The age of the Karangatian (Late Pleistocene) transgression of the Black Sea

The Karangatian transgression is a significant milestone in the Pleistocene history of the Black Sea. It was a large interglacial transgression reaching 6–7 m above the modern level and the highest salinity during the Pleistocene. At present absolute age of the event is debatable and there is no consensus among the researchers. The paper presents new dating results obtained by the optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) of the Karangatian deposits represented in the Eltigen stratotype section on the western coast of the Kerch Strait. The section is a favorable object for OSL dating method, since the deposits are represented mainly by aeolian (loess-like subaerial sediments) and coastal-marine sediments, which are characterized by complete bleaching of quartz and feldspar grains. The chronology was obtained for both quartz and feldspar using three protocols (OSL, IR₅₀, pIRIR₂₉₀) for each sample, which allows for the conclusion of the reliability of resulting datings. Eight luminescence ages were obtained, six of them characterize the marine stage and two – continental stage of the territory evolution. The biostratigraphic analysis of mollusk fauna from marine sediments represented in the section confirmed their attribution to the Karangatian transgression of the Black Sea. The studied section covers two phases of the Karangatian transgression. The early stage was in progress during 131–120 thousand years ago (MIS 5e). The sea level rise was about 32 cm/ka and reached +3,6 m. The second phase of the transgression occurred 120–100 thousand years ago (MIS 5d-s). The rise of the sea level was about 12,5 cm/ka. The maximal sea-level dated 105–100 thousand years (MIS 5c), reaching ~6,45 m. Taking into account the scale of neotectonic movements will allow a more accurate determination of the maximum sea level rise. During the development of the Karangatian basin it was characterized by heterogeneous environmental conditions: from moderately saline (15–17‰) at the initial stages to marine (28–30‰) as the transgression progressed, and again to moderately saline (17–18‰) at the beginning of the sea level decrease. The subaerial stage of sedimentation on the coast began no later than 72±8 thousand years ago. The lower of two buried soils represented in the section was formed in the period of 72–68 thousand years, probably during the inter-stage warming within the Valdai glacial epoch (MIS 4).

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