Permian Reefs of the Urals

Paleozoic reefs are widely distributed in the Urals and Priuralye region. The Late Paleozoic period of reef development (Middle Carboniferous to Lower Permian) is related to the birth and evolution of the Paleo-Ural mountain system and the fore-deep trough. The buildups are confined to the western margin of the folded Urals, to the flanks of the Pre-Uralian trough and to the eastern margin of the Russian Platform (Figs. 1–3). Three major time intervals in the reef development can be distinguished: 1. Initial reefbuilding during the Middle and Late Carboniferous (Section 2.1); 2. Main reefbuilding during the Lower Permian (Asselian and Sakmarian, Section 2.2); 3. Reefbuilding during the Artinskian and Kungurian (Section 2.3).