EARLY CRETACEOUS (ALBIAN) STRATA IDENTIFIED BY PALYNOLOGY IN THE BASE OF THE PRADNIPROVSKA-2 WELL, BLACK SEA SHELF, UKRAINE

• Date: 2026
• Main Authors: Якушин, Л.М., Шевчук, А.О., Іщенко, І.І., Вайда, В.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Geological Sciences, NAS of Ukraine 2026
• Subjects: Albian; palynostratigraphy; Black Sea; drill core Pradniprovska-2
• Online Access: http://geojournal.igs-nas.org.ua/article/view/350785
• Journal Title: Geological journal

The borehole Pradniprovska-2, located within the inner part of the Black Sea shelf, Ukraine, intersects a sedimentary succession of which the lowermost interval (2375–2370 m) is crucial yet controversial for regional Mesozoic stratigraphy. To refine its relative geological age, a detailed palynolstratigraphical investigation of core samples was undertaken. The palynological analysis revealed well-preserved and diverse assemblages characteristic for a near shore marine environment with pollen, spores and dinoflagellates present. The occurrence of age-diagnostic angiosperm pollen such as Afropollis together with abundant Clavatipollenites indicates an Aptian–Albian age, likewise Asteropollis, which first appear in the Barremian and reach a peak in the Albian, strongly indicates an Albian age for the studied deposits. The presence of early angiosperm taxa such as Tricolpites maximus and Triorites spp., widely recognized as markers for the early Albian, further supports this conclusion. Gymnosperm pollen is present but subordinate, while fern spores and lycophytes constitute an additional minor component of the palynoflora. The taxonomic composition and proportional representation of the main pollen and spore groups show close similarity to Albian western European palynological assemblages. The newly established Albian age for the lowermost interval of Pradniprovska-2 well is further consistent with long-term stratigraphic interpretations of Mesozoic sequences on the northwestern Black Sea shelf, previously developed by teams of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the NAS of Ukraine and SE “Naukanaftogaz”. These findings refine the regional chronostratigraphic framework and contribute new evidence for understanding the geological evolution of this inner shelf zone during the Early Cretaceous.