Radiostratigraphic study of the deposits of the Maikop Group, Western Azerbaijan

Abstract

This work presents the results of biostratigraphic study of natural outcrops of the Maikop Group, which were first carried together with detailed radiometric studies in the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region, Western Azerbaijan. The paleontological research method included determination of the genus or species (depending on the preservation) of microfaunistic remains (foraminifera, ostracods, fish remains). The radiometric research method included measurements of the integral radioactivity in the field, the sampling, as well as laboratory radionuclide (spectral) analysis. As a result of our research, the stratigraphic control of variation in the radioactivity of rocks of the Maikop Group of the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region has been established. The radioactivity of Oligocene rocks is predominantly determined by potassium content. The radioactivity of the Miocene part of the section of the Maikop Group is determined by uranium-potassium contents. Within the Ganja oil and gas-bearing region, deposits of the Kotsakhurian regional stage, which are usually referred to “barren” formations or anoxic “fish facies”, contain a significant number of species of benthic foraminiferal fauna.