Zair Formation

Zair Fm

Period:

Neogene

Age Interval:

Upper Pliocene, U1

Province:
Ustyurt-Sultanuzdag

Type Locality and Naming

Along the village of Zair (now ruins) in the delta of the Amu Darya River, Karakalpakstan.

B.I. Pinhasov, A.I. Zivotovskaya (Danilovidr., 1966f.), G.Yu. Alferov, 1969 (58, p.178-179).

Synonym: Zair Suite, Заирская св.

Lithology and Thickness

Lake-sea ash-gray and greenish-gray layered clays, siltstone (aleurolites), marls with the Kushkanatau Fm and Akkalin Fm deposits of sulfate salts. Thickness up to 80 m.

Lithology Pattern:

Claystone

Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Deeply embedded in the deposits of the Kushkanatau Fm and Dengizkul-Neog Fm suites, preserved on residual elevations, and the underlying Paleogene clays, filling the most depressed areas of the erosional paleorelief.

Upper contact

Overlain with erosion by the Atynkol Fm.

Regional extent

Exposed by drilling in the South Aral region on the right bank of the Amu Darya River.

GeoJSON

null

Fossils

Contains mollusks - Cardium ex. gr. dombra Andrus., Avicardium radiiferum Andrus., Avimactra subcaspia Andrus., A. karabugasica Andrus., A. venjikovi Andrus.; gastropods - Clessiniola cf. polejaevi Andrus.; ostracods, fish skeletons.

Age

Formed as a result of the first flooding of the Aral depression after its formation at the boundary between the middle and late Akchagyl. Age late Akchagyl. (346).Neogene \\ Upper Pliocene \\ Upper Akchagyl regional stage = modern Gelasian

Age Span:

Beginning stage:

Gelasian

Fraction up in beginning stage:

0.0

Beginning date (Ma):

2.58

Ending stage:

Gelasian

Fraction up in the ending stage:

1.0

Ending date (Ma):

1.80

Depositional setting

Depositional pattern:

Additional Information

Compiler:

B.I. Pinhasov – In: GeoGPT translation of: “Abduazimova, Z.M. (Ed.), 2001. Stratigraphic Dictionary of Uzbekistan. IMR (Institute of Mineral Resources), Tashkent, 580 pp. (In Russian)”