Geological Setting and Formation of the Erosional Structure of Upper Miocene Deposits in Western Ciscaucasia

The results of regional studies of Early Miocene deposits in Western Ciscaucasia, based on the seismic stratigraphic analysis, are presented. The spatial pattern of sediment accumulation is analyzed and the paleogeographic conditions during the Late Miocene regressive stages in Western Ciscaucasia are refined. Erosional incisions of several levels, developed during the base-level fall in the course of major regressions in the studied time interval, were identified. Based on the spatial correlation of paleoincisions using a chosen series of intersecting seismic profiles, the buried Paleo-Don and Paleo-Donets river valleys were reconstructed at the Sarmatian‒Meotian boundaries and within the Meotian‒upper Pontian interval.