The beginning of the Oligocene marked a key transition, after which water bodies in the Black Sea region were predominantly isolated from the global ocean. This semi- to complete isolation resulted in a sparsity of global ocean marker fossils and a base-level history largely decoupled from global eustacy. CASP and their academic partners have constructed a 6.4 km thick, magnetostratigraphically-dated biostratigraphic reference section in the Romanian Carpathians spanning the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene to address these difficulties. Records of biota endemic to the region and adapted to reduced salinity conditions (upon which the regional Paratethyan stratigraphic scheme is based) were integrated with palynology to facilitate the correlation of shallow- to deep-water biostratigraphic records. Additionally, detailed sedimentological observations were used to construct a relative base-level curve that is applicable to the Black Sea. These insights have the potential to aid deep-water exploration efforts within the Black Sea.

Reports included in the package:

• Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene base-level evolution in the Southeast Carpathian foredeep: Sedimentary facies development along the Slănicul de Buzau section
• Pilot palynologic study of the Slănicul de Buzau section: Towards a biostratigraphic reference section for Eastern Paratethys sequences
• Slănicul de Buzău: a Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene biostratigraphic reference section for the Dacian Basin and northwest Black Sea
• Palynology of the Slănicul de Buzău section in the southeast Carpathian foredeep: Towards a stratigraphic reference section

Contact: Stephen Vincent