The Neoeuxinian basin of the Black Sea and the Khvalinian transgression of the Caspian Sea

The history of the Neoeuxinian basin of the Black Sea (its stratigraphy, fauna, chronology, and sea-level fluctuations) was influenced by the impact of the Khvalinian transgression of the Caspian Sea. Commencement of the Neoeuxinian transgression was caused by the inflow of Khvalinian waters via Manych Strait. As a result, the level of the Neoeuxinian basin rose by 30–40 m, salinity increased from 2–4‰ to 7–8‰, and the Black Sea shelf was flooded. On the whole, the influence of the Khvalinian waters on the Azov-Black Sea basin was less significant compared to the earlier Caspian inflows (Bakunian and early Khazarian transgressions).