The Ordovician of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, Russia

The Ordovician strata belonging to the North Kara Basin are well exposed in the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. They are dominated by shallow marine sedimentation. Based on faunal evidence, the North Kara Terrane was located at tropical latitudes. Macro- and microfossil assemblages from Severnaya Zemlya contain elements typical of both Siberian and Baltic biotic provinces. An increasing number of taxa common to Laurentia is consistent with the closure of the Iapetus and the convergence between Baltica, Siberia, Laurentia and the North Kara Terrane positioned between them. Short descriptions of the main lithological, faunal features and ages of each stratigraphic unit are given.