GeolCarp_Vol62_No1_77

www.geologicacarpathica.sk

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

, FEBRUARY 2011, 62, 1, 77—90 doi: 10.2478/v10096-011-0007-x

Upper Maeotian—Lower Pontian “Transitional Strata” in the

Taman Peninsula: stratigraphic position and

paleogeographic interpretation

ELEONORA P. RADIONOVA and LARISSA A. GOLOVINA

Geological Institute, RAS, Pyzhevsky per. 7, 119017 Moscow, Russia; radionova@ginras.ru; golovina@ginras.ru

(Manuscript received June 10, 2010; accepted in revised form January 11, 2011)

Abstract: Three sections (Taman, Popov Kamen, and Zheleznyi Rog) of the Upper Maeotian—Lower Pontian sediments
of the Taman Peninsula (Eastern Paratethys) have been studied. The sequences represent continuous successions of the
Maeotian and Pontian sediments. The transitional Upper Maeotian—Lower Pontian relatively deep-water sediments
were formed at the time when Eastern Paratethys was connected with other marine basins. The facies are represented by
thin clay layers interbedded with laminated diatomites and contain unusual diatom and nannofossil associations. The
small size of coccoliths and the absence of zonal markers indicate that the influx of marine waters took place in the
stressed conditions of a restricted basin. Diatom assemblages are more diverse and include the open-marine species
Azpeitia aff. komurae and Thalassiosira maruyamica and marine endemics Actinocyclus aff. paradoxus, Rhizosolenia
bezrukovii, Hemiaulus sp., Nitzschia miocenica of the tropical Nitzschia miocenica Zone and – the index species of
next Thalassiosira convexa Zone appear in these part of the sections. Three stages of the Mediterranean marine invasion
are distinguished; during the first one the connection between basins was rather permanent, for the two others its
character became pulsing and not stable. The possible duration of the invasion is estimated from 6.4 to 6.1 Ma and
belongs to the Early Messinian – to pre-evaporate deposits and lower part of lower evaporate deposits.

Key words: Upper Miocene, Eastern Paratethys, biostratigraphy, diatoms, nannofossils.

Introduction

During the Middle and Late Miocene the Eastern Paratethys
became a semi-isolated basin with endemic biota, restricted-
ly  connected  to  both  Central  Paratethys  and  the  Mediterra-
nean.  The  history  of  its  development  is  manifested  in  the
sections of the Taman Peninsula that together with the Kerch
Peninsula in the Crimea is a stratotype area of Neogene de-
posits  of  the  Eastern  Paratethys.  The  key  Neogene  sections
of  the  Taman  Peninsula  were  first  described  by  Andrusov
(1903)  and  were  accepted  as  reference  ones  when  the  Mid-
dle—Upper Miocene and Pliocene regional stages of the East-
ern  Paratethys  were  recognized  (Menner  et  al.  1976).
Subsequently  the  Taman  Peninsula  outcrops  were  proposed
as reference sections for the Sarmatian—Kimmerian regional
stages  when  evolving  the  unified  scheme  of  the  regional
Neogene  deposits  in  the  southern  European  part  of  Russia
(Nevesskaya et al. 2004).

The regional stratigraphy up to now was based on mollusc

fauna;  studies  of  foraminifers  and  ostracods  were  carried  out
only sporadically (Nevesskaya et al. 1984; Popov et al. 1996).
Diatom  stratigraphy  was  considered  to  be  of  regional  signifi-
cance and was mainly used as a climatostratigraphic instrument
though  its  potential  in  the  Eastern  Paratethys  is  very  high
(Makarova  &  Kozyrenko  1966;  Kozyrenko  &  Temnishkova-
Topalova  1990;  Kozyrenko  &  Radionova  2002;  Olshtynska
2001). The use of nannoplankton for direct correlation between
stages of the Eastern Paratethys and Tethys seems to be ques-
tionable (Semenenko & Luljeva 1982; Semenenko 1987).

Beginning in 2000, comprehensive lithological and bios-

tratigraphic investigations of key sections in the Taman Pen-
insula  have  been  carried  out  by  a  group  of  specialists
including  the  authors  of  this  paper.  The  paleontological
study  involved  molluscs  and  ostracods  (Popov  et  al.  2009;
Rostovtseva & Tesakova 2009). The new data on dinocysts,
spores  and  pollen,  foraminifers,  diatoms,  and  nannofossils
are available (Filippova 2002, 2008). The reference sections
in  the  Taman  Peninsula  were  subdivided  using  the  regional
diatom scale elaborated for the Eastern Paratethys (Kozyrenko
&  Radionova  2002;  Radionova  &  Golovina  2004,  2008,
2009).  High-resolution  lithological  studies  of  the  Taman
Peninsula sections were obtained for the first time (Rostovtseva
2009; Rostovtseva & Goncharova 2006) and paleomagnetic
investigation  is  in  progress  (Filippova  &  Trubikhin  2009;
Trubikhin & Pilipenko 2009).

One of the results of the continuous layer-by-layer study of

microbiota was the distinction of stratigraphic intervals with in-
creased abundance and diversity of marine microplankton. Spe-
cifically,  such  intervals  were  found  at  the  base  and  top  of  the
Maeotian  (Radionova  &  Golovina  2004;  Rostovtseva  et  al.
2006).  The  proposed  investigation  deals  with  the  study  of  the
transitional  beds  of  the  Upper  Maeotian—Lower  Pontian,  in
which  a  specific  marine  diatom,  nannoplankton  and  dinocyst
association was found (Radionova & Golovina 2008; Filippova
2008),  with  the  micropaleontological  analysis  and  paleogeo-
graphic interpretation of the interval, and with the determina-
tion of the Maeotian-Pontian boundary in the Zheleznyi Rog
reference section according to micropaleontological data.

RADIONOVA and GOLOVINA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

We emphasize that the integration of the uppermost Upper

Maeotian  and  the  Lower  Pontian  sediments  into  a  particular
sequence called here the “Transitional Strata” is based prima-
rily  on  micropaleontological  records,  namely,  on  the  appear-
ance and occurrence of calcareous nannoplankton and marine
diatoms. Despite the fact that the “Transitional Strata” are rep-
resented  by  lithologically  different  sediments  and  belong  to
two regional stages, their accumulation corresponds to a sin-
gle important step of the Eastern Paratethys evolution, the pe-
riod of connection with the Mediterranean Basin, which was
characterized by peculiar bionomic conditions.

Geological setting

Shoreface outcrops of the Taman Peninsula display a con-

tinuous sequence of six regional stages of the Middle Miocene
to Pliocene (Karaganian—Konkian—Sarmatian—Maeotian—Pon-
tian—Kimmerian)  in  the  system  of  synclinal  and  anticlinal
folds  (Figs. 1,  2).  The  Upper  Maeotian—Lower  Pontian  sedi-
ments  were  studied  in  three  key  sections,  the  Taman  (Kerch
Strait  coast),  Popov  Kamen  and  Zheleznyi  Rog  (Black  Sea
coast).  The  Taman  and  Popov  Kamen  sections  are  relatively
shallow-water ones where the Maeotian-Pontian boundary is
marked by a stratigraphic gap, while the Zheleznyi Rog sec-
tion  contains  an  uninterrupted  sequence  of  relatively  deep-
water Maeotian-Pontian sediments (Figs. 2, 3, 4).

The Neogene regional stratigraphic scheme of the Eastern

Paratethys is based on mollusc associations. In the Zheleznyi
Rog section, which is suggested as a reference section for the
Pontian  regional  stage  of  the  southern  Russia  Neogene
(Nevesskaya et al. 2004), the lower boundary of the Pontian
is  recorded  on  the  first  findings  of  Paradacna  abichi
(Andrusov 1903). The objectives of our research was strati-
graphic  subdivision  of  the  sequences  (Taman,  Popov
Kamen,  and  Zheleznyi  Rog)  of  the  Upper  Maeotian—Lower
Pontian  of  the  Taman  Peninsula  by  microplankton.  And
therefore we accept that the stratigraphic range of the Upper
Maeotian  according  to  the  regional  diatom  scale  (Jouse
1949;  Kozyrenko  &  Radionova  2002)  corresponds  to  the
Beds  with  the  Cymatosira  savtchenkoi  of  the  Thalassiosira
maeotica Zone. The Lower Pontian corresponds to Beds with

the Actinocyclus octonarius. In the Zheleznyi Rog section this
boundary is determined at the top of Unit I (Figs. 2, 3, 4).

The lower part of the Upper Maeotian in the Zheleznyi

Rog section (about 35 m thick) is composed of light clay,
calcareous, non-calcareous, diatomaceous, bearing brackish-
water ostracods, molluscs, and diatoms (Popov & Zastrozhnov
1998; Rostovtseva 2009). These sediments are not discussed
in the proposed paper.

The “Transitional Strata” from the upper part of the Upper

Maeotian in the Zheleznyi Rog section (about 38 m thick)
are represented by dark grey carbonate clays and is consid-
ered in this paper as Unit I (Figs. 2, 3, 4).

The sediments of Unit II and Unit III correspond to the

Lower  Pontian  and  are  composed  of  interbedded  laminated
diatomites and thin-bedded clays. The thickness of the lami-
nated  diatomites  varies  from  few  centimeters  to  several
meters; they can be easily traced in the section and are used
as  lithostratigraphic  markers.  The  most  important  and  no-
ticeable is a thick (up to 5 m) bed of diatomite that was first
described by N.I. Andrusov (“Andrusov diatomite” – “A”)
(Figs. 2,  3).  Other  markers  described  later  by  Popov  &
Zastrozhnov  (1998),  in  this  article  are  called  “J”,  “L”,
“SP”, “Ch” and “N” marker beds (Figs. 2, 3).

The upper part of the Lower Pontian in the Zheleznyi Rog

section is represented by non-calcareous and calcareous
clays, up to 20 m thick, bearing brackish-water mollusc and
ostracod fauna; diatoms and nannofossils are missing. These
sediments are not included in the “Transitional beds” inter-
val and are not discussed in the paper.

Material and methods

The detailed sampling of the boundary Maeotian—Pontian

interval  has  been  carried  out  during  several  field  seasons.
Three sections were litho- and biostratigraphically studied in
detail.  The  lithological  column  and  location  of  samples  are
shown in Figs. 3, 4. In total, over 80 samples were collected
and  investigated.  Diatoms  and  nannofossils  were  studied
from  the  same  samples.  To  retain  the  original  sample  com-
position,  smear  slides  were  prepared  directly  from  the  un-
treated  samples.  At  the  same  time,  clay  material  was
removed from a sample and smear slides were prepared for
additional  study.  The  calcareous  nannofloral  analyses  were
performed  using  a  light  polarizing  microscope  at  1600
magnification. Part of the samples were studied using a scan-
ning  microscope.  The  nannofossil  taxonomic  identification
follows Perch-Nielsen (1985) and Young (1998).

Diatoms were extracted from samples using the standard

methods of Russian diatomologists (Proshkina-Lavrenko
1974).

Almost all the samples studied contain diatoms in amounts

varying from single specimens to abundant.

Results

The most complete transitional sequence of the Upper

Maeotian—Lower Pontian sediments is exposed in the rela-

Fig. 1. Location map of the studied area. 1 – Zheleznyi Rog se-
quence; 2 – Taman sequence; 3 – Popov Kamen sequence.

UPPER MAEOTIAN-LOWER PONTIAN “TRANSITIONAL STRATA” IN THE TAMAN PENINSULA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

Fig. 4.

Correlation

the

Units I,

II,

III

the

“Transitional

Strata”

principal

sections

Taman

ninsula.

Polarity

–

Filippova

Trubikhin

(2009);

regional

stage

–

Popov

Nevesskaya

(2004);

zone/beds

–

Radionova

Golovina

(2007).

the

Zheleznyi

Rog section beds numbers (1) indicated by Rostovtseva (2009); i

n the Taman section by Rostovtseva & Goncharova (2006) and Popo

Kamen

section

(2)

ostovtseva

(unpublished

data).

Th.

–

Thalassiosira,

Act.

–

Actinocyclus,

–

Paradacna,

St.

–

Stephano-

discus, Az. – Azpeitia, N. – Nitz

schia, Rop. – Roperia, Cym. –

Cymatosira.

RADIONOVA and GOLOVINA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

tively deep-water Zheleznyi Rog section. In the Taman and
Popov Kamen sections the same interval is represented by
shallow deposits of less thickness with hiatuses (Fig. 4).

Unit I

Zheleznyi Rog Section

Unit I includes Beds 29—35 (Figs. 3, 4). In the marker dia-

toms siltstones “J” and “L” an abundant nannoplankton as-
semblage  with  Braarudosphaera  bigelowii,  Syracosphaera
pulchra, Syracosphaera sp. and rare  Coccolithus  pelagicus,
Lithostromation  perdurum,  Reticulofenestra  spp.,  and
Rhabdosphaera sp.  was  found  (Fig. 3  and  Fig.  5).  Both  the
absence  of  zonal  species  and  very  small  size  of  coccoliths
point  to  a  restricted  or  indirect  connection  of  the  environ-
ment with a marine basin of normal salinity.

The marker siltstone “J” contains Cymatosira savtchenkoi,

Rhaphoneis maeotica, common benthic Endyctia oceanica
and Thalassiosira gravida.

The diatom association of siltstone “L” yields only marine

species dominated by oceanic Azpeitia aff. komurae. It also
includes Coscinodiscus perforatus, Podosira lozcii, Actinop-
tychus undulatus, Actinocyclus octonarius, Actinocyclus aff.
paradoxus (described from modern sediments of the Caspian
Sea),  and  Rhizosolenia  bezrukovii  first  described  from  the
Pliocene of the Black Sea (Jouse & Mukhina 1978). It makes
its first appearance there (Figs. 3 and Fig. 6). Rather scarce
silicoflagellates  Distephanus  speculum  and  Naviculopsis
lata  indicate  close  to  normal  salinity  conditions.  Among
characteristic  Maeotian  species,  few  Rhaphoneis  maeotica,
Cymatosira  savtchenkoi  are  found,  and  benthic  forms  are
represented by sporadic Diploneis bomboides.

The sediments of Unit I contain Cymatosira savtchenkoi,

the index species of the regional Cymatosira savtchenkoi
Zone and a singular Nitzschia miocenica, an index species of
the Nitzschia miocenica Zone of the tropical diatom scheme.
The diatom association in both “J” and “L” marker siltstones
is considerably more diverse then that in the overlying clays.
In siltstone “L”, both oceanic and Eastern Paratethys endemic
species appear for the first time in the basin.

In the upper part of Unit 1 the diatom abundance consider-

ably drops and only the dinocyst assemblage with Batiaca-
sphaera sp. dominates in microplankton (Filippova &
Trubikhin 2009).

Popov Kamen section

The Upper Maeotian sediments are of small thickness there

and  are  characterized  by  hiatuses  (Fig. 4).  Unit I  includes
Beds 32—33 (about 12 m thick) deposited on a wavy surface,
with pockets and pebbles, and composed of dark grey, slightly
calcareous,  pyritized  clay,  lacking  malacofauna  but  bearing
diverse, mainly planktonic microflora. The planktonic diatom
assemblage of Bed 32 includes Coscinodiscus radiatus, Para-
lia sulcata, P.  sp., and  Pseudopodosira hyalina.  It is charac-
terized  by  complete  absence  of  brackish-water  plankton.
Benthic  species  are  scarce  and  represented  by  Biddulphia
toomey,  Diploneis  bomboides,  Lirella  lira,  together  with

Endyctia oceanica, Psammodiscus nitidus, Amphytetras anti-
deluvianum, Hyalodiscus sp., and Cocconeis scutellum.

The Coscinodiscus representatives, are dominated in

Bed 33,  namely,  by  C.  radiatus,  C.  asteromphalus,  and  by
Azpeitia aff. komurae. Actinocyclus paradoxus, A. octonari-
us,  and  Thalassiosira  miocenica  occur  as  well.  Among  the
pennate  taxa  Rhabdonema  adriaticum,  R.  forellii,  Gram-
matophora  marinae,  Nitzschia  tryonella  var.  hantzschia,  and
Achnantes hauckiana appear.

Nannofossils were encountered in the upper part of Bed 32

and  in  the  lowermost  Bed 33.  Braarudosphaera  bigelowii
comprises 90 % of the total assemblage. Other species present
are  Coccolithus  pelagicus,  Syracosphaera  pulchra,  Syraco-
sphaera  sp., Lithostromation  perdurum,  Reticulofenestra  sp.,
and Rhabdosphaera sp. In Bed 33 Braarudosphaera bigelowii
is not numerous; other species are scarce. The nannofossil as-
semblage of Unit I in the Popov Kamen section is analogous
to that of the Zheleznyi Rog section, though it is slightly richer
and better preserved (Fig. 5). It can probably be explained by
lesser amount of terrigenous component.

Taman section

The sediments of Unit I (Beds 19—20) overlie the shallow

Upper Maeotian deposits and are marked by hiatuses
(Figs. 2, 4).

Bed 19 (5 m thick) is composed of dark grey clays, slight-

ly  or  non-calcareous,  slightly  siliceous,  thin-bedded.  Dia-
toms  are  not  numerous  and  are  represented  by  an  open-sea
assemblage  bearing  Coscinodiscus  perforatus,  Azpeitia  aff.
komurae,  Actinocyclus  aff.  paradoxus,  Endyctia  oceanica,
Amphytetras  antideluvianum,  and  Hyalodiscus  sp.  A  single
specimen of Thalassiosira convexa  was found (Sample 66).
Nannofossils are missing.

Bed 20 (0.3 m thick) is made up of light grey, thin-bedded

diatom clay and clayey diatomite, with a deformation at the
top (Fig. 4). The siliceous plankton assemblage includes sili-
coflagellate Naviculopsis lata and single oceanic diatoms
Thalassiosira praeconvexa, Nitzschia cylindricus, and N.
reinholdii. Composition and diversity of the siliceous plankton
permits the correlation of this bed with marker siltstone “L”
in the Zheleznyi Rog section.

Nannofossils are abundant and well-preserved, with domi-

nant Braarudosphaera bigelowii and very rare Lithostroma-
tion perdurum.

Unit II

Zheleznyi Rog section

Unit II (Beds 2—3, Fig. 3) is composed of interbedded

laminated diatomite strata and thick clay beds. Thinly lami-
nated  diatomites  are  characterized  by  a  great  abundance  of
both  mass  diatom  and  calcareous  nannofossils,  but  mainly
represented  by  monoassociations  bearing  Actinocyclus
octonarius and Braarudosphaera bigelowii.

In Bed 2, which begins with thick laminated diatomite

sediments “A”, nannofossils are represented by just one tax-
on Braarudosphaera bigelowii, whereas Lithostromation

UPPER MAEOTIAN-LOWER PONTIAN “TRANSITIONAL STRATA” IN THE TAMAN PENINSULA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

perdurum  and  Reticulofenestra  sp.  are  found  very  rarely.
Among  diatoms  Actinocyclus  octonarius  constitutes  up  to
95 %  of  the  whole  assemblage.  However,  typical  Maeotian
marine  and  brackish-water  species  Chaetoceras  danicus,
Coscinodiscus  perforatus,  Rhaphoneis  maeotica,  Cymatosira
savtchenkoi,  Thalassiosira  baltica,  and  Nitzschia  punctata
make  up  the  main  part  of  the  diatom  association.  Benthic
species  include  Surirella  fastuosa,  Biddulphia  toomey,
Navicula  zichii,  Diploneis  demplitensis,  and  Grammato-
phora sp. The structure of the association remains the same
up  the  section  in  diatom  clays  (samples  61—64/2000)  that
overlap diatomite “A”.

Bed 3 shows a coarser intercalation of carbonate and diat-

omite clays (samples 66—69/2000, 33—04, 36—04). There is a
3-cm-thick  ash  horizon  in  the  middle  of  this  bed,  with  the
age determined at 8.4 Ma (Chumakov et al. 1996). In the dia-
tom  association,  Actinocyclus  octonarius  together  with
Azpeitia  aff. komurae, Coscinodiscus perforatus, and  Para-
lia sulcata typical for Unit 1, dominate. As in diatomite “L”,
Rhizosolenia  bezrukovii  and  Rhaphoneis  maeotica  appear
there  again.  The  occurrence  of  Thalassiosira  praeconvexa
and  T.  convexa  var.  aspinosa  is  considered  as  evidence  for
increased  marine  conditions.  Brackish-freshwater  diatoms
Cyclotella  praekutzingiana,  C.  proshkinae,  Stephanodiscus
speciosus  appear  here.  Nannofossils  are  represented  mainly
by rare Braarudosphaera bigelowii.

Beds 2—3 are characterized by the presence of dinocyst as-

semblages with the dominance of euryhaline marine species
Batiacasphaera spp., Operculodinium spp. (including O.
israelianum) and Lingulodinium machaerophorum (Filippova
& Trubikhin 2009).

Popov Kamen section

The boundary between Unit I and Unit II passes within

the  sequence  of  dark  non-carbonate  clay.  It  is  defined  by  a
change  in  the  diatom  assemblage  (Fig. 4).  Clays  of  Unit II
(Bed 33a) are strongly dominated by Actinocyclus octonarius
and  contain  rare  Paralia  sulcata  and  a  single  Cocconeis
scutellum. Nannofossils are missing. The visual thickness of
the sediments is 4 m.

Taman section

In the Taman section the sediments of Unit II are absent.

Unit III

Zheleznyi Rog section

The sediments of Unit III are represented by Beds 4—7. In

Bed 4, in diatomite “SP” Actinocyclus octonarius again
dominates. The corresponding association of species is simi-
lar to that described from diatomite “A”; freshwater diatoms
were not found.

In the lower part of Bed 5, composed of non-carbonate

sandy clays, nannofossils and diatoms are absent and only
reworked Paleogene species were found. Up the section, rare
specimens of Actinocyclus octonarius appear. In the overly-

ing clays freshwater diatoms Stephanodiscus hantzschii and
S. digitatus are found again. At the base of diatomite “Ch”
only freshwater diatoms are present, Stephanodiscus multi-
farus, S. digitatus, Cyclotella praekutzingiana, C. proshkinae
among them. The upper part of diatomite “Ch” is character-
ized by the presence of freshwater species and monoassocia-
tion of Actinocyclus octonarius, while the latter association
predominates.

In the middle of Bed 5 (between diatomites “SP” and

“Ch”) the first specimens of mollusc Paradacna abichi are
encountered. Its appearance defines the Lower Pontian
boundary (Andrusov 1903).

In the same interval the first occurrence of dinocyst

Galeacysta etrusca was recorded, together with a paleomag-
netic reversal (Filippova & Trubikhin 2009). Up the section
from diatomite “Ch” in dark garbage clays of Bed 6 nanno-
plankton was not found.

At the base of Bed 7 diatomaceous marl “N” composed of

interbedding  siliceous  and  carbonate  microlayers  occurs.  In
the  diatom  assemblage  Actinocyclus  octonarius  dominate,  as
well  as  thalassiosiras,  including  rare  Thalassiosira  convexa
and diverse T. praeoestrupii, T. baltica, and T. miocenica. Up
the section, carbonate clays, 3.5 m thick, with rare Braarudo-
sphaera bigelowii and Lithostromation perdurum are bedded.
This  interval  corresponds  to  the  final  phase  of  marine  inva-
sion.  The  overlying  terrigenous-carbonate  Lower  Pontian  fa-
cies are barren of both diatoms and nannofossils (Fig. 3).

Taman section

The sediments of Unit III include Beds 21—29 (Fig. 4)

marked  by  hiatuses.  A  single  diatomite  horizon  (Bed 23)
contains dominating Actinocyclus octonarius represented by
all  varieties.  The  normally  marine  species  Thalassiosira
excentrica,  T.  decipiens,  Azpeitia  komurae,  and  Cymatosira
savtchenkoi are scarce. Freshwater Stephanodiscus multifarus
is few. The bed is marked by the first brackish-water dinocyst
endemics  Impagidinium  ex  gr.  globosum-spongianum  and
Galeacysta etrusca (Filippova 2008).

The diatom association of this bed is similar to that of the

thin-bedded diatomite “SP” in the Zheleznyi Rog section.

Braarudosphaera bigelowii is extremely abundant in

Beds 21—25. Lithostromation perdurum occurs as single
specimens. In Bed 26 B. bigelowii becomes less numerous.

Up the section, the up to 10-m-thick member of dark

brown clays enriched with organic material overlies the diat-
omites. The clays yield Actinocyclus octonarius, Cymatosira
savtchenkoi, brackish-water Stephanodiscus multifarus, S.
digitatus, and rare Braarudosphaera bigelowii. Paradacna
abichi appears in the upper part of Bed 27.

In Bed 28 (0.4 m thick), composed of clayey limestone

with  Paradacna  abichi  and  scarce  Congeria,  the  species
Actinocyclus  octonarius  and  Cymatosira  savtchenkoi  again
occur,  together  with  brackish-water  Stephanodiscus  multi-
farus,  S.  digitatus,  benthic  marine  Endyctia  oceanica,
Amphytetras  antideluvianum,  and  planktonic  marine
Thalassiosira convexa var. aspinosa, T. maruyamica, and T.
praeoestrupii. This assemblage is similar to that of diatoma-
ceous marl “N” in the Zheleznyi Rog section.

RADIONOVA and GOLOVINA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

Stratigraphic interpretation of results

The age determination of the Pontian base was carried out

indirectly  by  paleomagnetic  investigations.  Under  the  base
of  the  Pontian  a  paleomagnetic  inversion  from  normally  to
reversely magnetized sediments is recorded. In the Zheleznyi
Rog section this event is associated with Bed 5 (Fig. 3). Ac-
cording to V.M. Trubikhin, it is dated to 5.9 Ma, according
to  M.A.  Pevzner,  the  Pontian  base  is  dated  to  7.5 Ma
(Nevesskaya et al. 2004).

Popov et al. (2006) correlated the Maeotian with Torto-

nian—Early  Messinian,  and  the  Pontian,  with  the  Late
Messinian  on  the  basis  of  the  paleomagnetic  record  and  on
the  history  of  the  Aegean  molluscan  migrations.  According
to  the  authors,  the  repeated  penetration  of  Mediterranean
molluscs into the Black Sea and Caspian regions finished in
the  Early  Pontian,  when  brackish  mollusc  of  Aegean  origin
inhabited the Euxine-Caspian Basin. The base of the Pontian
is dated to 6.1 Ma. However, these paleontological data were
not enough for a precise age estimate of the Pontian base.

One more attempt to combine paleomagnetic and paleon-

tological records for the Dacian Basin and Taman Peninsula
was  made  (Krijgsman  et  al.  2010).  The  authors  studied
paleomagnetically  and  paleontologically  the  Zheleznyi  Rog
section and also recorded a paleomagnetic inversion, which
they dated as the base of the Pontian (6.04 ± 0.01 Ma). They
indicated that the “Maeotian—Pontian boundary interval was
marked by a short influx of calcareous benthic foraminifera
Porosononion  ex  gr.  subgranosus  (Egger),  Ammonia  ex  gr.
beccarii  (Linné),  agglutinated  foraminifera  Ammotium  sp.,
and  planktonic  foraminifera  comprising  Streptochilus  sp.”
(Krijgsman et al. 2010). From these findings the authors in-
ferred a synchronous marine transgression in the Dacian and
Black  Sea  Basins.  Unfortunately,  the  plankton  find  (only
genus  reported)  cannot  serve  as  a  strong  biostratigraphic
argument for age determination of the Pontian base.

The occurrence of foraminifers in the interval interpreted

as  the  Maeotian—Pontian  transition  was  regarded  by  the  re-
searchers  as  a  “marine  environment  in  the  Eastern  Para-
tethys,  which  was  only  a  short-lived  feature  of  at  most
10 kyr”. Unfortunately, the precise attribution of benthic and
planktonic microfaunal finds to the section is not indicated;
so we cannot correlate them with our available micropaleon-
tological records.

Our studies of nannofossils and diatoms permit the exact

definition of boundaries and range of the sediments accumu-
lated during penetration of marine water into the Eastern
Paratethys in the Late Maeotian—Early Pontian.

The diatom records became fundamental for age estimation

of this event and definition of peculiar hydrological phases.

Among calcareous nannofossils zonal species are missing

and  they  are  represented  by  several  forms  with  dominating
Braarudosphaera  bigelowii.  However,  the  presence  of  nan-
noplankton in the “Transitional Strata” is important for elu-
cidation  of  bionomic  conditions  in  the  basin.  Mass
occurrence  of  Braarudosphaera  bigelowii  together  with
Lithostromation  perdurum  and  Reticulofenestra  pseudoum-
bilica in this part of the Zheleznyi Rog section was initially
described  by  S.A.  Luljeva,  who  pointed  to  the  gradual  im-

poverishment  of  coccolith  composition  in  the  sediments
(Semenenko  &  Luljeva  1982).  The  acme  of  B.  bigelowii  is
usually interpreted as an indicator of decreased salinity that
results in almost complete disappearance of other nannofos-
sil species. However, the combined study of nannoplankton
and diatoms showed that in this case the mass development
of B. bigelowii corresponded to the most marine conditions,
since  in  the  intervals  rich  in  brackish-  and  freshwater  dia-
toms nannofossils are absent.

Our research did not confirm the data by S.A. Luljeva on

the  presence  of  Amaurolithus  primus,  A.  delicatus,  and  A.
tricorniculatus at the top of the Maeotian, in the Pontian, and
Lower  Kimmerian  in  the  sections  of  the  Taman  Peninsula
(Semenenko  &  Luljeva  2006).  This  can  result  from  both  a
strong  terrigenous  dilution  of  the  rocks  and  different  meth-
ods  of  investigation.  In  our  opinion  the  sampling  of  Unit I
should  be  more  high-resolution  in  order  to  reveal  the  beds
with  the  most  abundant  nannofossils.  It  is  known  that  the
most  diverse  nannofossil  assemblages  (NN11b,  11c,  11d
Subzones)  from  the  Dardanelles  region  were  described  in
sections  of  small  thickness  and  found  in  thin  clayey  beds
(Melinte  et  al.  2009).  In  the  Taman  Peninsula  the  “Transi-
tional  Strata”  in  the  Zheleznyi  Rog  section  are  about  80 m
thick. The question of correlation of our results with nanno-
fossil records from the Dacian Basin is of major interest. Pre-
viously  a  short  calcareous  nannofossil  influx  in  the
Maeotian—Pontian boundary interval was recorded (Papaiano-
pol & Marunteanu 1993). In the Dacian Basin the transition-
al  Maeotian—Pontian  sediments  were  also  studied  (the
Bizdidel  valley  and  the  Valea  Vacii  section)  (Snel  et  al.
2006). The occurrence of the Amaurolithus sp. and Discoaster
sp. members indicates stronger marine conditions in the Da-
cian  Basin  compared  with  the  Taman  Peninsula;  so  the
former is characterized by a more diverse nannofossil assem-
blage.  In  the  Bizdidel  section  nannofossil  assemblage  in-
cludes  Calcidiscus  leptoporus,  Calcidiscus  macintyrei,
Coccolithus  pelagicus,  Discoaster  challengeri,  Discoaster
variabilis,  Helicosphaera  kamptneri,  Reticulofenestra  dor-
onicoides,  R.  minuta,  R.  pseudoumbilicus,  Sphenolithus
abies,  and  Amaurolithus  primus  and  Discoaster  quinquera-
mus, which are characteristic of the NN11b Subzone (Snel et
al. 2006). The FO of Amaurolithus

spp. is equivalent to the

base of Subzone MNN11b, at 7.42 Ma,

and the FO of Nick-

lithus amplificus is equivalent to the base of Subzone
MNN11c,

at 6.69 Ma. Further more detailed investigation of

nannofossils from the “Transitional Strata” will probably re-
veal a richer assemblage bearing zonal taxa.

The corresponding local diatom scheme (Kozyrenko &

Radionova 2002) (Fig. 3) is based on the changes of assem-
blages depending on ecological factors, such as salinity fluc-
tuations. Findings of open marine diatoms including zonal
species with a short stratigraphic range allow us to correlate
the Upper Maeotian with the Mediterranean stratotype sec-
tions directly. The detailed micropaleontological study of the
“Transitional Strata” resulted in discovery of stratigraphical-
ly important species of the tropical diatom schemes, namely:

– FO Nitzschia miocenica corresponds to Chron C3b;
– FO Nitzschia reinholdii in Chron C4 and LO in Chron C3a;
– FO Thalassiosira convexa var. aspinosa and T. miocenica

UPPER MAEOTIAN-LOWER PONTIAN “TRANSITIONAL STRATA” IN THE TAMAN PENINSULA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

Fig. 7. Stratigraphic range of most important diatom species was found in the “Transitional Strata”: in boreal and tropical diatom zonal
scales; Late Miocene Mediterranean scheme and the stratigraphic position “Transitional Strata” on the basis of their presence. D. – Denti-
culopsis, Th. – Thalassiosira, N. – Nitzschia.

in Chron C3a, FO T. praeconvexa and LO in Chron C3a
(Burckle 1972) (Fig. 7).

The stratigraphic distribution of these species was estab-

lished at numerous oceanic sites in the Pacific, directly cor-
related  to  paleomagnetic  data  and  repeatedly  verified
(Barron  1992,  2003;  Barron  &  Baldauf  1995).  Their  datum
levels are synchronous in tropical and temperate zones. Hav-
ing  no  possibility  to  assess  the  range  of  oceanic  zones,  we
can, however, judge the position of the boundaries of certain
zones in the discussed sections (Fig. 7). Nitzschia miocenica
last  occurred  near  the  Nitzschia  miocenica—Thalassiosira
convexa Zones boundary (Burckle 1972). The lower bound-
ary of the Thalassiosira convexa Zone is marked by the first
occurrence  of  the  index  species  (C3A,  6.2 Ma)  (Barron
2003).  In  our  material  Nitzschia  miocenica  was  found  only
in sediments of Unit I.  Thalassiosira convexa var. aspinosa
appeared in mid-Unit II (Figs. 3, 4). Consequently, the accu-
mulation  of  sediments  of  Unit I  took  place  up  to  6.2 Ma.
Units II and III were deposited later.

The occurrence of some stratigraphic key taxa of the boreal

oceanic scale permits a more precise age determination of the
“Transitional Strata”. These species are Azpeitia komurae,
Thalassiosira maruyamica, T. antiqua, and T. praeoestrupii
(Figs. 4, 7). The presence of Azpeitia komurae (FO at 6.7 Ma,
LO at 6.4 Ma) (Yanagisawa & Akiba 1998) in Unit I indicates
that the sequence is at least not younger than 6.4 Ma.

The FO of Thalassiosira praeoestrupii was defined at

6.1 Ma (Fig. 7). The species appeared at that time in both the
temperate Pacific and North Atlantic together with other
members of the group Thalassiosira oestrupii (Boden 1992).

According to the simultaneous presence of all marker spe-

cies (Fig. 7), the time of “Transitional Strata” accumulation
can be estimated in a wide range from 6.4 to 6.1 Ma. This

provides an opportunity to correlate this part of Zheleznyi
Rog with pre-evaporate sediments and possibly with the bas-
al part of the Messinian lower-evaporate sediments.

It should be noted that the age estimate of the Messinian

sediments in the stratotype section was carried out based on
the  same  marker  species  (Burckle  1978;  Gersonde  1980),
and correlation of the Capodarso section with the paleomag-
netic scale was initially done indirectly from the diatom zo-
nation  (Ryan  et  al.  1974).  All  siliceous  deposits  of  the
Mediterranean Lower Messinian are dated by diatoms to the
upper  Nitzschia  miocenica  Zone  and  Subzone  A  of  the
Thalassiosira convexa Zone (Gersonde & Schrader 1984).

An important event for the level discussed is the first ap-

pearance  of  a  few  brackish-water  species  Stephanodiscus
multifarus,  S. digitatus, and  Cyclotella praekutzingiana,  as-
sociated with Unit III and described earlier from freshwater
Pliocene  sediments  of  the  Black  Sea  (Jouse  &  Mukhina
1978; Hursevich & Mukhina 1995).

The occurrence of silicoflagellates including Distephanus

speculum,  etc.  in  Unit I  of  the  Zheleznyi  Rog  section  be-
came an additional supporting factor for the proposed corre-
lation.  Our  data  are  very  well  correlated  with  the  results  of
study  of  laminated  diatomites  of  the  Gavdos  Formation  de-
scribed in northwestern Gavdos Island, South Crete (Frydas
2006). The diatomite of the Gavdos Formation is character-
ized  by  the  presence  of  diatoms  of  the  Nitzschia  miocenica
Zone and the lower part of Thalassiosira convexa Zone and
is correlated to the Messinian stage.

D. Frydas notes that the abundant silicoflagellate associa-

tion  of  Distephanus  speculum  minutus  local  Biozone  ap-
proximately  corresponds  to  C9bA  (Amaurolithus  primus)
and  C9bB  (Amaurolithus  amplificus)  Zones  of  the  nanno-
plankton scheme.

RADIONOVA and GOLOVINA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

Dynamics of basin development

The studies of calcareous nannofossil and diatom assemblag-

es suggest that accumulation of the “Transitional Strata” in the
Upper Maeotian—Lower Pontian interval occurred in three stages.

The first stage (Unit I) corresponded to the beginning of

the marine water invasion and signifies the short-term con-
nection with the Eastern Mediterranean possibly through the
Dacian and Aegean Basins.

It is known that the beginning of the Messinian was

marked  by  a  short-term  transgression  (Meulenkamp  et  al.
2000),  rapidly  acquiring  a  pulsing  character,  resulting  from
periodical  closing  of  the  connection  with  the  Atlantic.  The
same  discontinuous  pulsing  rhythm  is  typical  for  the  next
stages of the cycle (Beds 2—8) (Unit II and Unit III).

A short-term increase of marine waters invasion into the

brackish-water basin together with a considerable river in-
flux led to initiation of narrow frontal zones with sharp gra-
dients of water density. Periodical outbreaks of microflora
bioproductivity led to the formation of thick monodominant
diatomite and nannofossil deposits.

A considerable impoverishment of monospecific nanno-

plankton  association  during  the  accumulation  of  sediments
in the second and third stages makes the analysis of diatoms
a  priority.  Formation  of  an  assemblage  with  dominant
Actinocyclus  ehrenbergii  (A.  octonarius)  is  well  known  in
modern epicontinental seas in big river delta areas and is usu-
ally  interpreted  as  a  hydrological  front  zone  or  as  a  conver-
gence zone that forms at dumped depths of a brackish-water
epicontinental basin. This type of diatom ooze bearing domi-
nant  Actinocyclus  ehrenbergii  was  recorded  in  Quaternary
sediments of the Caspian Basin (Sval’nov & Kazarina 2008).
A  seasonal  bloom  of  dominant  species  produces  billions  of
diatom shells per gram of sediment. Seaward from this zone
a  marine  diatom  association  is  being  formed,  while  the
brackish-water or freshwater one occurs coastward.

Unit II (Beds 2—3). The accumulation of Bed 2 (“A” diato-

mite and overlying diatom clays, Zheleznyi Rog) took place
in  the  environment  of  mixed  marine  and  brackish-water
masses. The structure of the diatom assemblages shows that
sedimentation  occurred  in  the  inner  part  of  a  frontal  zone,
because  besides  Actinocyclus  ehrenbergii,  the  association
contains numerous marine brackish-water Maeotian species.
In  Bed 3  (Fig. 3),  in  a  diatom  association  containing
Actinocyclus  ehrenbergii,  marine  diatoms  dominate  and
among them species of Coscinodiscus are abundant, as well
as Azpeitia  aff. komurae, Rhizosolenia bezrukovii and other
species  typical  for  the  most  marine  conditions  observed  in
Bed 1. Thalassiosira convexa var. aspinosa first appeared in
this  association,  which  may  point  to  a  new  transgressive
event and widening of the marine water mass influence.

Unit III (Beds 4—7) shows a growing regression process

and  connection  with  the  marine  basin  coming  to  the  end.
Marine diatom species and nannoplankton are absent. Shal-
low-water  conditions  are  developing,  and  numerous  brack-
ish-water  molluscs  appear  in  carbonate  clays,  the  Early
Pontian species Paradacna abichi  among them. Diatoms of
Stephanodiscus  and  Cyclotella  genera  are  found  in  clays,
and  the  first  appearances  of  a  few  species  later  becoming

widespread in freshwater Pleistocene sediments of the Black
Sea  are  observed.  Diatomite  “SP”  in  Bed 4  may  point  to  a
short  transgressive  impulse  against  the  background  of  a  re-
gressive  environment;  its  diatom  association  is  similar  to
that of diatomite “A”, but among marine species only local
ones remaining from the time of the Maeotian basin continue
to occur.

In diatomite “Ch” (Bed 6) intercalation of layers with

freshwater  species  and  monoassociation  with  Actinocyclus
octonarius  is  observed.  This  shows  the  environment  of  a
shoreface  zone  which  is  characterized  by  freshwater  dia-
toms. Widening of the freshwater zone corresponds to a re-
gression development. The upper part of Bed 6 is composed
of sandy clay with abundant Paradacna and ostracods.

A short final impulse of marine invasion is reflected in

diatomaceous marl “N” containing Actinocyclus octonarius
together with few oceanic Thalassiosira species and
Braarudosphaera bigelowii nannoplankton (Fig. 3).

Conclusion

Micropaleontological study of the “Transitional Strata” re-

sulted in refinement of the age and in estimation of the eco-
logical character of the sediments. The stratigraphic range of
the strata of our data is defined as 6.4—6.1 Ma, which agrees
well with the currently available paleomagnetic records that
determined the base of the Pontian in the Zheleznyi Rog sec-
tion  at  6.1 Ma  (Popov  et  al.  2006;  Filippova  &  Trubikhin
2009; Krijgsman et al. 2010). The subdivision of the “Tran-
sitional  Strata”  into  Units I—III  corresponds  to  certain  hy-
drological  stages  of  the  basin. Unit I  records  the  maximum
marine  conditions.  Unit II  is  fully  represented  only  in  the
Zheleznyi Rog section and reflects a gradual transition from
marine to brackish-water environment. Unit III indicates the
predominance  of  brackish-water  conditions.  The  Zheleznyi
Rog section is a unique geological object. Only its thick and
uninterrupted  succession  of  sediments  displays  in  detail  all
stages  of  the  ecological  evolution  of  the  basin  in  the  Late
Maeotian—Early  Pontian.  In  the  closely  located  Taman  and
Popov Kamen’ sections the sediments of Unit II are missing
or are strongly reduced, and the Maeotian-Pontian boundary
actually  corresponds  to  that  between  Unit I  and  Unit III.
According  to  the  diatom  and  nannofossil  record,  the  top  of
Unit I marks the termination of a relatively free communica-
tion with the Mediterranean and corresponds to the top of the
Cymatosira savtchenkoi Beds of the Thalassiosira maeotica
Zone  (Jouse  1949;  Kozyrenko  &  Radionova  2002).  In  the
Zheleznyi  Rog  section  this  boundary  occurs  beneath  the
thick diatomite “A”. It was suggested as the Maeotian-Pont-
ian  boundary  by  siliceous  plankton  paleontologists  and
lithologists  who  used  this  group  of  biota  (Jouse  1949;
Kozyrenko & Radionova 2002; Rostovtseva 2009). Howev-
er, a high-resolution research revealed this level to be locat-
ed considerably below the boundary proposed by Andrusov
(1903), which was based on the appearance of brackish-wa-
ter endemics characteristic of the Pontian. The boundary af-
ter  N.  Andrusov  (FO  Paradacna  abichi)  approximately
corresponds to that between Units II and III and is accepted

UPPER MAEOTIAN-LOWER PONTIAN “TRANSITIONAL STRATA” IN THE TAMAN PENINSULA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

by  many  subsequent  researchers  (Popov  &  Zastrozhnov
1998;  Filippova  &  Trubikhin  2009;  Krijgsman  et  al.  2010).
The complicated and comprehensive character of changes at
this  level  requires  further  research  and  achievement  of  an
agreement  concerning  its  position  among  specialists  in  dif-
ferent  groups  of  fossil  biota.  The  Upper  Maeotian—Lower
Pontian  “Transitional  Strata”  in  the  Taman  Peninsula  sec-
tions  corresponds  to  the  period  of  indirect  Mediterranean
water invasion into the Eastern Paratethys basin. During the
first  stage  an  indirect  connection  between  these  two  basins
was relatively free, and at the second and third stages it was
of a pulsing intermittent character. The estimated duration of
the invasion event is from 6.4 to 6.1 Ma and corresponds to
the  Early  Messinian,  to  the  upper  part  of  pre-evaporate  de-
posits and lower part of lower evaporate deposits.

Acknowledgments:  We  thank  Sergey  Popov,  Naci  Görür
and  an  anonymous  reviewer  for  their  comments,  which  im-
proved the clarity of this manuscript. We are grateful to Nina
Gorkova for SCAN photos and Marina Bylinskaya for trans-
lation.  We  express  our  gratitude  to  all  our  colleagues  from
the Geological Institute RAS, Paleontological Institute RAS,
and Moscow State University for discussion, and especially
to  Nataly  Filippova  for  field  work  cooperation.  This  work
was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research
(Projects Nos. 09-05-00307-a and 10-05-01102-a).

References

Andrusov N.I. 1903: Geological studies on the Taman Peninsula. Ma-

terials for the Geology of Russia 21, 2, 257—383 (in Russian).

Barron J. 1992: Neogene diatoms datum levels in equatorial and

North Pacific. In: Ishizaki K. & Saito T. (Eds.): The Centenary
of Japanese Micropaleontology. Terra Scientific Publishing
Company, Tokyo, 413—425.

Barron J. 2003: Planktonic marine diatom record of the past

18 m.y.: appearance and extinctions in the Pacific and South-
ern Oceans. Diatoms Res. 118, 203—224.

Barron J.A. & Baldauf J.G. 1995: Cenozoic marine diatom bios-

tratigraphy and application to paleoclimatology and paleocean-
ography. In: Blome C.D. et al. (Eds.): Siliceous microfossils.
Paleont. Soc., Short Courses in Paleontology 8, 107—118.

Boden P. 1992: Biostratigraphic implication of Neogene diatom

abundances in the Norwegian Sea, the North Atlantic and the
western North Pacific. Meddelanden fran Stockholms Univer-
sitetets Institution for Geologi ach Geokemi., 287.

Burckle L.H. 1972: Late Cenozoic planktonic diatoms zones from

the eastern Equatorial Pacific. In: Simonsen R. (Ed.): Sympo-
sium on Recent and Fossil Marine Diatoms. Nova Hedwigia
39, 217—256.

Burckle L.H. 1978: Diatom biostratigraphy of unit 2 (Tripoli) of the

neostratotype Messinian. Riv. Ital. Paleont. 84, 4, 1037—1050.

Chumakov I.S., Golovin D.I. & Ganzei S.S. 1996: By geochronolo-

gy of Maeotian stage (Upper Miocene) of the Eastern Parat-
ethys. DAN, 347, 3, 372—373 (in Russian).

Filippova N.Y. 2002: Spores, pollen and organic-walled phy-

toplankton from Neogene deposits of the reference Section
Zheleznyi Rog (Taman Peninsula). Stratigr. Geol. Correlation
10, 2, 80—92.

Fillipova N.Y. 2008: Organic-phytoplankton from Middle Miocene/

Upper Miocene deposits from Taman Peninsula (Northern Black

Sea region). In: Prischepa O.M. et al. (Eds.): Palynology:
stratigraphy and geoecology. Proc. of the XIIth All-Russia Pa-
lynological Conference (29.09—04.10.2008), II, St. Petersburg,
29—34 (in Russian).

Filippova N. & Trubikhin V. 2009: On the correlation of the Upper

Miocene sediments Black Sea and Mediterranean basins. Actual
problems of Neogene and Quater. Strat. and discussion of 33
Int. Geol. Congress. Moscow, GEOS, 115—1121 (in Russian).

Frydas D. 2006: Siliceous phytoplankton assemblages and bios-

tratigraphy of the pre-evaporite Messinian diatomites on Gav-
dos Island, Greece. Rev. Micropaléont. 49, 2, 86—96.

Gaudant J., Caulet J.-P., Di Geronimo I., Di Stephano A., Fourtanier

E., Romeo M. & Venec-Peyre M.-T. 1996: Analyse séquentielle
d’un nouveau gisement de poissons fossiles du Messinien marin
diatomitique. Masseria il Salto pr

s de Caltagirone (province de

Catane, Sicile). Géologie Méditerranéenne, 23, 2, 117—153.

Gersonde R. 1980: Paläoökologiische und biostratigraphishe

Auswertung von Diatomeenassoziationen aus dem Messinium
des Caitanissetta Beckens (Sizilien) und einiger Vergleich-
sprofile in SO Spanien, NW-Algerien und auf Kreta. Disserta-
tion, Christian-Albrechts-Universitä, 1—464.

Gersonde R. & Schrader H. 1984: Marine planktic diatom correla-

tion of lower Messinian deposits in the Western Mediterra-
nean. Mar. Micropaleont. 9, 93—110.

Hursevich G. & Mukhina V. 1995: The evolution of diatoms of the

Black Sea (on the Deep Sea Drilling Project). Modern and
Fossil Microplankton Oceans, 108—114 (in Russian).

Jouse A.P. 1949: Tertiary diatom. In: Proshkina-Lavrenko A.I. (Ed.):

Diatom analysis. Bot. Inst. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Moscow, 114—152.

Jouse A.P. & Muchina V.V. 1978: Diatom units and the Paleogeog-

raphy of the Black sea in the late Cenozoic (DSDP, Leg 42B).
Initial Reports of DSDP. U.S. Gov. Print. Off. 42, 2, 903—952.

Kozyrenko T.F. & Radionova E.P. 2002: Possibilities to use diatom

analysis for the Neogene regional zonation on the example of
the Taman Peninsula Upper Miocene. In: Methodical aspects
of palynology. Palin. Conf., 112—113 (in Russian).

Kozyrenko T.F. & Temnishkova-Topalova D. 1990: Correlation of

diatoms from marine Upper Miocene sediments within the
Boundaries of Eastern Paratethys. Proc. of the Tenth Int. Diatom
Symposium, Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, 249—256.

Krijgsman W., Stoica M., Vasiliev I. & Popov V.V. 2010: Rise and

fall of the Paratethys Sea during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.
Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 290, 183—191.

Makarova I.V. & Kozyrenko T.F. 1966: Diatoms of the marine Mi-

ocene of southern European USSR and their importance for
stratigraphy. Nauka, Moscow, Leningrad, 1—70 (in Russian).

Melinte-Dobrinescu M., Suc J.-P., Clauzon G., Popescu S.-M., Armi-

jo R., Meyer B., Biltekin D., Çagatay M.N., Ucarkus G., Jouan-
nic G., Fauquette S. & Çakir Z. 2009: The Messinian Salinity
Crisis in the Dardanellesregion: Chronostratigraphic constraints.
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 278, 24—39.

Menner V.V., Nevesskaya L.A., Gabunia L.K. & Nosovskii M.F.

1976: Problems of the Neogene Mediterranean stratigraphy.
Bull. MOIP. 51, 5, 45—58 (in Russian).

Meulencamp J.E., Sissingh W. et al. (all authors) 2000: Late Torto-

nian. In: Crasquin S. (Ed.): Atlas Peri-Tethys, paleogeographic
maps. Explanatory notes. CCGM/CGMW, 195—201.

Nevesskaya L.A., Goncharova I.A., Ilyina L.B., Paramonova N.P.,

Popov S.V., Bogdanovich A.K., Gabunia L.K. & Nosovskii
M.F. 1984: The regional stratigraphic scale of the Neogene of
the Eastern Paratethys. Sov. Geol. 9, 37—49 (in Russian).

Nevesskaya L.A., Kovalenko E.I., Beluzhenko E.V., Popov S.V.,

Goncharova  I.A.,  Danukalova  G.A.,  Zhidovinov  I.J.,  Zaitsev
A.V.,  Zastrozhnov  A.S.,  Ilyina  L.B.,  Paramonova  N.P.,  Pin-
chuk  T.N.,  Pismennaya  N.S.,  Aghajanian  A.K.,  Lopatin  A.V.
&  Trubikhin  V.M.  2004:  Explanatory  note  to  the  unified

RADIONOVA and GOLOVINA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 1, 77—90

scheme of regional Neogene deposits southern European part
of Russia. Paleont. Inst., Moscow, 1—83 (in Russian).

Olshtynska A. 2001: Miocene marine diatom stratigraphy of the East-

ern Paratethys (Ukraine). Geol. Carpathica 52, 3, 173—181.

Papaianopol I. & Marunteanu M. 1993: Biostratigraphy (Molluscs

and Calcareous nannoplankton) of the Sarmatian and Meotian
in the Eastern Muntenia (Dacic basin – Rumania). Zem. Plyn
Nafta 38, 1, 9—15.

Perch-Nielsen K. 1985: Cenozoic calcareous nannofossils. In: Bolli

H.M., Saunders J.B. & Perch-Nielsen K. (Eds.): Plankton
stratigraphy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.,
427—554.

Popov S.V. et al. 1996: Neogene stratigraphy and paleontology of the

Taman and Kerch Peninsulas. Excursion Guidebook. Field sym-
posium 4—14

June, 1996, Paleontological Inst., Moscow, 1—31.

Popov S.V. & Zastrozhnov A.S. 1998: Neogene key sections of the

Eastern Paratethys (Taman Peninsula). Tour Guide, Volgo-
grad-Taman, 27 (in Russian).

Popov S., Sherba I., Ilyna L., Nevesskaya L., Paramonova N., Khond-

karian S. & Magyar I. 2006: Late Miocene to Pliocene palaeo-
geography of the Paratethys and its relation to the Mediterranean.
Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 238, 91—106.

Popov S.V., Vernigorova J.V., Goncharova I.A. & Pynchuk T.N.

2009:  Stratigraphy  of  the  Upper-Middle  Miocene  sections  of
the  Taman  by  mollusk  and  foraminifers.  Actual  problems  of
Neogene  and  Quater.  Strat.  and  discussion  of  33  Int.  Geol.
Congress. GEOS., Moscow,  96—100 (in Russian).

Proschkina-Lavrenko A.I. (Ed.) 1974: The diatoms of the USSR.

Fossil and recent. I. Nauka, Leningrad, 1—403 (in Russian).

Radionova E.P. & Golovina L.A. 2004: New data on the study of

diatoms and nannoplankton of Maeotian-Pontian sediments of
the Taman Peninsula. Problems of the stratigraphy of the Phan-
erozoic of Ukraine. Proceedings of the Institute of Geological
Sciences of the NAS of Ukraine,

Kiev, 180—184 (in Russian).

Radionova E.P. & Golovina L.A. 2008: Maeotian-Pontian microflo-

ra  from  the  Taman  section.  Biostratigraphic  fundamentals  of
creating  the  stratigraphic  schemes  of  the  Phanerozoic  of
Ukraine.  Proceedings    of  the  Institute  of  Geological  Sciences  of
the NAS of Ukraine,

Kiev, 276—284 (in Russian).

Radionova E.P. & Golovina L.A. 2009: Marine sediment thickness

of the Maeotian-Pontian boundary in the Taman Peninsula:
stratigraphic position and paleogeographic interpretation. Ac-
tual problems of Neogene and Quater. Strat. and discussion of
33 Int. Geol. Congress. Moscow GEOS, 100—109 (in Russian).

Rostovtseva Y.V. 2009: Layerwise description of the Upper Mi-

ocene  sediments  of  the  Zhelezny  Rog  section  of  the  Taman
Peninsula  (Eastern  Paratethys).  Actual  problems  of  Neogene
and  Quater.  Strat.  and  discussion  of  33  Int.  Geol.  Congress.
Moscow GEOS, 109—114 (in Russian).

Rostovtseva Y.V. & Goncharova I.A. 2006: Lithological and palae-

ontological characteristics of the upper-Miocene sediments of
the Taman Peninsula (on the example of the Taman section).
Bull. Moscow Univ. 4, 1, 15—26 (in Russian).

Rostovtseva Y.V., Kozyrenko T.F. & Yapaskurt O.V. 2006: Event-

fulness of the Late Miocene diatom sedimentation in the
Kerch-Taman trough. Evolution of the biosphere and biodiver-
sity. RAS, Paleont. Inst., Assoc. Scientific Publ., Moscow,
569—579 (in Russian).

Rostovtseva Y.V. & Tesakova E.M. 2009: Late Maeotian and Early

Pontian ostracods as an indicator of changes in salinity in the
Enikalsky Strait (Eastern Paratethys). Paleont. J. 2, 53—58 (in
Russian).

Ryan W.B.F., Cita M.B., Dreyfus R.M., Burckle L.H. & Saito T.

1974: A paleomagnetic assignment of Neogene stage boundaries
and and the development of isochronous datum planes between
the Mediterranean, the Pacific and Indian oceans in order to in-
vestigate the response of the World ocean to the Mediterranean
“Salinity crisis”. Riv. Ital. Paleont. 80, 4, 631—688.

Semenenko V.N. 1987: Stratigraphic correlation of the Upper Mi-

ocene and Pliocene of the Eastern Paratethys and Tethys.
Naukova Dumka, Kiev, 1—232 (in Russian).

Semenenko V.N. & Luljeva S.A. 1982: Problems of direct correla-

tion of the upper Miocene and Pliocene of the Eastern Parat-
ethys and Tethys. Izv. USSR 9, 61—71 (in Russian).

Semenenko V.N. & Luljeva S.A. 2006: Ceratolithus acutus (nanno-

plankton) – global marker of the boundaries of Miocene/Plio-
cene in the Black Sea basin. Geol. J. 2—3, 150—159 (in Russian).

Snel E., Mărun eanu M., Macale R., Meulenkamp J.E. & van Vugt

N. 2006: Late Miocene to Early Pliocene chronostratigraphic
framework for the Dacic Basin, Romania. Palaeogeogr. Palae-
oclimatol. Palaeoecol. 238, 107—124.

Sval’nov V.N. & Kazarina G.Kh. 2008: Diatomaceous Oozes of the

Middle Caspian Sea. Oceanology 48, 4, 588—594 (in Russian).

Trubikhin V.M. 1989: Paleomagnetic data for the Pontian. Chro-

nostratigraphie and Neostratotypen. Bd. VII. Pontien. Jazu &
Sanu, 76—79.

Trubikhin V. & Pilipenko O. 2009: Paleomagnetic study of Maeo-

tian sediments of the Taman Peninsula (section Popov Ka-
men). Actual Problems of Neogene and Quater. Strat.. and
discussion of 33 Int. Geol. Congress. Moscow GEOS, 123—132
(in Russian).

Yanagisawa Y. & Akiba F. 1998: Refined Neogene diatom bios-

tratigraphy for the northwest Pacific around Japan, with an in-
troduction of code numbers for selected diatom biohorizons. J.
Geol. Soc. Japan. 6, 104, 395—414.

Young J.R. 1998: Chapter 9: Neogene. In: Bown P.R. (Ed.): Calcar-

eous nannofossils biostratigraphy. British Micropaleont. Soc.
Publ. Ser., Kluwer Academic Press, 225—265.