Upper Jurassic Reefs from the Russian Western Caucasus: Implications for the Eastern Black Sea

Upper Jurassic reefs in the Russian Western Caucasus reveal diverse and structurally controlled reef complexes that serve as potential analogues for exploration targets in the eastern Black Sea. These reefs, categorized into coral-dominated, siliceous sponge-microbialite, and microbialite types, developed on two Late Jurassic carbonate platforms: the North Caucasus platform to the north and the South Adler platform to the south. Coral-dominated reefs, found at shallow-water platform margins and deeper mid-shelf settings, exhibit varying diversity levels, while siliceous sponge- and microbialite-dominated reefs were restricted to deeper-water environments. The study suggests that these outcrops could provide critical insights for understanding seismic-imaged reef complexes on the Shatskiy Ridge, depending on their palaeowater depth.

GUO, L., VINCENT, S. J., & LAVRISHCHEV, V. (2011). Upper Jurassic Reefs from the Russian Western Caucasus: Implications for the Eastern Black Sea. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences. LOCKSS. https://doi.org/10.3906/yer-1012-5