Correlation of Sections of the Lower Balakhon and Upper Balakhon Formations in the Anzhero and Kemerovo Districts of Kuzbass

N. M. Belyanin

The Anzhero and Kemerovo coal-bearing districts of Kuzbass comprise the entire extensive area of the northern part of the Kuznetsk Basin, which is a large syncline of complex structure, elongated in a meridional direction and narrowing toward the north. The extent of the coal-bearing deposits in a meridional direction within the districts described reaches 114 km, and the area of their distribution, as measured along the outcrop of the lower boundary of the Ostrog Formation, is 2,780 sq. km.

To the northeast the districts are bounded by the Kuznetsk Alatau; to the northwest, by the Tom–Kolyvan folded zone, with the boundary along the Tomsk thrust. In the south the boundary of the Kemerovo district is drawn somewhat conventionally: in the western part, along the line connecting the settlements of Frolovskii and Belorus; farther on, along the lower boundary of the Ilyinka Formation, upward along the left bank of the Tom River to Berezovka, and then it follows northward along the lower boundary of the Kuznetsk Formation. The Anzhero district, occupying the northernmost part of the area, is separated from the Kemerovo district by a narrow belt of development of the Ostrog Formation and of Lower Carboniferous marine deposits within the limits of the so-called Neva uplift.

The geological study of the districts began separately and proceeded in parallel throughout the entire first half of the twentieth century. From the town of Anzhero-Sudzhensk the study proceeded southward through the Andreevskoe, Kozlinskoe, and Nizovskoe deposits; from the town of Kemerovo, northward through the Kemerovo, Kedrovskoe, Novobalakhonskoe, Glushinskoe, Krokhalevskoe, and Biryulinskoe deposits.

Thus, by the present time it had become possible to join together the studied areas and to resolve unambiguously the question of correlating the sections of the two adjacent districts.

In the course of study of the districts, for each of them its own local scheme of stratigraphic subdivision of the coal-bearing deposits of the Balakhon Formation was worked out. In the Anzhero district a threefold division into members became established (from bottom to top): the Chelin, Central, and Alchedat members; in the Kemerovo district the division of the Balakhon Formation proposed by V. D. Fomichev [4] into five members became accepted: the Mazurovo, Alykaevo, Intermediate, Ishanovo, and Kemerovo (Yagunovo) members.

These schemes became deeply embedded in the practical work of the miners and geologists of the respective districts. All geological syntheses and district maps at large scales (1:25,000 and 1:50,000) up to the present—

A full-page geological map is shown on this page. No article body text, title, byline, equations, or tables are visible.

Visible map annotations include numerous place names, stratigraphic symbols, coal-bed and structural labels, including such readable labels as:

• Borovushka
• Anzhero-Sudzhensk
• Kemerovo
• Mozzhukha
• Berezovsky
• Barzas
• Verkhnyaya Barzas
• Nizhnyaya Barzas
• Yaya
• Tom
• Inya
• Kiya
• Kitoyka
• Mazurovo
• Yelykaevo
• Latyshy
• Promyshlennaya
• Vladimirovka
• Baranovka
• Kurbatovo
• Shcheglovskaya
• Staro-Balachonskaya
• Novaya Balachonka
• Rovnoe
• Polomoshnoe
• Butovskaya
• Antibes
• Alchedat
• Berezovo
• Nizhnyaya Taimenka
• Upper / Lower mine-field and coal-bed labels, including visible designations such as \(C_1\), \(C_2\), \(C_3\), \(P_1\), \(P_2\), \(C_2^3\), \(C_1^2\), \(P_1^{op}\), and similar stratigraphic indices.

Scale shown on the map:

Scale: 0 — 1 — 3 — 5 — 7 km.

at that time were compiled in these stratigraphic schemes. Small-scale maps (1:200,000 and 1:500,000) were compiled with a single conventional symbol for the entire Balakhon Formation, without subdivision into members.

Meanwhile, the extensive geological investigations being carried out at present in Kuzbass simultaneously by three ministries—the coal industry, geology and mineral resources protection, and the petroleum industry—with the participation of research institutes and higher educational institutions, have created all the conditions and prerequisites for the transition to a unified stratigraphic scheme for Kuzbass and for the compilation of large-scale summary geological maps of the basin using unified symbols. This was facilitated by the decisions of the Second All-Union Stratigraphic Conference on Kuzbass, held in the city of Leninsk-Kuznetsky in 1954, where a new scheme for the basin was developed and adopted.

The 1954 scheme was used as the basis for the unified stratigraphic scheme adopted at the conference in 1956 and approved by the All-Union Stratigraphic Committee.

For the practical implementation of the decision of the 1954 conference, the trust “Kuzbassuglegeologiya” initiated a thematic study on correlating sections of coal-bearing deposits in the industrially developed districts of Kuzbass and on the transition to a unified stratigraphic scheme. This work was begun in 1955, interrupted in 1956, and resumed again in 1957.

The Anzhero and Kemerovo districts were selected as the first-priority areas for section correlation, as adjoining and most fully studied districts. The work was assigned to the geological engineer Z. D. Zavistovskaya; with the author’s consultation and participation, a large body of factual material from exploration work was analyzed and the principal summary graphics were compiled. Owing to the temporary suspension of the topic, the text of the summary work was not written. The final generalization and completion of the work were carried out by the author.

Without dwelling on a detailed account of the history of the geological study of the districts, let us note that in the Soviet period the leading role in this work belongs to the group of geologists who for many years devoted themselves to the knowledge of the geological structure and coal resources of the districts. Among them were: E. M. Andreeva, N. M. Belyanin, P. N. Vasyukichev, K. F. Geraskevich, P. G. Gryazev, Zh. V. Ergolskaya, A. M. Zhuravlev, M. D. Zalessky, A. A. Ivanov, F. I. Kalinin, S. V. Kumpan, V. I. Marchenko, L. M. Mysina, M. F. Neiburg, A. P. Rotai, V. I. Skok, A. V. Tykhnov, M. A. Usov, V. D. Fomichev, L. L. Khalfin, V. I. Yavorsky, and others.

The first correlation of the sections of the Central member of the Anzhero district with the Alykaev member of the Kemerovo district was carried out by M. D. Zalessky on the basis of a study of the flora. Later P. G. Gryazev, when compiling a summary for the Anzhero district, expressed the assumption that the coal seams of the Koksovy seam group in Anzherka correspond to the Upper and Lower Alykaev seams (XXVI and XXVII) of the Kemerovo section. This assumption, as we shall see below, was confirmed by all subsequent work.

In order to reduce the length of the article, the description of the stratigraphic subdivisions is given here without paleontological characterization.

Principal Elements of the Geological Structure of the Districts

Structurally, the Anzhero and Kemerovo districts consist of a series of en echelon synclinal and brachysynclinal folds, elongated in a meridional direction,

complicated by smaller folds and disjunctive disturbances. In the Anzhero district the main structures are the Anzhero syncline and the Andreevka and Kozlino brachysynclines; in the Kemerovo district—the Glushinsk and Kedrovo-Krokhalevo brachysynclines and the Kemerovo syncline, which passes southward into the central parts of the Kuznetsk Basin. The prevailing dips of the fold limbs vary from 20 to 45°. The western parts of the districts are tectonically more complex. Here the sediments are gathered into steep linear folds, with limb dips from 60 to 80°. The arcuate trend of the folds and of the principal disjunctive structures, oriented with convexity toward the SE, as well as the corresponding NW dip direction of the major faults, indicate movement of masses from the NW to the SE, from the side of the Tom–Kolyvan folded zone. In the west of the Anzhero district and partly of the Kemerovo district, the coal-bearing deposits are cut off by the Tom overthrust.

According to the unified scheme for the Kuznetsk Basin approved in 1956, the coal-bearing deposits of the Anzhero and Kemerovo districts belong to five formations, from bottom to top: the Ostrog, Lower Balakhon, Upper Balakhon, Kuznetsk, and Ilyinsk formations. Of these, two formations are productive: the Lower Balakhon and Upper Balakhon.

The Ostrog Formation \((C_1)\) is widespread over the area of the districts described, bordering the productive deposits of the Balakhon formations. At the base of the Ostrog Formation lies a conglomerate or gravelite, with a thickness from 3–5 to 20 m.

In the Anzhero district, according to data of P. G. Gryazev [1], the thickness of the formation varies from 500 m (the Mazalovsky and Kitat rivers) to 400 m (the B. Chelly River), and it is composed in the northern part of a sandy-clayey complex, and in the southern part chiefly of sandstones and gravelites. The formation contains several interbeds of coal and coaly argillite.

The upper boundary of the formation is drawn at the floor of a thick bed of coaly argillite (sometimes with coal at the base)—the Ostrog bed—which lies 85 m below the Lower bed.

In the Kemerovo district, on the NE limb of the Kedrovo-Krokhalevo brachysyncline, in the Fedorovsky area, the thickness of the formation is 413 m, and it is composed in its lower and upper parts chiefly of sandstones and gravelites, and in the middle part of a clayey complex of rocks. The formation contains up to 8 thin coal interbeds and one bed of coaly argillite not less than 1 m thick. The upper boundary of the formation is drawn at the floor of a thick bed of coaly argillite.

Farther to the SE, within the Kemerovo district, the content of the clayey complex of rocks in the Ostrog Formation noticeably increases owing to a reduction in sandstones and conglomerates. Thus, the content of clayey rocks in sections of the formation is 22.4% in the Fedorovsky area, 35.9% in the Konyukhtinsky area, and 100% within the Ermakovo structure.

On the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline, along the right bank of the Tom River, the thickness of the Ostrog Formation, according to data of S. V. Kumpan cited in the work of V. I. Skok [3], is 600–625 m. By lithological composition the section of the formation is clearly subdivided into three horizons, from below: lower sandstones, thick argillite, and building sandstones.

In the middle part of the formation, in the clayey member, there occurs a mass of well-preserved fauna, which in recent years has served as the basis for a major discussion of the age of the Ostrog Formation. For the sake of brevity, I do not dwell on listing the fauna and flora; exhaustive lists are given in the reports and presentations of R. N. Benediktova, A. P. Rotai, T. G. Sarycheva, V. S. Muromtsev, and N. I. Novozhilov at the Second All-Union Stratigraphic Conference.

Table 1

Characteristics of the thickness of the Upper Balakhon and Lower Balakhon formations of the Kemerovo and Anzhero districts of Kuzbass

in 1954, the proceedings of which were published in the collection Problems of the Geology of Kuzbass, volume 1 [2].

The upper boundary of the formation on the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline is drawn at the floor of the lower workable coal seam—the Ukrainskii seam (right bank of the Tom River), or seam No. 13 at the Mazurovskaya mine (on the left bank of the Tom River).

On the whole, the Ostrog Formation, being unproductive, has been studied far from sufficiently and has been exposed along strike over 114 km in only 7 sections, some of which do not characterize the full thickness of the formation.

The Lower Balakhon Formation \((C_2—C^{bl})\) conformably overlies the deposits of the Ostrog Formation and, in the character of the rocks composing it, somewhat resembles the latter.

In lithological composition and coal content the formation is the most persistent of all the Kuzbass formations. It is composed of interbedding sandstones having a greenish tint, bedded aleurolites and argillites, carbonaceous argillites, and coal seams. The rocks are predominantly platy; the sandstones are micaceous; in the weathered state the argillites and aleurolites acquire a greenish-yellow tint and have received from geologists the name “canary.” In the unweathered state they have gray tones, with banded transitions from dark to lighter shades. In the lower part of the formation, carbonaceous argillites are widely distributed, occurring as thick beds that are well persistent along strike.

The formation has been studied in greatest detail in the Kemerovo district. Complete sections of it have been obtained along the Verkhotomskaya, Krokhalevskaya prospective, and Kaigurovskaya exploration lines.

The upper boundary of the formation is drawn at the base of a thick member of sandstones lying 40–72 m above the Rumyantsev coal seam (XXI). The thickness of the formation on the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline is 1110 m; on the eastern limb (Krokhalevskaya prospective line), 960 m.

Within the Lower Balakhon Formation of the Kemerovo district there are from 8 to 12 workable coal seams, with a total thickness of 9–14 m. The thickness of individual seams does not exceed 2.5 m. The workable coal content of the formation is 0.8–1.3%.

On the basis of the macrolithological features of the section and coal content, the formation is subdivided into two subformations: the Mazurovka—the lower \((C_{2-3}^{mz})\)—and the Alykaevo \((C_{2-3}^{al})\). Characteristics of the boundaries, thicknesses, and coal content of the subformations are given in Table 1.

The coals of the Alykaevo Subformation possess a good petrographic composition and, at the corresponding stage of metamorphism, are coking coals (the Pioner and Berezovskaya mines; the Biryulinskie and Nizovskie areas).

The deposits of the Lower Balakhon Formation, and especially of the Alykaevo Subformation, are well characterized paleontologically. The guiding faunal and floral assemblages are readily recognized throughout all of Kuzbass.

In the Anzhero district the Lower Balakhon Formation is represented in full. The correlation carried out between the sections of the two districts made it possible to refine the position of the upper boundary of the formation by analogy with the Kemerovo section, adopted in the unified scheme as the standard. The upper boundary of the formation in the Anzhero section is at present drawn at the base of a thick member of sandstones 8–30 m above the Alchedatskii V seam. The thickness of the formation varies in the district from 850 to 900 m. The number of workable coal seams is 16–28; their total thickness is 20.4–44.1 m; workable coal content is 2.2–4.4%. The coal content of the formation increases northward.

The boundary between the Mazurovo and Alykaevo subformations is established at the top of the Podkonglomeratovy seam.

All operating and projected mines of the Anzhero district work, or will work, the seams of the Alykaevo subformation, and only one small mine, “Krasnaya Zvezda,” works the seams of the Mazurovo subformation.

The Upper Balakhon Formation \((P_1^{bl})\) is very widely developed in the Kemerovo district and is represented only partially, by its lower horizons (the lower part of the intermediate subformation), in the Anzhero district, in the central part of the deepest Anzhero syncline. The main part of the formation in the Anzhero district has been denuded.

In composition the Upper Balakhon Formation differs significantly from the Lower Balakhon Formation. Here a characteristic feature is the interbedding of thick packets of sandstones and clayey rocks with thick cycles of coal accumulation. Facies instability is observed, as well as the lateral and downdip discontinuity of some horizons and the presence of washouts. The metamorphism of the rocks weakens; the brittleness and flaggy character of the rocks disappear, and viscosity and lumpiness appear.

The coal content of the formation is higher, but less persistent, than in the Lower Balakhon Formation. Individual coal seams, while varying in thickness, reach 21 m (for example, the Volkovsky seam, whose usual thickness is 5–7 m). Bifurcation of seams is observed, and in individual cases seams are replaced by coaly argillite. The least persistent is the upper half of the Kemerovo subformation and, as a whole, the Ishanovo subformation. At the same time it has been established that the enclosing rocks undergo greater changes in dimension than do the coal horizons. In general, within the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline the formation contains up to 9–14 workable coal seams, with a total thickness of 19–23 m. The coefficient of workable coal content is 1.6–1.9. Along the western limb the number of workable seams increases to 20–28, and their total thickness to 38–62 m. Workable coal content amounts to 2.3–4.0%.

The considerable facies variability of some horizons, with their great thickness, makes it very difficult to correlate the sections of individual deposits and areas, and also to compile composite stratigraphic columns. This alone explains the relatively poor degree of study of some parts of the Upper Balakhon Formation in the Kemerovo and, partly, in the Anzhero districts, as well as the uncertain linking of individual sections.

The upper boundary of the formation is placed 65 m above the upper workable coal seam—the Kemerovo seam—somewhat below the horizon with recurrent Early Kuznetsk brackish-water fauna studied by L. L. Khalfin [5]. The thickness of the formation in the Kemerovo district is 1635 m on the western limb and 1450 m on the eastern limb.

The formation is subdivided into four subformations: the intermediate \((P_1^{p})\), Ishanovo \((P_1^{i})\), Kemerovo \((P_1^{km})\), and Usyat \((P_1^{us})\). The last is represented in the district by a non-coal-bearing facies.

A brief characterization of the subformations, their boundaries, thickness, and coal content is given in Table 1 and also in Fig. 2.

The Kuznetsk Formation \((P_1^{ks})\) conformably overlies the deposits of the Upper Balakhon Formation; it is barren and is fully exposed in outcrops on the right bank of the Tom River in the city of Kemerovo. The upper boundary of the formation is drawn along the base of the continuous sequence of Krasnoyarka sandstones. The thickness of the formation is 830 m. In composition it is predominantly siltstone, with sandstones of subordinate importance concentrated mainly in the upper and lower parts of the section. The siltstones have a greenish

a “tobacco” hue; the sandstones in the lower part of the formation are light-colored, in the upper part dark gray, “gloomy,” often calcareous. In the deposits of the formation there occurs a fauna of lamellibranch mollusks, phyllopod crustaceans, and fishes. The flora of the formation is poor.

The Ilyinskaya Formation \(\left(P^{il}_{2}\right)\) in the Kemerovo district is represented by the Krasnoyarsk non-coal-bearing facies \(\left(P^{kr}_{2}\right)\). It is composed of monotonous, uniform tuffaceous sandstones of dark-gray color, with a thickness of up to 1600 m.

Methodology of work on the correlation of sections

The presence of a thoroughly explored belt of deposits of the Alykaevskaya Subformation along the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline, connecting the Kemerovo district with the Anzhero district through the Nizovskoye deposit, made it possible to carry out a detailed linkage of the districts by successively comparing sections along exploration lines.

Along each line, from north to south from the Mazalovsky Kitat River in the Anzhero district, after a detailed study of the materials of the primary documentation, and taking account of logging work, a stratigraphic column was compiled. In the column, in addition to lithology, the places of sampling of fauna and flora, their composition, the presence of disturbed intervals, and traces of erosion were indicated. The columns were placed successively on the drawing and were tied to one another with accuracy down to the bed; the direction and degree of variability of the section were determined, and marker horizons were noted. Such comparison was carried out over a distance of 65 km as far as the Krokhalevskaya prospective exploration line, which characterizes as a whole the section of the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline. In this way the principal coal seams of the Alykaevskaya and Mazurovskaya subformations of the Kemerovo and Anzhero districts were correlated, and the boundaries of the subformations were also transferred from the Kemerovo district to the Anzhero district. After a corresponding reduction in the number of columns, the most complete and characteristic of them are brought together in Fig. 1.

Horizons with fauna and flora served as important correlation material in comparing the columns and determining the boundaries of subformations and formations. Thus, from faunal horizons the upper boundary of the Upper Balakhon Formation was established, and certain horizons with fauna and flora of the Promezhutochnaya and Alykaevskaya subformations were correlated. At the same time the need became apparent for unification in the determinations of fauna studied at different times by different investigators.

Within the Kemerovo district, great difficulties were encountered in correlating sections. The absence of continuous sections of the Upper Balakhon Formation in the central part of the district and along the western limb of the syncline, with considerable variability of the sections of the thick Ishanskaya Subformation, created some uncertainty in linking the sections and in compiling the composite column for the west.

For correlating the columns, sections along the following exploration lines were studied successively: Krokhalevskaya prospective, 0, Lyapichevskaya, the fields of the “Severnaya,” “Tsentralnaya,” and “Butovskaya” mines, the Butovsky-Zapadny area, the Verkhotomskaya and Beregovaya exploration lines, and on the left bank of the Tom—the fields of the “Yagunovskaya” mine and the “Pioner” mine, which now includes the former “Mazurovskaya” mine. The results of the correlation are presented in Fig. 2.

Results of the correlation

The linkage of sections that was carried out made it possible to correlate reliably the principal coal seams of the Alykaevskaya and Mazurovskaya subformations of the Anzhero district and the eastern part of the Kemerovo district. This correlation for 13 seams is given in Table 2.

Table 2

The marker horizons used in correlating the sections were the convergent coal seams XXVI—the same as Sluchainy—and XXVII—Coking, which persist throughout the entire NE limb of the Kemerovo syncline and within the Anzhero district, as well as certain faunal horizons.

Beginning with the Nizovsky deposit and northward, over the whole area of the Anzhero district, a whole group of convergent coal seams is associated in an unbroken complex with the marker seams Coking and Sluchainy: Tonky, Petrovsky, and Dvoinoi, which southward first lose their workable thickness and then (North-Biryulinsky area) disappear completely. This group of five convergent seams, in a sequence 40 m thick, is readily recognized in the section and is the guiding one in the Anzhero district (Fig. 1).

In the lower part of the section, thick beds of carbonaceous argillites are well traced and can serve as marker horizons: Duritovy, Lower, and Ostrogsky, corresponding in the eastern part of the Kemerovo district respectively to seams XIII, XV, and seam “A”¹).

As the materials of the detailed correlation of the sections of the Anzhero district have shown, taking into account the data of logging work, on the whole the Lower Balakhon Formation here appears rather persistent, with a very slowly changing coal content that increases northward.

At the base of the intermediate subformation of the Anzhero district, above seam Alchedatsky VI, a sharp facies instability occurs. In the se-

¹) In compiling the present summary, for convenience in describing the sections, the author has given names to the Ostrogsky and Nadostrogsky seams after the Ostrog Formation lying below.

Fig. 1. Correlation of sections of the Lower Balakhon and Upper Balakhon formations in the Anzhero and Kemerovo districts. Compiled by Z. D. Zavistovskaya and N. M. Belyanina.

Legend:
1 — conglomerate-like sandstone; 2 — puddingstone sandstone; 3 — coarse- and medium-grained sandstone; 4 — fine-grained sandstone; 5 — very fine-grained, clayey sandstone; 6 — beds of interbedded sandstone and siltstone; 7 — siltstone; 8 — argillite; 9 — carbonaceous argillite; 10 — coal: a — workable seams, b — nonworkable seams; 11 — fauna; 12 — marker horizons; 13 — stratigraphic boundaries according to the unified scheme; 14 — boundaries of units according to the local scheme; 15 — correlation of coal seams.

Abbreviations: tr. KUG — “Kuzbassuglegeologiya” Trust; ZSGU — West Siberian Geological Administration.

Main inscriptions in the diagram:

• Unified stratigraphic scheme
• Local scheme

Balakhon Formation, \(C_2\)
- Leninskaya subformation \((600 \text{ m})\)
- Kemerovo subformation \((485–535 \text{ m})\)
- Mazurovskaya subformation \((235–265 \text{ m})\)
- Intermediate subformation \((50–300 \text{ m})\)
- Serpukhov Formation, \(C_1^3\)

Coal-seam names and local subdivisions shown on the left side:
- Brachyanovskii
- Azimutnyi
- Podkontlomeratnyi I, II
- Chelinskii; Chelinskii II
- Kadatyskii
- Revizskii; Andreyevskii
- Desyatyi
- Odinnadtsatyi
- Novoselovskii
- Anzheromatskii
- Molodovskii Kittel

Anzhero syncline
- Ust’-Shcherbinovskii
- Section according to P. G. Gryazev
- Pole of Mine 5–7
- VII exploratory line
- IV exploratory line
- According to materials of the KUG Trust

Andreyev syncline
- Eastern limb of the field of the Mine “Fizkulturnik”
- Zapadnoe limb near Mine “Krasnaya Zvezda”
- V–IV exploratory line
- VI–IV exploratory line
- According to materials of the KUG Trust

Mazulinskaya brachysyncline
- XI and XII exploratory lines
- According to materials of the KUG Trust

Nizovskoye deposit
- According to materials of the KUG Trust

Eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline
- Ust’-Burmakinskii Severnyi
- XXVII exploratory line
- According to materials of the KUG Trust
- Ust’-Borovlyanskii I
- Chebarkulskaya exploratory line
- According to materials of ZSGU
- Ust’-Berezovskie
- Krohalevskaya prospective exploratory line
- According to materials of the KUG Trust
- Fedoro[v]skaya exploratory line
- According to B. S. Kuznetsov
- Ust’-Kondopatskii
- Kondopatskaya prospecting line
- According to V. B. Kuznetsov

Coal seams and horizons indicated in the Kemerovo district:
- XIV — Semenovskii
- XVIII — Burmakinskii
- XXI — Semenovskii
- XXI — Rudnichnyi IV
- XXIII
- XXIV — Novyi
- XXVI — Aleks[eev]skii Verkhnii
- XXVII — Aleks[eev]skii
- XXVIII–XXXII
- XXXIII
- XXXIV
- XXXV
- XXXVI
- XXXVII
- XXXVIII
- XXXIX
- XL
- XLI
- XLII
- XLIII
- XLIV
- XLV
- XLVI
- XLVII
- “Sosnovka”
- Lower
- Barzasskii
- Vtorovskii

Right-side local scheme:
- Promezhutochnaya subformation, \(C_2^0\) \((570 \text{ m})\)
- Anzhero-Kemerovo subformation, \(C_2^1\)
- Mazurovskaya subformation, \(C_2^2\) \((390 \text{ m})\)
- Kemerovo subformation, \(C_2^3\)
- Leninskaya subformation, \(C_2^4\)
- Ostrogskaya subformation, \(C_2^5\)

Fig. 2. Correlation of sections of the Lower Balakhon and Upper Balakhon series of the Kemerovo district. Compiled by Z. D. Zavistovskaya and N. M. Belyanin.
For explanations, see Fig. 1.

Vertical scale: 50 m. Horizontal scale shown at bottom: 0–500 m.

Left stratigraphic scale:

• Kuznetsk Series
• Balakhon Series
• Upper Balakhon Subseries
  • Ilyinskaya Subsuite \((?50? \text{ m})\)
  • Intermediate Subsuite \((?57? \text{ m})\)
• Lower Balakhon Subseries
  • Osinovskaya Suite \((110 \text{ m})\)
  • Kemerovo Suite \((657 \text{ m})\)
  • Uskat Suite \((? \text{ m})\)
• Devonian Series

Main correlated sections and columns, from west to east:

1. Composite section along the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline
2. Circled column no. 1

3. Upper labels include:

   • Bed Б
   • Bed А
   • Gor. B
   • Gor. A
   • Kemerovo-Volkovsky
   • Viktorovsky
   • Vladimirovsky
   • V. Luttuginsky
   • N. Luttuginsky
   • Bezymyanny I and II
   • Gorlovsky
   • Podonovsky sandstone
   • Pritraktovy sandstone
   • Nadshtolny
   • Beds of mine no. 2
   • Bed of mine no. 3
   • Lykovyi
   • Guryanovsky
   • Sloevoi
   • Nazaykinsky
   • Butovsky
   • Bed B no. 14
   • [[unclear: several lower coal-bed names]]
   • Nagorny
   • Podbratovsky
   • Davyd. intermediate
   • Nadshtolny
   • Stepanovsky
   • Rumyantsevsky
   • Novyi
   • Dv. Mazurovsky
   • Uvarovsky
   • Gorbenovsky
   • Baigonovsky
   • beds nos. 2–14

4. Field of the Yagunovskaya Mine
   (after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust)

5. Circled column no. 2

6. Labels include:

   • Rumyantsevsky
   • Kur’insky
   • Novyi
   • Promezhutochny
   • Blikayevsk. upper
   • Volkovsky
   • Aleksandrovsky
   • Sibirtsevsky
   • Robin. [[unclear]]
   • bed no. 2
   • beds nos. 3–14

7. Right bank of the Tom’ River and the Ivanovka district
   (after V. M. Skokov and G. I. Fomichev)

8. Circled column no. 3

9. Labels include:

   • Kemerovo-Volkovsky
   • Viktorovsky
   • Vladimirovsky
   • V. Luttuginsky
   • N. Luttuginsky
   • Bezymyanny I and II
   • Gorlovsky
   • NadshTolbovsky [[unclear]]
   • beds of mine no. 2
   • bed of mine no. 3
   • Lykovyi
   • Guryanovsky
   • Sloevoi
   • Zhukovsky
   • Rumyantsevsky
   • Novyi
   • Promezhutochny
   • Lykov lower
   • Aleksandr.
   • Dv. Mazurovsk.
   • Uvarovsky
   • Sibirtsevsky
   • Rob. [[unclear]]
   • beds nos. 2–14

10. Field of the Tsentralnaya Mine
    (after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust)

11. Circled column no. 4
12. Labels include:
    • Gor. G
    • Kemerovo-Volkovsky
    • Viktorovsky
    • Vladimirovsky
    • V. Luttuginsky
    • N. Luttuginsky
    • Bezymyanny I and II
    • Gorlovsk.
    • NadshTolbovsk. [[unclear]]
    • beds of mine no. 2
    • bed of mine no. 3
    • Lykovyi
    • Guryanovsk.
    • Sloevoi
    • Zhukovsky
    • Podduval’kin [[unclear]]
    • bed of adit no. 31
    • Podbratovsky
    • Podbratovsky II
    • Podbratovsky I
    • Byzhinsky
    • Conglomeratic
    • Kandalepovsky
    • Verkhnii
    • dv. Promezhutochny
    • Nadkordaitovy
    • Kordaitovy
    • Stepanovsky
    • Rumyantsevsky

4A. Field of the Butovskaya and Butovsky Zapadny Mines
(after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust)
- Circled column no. 4A
- Labels include:
- Sloevoi
- Zhukovsky
- Anzhulinsky–Butovsky
- bed B no. 14

1. Field of the Severnaya Mine
   (after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust)
2. Circled column no. 5
3. Labels include:
   • Kemerovo-Volkovsky
   • Vladimirsky
   • V. Luttuginsky
   • N. Luttuginsky

5A. Section along the Alachesov River
(after N. M. Belyanin)
- Circled column no. 5A
- Labels include:
- bed 1
- beds 2, 3
- bed 4
- beds 5, 6, 7, 8

1. Field of the Yuzhnaya Mine along the exploration line
   (after materials of Kuzbassugol’)

2. Circled column no. 6

3. Composite section along the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline, Krapivinskaya perspective and Konskaya exploration line
   (after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust)

4. Circled column no. 7
5. Right-margin labels include:
   • Gor. A
   • Kemerovo
   • Zagkovsky [[unclear]]
   • Volkovsky I
   • Vladimirsky
   • Luttuginsky
   • Gorlovsky
   • Paramonovsky sandstone
   • Pritraktovy sandstone
   • Lykovyi
   • Guryanovsky
   • Zhukovsky
   • beds I, II
   • beds IV–VI
   • beds VII–X
   • beds XI–XII
   • Anthracosphaerita [[unclear species: volaveroshensis?]]
   • beds XV, XVI
   • bed XVII — Stepanovsky
   • Byzovsky [[unclear]]
   • Semenovsky
   • beds XIX–XXII
   • Anthracosphaerita
   • Carbonicola (Vaduzia) [[unclear]]
   • bed XXIII
   • bed XXIV
   • beds XXVI–XXVII
   • beds XXVIII–XXXII
   • beds XXXIII — Konovalovsky
   • beds XXXIV — Dv. Mazurovsky
   • bed XXXV — Uvarovsky
   • bed XXXVI
   • bed XXXVII
   • bed XXXVIII
   • beds XXXIX
   • beds XL, XLI
   • bed XLII
   • bed XLIII
   • bed XLV
   • bed XLVI
   • bed XLVII
   • bed B
   • bed A
   • “Svedeno” [[reduced/condensed]]

Additional labeled areas within the diagram:

• Mine field no. 9
  (after materials of the Kuzbassugol’ Trust and D. D. Fomichev)
• Circled column no. 3

• Associated labels:

  • Rumyantsevsky
  • Kuryinsky
  • Novyi
  • Promezhutochny

• Verkh-Tomskaya exploration line
  (after materials of V. M. Skokov)

• Circled column no. 3A
• Labels include:
  • Rumyantsevsky
  • Novyi
  • Lykov lower
  • Aleksandr.
  • Dv. Mazurovsk.
  • Uvarovsky
  • Sibirtsevsky
  • Rob. [[unclear]]

Correlation lines connect the coal seams and marker horizons across the section; heavy black lines mark principal correlated seams, while dashed and fine lines mark auxiliary correlations.

in the upper part of the Anzhero district, including the northern field of Mine No. 5–7 and the Shcherbinovskii sector, above the above-mentioned seam there lies a thick sequence of sandstones and gravelites, with interbeds of conglomerates, containing almost no coals (Fig. 1, columns 1 and 2). The same picture is preserved throughout the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline (columns 7, 8, and 9). In the central part of the Anzhero district, including the southern part of the field of Mine No. 5–7, the field of Mine No. 9–15, and in general the Andreevka syncline, the lower part of the intermediate subformation is composed of a sandy-clayey complex of rocks, with a large number of coal seams and carbonaceous argillites (Fig. 1, columns 2a, 3, 4). This composition of the sequence very much recalls the intermediate subformation of the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline.

The sharp change in the composition of the sequence of the lower part of the intermediate subformation observed in the Anzhero district can be explained by an abrupt change in the facies conditions of sediment accumulation in the eastern part of the Kemerovo and in the northern part of the Anzhero districts as compared with the western part of the Kemerovo and the southern part of the Anzhero districts. The distinct boundary of distribution of the different facies established in the Anzhero district must probably also be preserved in the Kemerovo district, where the composition of the intermediate subformation of the eastern and western limbs of the syncline is sharply different. This change in the lithologic composition of the intermediate subformation, it must be assumed, takes place rapidly, passing somewhat east of the axis of the Kemerovo syncline.

In correlating the sections of the Upper Balakhon and Lower Balakhon formations of the Kemerovo district, three principal marker groups of coal seams were outlined and used as the basis for comparison. In the upper part of the Kemerovo subformation the marker is the group of the thickest seams—the Volkovskii and Kemerovo seams, above which lie the barren horizons of the Usyat subformation (Fig. 2). In the lower part of the Ishanovskaya subformation there lies the second marker group of coal seams: the Butovskii–Unexpected seams (field of the “Butovskaya” mine), the corresponding seams No. 5–No. 8 (Lapicheva River) and the Zhutnikovskii seam (Ishanova village and the Krokhalevskaya prospecting line). The seams of this group are closely spaced, relatively thick, and, in the composition of the coals composing them, are gagate-like, homogeneous, and hard. The group of seams is worked by the “Butovskaya” and “Lapichevskaya” mines; it has been exposed by core drilling along the Krokhalevskaya prospecting line, by small mine workings and core drilling along the Lapicheva River, the Elovka River (in the village of Kedrovka), along the Glukhaya River north of the village of Novaya Balakhonka (ditch No. 26), and on the right bank of the Tom River in the area of the village of Ishanova. The third marker horizon consists of the well-persistent coal seams Alykaevskii upper and Alykaevskii lower, worked by the “Pioner” mine, and the corresponding seams XXVI and XXVII of the Krokhalevskoye deposit. The seams belong to the Alykaevskaya subformation, excellently characterized paleontologically.

The three principal marker horizons listed made it possible to link with one another the sections of individual sectors and mine fields of the Kemerovo district and thus to compile composite columns for the western and eastern limbs of the Kemerovo syncline, with varying degrees of reliability for individual parts of the section (Fig. 2). For individual subformations, the following conclusions may be drawn from the results of the correlation:

The Usyat subformation is rich in faunal horizons which, in the opinion of many investigators, have a general similarity to the corresponding horizons of the Usyat subformation of the Prokopyevsk–Kiselevsk district. On the basis of the presence of a characteristic large pelecypod fauna (the group Anthraconauta gigantea Rag.), the subformation, non-coal-bearing in the Kemerovo district,

… is correlated with the highly coal-bearing subformation of the Prokopyevsk–Kiselevsk district.

In the section of the Usyat subformation and the lower horizons of the Kuznetsk Formation in the Kemerovo district, up to five faunal horizons have now been established, listed in Table 3 and shown in Fig. 2.

Table 3

The upper boundary of the subformation is drawn at approximately 65 m above the Kemerovo seam, somewhat below the horizon with recurrent brackish-water Alykaevo fauna, studied by L. L. Khalfina [5] from the collections of the Kemerovo party of the Kuzbassuglegeologiya trust at the Kedrovsky-2 site. In the composite stratigraphic section (Fig. 2, column 1), the upper boundary of the subformation lies between faunal horizons Б and В. This boundary is provisionally extended to all deposits and sites of the district. Continuing collections of paleontological material will make it possible in the near future to outline the boundary more precisely for each deposit separately.

The lithological composition of the subformation is generally persistent throughout the entire district. In individual areas, thin non-workable coal seams and coal interbeds appear within the subformation.

The Ishanovskaya subformation, unstable in composition and coal content and poor in faunal and floral horizons, is correlated in the district uncertainly and requires further study. A complete section of the subformation has been exposed only along the Krokhalevskaya and Kaigurovskaya prospective lines (Fig. 2, column 7). In the remaining separate areas…

the district the subformation is exposed in large parts, but not to its full thickness. On the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline the most complete section is that obtained in the area of the village of Ishanova (column 2). On the Krokhalevskaya prospecting line, in the upper part of the subformation, the rocks have been exposed in a disturbed state and allow the supposition of a possible repetition of the strata.

The basis for correlating the sections is taken to be the highly coal-saturated horizon of the Butovskii—Neozhidannyi seams. Comparing the sections by this horizon, we see that the overlying and underlying sequences have, in individual columns, considerable discrepancies in the number and thickness of coal horizons, as well as in lithological composition (Fig. 2). However, the total thickness of the subformation on the western and eastern limbs of the Kemerovo syncline remains the same, respectively 767 and 760 m.

To clarify the composition and thickness of the Ishanovskaya subformation, it is highly desirable to run in the district two lines of deep boreholes: the Butovsko-Kedrovskaya line—from the outcrop of the Lutuginskii seam in the axial part of the Kedrovskaya syncline in the direction toward the Butovskaya mine, down to the intersection of clearly recognized horizons of the intermediate subformation; and the Khorosheborsko-Lapichevskaya line—from two deep boreholes. The first borehole is recommended to be placed along the Khorosheborka River at the outcrop of the Lutuginskii seam, with final intersection of the group of seams Nos. 5–8 on the Lapichevaya River, to a depth of 800–900 m; the second—along the Lapichevaya River from the indicated group of seams downward to the clearly intermediate subformation, correlating with the Butovskii-western area. The possible depth of the borehole is 500–600 m.

The intermediate subformation is the least studied in the district. In its eastern part it has been exposed by the Krokhalevskaya prospecting line at the deposit of the same name and by the Kaigurovskaya line at the Biryulinskoye deposit. In the western part the most complete section of the subformation is exposed in the Butovskii-western area (Fig. 2, column 4A). Here, however, there is some uncertainty as to the correct upward superposition of the Ishanovskaya subformation from the field of the Butovskaya mine, which is separated from the intermediate subformation by a fault. The lower boundary of the intermediate subformation in column 4A is also drawn to some extent conditionally, and a direct, reliable connection with the underlying Alykaevskaya subformation has not been established.

Comparing with one another the two available sections of the deposits of the subformation, columns (4A and 7), one may note the following features of each of them: the thickness of the subformation in the west is considerably greater than in the east (595 m, as against 418 m); the workable coal content in the west is higher than in the east (2% as against 0.6%); the facies conditions of sediment accumulation in the lower part of the subformation (below the coal seams Dvoinoi—Promezhutochnyi—Biryulinskii) in the west and east were entirely different. In the first case, a sandy-clayey sequence with a mass of coal horizons, 280 m thick, was deposited; in the second, a sequence of sandstones and gravelites only 75 m thick. Such a sharp change in the composition of the intermediate subformation was already noted by us in describing the sections of the Anzhero district and is, as it appears to us, regional.

The lower boundary of the intermediate subformation in the east of the district is drawn clearly along the base of a thick sandstone-gravelite sequence above the Semenovskii seam; in the west this boundary loses its sharp features and is drawn to some extent conditionally 40–50 m above the Rumyantsevskii seam, along the base of less thick sandstones. Correlation of the lower boundary in the west and east requires further refinement, which can be accomplished by a careful analysis

already described faunal horizons in the Butovka-Western area and in the Berezovo and Biryulino areas, without carrying out additional field work.

At the same time, there is an urgent need to connect the Promezhutochnaya and Alykaevskaya subformations in a continuous section and thereby facilitate the compilation of a composite section of the Balakhon formations along the western limb of the Kemerovo syncline. This can be done by drilling 1–2 deep boreholes of 500–700 m in the near-crest part of the brachyanticline, 2 km northwest of the village of Borovushka. By tying in to the group of exposed seams—Konglomeratovy—Dvoinoi—Promezhutochnyi—the boreholes could cut the lower part of the Promezhutochnaya subformation and be drilled down to the marker seams Alykaevsky upper and lower. At the same time, the boreholes would solve an important geological-industrial question: the presence of coking coals near the city of Kemerovo and the railway line. The seams of the Alykaevskaya subformation here should have the coking stage of metamorphism and, depending on the depth of their occurrence, may be of considerable industrial interest.

The Alykaevskaya subformation has been studied rather well in the district. Within the separately considered western and eastern limbs of the Kemerovo syncline, the subformation maintains its lithological composition and coal content and is correlated with confidence. When the sections of the western limb are compared with those of the eastern, certain differences are seen, despite the persistence of the principal coal seams, the workable coal content (Table 1), and the paleontological characteristics. The thickness of the subformation along the eastern limb is somewhat smaller than along the western (570 m versus 615 m); the rock sequence between the Novy and Alykaevsky-upper seams is sandy-clayey, with a large number of thin coal beds and carbonaceous argillite on the western limb; on the eastern limb it is represented by a continuous sequence of sandstones and gravelites. In the lower part of the subformation, in the east, the number of coal horizons is considerably reduced.

The Mazurovskaya subformation, like the Alykaevskaya, has been studied in the Kemerovo district in several complete sections.

In lithological composition the subformation in the west and in the east shows great similarity. A certain difference of the section of the eastern limb from the western is the loss in the former of workable thickness in almost all coal seams, and also the presence of thick beds of carbonaceous argillites, which are marker horizons throughout the entire eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline. True, here it must be taken into account that the section of the Mazurovskaya subformation along the Krokhalevskaya line was compiled from core-drilling boreholes before the use of logging surveys, and the thicknesses of the coal seams may have been underestimated. Naturally, at present a check of the coal content of the subformation is required.

The lower boundary of the subformation in the west is drawn along the lower workable coal seam, which is seam No. 13 in the field of the Mazurovskaya mine and the Ukrainsky seam near the village of Staraya Balakhonka. On the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline, the floor of carbonaceous argillite seam “A” has been taken as the boundary. Comparing the sections with one another, we see (Fig. 2) that the boundary adopted at present is a sliding one, not a geological one, since the carbonaceous argillite of seam “A” most probably corresponds in the west to seam No. 11, while seam No. 13 may correspond in the east to seam “Sloenka,” assigned to the Ostrog Formation. Thus the question arises of the need to lower the lower boundary of the Mazurovskaya subformation in the east to seam “Sloenka.” This change of boundary would be most conveniently made after re-drilling the lower horizons of the Mazurovskaya subformation at a number of points along the eastern limb of the Kemerovo syncline.

The thickness of the subformation within the accepted boundaries is 495 m in the west and 390 m in the east. With a shift of the boundary, the thicknesses may prove to be equal.

Thus, in the Kemerovo district, the composite stratigraphic section of the Lower Balakhon and Upper Balakhon formations should, in the main, be regarded as compiled, and the thicknesses of the formations and their coal-bearing character as established. However, in the section of the formations there still remain individual intervals that require clarification by additional work.

An important question in applying the unified stratigraphic scheme in all districts of Kuzbass is the correlation of sections of the formations of the northern part of the basin (Kemerovo district) and the southern part (Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk district), for the purpose of correctly determining the boundaries of the subformations in the south. The subdivision of the Balakhon series in the unified scheme into formations and subformations was adopted, as is known, according to the Kemerovo, most complete, section, and is transferred to the southern part of the basin rather conditionally with respect to determining the boundaries of the subformations.

The question of the position of the Usyat subformation in the Kemerovo section cannot be considered finally resolved. The placement of this subformation above the Kemerovo subformation, from my point of view, appears artificial. In fact, according to the fauna studied by L. L. Khalfin [5], the upper boundary of the Usyat subformation is drawn in Prokop’evsk 110 m above bed VI Inner, in Kiselevsk 65 m above bed VII Inner, and in the Kemerovo district 70–75 m above the Kemerovo bed. In other words, in all cases the boundary is situated practically at the same distance from the upper boundary of the industrial coal-bearing sequence. The question arises whether the coal-bearing part of the Usyat subformation of the Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk district is not an analogue of the Kemerovo subformation of the Kemerovo district.

At present the Usyat subformation is placed above the Kemerovo subformation on the basis of the presence of horizons with large anthraconautas, known in the Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk district between beds IV and V Inner and 7–70 m above bed VI Inner of the Usyat subformation, and in Kemerovo 27–73 m above the Kemerovo bed. It is considered in this connection that the Inner beds of the Usyat subformation from south to north, in the Kemerovo district, wedged out as a result of a change in facies conditions, and that the thickness of the Usyat subformation decreased from 250 m in the Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk district to 65 m in Kemerovo.

Such an explanation is not consistent with some already known regularities. In particular, the coal-bearing character of the Usyat subformation in the Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk and Bachaty districts increases from south to north, and its upper boundary rises. If in the Prokop’evsk field the upper working coal bed is VI Inner, then in the Kiselevsk field it is VII Inner, and in the Bachaty district already VIII Inner.

In the Kemerovo district the coal-bearing character of the upper horizons of the Kemerovo subformation also increases northward. Under such conditions it is difficult to imagine the wedging-out of the Inner beds in Kemerovo. Traces of a major erosion have not yet been established. A decrease in the thickness of the Usyat subformation northward is not consistent with the general increase in the thickness of the Upper Balakhon formation in this direction.

All these ambiguities and discrepancies must be resolved by carrying out special work on the detailed study of the sections of the Usyat and Kemerovo subformations in the Prokop’evsk–Kiselevsk and Kemerovo districts of Kuzbass, with a review and reassessment of all collections of fauna and flora. It will not be an exaggeration to say that, if the supposition concerning the correspondence of the Inner beds of the Prokop’evsk–

of the Kiselevsk district with the seams of the Kemerovo subformation of the Kemerovo district, the stratigraphy of the coal-bearing formations of Kuzbass will assume a more coherent form.

It is to be hoped that, through the efforts of the large collective of production geologists of Kuzbass and of researchers at institutes and higher educational institutions, the questions of correlating sections of the northern and southern parts of the basin will be resolved in the very near future.

REFERENCES CITED

1. Gryazev N. G. Anzhero district. Mineral Resources of Western Siberia, vol. III. Novosibirsk, 1935.

2. “Problems of the Geology of Kuzbass.” Collection. Vol. I. Ugletekhizdat, Moscow, 1956.

3. Skok V. I. Kemerovo district. Mineral Resources of Western Siberia, vol. III. Novosibirsk, 1935.

4. Fomichev V. D. On the stratigraphy of the Kuznetsk Basin. Proceedings of TsNIGRI, issue 28, 1935.

5. Khalfin L. L. On the biostratigraphic boundary between the Balakhon and Kuznetsk formations of Kuzbass. Proceedings of Tomsk University, vol. 132, 1954.

Trust “Kuzbassuglegeologiya.”