Depositional cycles and Fe/Mn ratio in Upper Absheron substage succession in the western flank of the South Khazarian/Caspian depression of the Azerbaijan Republic

Abstract

The Caspian Sea, the largest land locked basin in the world, isolated from ParaTethys at the end of Messinian. Since that time sedimentation there took place under conditions of isolated basin temporarily connected with Black Sea in Upper Pliocene (Akchagyl). For the first time very detailed study (centimeter scale) of outcrop was carried out for stratigraphy and paleoecology of the Upper absheron substage deposits cropped out in the Western flank of the South Caspian depression (Shikhovo exposure) of the Azerbaijan Republic. The data obtained demonstrated the high-frequency cyclicity in sedimentation accompanied by rapid lateral and vertical depositional environment change. Most of these system tracts have not yet been studied in detail. The depositional setting during accumulation of this succession has changed within shore face-shelf environment. On the background of these cycles, the depositional series of a higher order containing sediments deposited during very small-scale sea level fall and rise occur. Some information contained in this document is the new data, due to more recent observations and interpretations.