Comparative Characteristics of Composition and Radioactivity of Oligocene Clays in the Greater Caucasus and Talysh

The paper presents results of the comparative analysis of organic matter (OM), mineralogical characteristics, and radioactivity in Oligocene clayey rocks from the Greater Caucasus and Talysh, which bound the South Caspian Depression on the southeast and northwest, respectively. It is established that Oligocene clays of the Greater Caucasus and Talysh substantially differ in terms of quantitative and qualitative parameters of OM, its maturity, integral radioactivity, and composition of radioactive elements. At the same time, the mineral composition of clays from these mountainous massifs shows a certain similarity. It is concluded that the Fore-Talysh subsidence zone and adjacent areas of the Caspian Sea are characterized by a lower oil and gas potential as compared with Oligocene rocks developed at the southeastern margin of the Greater Caucasus.__________Translated from Litologiya i Poleznye Iskopaemye, No. 4, 2005, pp. 430–439.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Feyzullayev, Kheirov, Ch. Aliyev, Abbasova, K. Aliyev.