ИСТИНА

The normally-closed Caspian Sea is known for large changes in relative sea-level (of ~170 m) during the late Quaternary. These transgressive/regressive events influenced the topography, sedimentation and ecosystems of a very large area, of up to 1 million km2. Caspian Sea sediments record the stratigraphy and palaeogeography of the northern Eurasian Pleistocene, and the Lower Volga River valley is ideally suited for investigating the Caspian Sea Pleistocene history. The Volga River has played an important role in the water balance of the Caspian Quaternary basins but the temporal evolution is poorly constrained. As a result of incision, there are many well-exposed continuous Quaternary sections containing fluvial, marine and subaerial sediments that record considerable palaeontological diversity, and these have been studied intensively for many years. This has resulted in a considerable body of basic palaeogeographical information for the region but with no, or very limited, independent chronology.