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Data are provided on the new Ordovician stage standard of the International Stratigraphic Chart: Tremadocian, Floian, Dapingian, Darriwilian, Sandbian, Katian, and Hirnantian. Graptolite and conodont zonal and infrazonal successions are used for a precise estimation of the chronostratigraphic position of the boundaries of the previous and newly proposed Ordovician regional stratigraphic units (horizons) in the western Altai–Sayan Folded Area. The chronostratigraphic position of the boundaries of most of the Ordovician formations showing a wide lateral distribution in southern Siberia has been described in detail in terms of the new stage standard of the General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia.

A volcanosedimentary complex of Middle–Late Devonian deposits in northwestern Rudny Altai is described. Analysis of sedimentologic processes, the kind of manifestation and specific composition of volcanism, and petrographic and chemical compositions of sedimentary rocks permitted reconstruction of paleogeographic and geodynamic settings, which confirmed the hypothesis of the island-arc nature of the Rudny Altai zone in the Middle–Late Devonian. Also, an alternative variant of its rift nature is considered. The rift buildings are referred to as local isolated complexes confined to positive paleovolcanic structures rising above the bottom in the fore-arc basin. The denudated part of the rift system is formed mainly by slope facies. Clastics of rift buildings, together with fragments of silicite and felsic-volcanics layers, compose widespread olistostrome breccias. We have established the humid type of lithogenesis, which, together with minor sea level fluctuations, favors karst processes and the formation of red-colored and bauxite-like rocks. The coeval volcanics composing lava flows and tuff layers are mainly rhyolites and are often of ultrafelsic composition.

We summarize data on the biostratigraphic units of the Siberian Ordovician deposits based on pelagic groups of fauna: graptolites, conodonts, and chitinozoans. It is shown that graptolite and conodont zones and beds have a high potential for correlation. We have determined the precise zonal position of most of the lower boundaries of the Ordovician stages and informal Ordovician substages of the International Stratigraphic Chart in the Lower Paleozoic key sections of the Taimyr Peninsula, Siberian Platform, and Altai–Sayan Folded Area.

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The obtained new data on conodonts, brachiopods, ammonoids, and ostracods from the Stolb Island section indicate the predominantly Early Famennian (triangularis–Lower rhomboidea Zones) age of sedimentation. The Upper Kellwasser global biotic event, which marks the Frasnian/Famennian boundary, has been distinguished for Arctic Siberia for the first time. It was found that carbonate-terrigenous sequences accumulated in basinal sedimentary environments. Fine-clastic material was supplied to the sediments from different sources. A flow of dolomite debris is associated with the most distant source—areas of evaporite sedimentation. The presence of calcareous fragments is due to destruction of skeletal material (close provenance areas). Siliciclastics, which make up a considerable part of the sediments, were produced by partial rewashing and eolian differentiation of felsic pyroclastics. The existence of organic-rich horizons and beds of well-washed and well-sorted clastic sequences suggests that the Upper Devonian sediments have a high general petroleum potential.

Facies zonation of the Paleozoic basement of West Siberian geosyncline and its surroundings is presented. Facies megazones are distinguished according to types of sedimentation. Analysis of lateral and successive sedimentary sequences shows that the available data are insufficient to map the facies distribution over the whole territory of the geosyncline for short time slices. Only the Late Devonian section is supported by data sufficient for the proposed facies zonation. Five megazones, I, II, III, IV, and V, are distinguished in the westward direction. First three megazones make up a single lateral facies succession and represent sedimentary environments on and around the Siberian continent. Megazone IV includes shallow-water volcanic and sedimentary rocks that compose the Kazakhstan continent bounded by Early and Middle Carboniferous sutures in the west and east. Megazone V comprises fold-thrust (island arc) complexes of the eastern Urals. The main events in the geologic history of the region were associated with the interaction of two major crustal masses (Siberian and East European continents) and the young Kazakhstan continent in the oceanic space called the Paleoasian ocean. Only few fragments of this space occur in the present-day framework of the territory, the greatest part being sunk in subduction zones, especially in the large zone of the Main Uralian Fault. Production and accumulation of organic matter in pre-Mesozoic deposits occurred on continental shelves, which are most promising for Precambrian and Paleozoic oil and gas.

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