The Tanais Bay of the Eastern Paratethys Sea at the Sarmatian–Maeotian Transition (Late Miocene): Widespread Desiccations and Local Uplifts in the Light of Historical Information

Abstract

The Late Miocene evolution of the Eastern Paratethys Sea was marked by significant palaeogeographical transformations. The knowledge of them should be improved with the information from the peripheral parts of this semi-enclosed marine basin. The study area corresponds to the Rostov Dome where the northern shore of the Eastern Paratethys is widely documented. The information from the previously published work, going back to the beginning of the 20th century, is collected. Its analysis allows us to document the spatial distribution of Middle Sarmatian–Late Maeotian (Tortonian–Messinian) deposits. The results shed light into the palaeogeographical changes in the Tanais Bay of the Eastern Paratethys Sea, which included the short-term hiatus at the Middle/Late Sarmatian boundary, the Early Maeotian regression, and the gradual Late Maeotian ingression when the bay re-established, but with a different configuration. These changes and the overall spatial distribution of the studied deposits cannot be explained by only the fluctuations in the level of the Eastern Paratethys and the desiccation episodes established in its central part. Most probably, the local tectonic uplifts were an important driver of the Late Miocene evolution of the Tanais Bay.