Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian transgressive-regressive sequences ofcentral Spitsbergen, Arctic Norway

Investigation of the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian sedimentary strat a of central Spitsbergen shows that this highly cyclic rock succession is c omposed of four long-term transgressive-regressive cycles. These long-term cycles are themselves composed of stacked higher order cycles Transgressive phases are characterized by increasing accommodation space, and include a basal transgressive part of marked retrogradation of facies belts and thick ening-upward component cycles. Regressive phases are characterized by decre asing accommodation space, displayed by progradation of facies belts, overa ll shallowing and increased restriction of the depositional environment, in flux of coarse terrigenous sediments and increasing evidence of exposure an d/or non-deposition. The oldest transgressive-regressive sequence identified, Sequence 1, is of Serpukhovian to Bashkirian age and represents a syn-rift sequence. Also com posed of syn-rift sediments is the transgressive-regressive Moscovian to mi d-Gzhelian-aged Sequence 2. The late Gzhelian to late Asselian Sequence 3 i s mainly a post-rift sequence. The youngest sequence, Sequence 4, is of Sak marian to possible Artinskian age, and is also composed of post-rift sedime nts. The individual transgressive-regressive cycles are defined as second-order cycles, based on lithological signatures, lateral extent of bounding unconf ormities, and the actual time period the cycles span. Local tectonic activity is believed to control to some extent the developme nt of short-term cycles in the syn-rift succession. However, cyclicity with in the long-term cycles is mainly controlled by eustatic sea-level fluctuat ions, and therefore enables them to be correlated to other Circum-Arctic re gions, Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.