Upper cretaceous radiolarians of the East European platform and their biostratigraphic significance

Radiolarian assemblages from the Upper Cretaceous carbonate-cherty deposits of the East European platform are analyzed. Biostratigraphic subdivisions ranked as radiolarian beds are distinguished in sediments of the Moscow syneclise, Voronezh anteclise, and the Ul’yanovsk-Saratov depression. The correlation between biostratigraphic beds established in three tectonic structures and variants of their coordination with radiolarian subdivisions in southern and northern areas of Russia are considered. The key importance of radiolarians for the subdivision and correlation of the Upper Cretaceous cherty deposits is demonstrated.