi, Discor-
bis sp., D. kartvelicus. The cover deposits contain foraminifers
of the Bulimina-Bolivina Zone of the Konka Formation
(Konenkova & Olshtynska 1996) and probably correspond to
the NN6 calcareous nannofossil zone.

The characteristic feature of the subzone “b” is the presence

of D. hustedtii and Actinocyclus with concentric valves. The
first occurrence of D. hustedtii in the North Pacific (14.3 Ma)
is reported at the base of the D. hustedtii-D. lauta Zone. It cor-
responds (Barron 1992) to the NN6 calcareous nannofossil
zone and to the lower N11 foraminiferal zone. The A. ingens
Zone (subzone “b”) can be compared with part of the D. hust-
edtii-D. lauta Zone (Fig. 4).

The bed with Anaulus mediterraneus is defined in clays of

the  Kosovska  Formation  near  Podgortsy  village  in  the  Vol-
hyno-Podolia.  The  assemblage  is  characterized  by  the  domi-
nance  of  Sheshukovia  spinosa  (Ehr.),  Hyalodiscus  subtilis
Bail.,  Pseudopodosira  westii,  Cerataulus  turgidus  Ehr.  The
subdominants  are  Anaulus  mediterraneus  Grun.,  Asterolam-
pra marilandica Ehr., Cocconeis scutellum Ehr.

The species of A. mediterraneus is characteristic for the

Middle Miocene of the Mediterranean area and also for upper

part of Middle Miocene sediments of South Carolina and
Georgia states (Abbott & Andrews 1979). The A. mediterra-
neus Bed can be compared with part of the D. hustedtii-D. lau-
ta Zone and the NN6 calcareous nannofossil zone (Fig. 4). Its
stratigraphic position can be determined as the late Upper
Badenian.

The Navicula pinnata Zone is defined in the carbonaceous

clay of the Buglovski deposits near Rudkovtsy village in the
Volhyno-Podolia and spread in the Baskhevska Formation of
the Zakarpatie. The assemblage is characterized by the abun-
dance  of  N.  pinnata  Pant.  Species  of  genera  Actinocyclus,
Pseudoauliscus Leud., Paralia Heib., Navicula and Stauroneis
Ehr.  are  the  most  diversified.  The  diatoms  in  the  Buglovski
Beds are found together with Late Badenian molluscs of Pota-
mides schaueri, P. nodosoplicatum, Bittium deforme, Cerasto-
derma  praeplicatum,  Congeria  sandbergeri,  poor  calcareous
nannofossils  and  foraminifers  (Olshtynska  &  Prisyazhniuk
1994).

The N. pinnata Zone of the Volhyno-Podolia region corre-

sponds to the N. pinnata Zone of the Late Badenian in the
Central Paratethys which is correlated with NN7 Zone (Hajós
1986).

Sarmatian. The Sarmatian diatoms are characterized by

great taxonomic diversity and considerable distinctions in sys-
tematic structure of assemblages from various localities.

The Mastogloia szonthaghii-Cymatosira biharensis

Zone is defined in dark and clear marls of the Volhyn deposits
near Kremenno village in Volhyno-Podolia and is wide spread
within the South-Eastern, Central Ukraine and in the Crimea.
This zone is distinguished by a great species diversity of the
genera Navicula, Amphora Ehr., Diploneis and Mastogloia

MIOCENE MARINE DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 177

Age

dle

ch/ s

ube

Rossiella

paleaceae

Craspedodiscus

elegans

Triceratium

pileus

Crucidenticula

nicobarica

Cestodiscus

peplum

Coscinodiscus

lewisianus

Barron

1985, 1992

Rhizo

solenia norveg

ica

D. laut

dti

i -

al. 19

Rocella.vigilans

-Synedra.

jouseana

Nitzschia

maleinterpretata

Thalassiosira

fraga

Rhizosolenia

bulbosa

Denticulopsis

hyalina

Coscinodiscus

plicatus

Schrader &

Fenner 1976

Diatom zones

NN1

NN2

NN3

NN4

NN5

NN6

nnof

sils

artin

i 197

N10

N11

N12

Fora

inif

era

,197

Cavi

tatus

jous

nus

Cras

dod

cus

scinod

iscu

dod

iscus ele

gans

s.la

ctinoc

s in

Rhap

hido

dis

s m

ari

ica

ntic

ulop

s p

raela

uta

ntic

ulop

s la

uta

ulop

s hus

dtii

pen

neliptica

Rhap

lis

ia am

cen

dle

sube

Tscho

krak.

ragan.

subs

Craspedodiscus

elegans-

Cavitatus jouseanus

Delphineis

subtilissima

Lancineis parilis

Actinocyclus

ingens

Anaulus

mediterraneus

Diatom zones

and beds with

flora

Ukraine

Fig. 4. Stratigraphic ranges of the important Early and Middle Miocene diatoms.

and  appearance  of  M.  szonthaghii  Pant.,  Anaulus  simplex
Brun., Dimidiata saccula Hajós and Dictyoneis mastogloidea
Pant.  The  characteristic  species  are  C.  biharensis  (Fig.  5.7),
Coscinodiscus  doljensis  Pant.,  Achnanthes  baldjikiani
(Bright.) Grun., Caloneis liber (W.Sm.) Cl., Camphylodiscus
fastuosus  f. baldjikii (Grun.) van Land., Grammatophora in-
signis Grun.

M. szonthaghii-C. biharensis Subzone was established in

North-Eastern Bulgaria by Temniskova-Topalova (1994) and
was correlated with the Early Sarmatian Coscinodiscus doljen-
sis-Anaulus simplex Zone of Czechia and the Anaulus simplex
Zone of Hungary. The latter is correlated with the nannofossil
NN8  Zone  (Fig.  3).  M.  szonthaghii-C.  biharensis  Zone  of
Ukraine  is  also  correlated  with  the  Early  Sarmatian  diatom
zone of Moldova (Kozyrenko 1982), of the Crimea (Makarova
&  Kozyrenko  1966)  and  of  Kazakhstan  (Kozyrenko  et  al.
1985).

The Achnanthes baldjikii var. podolica Zone is defined in

Bessarabian  deposits  near  Molokish  village  in  the  Volhyno-
Podolia and spread in the Zaporozhye area, the Crimea and the
Zakarpatie. It is characterized by the great species diversity of
the  genera  Grammatophora  Ehr.,  Cocconeis,  Achnanthes
Bory,  Rhopalodia  O.  Mull.,  Navicula,  Diploneis  and  the  ap-
pearance  of  Achnanthes  baldjikii  var.  podolica  Miss.,  Acti-
nocyclus(?) podolicus Miss. and Cocconeis scutellum var. ine-
qualepunctata Miss. The characteristic species are Rhopalodia
gibberula  (Ehr.)  var.  gibberula  et  var.  protracta  (Grun.)  O.
Mull., Caloneis liber.

Bessarabian diatom assemblages from various localities of

Ukraine are appreciably different. There is a common group of
species that makes it possible to correlate them with the A.
baldjikii var. podolica Subzone of Bulgaria by Temniskova-
Topalova (1994) (Fig. 3). The A. baldjikii var. podolica Zone
probably corresponds to the nannofossil NN9 Zone.

The Navicula zichii Zone is defined in Cherson deposits in

core 6 of the Kirov area in the Crimea region and spread in the
Crimean region and in the bottom sediments of the Black Sea.
It is characterized by a great species diversity of genera Navic-
ula, Amphora, Nitzschia, Achnanthes, Rhopalodia, Cocconeis,
appearance of Navicula zichii Pant., N. andrusovii Pant.,
Nitzschia romanoviana Pant., Entomoneis gigantea Grun. The
key species of the assemblage are Licmophora ehrenbergii
(Kutz.) Grun. var. ehrenbergii et var. ovata (W. Sm.) Perag.,
Surirella maeotica Pant.

The Navicula zichii Zone of Ukraine corresponds to the N.

zichii Zone of North-Eastern Bulgaria which was defined on
occurrence of the Navicula zichii (Temniskova-Topalova
1994) (Fig. 3) and can be correlated with the calcareous nan-
nofossil NN9 Zone.

Meotian. The diatom zones and diatom beds in the Meotian

deposits are defined in Janysh-Takyl section near both Zavet-
noe and Kyz-Aul villages of East Crimea. One of the Meotian
diatom zone is correlated with the calcareous nannofossil zone
of the North Atlantic.

The Thalassiosira delicatissima Zone is defined in the

bottom part of the Lower Meotian deposits as the interval con-

180 OLSHTYNSKA

taining Thalassiosira delicatissima Pr.-Lavr. Its characteristic
species  are  Thalassiosira  maeotica  Pr.-Lavr.,  T.  tenera  Pr.-
Lavr., T. coronifera Pr.-Lavr., Actinocyclus variabilis Freng.
and A. curvatulus Grun. (Fig. 5.8—10, Fig. 6.1—2). The Th. del-
icatissima Zone spreads on Kerch and Taman peninsulas and
corresponds to the assemblage with Th. delicatissima and Th.
tenera  of  the  Meotian  of  Eastern  Crimea  (Makarova  &
Kozyrenko  1966)  and  corresponds  to  the  nannofossil  NN10
Zone.

The bed with Lyrella pigmea is defined in the bottom part

of the Lower Meotian deposits. Key species of the assemblage
are Lyrella (Fallacia) pygmaea (Kutz.) Stick et Mann, Acti-
nocyclus cf. octonarius (sp.1), A. miocenicus, Coscinodiscus
obscurus A.S. The bed has a local spreading.

The bed with Amphitetras sp. is defined in the middle part

of the Lower Meotian deposits. The key species of the assem-
blage are Amphitetras sp., Navicula reinhardtii Grun., Acti-
nocyclus sp., Dimerogramma minor (Greg.) Ralfs. The bed
has a local distribution.

The Actinoptychus senarius var. tamanica Zone is de-

fined in the bottom part of the Upper Meotian deposits. It is
characterized by the appearance of abundant A. senarius var.
tamanica (Jouse) Hajós. Characteristic species are  Hyalodis-
cus frenquelli Hanna, Endictia oceanica Ehr., Amphitetras an-
tediluvianum Ehr.,  Nitzschia panduriformis Grev. et al. (Fig.
6.3—9). The A. senarius var. tamanica Zone spread on Kerch
Peninsula and corresponds to the assemblage with Hyalodis-
cus frenguellii and Amphitetras antediluvianum revealed from
the  Meotian  sediments  of  Crimea  (Makarova  &  Kozyrenko
1966).  It  is  similar  to  the  Pannonian  diatom  assemblage  of
Hungary (Hajós 1971).

The Cymatosira savtchenkoi Zone is defined in the bot-

tom part of the Upper Meotian deposits as the interval contain-
ing Cymatosira savtchenkoi Pr.-Lavr. The characteristic fea-
ture of this zone is the appearance numerous C. savtchenkoi
(Fig. 6.10) and Lithodesmium cf. undulatum Ehr. The species
Rhabdonema adriatica Ktz., Endictia oceanica Ehr. are domi-
nating, Psammodiscus nitidus, Nitzschia separanda Grun. are
numerous so Pseudotriceratium cinnamomeum (Grev.) Grun.
and Denticulopsis lauta are present in the assemblage.

The C. savtchenkoi Zone corresponds to the C. “biharensis”

Zone of the Late Miocene of the North Atlantic (Schrader &
Fenner 1976). The latter corresponds to the middle part of the
D. hustedtii Zone (Koizumi 1973) and to the Nitzschia mioce-
nica—bottom  Thalassiosira  convexa  zones  (Schrader  1976).
The  C.  “biharensis”  Zone  in  the  North  Atlantic  is  correlated
with part of the nannofossil NN11 Zone, part of the foramin-
iferal  N17  Zone  and  the  end  of  7—6  paleomagnetic  epochs
(Schrader & Fenner 1976). This zone is known in the Norwe-
gian Sea too (Dzhinoridze et al. 1979).

The C. savtchenkoi Zone of Ukraine corresponds to the Up-

per Meotian C. “biharensis” Zone (Kulichenko & Olshtynska
1980; Olshtynska & Kozyrenko 1995) on the Kerch and
Taman peninsulas and is correlated with the nannofossil NN10
Zone in Ukraine.

The Rhizosolenia bezrukovii Zone is defined in the top

part of the Upper Meotian sediments of the Zhelezny Rog sec-
tion of the Kerch Peninsula. The occurrence of Rhizosolenia

bezrukovii Jouse marks the base of this zone, the dominant as-
sociation with numerous Actinocyclus octonarius is in the top
of  it.  The  characteristic  species  are  Thalassiosira  maeotica,
Cyclotella  castracane  Brun.,  C.  praekutzingiana  Mukhina,
Actinocyclus  octonarius,  Grammatophora  marina  (Ling.)
Kutz, Rhaphoneis maeoitica (Milov.) Shesh. et Gles., Chaeto-
ceros danicus Cl.

The Rh. bezrukovii Zone corresponds to layer XIII of the

Deep See Drilling Project Leg. 42-a, sample 381, 38c-34,6 and
sample 380, 56cc-55,3 in the Black Sea (Jouse & Mukhina
1980).

Pontian. Diatoms are rare in the Pontian deposits of

Ukraine, but are distributed on the Kerch and Taman peninsu-
las and in the bottom deposits of the Black Sea.

The Stephanodiscus proprius-Stephanodiscus multifari-

us Zone is defined in the Pontian deposits in bottom deposits
of the Black Sea and corresponds to layer XII of the Deep See
Drilling Project Leg 42-a, Hole 380 and 381 (Jouse & Mukhi-
na  1980;  Khursevich  &  Mukhina  1995).  The  base  of  the  S.
proprius-S. multifarius Zone is determined by the occurrence
of S. proprius Churs. et Mukhina and S. multifarius Churs. et
Mukhina, in the top the number of these species is sharply re-
duced.  The  appearance  of  Cyclostephanos  ponticus  (Jouse)
Churs.,  C.  stelliformis  Churs.  et  Mukhina,  C.  pliocenicus
Churs. et Mukhina, Aulacoseira bellicosa (Herib), A. elegans
Mukhina,  A.  papilio  Mukhina  and  the  disappearance  of  A.
stockesianus  (Grev.)  and  Coscinodiscus  granii  Gough  take
place within the zone. The dominant species are A. stockesian-
us,  Coscinodiscus  granii,  Cyclotella  proshkina  Jouse  et
Mukhina and C. praekutzingiana.

The bottom of the S. proprius-S. multifarius Zone is found

in the top part of the Pontian deposits of Kerch and Taman and
correlated with the calcareous nannofossil NN11 Zone.

Conclusion

The diatom biostratigraphic zonation for the Miocene de-

posits  of  Ukraine  is  proposed.  12  diatom  zones  and  4  beds
with  diatom  flora  have  been  revealed  in  the  Miocene  sedi-
ments. Most of the diatom levels have been correlated with the
Central Paratethys, North-Eastern Bulgaria and ocean diatom
zonation. Optimum correlation is  proper to diatom events of
the Early and Middle Miocene with the diatom zonation of the
Central  Paratethys,  Sarmatian  –  with  diatom  zonation  of
North-Eastern  Bulgaria,  Meotian  Cymatosira  savtchenkoi
Zone with C. “biharensis” Zone of the North Atlantic. The tax-
onomical  and  ecological  composition  of  the  diatom  assem-
blages point to the existence of a connection of the east Parat-
ethys  with  the  Tethys  in  Sakaraulian,  with  Mediterranean  in
the Kartvelian and with the North Atlantic in the Late Meo-
tian.

This is a first attempt to correlate the diatom levels with the

calcareous nannofossil zones. Biostratigraphic control and
correlation of the same diatom events is complicated because
of the absence of planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nan-
nofossils together with diatoms and as a result of the great pro-
vincialism of the Miocene diatoms of Ukraine.

MIOCENE MARINE DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHY 181

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