Recent studies on the Silurian of the western part of Ukraine

Abstract

The paper summarises the effects of recent studies carried out by a team from the Department of Historical and Regional Geology of the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw on the upper Silurian of Podolia (western part of Ukraine).The sedimentary history of the Silurian succession of Podolia is characterised by its cyclic pattern, with shallowing-upward cyclothems. In the traditional interpretation, the occurrence of stromatoporoid beds within each cyclothem marks the deepest (or most open-marine) sedimentary environment within the cycle. According to the results of recent studies, their occurrence is connected rather with a relatively shallow-water environment and with high energy phenomena. A substantial reinterpretation of the main sedimentary processes governing the deposition and facies distribution on the shelf is presented. Particularly, there are recognised and described high-energy sedimentary events repeatedly punctuating the generally calm sedimentation that prevailed in the lagoonal settings, some of which are interpreted as tsunami induced.Further perspectives for studies on the Silurian successions of Podolia are also discussed. The main problem is the precise correlation of particular sections that are scattered over vast distances and developed in similar facies associations.