A palynological and sedimentological study of an outcrop succession adjacent to the village of Kamyanka within the Kharkiv region of northeast Ukraine was carried out. The successions occur within the Dnieper-Donets Basin, which hosts vast successions (> 20 km) of post midDevonian strata and is one of the main hydrocarbonproducing basins in Europe. Middle Jurassic sandstones, siltstones and claystones represent the sedimentary successions at the Kamyanska locality. Few palynological studies have been performed on the Jurassic of Ukraine and even fewer presented in the international literature. Thirty spore taxa and 21 pollen taxa were identified, together with taxa kept in open nomenclature (e.g. bisaccate pollen). Two palynological assemblages were identified within the Kamyanska succession (assemblages A and B) dated as Bathonian. Assemblage A is dominated by the fern spores (Cyathidites and Osmundacidites) and gymnosperm pollen produced by Cupressaceae (Perinopollenites elatoides), ginkgophytes/Cycadales/ Bennettitales (monosulcates) and Cheirolepidiaceae (Classopollis). Assemblage B differs in also comprising high abundances of Gleicheniidites and higher percentages of Pinuspollenites and Araucariacites compared to assemblage A. Another difference between the two units is the high relative abundance of seed fern pollen (Alisporites) in the upper part of assemblage B. The thermal alteration index (TAI) of the palynomorphs is estimated to range from 3 to 3.5, indicating a burial depth corresponding to the mature main phase of liquid petroleum and, to some extent, gas generation. Comparisons between the miospore and macrofloral assemblages show that the palynoflora and macroflora are strongly similar at broad taxonomic levels. Importantly, the miospore assemblages described here compare well with European Middle Jurassic assemblages indicating limited provincialism, with similar vegetation extending from eastern Ukraine and across most of Western Europe.Keywords Mesozoic . Kamyanka . Petroleum . Vegetation . Thermal alteration index (TAI) . Dnieper-Donets Basin ІntroductionThe Jurassic is an interesting period in the Earth's history as it saw the rise to ecological dominance of the dinosaurs, the evolution of birds, extant sub-classes of mammals, the fragmentation of Pangea and two major flood basalt events, both associated with massive biotic change. This took place in a context of generally elevated CO 2 and muted latitudinal temperature gradients; i.e. temperature differences between the tropics and the polar regions were less extreme compared to the present (Steinthorsdottir and Vajda 2015; Slater et al. 2018a, this issue). The poles were ice-free, and the vegetation was characterised by little provincialism (Vajda and WigforssLange 2009). However, in order to compare and contrast the vegetation between different regions through the palynoflora,

Наведені нові дані по стратиграфії тріасу, юри та крейди України. Створені та удосконалені 32 схеми стратиграфії всіх підрозділів мезозою регіонів Карпат (Складчасті Карпати, Закарпатський прогин та Передкарпатський з прилеглою частиною Східноєвропейської платформи), Добруджі (Північна Добруджа і Переддобрудзький прогин), Криму (Рівнинний і Гірський Крим, Керченський півострів), Українського щита, Донецької складчастої споруди, Дніпровсько-Донецької і Причорноморської западин, акваторії Чорного та Азовського морів. Вперше створені схеми біозональної та міжрегіональної кореляції цих відкладів (11 схем). Всі схеми побудовані за кореляцією з новітніми Міжнародними стратиграфічними шкалами та відповід до вимог Стратиграфічного кодексу України. У ряді схем удосконалено структурно-фаціальне районування. Стратиграфічна належність відкладів комплексно обгрунтована різними групами макро-та мікрофосилій, багато з яких застосовані вперше. По окремих частинах розрізу створені або удосконалені біозональні шкали. Уточнені вік, обсяг та поширення стратиграфічних підрозділів, літологічна та палеонтологічна характеристика, стратиграфічні співвідношення, виділені нові стратони. Вперше створені схеми мезозою Азовського моря, фундаменту Закарпатського прогину, верхньої крейди північно-західного шельфу Чорного моря і Рівнинного Криму.

This paper provides the first palynological data from four Upper Cretaceous localities from the Islands of Hvar and Šćedro (southern Croatia), in the central part of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform. Studied material represents palynomorphs produced by coastal vegetation and transported to the shallow marine platform areas. Determined vegetation includes diverse hygrophilous, understory vegetation, range of evergreen needle trees attributable to Pinaceae and Podocarpaceae, as well as Araucarian conifers; ginkgo, cycads and/or bennettites. Flowering plants were likely represented by herbaceous forms. The palynoflora is generally indicative of a temperate, warm and humid climate. The occurrence of the Normapolles group with the presence of Plicapollis sp. and Pseudoculopollis sp. point to Turonian or probable Turonian-Coniacian age, and represent the southernmost record of occurrence within the Normapolles palynological province.Dominance of angiosperms and low abundance of ferns suggests an early-Late Cretaceous age. These findings are supported by the micropaleontological analyses and previously determined age of the sauropod dinosaur footprints described on the Island of Hvar. Based on the paleobotanical and palynological data, the dinosaur's diet probably included araucarian conifers, ginkgo and angiosperms, and ferns to a lesser extent.

Introduction. Acritarchs are one of the orthostratigraphic groups of microfossils that are widely used in Proterozoic and Paleozoic biostratigraphy. In the Mesozoic period there is a decrease in this group, and this is due to certain reasons. Formulation of the problem. Acritarchs are studied by palynologists from samples of Mesozoic sediments in combination with other representatives of organic bone microplankton, primarily with dinocysts. In the practice of Ukrainian micropaleontologists, the role of such a group as acritarchs, which may be unique in paleoecological reconstructions of the environment, is underestimated. History of the study of acritarchs. None of the researchers studied the group of acritarchs in the Mesozoic deposits of Ukraine. In scientific works it was noted only about the presence of these forms in the description of palynological complexes of Jurassic, Cretaceous and other times. Brief description of the group. Acritarchs are unicellular, non-colonial, organic microfossils. Formulation of the purpose of the article. The aim of the study was to focus on such a little-studied group for the Mesozoic as acritars and to prove its role and significance for stratigraphic and paleoecological constructions. Materials and methods. The research material was samples of rocks of the Middle, Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits, selected separately from 93 sections, but from all major tectonic structures of Ukraine: Peninsky zone of the Carpathians, Volyn-Podolsk plate, western and eastern slopes of the Ukrainian Shield, Priazovsky array of the Ukrainian shield, Dnieper-Donetsk basin, Donbas, South Ukrainian monocline (Black Sea basin), Crimea, North-Azov depression and Azov shaft (Ukrainian part of the Sea of Azov). Presentation of the main material of the study. Acritarchs Jurassic and Cretaceous belong to 10 genera, including 11 species. The most common species found in both Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments of Ukraine are acritarchs Micrhystridium fragile and Fromea sp. Jurassic complexes are slightly richer than chalk in terms of percentage and are represented mainly by Micrhystridium spp., Micrhystridium flagile, M. longum, Veryhachium brevitrispinum, Wilsonastrum sp., Baltisphaeridium sp. Cretaceous: Micrhystridium spp., Micrhystridium fragile, M. longum, Baltisphaeridium breviciliatum, B. aff. capillatum, B. annelieae, B. accinctum, Acanthodiacrodium sp., Solisphaeridium inaffectum, Comasphaeridium sp., Comasphaeridium aff. brachyspinosum, Veryhachium spp., Veryhachium singulare, Leiofusa stoumonensis, Fromea sp., Ascostomocystis sp. The article presents photo tables of images of Jurassic and Cretaceous acritarchs. Conclusions. For the first time in Ukraine, acritarchs were found in samples from Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments and attention was focused on such a little-studied group for the Mesozoic. Their certain role and significance for stratigraphic and paleoecological constructions are proved, their species composition and vertical distribution in sections of Mesozoic sediments are studied. The regularities of the distribution of acritarchs in the same age layers are established. Analyzing the Jurassic and Cretaceous microfossils studied from Mesozoic sediments from 93 sections of different regions of Ukraine, we can say that the trend of disappearance of acritarchs during the Mesozoic is weakly observed. Jurassic forms of acritarchs are up to 5% in the complex, Cretaceous - up to 4%. The next stage of work should be the study of acritarch Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of all regions of Ukraine for the purposes of the overall picture of the reproduction of paleoecological conditions in Ukraine during the Jurassic and Cretaceous period.