Karimova N.T.

Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, H.Cavid pr. 119, Baku, AZ 1143 E-mail: nailya_kerimova@mail.ru

Detailed diatom analysis applied to sedimentary strata cropping out in the Yashma section on the Caspian Sea western coast in Azerbaijan enabled us to do paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Studied succession is composed of shales containing thin beds of dolomites. Totally 77 species from 37 genuses of diatoms had been identified in 20 samples collected from this section. The time dependent changes in diatom associations reflect rapid environmental variations that were a focus of our study.

Keywords: Yashma, Miocene, Diatom algae