LATE NEOGENE-QUATERNARY CHRONOLOGY, VOLCANIC AND

GEODYNAMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE CAUCASUS

SH.A. ADAMIA1, V.S. ALPHAIDZE1, E. G. BOMBOLAKIS2, A.O.

CHABUKIANI3, S.I. KULOSHVILI3, G.M. MAJSURADZE3 and R.J. MARTIN4

1
Department of Geology and Paleontology, Tbilisi State University, 1 Chavchavadze av., 380028 Tbilisi, Georgia
2
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA USA
3
Geological Institute, Ac. Sci.,1 M. Alexidze str., 380093 Tbilisi, Georgia
4
New England Research Inc., White River Junction, VT USA

Abstract: The existing and new data show the absence of any somewhat plausible
arguments for revising the Pliocene-Pleistocene time scale of the Caucasus. New data
confirm the existence of two phases of volcanism in the Lesser Caucasus ~10-5 m.y.
and ~3.5- 0.3m.y. Strata uplift has been proceeding at different rate but no less than
1.6 mm/y in the Late Apsheron time.

Key words: Caucasus, Neogene, Quaternary, geochronology, volcanism.

Introduction: The destructive earthquakes occurring in the Caucasus over the last 10-
15 years have increased an interest in the recent geodynamics of the region. As a
result, there appeared important new data concerning various aspects of neotectonics
and seismotectonics of the Caucasus and neighboring countries; some key problems
of the Neogene-Quaternary geology of the region have been subjected to critical
revision and re-consideration; revised and corrected schemes of the chronology of
geologic events, including volcanic activity, rates of movements of the Earth’s crust
have been proposed. However, new interpretations of some cardinal problems of the
Caucasian geology are not always substantiated to a proper degree, or are in
discrepancy with existing data, which, by some reasons, slip the attention of foreign
researchers. The main purpose of the article is to present the existing available reliable
materials allowing once more to return to the consideration of a number of problems
still remaining unsolved or discussional: (1) Late Pliocene-Quaternary
geochronology; (2) timing of the Neogene-Quaternary volcanism; (3) time- averaged
rates of the neotectonic movements.

1
Late Neogene-Quaternary chronology: The geological time scale and stratigraphy
of the Neogene-Quaternary formations of the Caucasus have been elaborated in
sufficient detail and are based on long-term investigations of scientists both from the
former Soviet Union and western countries. These data have been published in
numerous books, monographs and papers. The geochronological and stratigraphic
schemes and correlations of the Mediterranean province (including the Caucasian
region) widely-accepted at present by a majority of researchers are based on the
combined interpretation of data from various fields of geology: biostratigraphy,
magnetostratigraphy and paleomagnetism, radiometric age dating, geomorphic and
paleoglaciological studies. These schemes were previously presented at international
scientific forums and published in well-known and readily available publications.
Since the upper part of the geological time scale of the eastern Caucasus (the Caspian
Sea basin) has been the subject of serious revision and modification, here we shall
consider only this part of the geochronical scale in respect of the validity of
considerable rejuvenation (by 0.6 m.y., from 1.8 m.y. to 1.2 m.y.) of the
Akchagyl/Apsheron boundary recently proposed by some authors (e.g. Mitchell and
Westaway, 1999).
The geological time scale is presented below (Fig.1). It shows the Late
Miocene-Quaternary geochronology of the Caucasian regional stages and their
correlation with those of the Mediterranean area.
One of the most informative geological sections for dating and correlation of the
Akchagyl stage of the Eastern Georgia is the Kvabebi section located in the Kura
molasse depression separating the mountain ranges of the Greater Caucasus from
those of the Lesser Caucasus. The Akchagyl stage is here represented by near-shore
marine sediments containing rich fossil fauna of mollusca, ostracoda and
foraminifera.
The Kvabebi section is notable for the fact that here the strata containing marine
fauna are alternating with beds yielding fossil remains of reptiles and mammals.

2
TIME MAGNETIC MEDITERRANEAN REGIONAL MAMMALIAN
EPOCH
MA POLARITY GENERAL ESTERN BLACK SEA CASPIAN SEA COMPLEXIS

01 HOLO- FLANDRIAN CHERNOMORIAN RESENT

VERSILIAN NOVOCASPIAN
GENE

0,1 NOVOEUXINIAN

Q3
B GRIMALDIAN GRIMALDIAN KHVALINIAN
KARANGATIAN
R UPPER

PLEISTOCENE
0,2 U PALEOLITIC
N TYRRENIAN EUXINO-
TYRRENIAN

Q2
H KHAZARIAN
-UZUNLARIAN
0,4 E SINGILIAN
S

0,6
MILAZZIAN TIRASPOLIAN

Q1
SICILIAN II CHAUDIAN BAKUNIAN
0,73
0,8
M

Ap3
SICILIAN
A TAMANIAN
I
1,0
Jar.
EMILIAN
EOPLEISTOCENE

EOPLEISTOCENE

EOPLEISTOCENE
(APSHERONIAN)
Ap2

CALABRIAN EMILIAN
Cob-M.

(GURIAN)

(VILLAFRANCHIAN)
1,2

ODESSIAN
1,4 U
Y SANTERNIAN
Ap1

A
1,6

1,8 Oldu
vai
2,0 M
A PIACENZIAN ROMANIAN KUYALNIKIAN AKCHAGILIAN MOLDAVIAN
Ak

(KVABEBI)
PLIOCENE

3,0 GA
USS

4,0 GIL
BE ZANCLEAN DACIAN KIMMERIAN KIMMERIAN RUSCINIAN
RT
5,0
LATE PONTIAN PONTIAN PONTIAN TUROLIAN
MESSINIAN
MIO- PANNONIAN MEOTIAN MEOTIAN
10 TORTONIAN
CENE SARMATIAN SARMATIAN SARMATIAN VALLESIAN

3
 The biostratigraphic material obtained from the Kvabebi section allow us to
correlate the Akchagyl stage of the region with the Kuyalnik regiostage of the Black
Sea region and also with the Romanian and Piasenzian regiostages of the
Mediterranean area. Magnetostratigraphic data allow to attribute the strata containing
fossil remains of vertebrate and mammals to the Gauss epoch of normal polarity. The
radiological dating of volcanic ash from the middle part of the section (Middle
Akchagyl) provide figures around 2.55 m.y. (Eastern Paratethyan Neogene, 1985).
The second section is located in South Georgia (Gabunia et al., 1999). Here, in
the lacustrine sediments resting on the basalts of the Mashavera river valley, there
have been collected and identified remains of mammals, which define the age of
enclosing rocks as Eopleistocene corresponding to the Apsheron regiostage of the
Caspian regional scale, which is correlated to the upper part of the Villafranchian
regiostage of the Mediterranean area. In the same sediments remains of hominides
identified by L. Gabunia and A. Vekua as the representatives of Homo ergaster have
been found. As it is known, the representatives of Homo ergaster inhabited the Earth
some 1.5-1.8 m.y. ago. The absolute age of the basaltic lavas directly underlying the
bonebearing horizon was determined by 40Ar/39Ar laser probe dating of its plagioclase
phenocrysts at the Geomar Tephrochronology Laboratory (USA) indicating that the
Mashavera basalt lava flow erupted ~2.0±0.1 m.y.
Additional samples from 3 contemporaneous basalt lava flows of the Mashavera
plateau give 40Ar/39Ar laser probe ages ranging from 1.6±0.2 to 3.2±0.3 Ma ago.
Thus, the above material pertaining to the absolute dating of the Akchagyl and
Apsheron stages clearly shows the absence of any somewhat plausible arguments for
revising their ages and indicates that the rejuvenation of the Akchagyl/Apsheron
boundary, from 1.8 to 1.2 m.y. ago is groundless.
Neogene-Quaternary Volcanism of the Transcaucasus: In the recently published
paper (Mitchell and Westaway, 1999) the authors claim that the start of volcanism in
the Lesser Caucasus was around 1.5 m.y. We found it advisable to consider this
question on the basis of more extensive material including both the older well-known
data and more recently obtained data from the Georgian part of the Lesser Caucasus.
First of all, we present data on isotopic dating of basalts and other lavas of the
Djavakheti volcanic highland (South Georgia) determined in some Western European
laboratories. Samples of basalts collected near the village of Patara Dmanisi and
40
determined using the Ar/39Ar dating methods have yielded the following figures –

4
1.9 m.y. (Ferring et al., 1996) and 1.95 ±0.22 (Schmincke and van den Bogaard,
1995). These measurements are in a good agreement with figures obtained at the
laboratory in the USA, mentioned in previous chapter.
The older basalts of this part of the Lesser Caucasus developed within the
Akhalkalaki plateau yielded an Ar/Ar age ~2.9 m.y. (Ferring et al., 1996), 3.69±0.08
and 3.83±0.09 m.y. (Camps et al., 1996). These new measurements corroborate dating
figures obtained in the laboratories of the former Soviet Union.
The magnetostratigraphic investigations have recognized within the Late
Miocene-Quaternary sequence of volcanic rocks all the known standard
paleomagnetic chrons and subchrons: Brunhes, Matuyama (with Jaramillo, Cobb
Mountain, Olduvai, Reunion 2 and Reunion 1 subchrons), and Gauss with Kaena and
Mammoth subchrons (Gabunia et al., 1999).
Uplift and subsidence rates in the Caucasus: The amplitude of vertical movements
(uplift and subsidence) of the strata during the late Miocene-Quaternary (i.e. for the
past 10-12 m.y.) is considerable reaching ~ 10 km. Simple calculations estimate the
relative amplitudes of vertical motion of rock strata for: (1) Middle Sarmatian (∼12
m.y.); (2) Late Sarmatian (∼10 m.y.); (3) Meotian-Pontian (∼6 m.y.); Kuyalnician-
Akchagylian (∼1.8 m.y.); Gurian-Apsheronian (∼1.2 m.y.). The calculations have
been compiled with the use of data on present-day altitude of marine sediments of
Middle Sarmatian, Upper Sarmatian, Meotian, Pontian, Kuyalnic-Akchagylian and
Gurian-Apsheronian and on the occurrence of synchronous subaerial molasse
sequences accumulated within the Transcaucasian intramontane basins. The
magnitude of sinking in the molasse depressions is estimated with sufficient accuracy
thanks to numerous boreholes drilled in the region in search of oil and gas.
Time-averaged amplitudes and rates of vertical displacements that involve
algebraic summing of uplifts and subsidences of key marker beds, which may
repeatedly change in the course of geologic time, and "instantaneous" rates of
deformations measured for a certain moment of the evolution of a region, may differ
greatly; as a rule, the latter are markedly higher than the former. From these data, the
uplift rate of Apsheron molasse deposits, now at an altitude of ∼2000m. (Georgia, the
southern slope of the Greater Caucasus) is not less than 1.6 mm/y; the corresponding
rates of Meotian-Pontian molasses are ∼ not less than 0.7mm/y, and the Late
Sarmatian – up to 0.8mm/y.

5
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