Lectostratotype of the Maikopian Group in the Belaya River Section Upstream of the Town of Maikop (Western Ciscaucasia) in the Oligocene Part

Abstract

The section of Maikop deposits on the Belaya River upstream of the town of Maikop is characteristic of Western and Central Ciscaucasia; it is well exposed and well-studied and can be considered as the type section of the Maikop Group. The section shows a continuous transition from the underlying white marl of the Belaya Glina Formation to dark clay lying at the base of the Maikop Group. The lower Oligocene part of the section exposes an almost uninterrupted outcrop of the Pshekha Formation and shows unconformities at the base and top of the Polbian Bed. These are overlain by the lower non-carbonate and upper carbonate subformations of the Morozkina Balka Formation and the Batalpashinsk and undivided Upper Oligocene Septarian + Zelenchuk formations. This paper contains a detailed lithological description of the section with a summary of its fossils. The composition of the studied microphytoplankton and animal remains, including nannoplankton, planktonic and benthic foraminifers, mollusks, and ichthyofauna is described and paleomagnetic study results are presented. The study of palynology and dinocysts from the same series of samples was previously completed. The history of the study of the Maikop Group and its subdivision into formations are discussed. This paper discusses the possibility of using the data for correlation and reconstruction of the depositional environment.