Cyclicity of the devonian and carboniferous deposits of Novaya Zemlya
- Ph.D. Assistant Professor Saint-Petersburg State Mining Institute (Technical University)
Abstract
Two structural-formational zones are recognized in the Devonian and Carboniferous deposits of Novaya Zemlya: the Barents zone and the Kara zone. The first one is characterized by thick, predominantly carbonate deposits, containing a rich complex of benthic fossils, and corresponds to the shelf paleoenvironments. The second one is characterized by thin hemipelagic argillaceous, lime and siliceous deposits, containing scarce pelagic fossils. This zone is suggested to represent bathyal paleoenvironments (slope and basin floor). The main control on sedimentation in both zones provided relative sea-level rises and falls, which repeated with mean periodicity equal to an age (third-order cycles). Sea-level highstands correspord to periods of low sedimentation rates and stagnation in deep-water zone. Sea-level lowstands were favourable to intensification of sediment gravity flows and better aeration of bottom waters.
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