Sequence stratigraphy and correlation of late Carboniferous and Permian in the CIS, Europe, Tethyan area, North Africa, Arabia, China, Gondwanaland and the USA

Sequence stratigraphy was used to correlate the depositional chronology during Permo-Carboniferous time in various sedimentary basins of Gondwanaland, western Europe, eastern Europe, Tethyan area, North Africa, Arabia, China. and North America. During late Carboniferous and Permian, eleven second-order sequences (SOS) were recognised throughout the whole area. The sequence SI is Serpukhovian pp, Namurian A pp and Chesterian. The sequence SII is Serpukhovian pp-Bashkirian pp, Namurian A pp-B-C-Westphalian A-B pp and Morrowan. The sequence SIII is late Bashkirian-Moscovian, Westphalian B pp-C-D and Atokan-Desmoinesian. The sequence SIV is Kasimovian, early Stephanian and Missourian. The sequence SV is Gzhelian-Orenburgian, late Stephanian and Virgilian. The sequence SVI is Asselian, Autunian and Nealian. The sequences SVII-IX are Saxonian, Sakmarian-Artinskian-Kungurian and Leonardian-Hessian-Cathedralian. The sequences SX-XI are Guadalupian and Lopingian. Depending on the regional setting, different relationships exist between marine transgression and the respective effects of tectonics and of sea-level changes: in western Europe, effects of the glacial processes in Gondwanaland are partly balanced by the late compression in the Hercynian belt during Moscovian. Eastern Europe, Tethyan area. North Africa, China, and North America show a good correlation between glacial (ice melting) processes in Gondwanaland and the intensity of the transgression which is increased by the westward progradation of the orogeny in Urals and Appalachians. In Arabia, Tunisia and Tethyan area, the impact of the Neotethys opening is obvious from the Artinskian and mainly during the late Permian. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.