Quaternary geology and origin of the Shirak Basin, NW Armenia

Шалаева, Е. А.; Трифонов, В. Г.; Lebedev, V. A.; Симакова, А.Н.; Avagyan, Ara; Sahakyan, Lilit; Arakelyan, Dmitri; Sokolov, Sergey; Bachmanov, D.M.; Колесниченко, А. В.; Латышев, А. В.; Belyaeva, E. V.; Lyubin, V.P.; Frolov, P. D.; Tesakov, Alexey S.; Sychevskaya, E. K.; Kovalyova, G. V.; Martirosyan, M. S.; Khisamutdinova, A. I.

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.09.017

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The successive Ani and Arapi formations are traditionally recognised in the Shirak basin (Sayadyan, 1972). According to the paleontological and paleomagnetic data, the two formations correspond to late Early Pleistocene (the Ani Formation, Fm) and earliest Middle Pleistocene (Arapi Fm) (Sayadyan, 2009;Shalaeva et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent study of stratigraphy and neotectonics of NW Armeina based on several reference sections (Shalaeva et al, 2019) brought new diverse paleontological materials. In this contribution we specifically focus on the biotic record of the Ani and Arapi deposits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data on Pleistocene diatom assemblages of the Shirak Depression was obtained from the lacustrine diatomaceous deposits of the Ani unit in the sections of Arapi and the Marmashen borehole 6 (Zaikina et al, 1969a, b). Additional diatom materials were recently studied in the Ani sections of Haykavan (lower part) and Arapi deposits of the Haykadzor section (beds 6-7) (Shalaeva et al, 2019). The general revealed trend is from assemblages with higher representation of planktonic forms in lower parts of the Ani Fm towards associations with growing role of bottom and littoral forms higher in the Ani sequences and in the Arapi Fm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…She also rejected an assignment of these horses by Alexeeva (1977) to caballoid froms (Forsten, 1999). The additional age control was provided by the geochronology of the Leninakan tuffs covering or interfingering with Arapi deposits yielding dates in the range of 0.65-0.7 Ma (Melik-Adamyan, 2016;Shalaeva et al, 2019) and normal polarity (Brunhes Chron) of these deposits (Sayadyan, 2009;Trifonov et al, 2017;Shalaeva et al, 2019). Recently small mammals of the Gyumri appearance were found in the Krasar (bed 2) section in Upper Akhuryan basin of western Armenia (Trifonov et al, 2016;Tesakov, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently small mammals of the Gyumri appearance were found in the Krasar (bed 2) section in Upper Akhuryan basin of western Armenia (Trifonov et al, 2016;Tesakov, 2016). In 2015-2016 the relatively abundant association of small mammals was recovered from the Arapi deposits near the village of Haykadzor, in bed 4 of the Haykadzor section (Shalaeva et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early-Middle Pleistocene environmental and biotic transition in NW Armenia, southern Caucasus

Tesakov

Симакова

Frolov

et al. 2019

Palaeontol Electron

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Quaternary biota of north-western Armenia is studied from several localities in the Ani and Arapi fluvial formations of the Shirak and Upper Akhuryan sedimentary basins. Palynology of lacustrine deposits of the Ani Formation indicates cyclic alternation of forest-steppe and steppe coenoses in the Shirak Depression. The patchy pollen record from the sections of the Arapi Formation indicates forest-steppe coenoses. Aquatic molluscs from the Ani Formation are dominated by gastropods and dreissenid bivalves. Molluscs of the Arapi Formation are characterised by limnophilic freshwater species with mostly extant forms. The Arapi deposits yielded remains of fishes, amphibians, and small mammals. The freshwater fish assemblage comprises cyprinid species that derived from the earlier Plio-Pleistocene fish communities of Armenia. The assemblage indicates lacustrine and river habitats with rocky bottoms and the presence of water plants overgrowth. The herpetofauna from the Arapi Formation includes remains of anuran amphibians that indicate aquatic habitats. Small mammals include Sorex cf. runtonensis, Neomys cf. hintoni, Ochotona sp., Mimomys intermedius, Terricola sp., Microtus gr. nutiensis, Prolagurus pannonicus transylvanicus,and Ellobius pomeli. This fauna characterises the Leninakan (Gyumri) faunal assemblage correlated to the late Biharian of the European land mammal biochronology, Tiraspol faunal complex of Eastern Europe, and the Cromerian of NW Europe. The studied record has an important biogeographic significance for the southern rim of the Ponto-Caspian region. It shows the complex history of the biotic exchanges and polygenous origin of the terrestrial communities in the southern Caucasus. Radiometric, paleomagnetic, and biotic control make it possible to date the Ani deposits to late Early and earliest Middle Pleistocene. The age of the Arapi formation is early Middle Pleistocene older than 0.6 Ma. The main trend of landscape evolution in the region between ca. 1.5-0.7 Ma is a transition from forest-steppe to steppe conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%