Models for carbonate stratigraphy from miocene reef complexes of Mediterranean regions / Модели карбонатной стратиграфии миоценовых рифовых комплексов Средиземноморья

Miocene carbonates are a rich but largely untapped source for general models of carbonate stratigraphy, paleoecology, diagenesis and hydrocarbon exploration. Lower and Middle Miocene reef carbonates display an ample worldwide distribution (Fig. 1A), surpassing the modern reef belt (Fig. 1B). In contrast, Upper Miocene reefs are remarkably restricted (Fig. 1C), reflecting the well-known global-cooling trend during Miocene times. The Mediterranean regions, which we define to include the entire Mediterranean Sea plus the Paratethys, Red Sea and nearby Atlantic areas, include a wide variety of Miocene carbonates and some of the world's best outcrops.In terms of quality of outcrops and field control, Miocene carbonates of Mediterranean regions equal or surpass those of the Devonian of the Canning Basin of Australia, the Permian Capitan reef of Texas and New Mexico, the Triassic of the Dolomites of Italy or the Lower Cretaceous in the Vercors of France. In some aspects, Miocene carbonates in Mediterranean regions offer significant advantages over those world-famous examples currently used as stratigraphic models, because: <...>