The Devonian and Carboniferous of the Moscow Syneclise (Russian Platform): Stratigraphy and sea-level changes

The Moscow Syneclise is a vast sedimentary basin located in the centre of the East-European Platform. The Palaeozoic sequence of this syneclise, and especially its Devonian-Carboniferous part, is most suitable for sea-level fluctuation analysis. The Devonian and Carboniferous sediments consist mainly of shallow-marine carbonates, containing several minor terrigenous intervals; they attain total thicknesses of up to 1.5 km. The modem stratigraphic scale includes 33 regional stages for the Devonian and 32 for the Carboniferous. Correlation of this scale with global scales is supported by conodont, miospore and foraminifera zonations. The new calibrated Devonian and Carboniferous relative sea-level curves for the Moscow Syneclise reflect late Eifelian, mid-Frasnian, early Tournaisian, late Visean-early Serpukhovian and Moscovian-Gzhelian transgressions. Several of these sea-level changes, which are particularly evident on the margins of the Moscow Syneclise, originated in response to differential tectonic movements of the Voronezh Anteclise and the Tokmovo Uplift as well as to vertical oscillations of the entire East-European craton.