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Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern Paratethys

Authors:
Lamara Maissuradze at Institute of Paleobiology of Georgian National Museum
Lamara Maissuradze
  • Institute of Paleobiology of Georgian National Museum
Kakhaber Koiava at Tbilisi State University
Kakhaber Koiava
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Three important stages were distinguished in the development of Sarmatian foraminifera of the Ponto-Caspian basin of Eastern Paratethys: the early, which reflects the process of formation of foraminiferal assemblages; the middle – the time of their maximum diversification; the late, when almost all groups of foraminifera disappeared. All three stages are characterized by peculiar foraminiferal assemblages, whose distribution was controlled by different bionomic conditions in the separate regions of the huge Sarmatian basin. © 2011 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.
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sa qa rT ve lo s me cn ierebaT a er ov nu li a ka de miis mo am be , t. 5, #1, 2 011
BU LLE TIN OF TH E GE OR GI AN NATI ON AL ACA DE M Y OF SCI EN CES , vol. 5,
no. 1, 20 11
© 2011 Bul l. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.
Paleontology
Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern
Paratethys
Lamara Maissuradze
*
, Kakhaber Koiava
**
* The Georgian National Museum, L. Davitashvili Institute of Paleobiology, Tbilisi
** Alexandre Janelidze Institute of Geology, Tbilisi
(Presented by Academy Member Abesalom Vekua)
ABSTRACT.
Three important stages were distinguished in the development of Sarmatian foraminifera of the
Ponto-Caspian basin of Eastern Paratethys: the early, which reflects the process of formation of foraminiferal
assemblages; the middle – the time of their maximum diversification; the late, when almost all groups of foraminifera
disappeared. All three stages are characterized by peculiar foraminiferal assemblages, whose distribution was
controlled by different bionomic conditions in the separate regions of the huge Sarmatian basin. © 2011 Bull.
Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.
Key Words: Sarmatian, micropaleontology, foraminifera, Paratethyan.
The orogenic processes, which took place in the Late
Konkian led to drastic changes in marine biota during the
Sarmatian [1]. A restriction of the connections between
the Paratethys and the open ocean occurred at the begin-
ning of this time. In particular the connection with the
Indo-Pacific disappeared [1, 2]. The Late Konkian basin
was replaced by the large, brackish isolated Sarmatian
basin, which had temporary connection with the Mediter-
ranean Sea (Fig. 1).
The Sarmatian Sea occupied the territory from the
Alps to the Aral Sea and was composed of basins with
different bionomic conditions: Pannonian, Dacian, Euxinic
and Caspian basins. The Pannonian basin was connected
to the Dacian basin via the Trans-Carpathian strait, and
the Dacian basin was connected to the Black Sea basin,
and from there, to the Caspian Sea. The Euxine Sea in the
southwest was surrounded by the large Aegean Sea [3].
For the first time the Sarmatian stage of the Central
Paratethys was established by Suess [4] which later was
divided into three substages from the base to the top [5,
6]: Volhynian, Bessarabian and Khersonian. At present
on the territory of Western and Central Paratethys
Sar matian “sensu stricto” [7] that corresponds to
Volhynian and Lower Bessarabian is distinguished, while
Sarmatian “sensu lato” of the Eastern Paratethys corre-
Fig. 1. Outline of the Paratethys-Medi terra nean region during
the Late Miocene (according to Rögl, 1998 ).
144 Lamara Maissuradze, Kakhaber Koiava
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
sponds to the Volhynian, Bessarabian and Khersonian
substages (Table 1).
The study of foraminiferal assemblages is essential
fo r un der stand ing the pal eoe nviro nme nta l an d
paleogeographical evolution of the Eastern Paratethys in
the Sarmatian. In the Eastern Paratethys only some spe-
cies of some genera of foraminifera from Veseliankian (Up-
per Konkian) basin continued into the Sarmatian. How-
ever, during this time they underwent strong morphologi-
cal changes. This prevents a reliable identification of their
ancestors. The evolution of the Sarmatian foraminifers in
the Ponto-Caspian basin was accomplished in three
stages: (1) during the first stage Lower Sarmatian
foraminiferal assemblages were established, (2) during the
second stage they reached their maximum diversification
and (3) in the final stage almost all the groups of
Foraminifera except some of the most euryhalian species
disappeared in the Eastern Paratethys. The three stages
are characterized by peculiar foraminiferal assemblages
(Plate 1; 2) controlled by different environmental condi-
tions in the different basins [8-13].
The cause for the drastic changes in the marine biota
during the Sarmatian basin is still being debated. Accord-
ing to Kolesnikov [3], a large amount of freshwater possi-
bly drained from rivers, whose mass prevailed over the
mass of evaporate moisture, discharging into the Eastern
Paratethys in the Early Sarmatian. The isolation of the
basin and the flow of the large amount of freshwater
caused a strong decrease in salinity.
A more recent study of Piller & Harzhauser [14] sug-
gests that brackish water conditions in the Sarmatian ba-
sin of Paratethys were not constant. The Sarmatian may
be subdivided into at least two stages: a short Early
Sarmatian period of normal marine, probably mixohaline
conditions in marginal areas, and a longer Late Sarmatian
period of normal marine, occasionally hypersaline condi-
tions. Their interpretation is based on the normal marine
fauna and flora (which as a whole include foraminifera,
mo llu scs, ser pul ids , b ryo zoans , dasy cla dacea e,
corallinacean algae and diatoms), present in the Sarmatian
deposits of the Central Paratethys.
In the opinion of the authors of this article, such sup-
position is subject to discussion, because the volume of
deposits of Sarmatian basins of Eastern Paratethys, the
composition of fossil fauna and flora and the process of
their development were quite different from the picture
obtaining in Central Paratethys [9, 11, 12].
According to the data of Maissuradze and Koiava [9,
12], the Early Sarmatian is characterized by two phases:
(1) In the lower part of the Early Sarmatian foraminiferal
assemblages are characterized by Quinqueloculina,
Si nul oculi na, Variden tel la, Affi net rina, No nio n,
Elphidium, Cribroelphidium, Porosononion, Parellina
an d A mmoni a. Bo liv ina, Di sco rbis, Buli min a,
Glabratella, Cibicides and Fissurina are relatively rare
(Table 2a; 2b; 2c). Their morphology does not differ no-
ticeably from that displayed by their Middle Miocene
ancestors. These forms are also characterized by small
sizes, and sometimes, transparent walls. (2) Assemblages
from the upper part of the Early Sarmatian are character-
ized by a reduced diversity because of the disappearance
of B oli vina, Disc orb is, G lab ratella, Cibi cid es,
Caucasina (Table 2a; 2b; 2c). Nevertheless, a large number
of genera survived and adapted to the new environment.
They are characterized by a strong intraspecific variabil-
ity and a potential for speciation.
The Middle Sarmatian can be subdivided into 3 phases:
(1) The lower phase is characterized by foraminiferal assem-
blages very different from those observed in the Early
Sarmatian. New genera such as Dogielina,Meandroloculina,
and Sarmatiella, contributed a considerable number of new
species. Foraminifers of these assemblages are character-
ized by large size. (2) The richest assemblages of endemic
foraminifera are characteristic of the middle phase of the
Middle Sarmatian, when the number of individuals and new
species and their size reaches a maximum. (3) The last phase
of the Middle Sarmatian is distinguished for a decrease in
the abundance of foraminiferal genera, species and indi-
viduals. Because of the worsening of bionomic conditions
the only very few representatives of the most euryhaline
families survived: Nonion, Elphidium, Porosononion, Am-
monia and very seldom Affinetrina, and Varidentella.
Among them Porosononion is characterized by a large size
and additional ornamentations on very coarse walls of tests
[9, 11, 12].
Table 1.
Stratigraphic scheme of Middle and Late Miocene interval.
Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern Paratethys 145
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
146 Lamara Maissuradze, Kakhaber Koiava
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern Paratethys 147
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
Table 2a.
Distribution of Sarmatian foraminifera of the Euxine-Caspian basins.
148 Lamara Maissuradze, Kakhaber Koiava
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
Table 2b.
Distribution of Sarmatian foraminifera of the Euxine-Caspian basins.
Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern Paratethys 149
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
Table 2c.
Distribution of Sarmatian foraminifera of the Euxine-Caspian basins.
150 Lamara Maissuradze, Kakhaber Koiava
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
Several species of some genera (Elphidium, Nonion,
Porosononion, Ammonia) of upper parts of the Middle
Sarmatian assemblages also occur in Upper Sarmatian
(Table 2a; 2b; 2c). Frequently, these forms show deforma-
tion, irregular cameras or immature shell development and
are presented only in some parts of the Late Sarmatian
basin. The above mentioned anomalies of shells point to
the existence of nonoptimal conditions for foraminifera.
According to one opinion, salinity of that basin does not
exceed 4-9‰ [3, 15].
Fossils studied from the sections of Eastern Georgia
(Eldari) [10, 12, 13], Azerbaijan (Nakhichevanian,
Kirovabadian and Precaspian district) [16], South Ukraine
(Borisfensky Bay), the Crimea (Kop-Takil) [17] and in some
regions of Pre-Caucasus [18] that are characterized only
by euryhaline forms: Ammonia, Elphidium , Nonion
(foraminifera); fresh water Leptocytere, Cyprideis,
Iliocypres, Candona, Xostoleberis (ostracods) and re-
mains of Characeae; some species of molluscs Mactra
caspia Eichv., M.bulgarica Toula, which phylogenetically
were connected with Middle Sarmatian Mactra [19] indi-
cate existance of brackish conditions of Late Sarmatian
basin.
Thus the existence of normal marine and hypersaline
conditions in the Upper Sarmatian basins of Eastern
Paratethys, supposed by Pillar & Harzhauser [14], is not
proved paleontologicaly. Though taking into considera-
tion Belokris’s [20] supposition that there were hypersaline
conditions in Borisfensky Bay in the Late Sarmatian ba-
sin (increase in salinity is proved by the author by obvi-
ous limestone dolomitization and climate aridization) it
can be supposed that together with brackish regime in
the Upper Sarmatian of Eastern Paratethys in some parts
of the basin there were hypersaline conditions.
* saqarTvelos erovnuli muzeumi, paleobiologiis instituti, Tbilisi
** aleqsandre janeliZis geologiis instituti, Tbilisi
(warmodgenilia akademiis wevris a. vekuas mier)
Biodiversity of Sarmatian Foraminifera of the Eastern Paratethys 151
Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 5, no. 1, 2011
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... Right after the isolation, during the Volhynian, the aquatic faunal communities gradually radiated and thrived in the Bessarabian. However, at the transition to the Khersonian lowstand, the ecosystem collapsed: the biodiversity of molluscs shrunk by about 90%, the entire foraminifera fauna vanished and the marine vertebrate fauna such as fishes, dolphins, whales and seals went nearly entirely extinct (Paramonova, 1994;Maissuradze and Koiava, 2011;Popov et al., 2022;Gol'din and Startsev, 2017). ...
... In the terminal Bessarabian, uplift of the Caucasus and the closure of the Transcaucasian Strait took place (Cavazza et al., 2024;Mosar et al., 2010;Nemčok et al., 2013;Sokhadze et al., 2018). During the Khersonian, a series of sudden high-amplitude water level drops in the Eastern Paratethys not only disconnected its subbasins (including the Caspian Basin) but also provoked a near-total extinction of all faunal groups (Paramonova, 1994;Popov et al., 2010;Gol'din and Startsev, 2017;Maissuradze and Koiava, 2011). The Eastern Paratethys endorheic phase was terminated by the Maeotian transgression that shortly reconnected the basin with the global ocean, presumably via the Aegean Basin (Lazarev et al., 2020;Palcu et al., 2019;Vasiliev et al., 2021). ...
... From the Transcarpathian and modern Ukraine areas of the Eastern Paratethys, we used the studies of Bogdanovich (1952), Venglinsky (1953Venglinsky ( , 1958Venglinsky ( , 1962Venglinsky ( , 1975, Serova (1955), Subbotina et al. (1960), Didkowski (1961), Didkowski and Satanovskaja (1970) and Pishanova (1969). For other areas of Eastern Paratethys related to the Caucasus, Black and Caspian seas Voloshinova (1952Voloshinova ( ), 1958Krasheninnikov (1959); Zhizhtschenko (1959); Maisuradze (1971Maisuradze ( ), 1980Maissuradze and Koiava (2011);Vernyhorova et al., (2023) were used. For the Polish part of the Paratethys, we used the papes of Łuczkowska (1974) and Szczechura (1982). ...
Hydrological isolation of the Paratethys in the late Middle-Late Miocene: Integrated stratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and biotic record of the Caspian Basin, Karagiye, Kazakhstan
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2025
  • MAR PETROL GEOL
The hydrological connectivity of semi-isolated basins with the global ocean drives remarkable ecosystem turnover and regional climate shifts, making palaeoenvironmental and palaeohydrological studies of the epicontinental basins of high relevance. During the late Middle–Late Miocene, the Paratethys Sea, which occupied vast areas of the West Eurasian Interior, underwent a notable hydrological isolation from the global ocean. Between 12.65 and 7.65 Ma, the Paratethys experienced significant water level fluctuations and eventually near-total ecosystem collapse. The causes and timing of these hydrological and biotic changes remain unclear, especially in the understudied Caspian Sea region. Our study presents an integrated stratigraphic framework of the 136-m-thick Karagiye section on the east coast of the Caspian Sea (Mangystau region, Kazakhstan). The fauna-rich deposits document the pre- (Konkian), syn- (Volhynian, Bessarabian and Khersonian) and post-isolation (Maeotian) phases of Paratethys evolution at its eastern margin. We reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental history of the Caspian Basin by combining palaeomagnetic dating with biostratigraphic analyses of microfauna, molluscs, marine vertebrates and calcareous nannoplankton. Our key findings in the studied section include: 1. Konkian (incomplete): Open lagoonal environments with restricted connectivity to the global ocean in the early Konkian followed by a middle Konkian faunal influx and establishment of normal marine environments; 2. Volhynian (incomplete, 12.3–12.05 Ma): Onset of Paratethys hydrological isolation with marginal lagoonal environments, new endemic species, plus rare surviving Konkian taxa; 3. Bessarabian (12.05–9.9 Ma): Transgression and offshore setting at ~12.05 Ma with maximum flooding at 11.6 Ma and Intra-Bessarabian Carbonate Surge at ~10.7 Ma, followed by upper Bessarabian (10.7–9.9 Ma) carbonate platform interior settings; 4. Khersonian (9.9–7.65 Ma): Khersonian Ecological Crisis, carbonate platform to backshore environments with hiatus between 9.5 and ~8.0 Ma representing an extreme lowstand. 5. Maeotian (incomplete 7.65–7.0 Ma): Transgression at 7.65 Ma, followed by a delayed invasion of Maeotian faunas at 7.5 Ma, linked to the reconnection of the Caspian Basin with the rest of the Eastern Paratethys. The well-dated biotic record of Karagiye enhances understanding of Paratethyan hydrological and ecological events in the Caspian Basin and provides a foundation for further palaeoclimatic and palaeobiogeographic studies across Eurasia.
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... During the middle of the Bessarabian (Vasylivkian regional horizon), there was a wide middle shelf zone with a diverse and rich benthic fauna typical for the middle Sarmatian s.l., with, for example, common species of Mactra, Obsoletiforma, Plicatiforma, and Barbotella among mollusks and Meandroloculina, Quinqueloculina, Triloculina, Flintina, Elphidium, and Porosononion among foraminifera (Kolesnikov, 1940;Didkovskiy, 1964;Belokrys, 1963Belokrys, , 1976Maisuradze, 1980;Nevesskaya and Sokolov, 1986;Paramonova, 1994;Popov et al., 2004;Maisuradze and Koiava, 2011;Popov et al., 2019). This faunal association lived along the periphery of the Borysfen Gulf in the Tauride Strait, and also in the western part of the Yenikal Strait (i.e., on the western terrain of the Kerch Peninsula) (Figures 4-5) (Kolesnikov, 1940;Molyavko and Pidoplichko, 1955;Didkovskiy, 1964;Belokrys, 1966Belokrys, , 1976Didkovskiy and Kulichenko, 1975;Bratishko et al., 2023). ...
... Foraminifera near the coast and further out into the basin were represented by few tests of certain species: Kolesnikov, 1940;Mlyavko and Pidoplochko, 1955;Didkovskyi, 1964;Belokrys, 1966Belokrys, , 1976Didkovskyi and Kulichenko, 1975;Bratishko et al., 2023). 1846) (Didkovskiy, 1964;Didkovskiy and Kulichenko, 1975;Maisuradze, 1980;Nevesskaya and Sokolov, 1986;Maisuradze and Koiava, 2011). In contrast to the northern Crimean Peninsula and Syvash area (Figure 4), the Yenikal Strait on the Kerch Peninsula (Figures 4-5) accumulated calcareous non-dolomitized clays, and assemblages of small mollusks and small foraminifers were highly depleted in diversity (see Belokrys, 1976;Vernyhorova 2014, 2016, andreferences therein;Bratishko et al., 2023). ...
... Thus, in the Lower Dnipro region (near the cities of Berislav and Tyaginka in the Kherson region and Yuryevka city in the Mykolaiv region) (Figure 4), deposits at the beginning of the Khersonian are composed of clays, marls, sands, and conglomerates of up to 2 m thickness and contain remains of terrestrial vertebrates (horses, proboscides, rhinoceroses, giraffes, gazelles, etc.) (Molyavko and Pidoplichko, 1955;Molyavko, 1960;Didkovskiy and Kulichenko, 1975;Nevesskaya and Sokolov, 1986). Foraminifera are almost absent, except occasionally a small number of representa-tives of Ammonia, Elphidium, Porosononion, Entosolenia, and Bolivina (Didkovskiy, 1964;Bogdanowich, 1965;Didkovskiy and Kulichenko, 1975;Maisuradze, 1980;Nevesskaya and Sokolov, 1986;Maisuradze and Koiava, 2011;Bratishko et al., 2023). ...
Approaching the Khersonian Crisis: Fish otoliths from the upper Bessarabian (middle Sarmatian s.l.; Late Miocene) of Jurkine (Kerch Peninsula, Crimea)
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  • Aug 2023
  • PALAEONTOL ELECTRON
After its separation from the world ocean, the Paratethys formed a large inland marine water body during the Serravallian and Tortonian (Middle to Late Miocene) with a diverse environmental setting that underwent multiple fast and short-lived ecological changes. The trapped bony fish fauna either adapted to the rapid ecological changes (forced endemism) or perished. A major event during the late Sarmatian s.l. (Khersonian; late Tortonian; Late Miocene) was the Khersonian Crisis in the Eastern Paratethys, which is postulated to have led to the demise of stenohaline marine fishes in the basin. A rich fully marine otolith-based fish fauna has recently been described from the middle Bessarabian (middle Sarmatian s.l.; early Tortonian) of Jurkine, Kerch Peninsula, Crimea. A small otolith-based fauna from a higher part of the Bessarabian in the Jurkine section is described. It is greatly depleted in faunal composition and shares only a single species with the older, stenohaline marine fauna: the clupeid Maeotichthys wilhelmi. A second, new clupeid is described as Maeotichthys salebrosus n. sp. The highly diverse and dominant association of the Gobiidae, a family that has shown to be particularly well positioned to adapt to the rapid ecological changes in the basin, is not present anymore. Instead, the Gobiidae are represented only by a single taxon of the Benthophilini (tadpole gobies): Scythogobius spissus n. gen., n. sp. We interpret this drastic change in the faunal composition of fishes, which is also mirrored in benthic foraminifera, as an indication of spreading suboxic sea bottom conditions in the basin (including the Jurkine section), probably as a harbinger of the approaching Khersonian Crisis.
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... Levels 1-10 pertain to the middle Sarmatian s.l. based on foramniferal index species typical of the Bessarabian (all representatives of the genera Meandroloculina, Sarmatiella, Dogielina; varieties of Porosononion subgranosus; Quinqueloculina voloshinovae, and its varieties) (e.g., Bogdanowich 1965;Maissuradze 1980;Maissuradze & Koiava 2011). The benthic foraminifer species composition is typical for the middle part of the Bessarabian (called "deposits with typical Middle Sarmatian fauna" in the cited literature). ...
... The benthic foraminifer species composition is typical for the middle part of the Bessarabian (called "deposits with typical Middle Sarmatian fauna" in the cited literature). This fauna is characterized in the Eastern Paratethys by an evolutionary pulse in the diversity of foraminiferal species driven by the appearance of a large number of endemic species and their variations (e.g., Didkovsky 1964;Muratov & Nevesskaya 1986;Maissuradze 1971Maissuradze , 1980Maissuradze & Koiava 2011). In addition to the specific set of foraminifera, these levels also exhibit a diverse association of mollusks and bryozoans (the so-called "vincular limestones" with clusters of Schizoporellidae; e.g. ...
... subtilis, Elphidium reginum. Thus, based on the foraminifera and in the absence of the index species of mollusks for the Khersonian (Mactra (Chersonimactra) caspia), these deposits (levels [12][13][14] are now placed in the Dnipropetrovskian regional horizon of the Bessarabian (following Didkovsky, 1964;Maissuradze, 1971Maissuradze, , 1980Maissuradze & Koiava, 2011). ...
2023- Bratischko et al- Middle Miocene (Bessarabian) otoliths from Crimea, Estern Paratethys
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Full-text available
  • Feb 2023
Reconstructing fossil bony fish faunas using otoliths is a well-established method that allows a diverse and dense record in time and space to be assembled. Here, we report about a rich otolith-based fish fauna from the middle Sarmatian s.l. (middle Bessarabian) from Jurkine, Kerch Peninsula, Crimea. The study is based on more than 5,000 specimens constituting 36 different species, 24 of which are new and two remain in open nomenclature. This assemblage represents the first major otolith association described from the Bessarabian. It also represents a fish fauna from the last continuous restricted marine environment that evolved in the Eastern Paratethys, was recruited from the Badenian/Tarkhanian fauna, and was not affected by the subsequent Khersonian crisis. The association of otoliths is characterized by a high content of endemic fishes that derived from the relatively well-known early Sarmatian s.l. (Volhynian) fish fauna, and it contains certain faunal elements that were trapped in the then-isolated Eastern Paratethys and did not range into younger strata. This forced endemic evolution explains the unusually high percentage of new taxa. The fish fauna is dominated by stenohaline marine shelf fishes apparently recruited from the Konkian and earlier Sarmatian s.l. (Volhynian) fauna after the Karaganian crisis. The families Gobiidae and Gadidae benefited most in this restricted marine environment, while deep-water fishes disappeared with the Karaganian crisis. In this study, we discuss the further evolution of Eastern Paratethyan fishes as far as can be reconstructed from the relatively limited data from post-Bessarabian strata and also outline targets for future research in the field. The stratigraphic sequence of the Jurkine section is being revised based on a detailed suite of benthic foraminifera. Implications for the stratigraphy of the middle and upper Sarmatian s.l., their boundary, and the paleoenvironments of this part of the Kerch Peninsula are discussed.
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... During the Vallesian crisis, the warm and humid climate was replaced by a relatively dry environment (Fortelius et al. 2002(Fortelius et al. , 2003Shatilova et al. 2011;Zubakov 1990;Zubakov and Borzenkova 1990;Vasiliev et al. 2015), causing a sharp decrease in the basin area ( Figure 1b) where the late Sarmatian (s.l.) sea level dropped 230 metres from the Bessarabian basin level (Popov et al. 2010;Palcu et al. 2018). These drastic palaeoclimatic, palaeogeographic, and palaeoecological changes in the Eastern Paratethys basin had a negative impact on the biocenosis and biodiversity of the basin, as calcareous nannoplankton vanished, and the complexes of molluscs, ostracods, and foraminifera were significantly depleted (Muskhelishvili 1980;Maisuradze 1981;Karmishina 1986;Paramonova 1986Paramonova , 1994Paramonova et al. 1986;Koiumdjieva et al. 1988;Nevesskaia 1999;Maisuradze and Koiava 2011;Radionova et al. 2012;Krijgsman et al. 2020). It also affected the vertebrate fauna of the basin by significantly reducing the diversity of ichthyofauna and marine mammals (Bazhanov et al. 1958;Mchedlidze 1976Mchedlidze , 1984Mchedlidze , 1988Danilchenko 1986;Gol'din and Startsev,2017). ...
The smallest late Miocene phocine from the Southern Caucasus and the Eastern Paratethys seal community crisis
Article
  • Dec 2022
The Caucasus is one of the most important areas for the study of Paratethyan Neogene phocids, with a number of ‘paleorookery’ sites that are still poorly studied. In this study, the remains of a fossil phocine from the Late Miocene locality of Eldari I (late Vallesian/late Sarmatian s.l.) in the Southern Caucasus are described and compared with other Paratethyan phocines. The new materials obtained from the site consists of the right complete forelimb bones along with the carpal and metacarpal bones in natural anatomical articulation and a right innominate bone fragment. Additionally, published remains of ‘Phoca’ procaspica from Eldari I are analysed. Based on morphological and morphometric studies, the Eldari I phocine is assigned to the genus Praepusa. The skeletal material demonstrates a distinct combination of diagnostic traits that can be attributed to the smallest representative of the subfamily, Praepusa procaspica. During the early Late Miocene (10 Ma.), major palaeoecological and palaeogeographic changes took place in the Eastern Paratethyan basin, which significantly decreased the diversity of phocids and had a negative impact on the remnant taxa; this was expressed in the Eldari I and Küçükçekmece seals by the decrease in body size and a change in the feeding apparatus.
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... (Krasheninnikov) and Discorbis kartvelicus Krasheninnikov (Maissuradze et al., 2014). It is proposed that (Bogdanovich) allowed attribution of the studied deposits to the Lower Sarmatian (Maissuradze and Koiava, 2011). ...
Astronomical tuning of the Eastern Georgia Konkian (Kura basin)
Article
  • Oct 2020
The shallow-marine sediments of the Middle Miocene (mainly the Konkian) of the Eastern Georgia (Eastern Paratethys, Kura basin) were investigated by cyclostratigraphy methods. Time series analysis (Lomb-Scargle and REDFIT periodograms, Gaussian filters) revealed statistically significant signal with 2,4–2,7 m wavelength corresponding most likely to the precession cycle. Based on statistical processes, a sedimentation rate of the studied sediments from 8,75 to 13,75 cm/kyr for different depositional setting was detected. We suggest that the studied Eastern Georgia Konkian sediments (Sartaganian and Veselyankian beds) accumulated during of at least 475–600 kyr. The Sartaganian (beds with most diverse marine fauna of the Konkian) can be correlated with interval of highest sea-level rise of TB 2,5 cycle.
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... (Krasheninnikov) and Discorbis kartvelicus Krasheninnikov (Maissuradze et al., 2014). It is proposed that (Bogdanovich) allowed attribution of the studied deposits to the Lower Sarmatian (Maissuradze and Koiava, 2011). ...
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... This group of foraminifera is pe cu liar to shal low wa ters with sa lini ties vary ing from nor mal to hypersaline (£uczkowska, 1974;Murray, 2006;Filipescu et al., 2014) and can not live in hyposaline con di tions (Murray, 1968). Ac cord ingly, the pres ence of these as semblages in the sec tions stud ied in di cates ep i sodes of slightly higher sa lin ity dur ing the Early Sarmatian, both in PCFB and in the ECFB, which is against the tra di tional opin ion that the Sarmatian was in gen eral a brack ish pe riod in the Paratethys (Papp, 1956;Czepiec and Kotarba, 1998;Fordinál et al., 2006;Ionesi, 2006;Vrsaljko et al., 2006;Maissuradze and Koiava, 2011). ...
The evolution of the Carpathian Foredeep Basin during the latest Badenian and Sarmatian (Middle Miocene): inferences from micropalaeontological data
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2020
  • GEOL Q
Seven Middle Miocene (Upper Badenian to Lower Sarmatian) sedimentary sections of the Central Paratethys, two from the Polish Carpathian Foredeep Basin (PCFB) and five from the Eastern Carpathian Foreland Basin (ECFB) of Romania and the Republic of Moldova have been analysed micropalaeontologically to better constrain the Badenian-Sarmatian Extinction Event, characterized by significant taxonomic impoverish ment of both foraminifers and ostracods. Our studies show significant palaeoenvironmental changes in the basin including depth, salinity, oxygenation, and organic matterflux. The occurrence of moderately diverse planktonic foraminifera (Globigerina, Globigerinita, Globorotalia, Trilobatus, Orbulina, Velapertina) in the Upper Badenian deposits of the PCFB as well as in the ECFB and their rarity in the lowermost Sarmatian indicate an almost fully marine environment during the latest Badenian, followed by a significant regression and possible appearance of much more restricted marine conditions across the boundary. The taxonomic composition of the Sarmatian foraminifera, ostracoda and calcareous nannofossils indicate that during this in terval the salinity fluctuated strongly, with the water regime varying from brackish to normal marine. In addition, the identified micropalaeontological assemblages show palaeoenvironmental similarity across different basins of the Central Paratethys. This supports a hypothesis of possible connections during the latest Badenian between different areas of the Central Paratethys, as well as of the existence of a gateway between the Central Paratethys and the Mediterranean realm.
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Origin and Taxonomy of the Pleistocene Ponto-Caspian Benthic Foraminifera
Chapter
  • Sep 2022
All lower taxa of Quaternary foraminifera are subdivided into autochthons and allochthons. The former originate from the Eastern Paratethys and its relic, the Black and Caspian basins. They are divided into ancient (pre-Quaternary), new (Eopleistocene), and newest (Neopleistocene-Holocene). Allochthons migrated to the Ponto-Caspian from adjacent basins during their connections (outer allochthons), as well as from one part of the Ponto-Caspian to another (inner allochthons). The latter, in relation to the Ponto-Caspian as a whole, are considered autochthons. Autochthons are subdivided in Paratethys relics and Quaternary endemics. For the allochthons, the time, paths, and direction of their migration are reconstructed. Redeposited tests, which occur throughout the Quaternary section due to erosion of different age sediments (from Cretaceous to Pliocene), are excluded from the analysis. The Caspian foraminiferal fauna is characterized by a high degree of endemism (88%). No immigrants from the Pontic basin are present. Allochthonous forms have a wide but discontinuous distribution. All this suggests that Caspian foraminiferal fauna is largely inherited from the Tethys/Eastern Paratethys and underwent internal evolution within the basin that was isolated from the World Ocean for a very long time. Thus, the Caspian region can be considered to be a zoogeographic province. For the Black Sea region, the generic endemism of the foraminiferal fauna is not typical and bears distinct features of inheritance from the faunas of the Tethys, Paratethys, and the relic Caspian basin. Species endemism is observed in the genera Ammonia, Aubignyna, and Mayerella, while subspecies endemism is present in the most ancient, mainly early and mid-Quaternary Porosononion and Elphidium species. Along with Ammonia, these genera have great stratigraphic significance as they are represented by independent lower taxa at different stratigraphic levels. Migration of the Mediterranean low-rank taxa into the Black Sea occurred in pulses following the glacioeustatic sea-level fluctuations. Eight migration pulses are clearly distinguished: (1) Early Neopleistocene, (2, 3) Middle Neopleistocene, (4, 5) Late Neopleistocene, and (6–8) Holocene. With each pulse, new species and subspecies penetrated into the Pont. The most powerful was the fourth pulse, during which 54 species and subspecies migrated into the Black Sea, many of which do not live there now. The second most powerful was the seventh wave of migration (35 species and subspecies). The fourth pulse corresponds to the Mulino interglacial and the seventh to the Holocene optimum. The Black Sea region is characterized by low endemism at the species and subspecies levels (only 0.6% are endemic forms), with common Mediterranean and Atlantic taxa, mainly boreal immigrants. Consequently, this region should be considered a sub-province of the Mediterranean Province and as part of the Boreal Zone. The entire fauna of the Ponto-Caspian foraminifera is a shallow dwelling. The Azov fauna is a depleted Black Sea fauna, consisting mainly of infralittoral cold-water species and subspecies. The information presented in this section, along with the data from Chaps. 4 and 5, provide the evidence to formulate the concept of the origin of the Ponto-Caspian Quaternary foraminifera.
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Late Miocene megalake regressions in Eurasia
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2021
The largest megalake in the geological record formed in Eurasia during the late Miocene, when the epicontinental Paratethys Sea became tectonically-trapped and disconnected from the global ocean. The megalake was characterized by several episodes of hydrological instability and partial desiccation, but the chronology, magnitude and impacts of these paleoenvironmental crises are poorly known. Our integrated stratigraphic study shows that the main desiccation episodes occurred between 9.75 and 7.65 million years ago. We identify four major regressions that correlate with aridification events, vegetation changes and faunal turnovers in large parts of Europe. Our paleogeographic reconstructions reveal that the Paratethys was profoundly transformed during regression episodes, losing ~ 1/3 of the water volume and ~ 70% of its surface during the most extreme events. The remaining water was stored in a central salt-lake and peripheral desalinated basins while vast regions (up to 1.75 million km ² ) became emergent land, suitable for development of forest-steppe landscapes. The partial megalake desiccations match with climate, food-web and landscape changes throughout Eurasia, although the exact triggers and mechanisms remain to be resolved.
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New Data on Distribution of Sarmatian Foraminifera in the Sediments of Kakheti
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2006
Sarmatian sediments on the territory of Kakheti are oil-bearing. In the recent years, for the purpose of prospecting oil and gas, deep oil wells have been bored. Processing of muddy material allowed the foraminifera complexes in alterna¬tion in the sediments revealed by the wells. The material was studied in the oil wells: Vashliani 1, Vashliani 10, Taribana 39, Taribana 40. So middle and lower Sarmatian and Konkian are established according to foraminifera complexes in oil wells. Middle Sarmatian sediments are divided into three parts, and lower Sarmatian – into two. The lower part of lower Sarmatian is transitional, and its fauna complex proves successive connection between Konkian and Sarmatian faunas.
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The myth of the brackish Sarmatian Sea
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2005
  • TERRA NOVA
The biota of the 1.5 Ma period of the Middle Miocene Sarmatian of the Central Paratethys lack stenohaline components. This was the reason to interpret the Sarmatian stage as transitional between the marine Badenian and the lacustrine Pannonian stages. However, our new data indicate that brackish water conditions could not have prevailed. Sarmatian foraminifera, molluscs, serpulids, bryozoans, dasycladacean and corallinacean algae as well as diatoms clearly indicate normal marine conditions for the entire Sarmatian. During the Lower Sarmatian, however, a sea-level lowstand forced the development of many marginal marine environments. During the Late Sarmatian a highly productive carbonate factory of oolite shoals, mass-occurrences of thick-shelled molluscs and larger foraminifera, as well as marine cements clearly point to normal marine to hypersaline conditions. This trend is not restricted to the western margin of the Pannonian Basin System but can be observed in the entire Central and even Eastern Paratethys.
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The Neogene stratigraphic scale of the Eastern Paratethys
Article
  • Mar 2003
  • STRATIGR GEO CORREL+
The Neogene stratigraphic scale comprising 12 regional stages of the Eastern Paratethys is discussed. The stratotype, its lithology, and characteristic micro- and macrofossils are given for every regional stage with indication of their stratigraphic position and probable correlation with regional stages of the Western Paratethys and with stages of the Mediterranean scale. Paleogeographic features of the Eastern Paratethys and its links with other basins are characterized for every stage of the Neogene history. A particular attention is paid to boundaries of series and subseries. The lower Neogene boundary is arbitrarily drawn in the lower part of the Caucasian regional stage, the lower-middle Miocene boundary is drawn within the Tarkhanian regional stage, and the middle-upper Miocene boundary is placed within the uppermost middle Sarmatian regional stage. The Miocene-Pliocene boundary coincides with the top of the Pontian regional stage whereas the Neogene-Quaternary boundary is placed slightly above the upper boundary of the Akchagylian regional stage.
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Oligocene - Miocene foraminifera of the Central Paratethys
Article
  • Jul 1998
Due to the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia and the rotation of Africa the Paratethys came into being, an intracontinental sea from the western Alps to inner Asia. This new bioprovince is characterized by its particular geodynamic evolution and specialized aquatic faunas. The Central Paratethys, reaching from Bavaria to the Black Sea, marked by its connections to the Mediterranean, the Indopacific and its occasional total isolation, is shown to be a distinct subprovince deserving an independent stratigraphical concept of regional stages. This atlas is an attempt to present this area of sedimentation and its foraminiferal faunas. 28 scientists of 13 countries have worked on it for several years. The investigated time span includes the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and reaches up to the Middle Miocene (Sarmatian stage). Within the Pannonian stage only a few foraminiferids are known due to the increasing fresh water character of the Pannonian sediments. Within a brief introduction to the regional stratigraphy the correlation with the regional stages of the Eastern Paratethys and the Mediterranean is discussed. Short summaries about the geological development of the various basins of the Central Paratethys were necessary because of their different geodynamic and faunistic evolution. They are complete with range charts of regional stratigraphically important foraminiferal species, which sometimes differ from the compilated range charts of the subsequent atlas. The following areas are discussed: the Alpine Foredeep of Bavaria and Austria, the Carpathian Foredeep from Moravia to the Ukraine and its southern outskirts in NW Bulgaria, the Oligocene to Miocene Flysch sediments within the Carpathians from Moravia to the Ukraine, the basins within the Alpine-Carpathian arch in the Pannonian area and adjacent basins such as the Vienna Basin, the Styrian Basin, the Danube Basin, the South Slovakian Basin, the East Slovakian Basin, the Transcarpathian Basin, the Transylvanian Basin and marginal basins in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. The atlas itself presents a selection of about 600 of the most important species, arranged according to the system of LOEBLICH & TAPPAN (1987). Each plate is accompanied by a stratigraphical range chart of the figured species. New genera and species, first discribed within this atlas, are discussed in a systematcal part: Colominellinae POPESCU nov. subfam., Colominella POPESCU nov. gen., Paragaudryinella POPESCU nov. gen., Geminiella POPESCU nov. gen., Porosolenia POPESCU nov. gen., Lapugyina POPESCU nov. gen., Neugeborina POPESCU nov. gen., Gaudryinopsis austriacus RÖGL nov. sp., Planularia karolyi CICHA & RÖGL nov. sp., Lapugyina schmidi POPESCU nov. sp., Uvigerina popescui RÖGL, nov. sp., Svratkina cichai POPESCU nov. sp., Alabamina armellae POPESCU nov. sp., Cassigerinella spinata RÖGL nov. sp. A taxonomical index with original citation, type locality, repository and, in many cases, systematic remarks on the figured species is included. References and a regional and a taxonomical index complete the atlas.
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The Biostratigraphy of Sarmatian Deposits of Eastern Georgia Based on Foraminifera
Thesis
  • Oct 2006
PhD Thesis, Alexandre Djanelidze Institute of Geology, Tbilisi (2006), pp. 1-163. (In Georgian) The work consists of two parts -stratigraphical and paleontological – organized in seven chapters. The stratigraphical part consists of 5 chapters: I. The brief review of study history of Eastern Georgia Sarmatian deposits; II. The brief geological description of the Miocene deposits; III. The description of outcrops; IV. The stratigraphical subdivision of Sarmatian deposits of Eastern Georgia based on foraminifera. V. Palaeogeography. The palaeontological part consists of two chapters: VI. Review of Sarmatian foraminifera; VII. Description of the foraminifera.
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Benchmark data of a changing sea — Palaeogeography, Palaeobiogeography and events in the Central Paratethys during the Miocene
Article
  • Sep 2007
  • PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCL
The reconstruction and interpretation of terrestrial ecosystems and vegetational patterns in the Central European Miocene have to take into account the influence of a vast landlocked water body, namely the Paratethys Sea. As a northern appendage of the early Mediterranean Sea, it spanned a north-south gradient of at least 4° latitude and has been suggested to represent some kind of “palaeothermometer”, which reflected slight expansions or restrictions of climatic belts. Due to its vulnerable marine connections it was also highly susceptible to major (global) sea-level fluctuations which are reflected in phases of endemism. Hence, a fairly continuous record of marine nearshore assemblages throughout the Miocene reflects an extraordinary interplay of sea-level fluctuations, changes in climate, immigrations, and blooms in autochthonous elements. Whilst biostratigraphic implications of these patterns were recognised early in palaeontology, a biogeographic model is still lacking. The intermingling of palaeogeographic terms with those restricted to biogeography is still commonly used — a situation which can be overcome by integrating data from different biota into a new palaeobiogeographic scheme.
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Mediterranean and Paratethys. Facts and Hypotheses of an Oligocene to Miocene Paleogeography (short overview)
Article
  • Nov 1998
  • GEOL CARPATH
Paleogeographical considerations on the development of the Paratethys and the Mediterranean during Oligocene and Miocene are presented in twelve time-slices. Plate tectonic activities and the collision of India with Asia caused the destruction of the Western Tethys Ocean in the Late Eocene. The Mediterranean and the intracontinental Paratethys basins came into existence as new marine realms. In the Mediterranean Basin open oceanic connections existed throughout the Oligocene and most of the Miocene. The Eastern Paratethys and the Central to Western Paratethys showed different marine conditions and changing connections most of the time. A first period with reduced salinity, anoxic bottom conditions, and strong endemisms occurred throughout the Paratethys in a short period of the Lower Oligocene (Solenovian, NP 23). It was followed by more open marine conditions with wide-spread clastic sedimenta- tion (Upper Kiscellian, Kalmykian, NP 24). By the collision of Africa and Arabia with Eurasia, the seaway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean was closed in Burdigalian time, but a new landbridge enabled a distinct mammal migration between the continents (Gomphotherium Landbridge). During the Middle Miocene marine sea- ways between the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the Paratethys opened and closed intermittently. Finally, the marine connections of the Paratethys were strongly reduced, and gave way to the endemic faunal development during the later Miocene (Sarmatian to Pontian).
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  • Jan 1956
  • 189
  • V Pobedna
  • A Voroshilova
  • O Rybina
V. Pobedna, A. Voroshilova, O. Rybina, Z. Kuznetsova (1956), Spravochnik po mikrofaune sredne-i verkhnemiotsenovykh otlozhenii Azerbaidjana: 189pp. (in Russian).
K paleobiologicheskoi istorii foraminifer pozdnego miocena Chernomorsko-Kaspiiskogo basseina
  • Jan 1980
  • 85
  • L Maissuradze
L. Maissuradze (1980), K paleobiologicheskoi istorii foraminifer pozdnego miocena Chernomorsko-Kaspiiskogo basseina. Tbilisi: 85pp. (in Russian).